Need help with attack cat

I have a new problem foster (actually 2 fosters, but lets start with one problem). She seems like she wants to be your best friend. As loving as the next cat, and even more so, but out of the blue turns to attack. I read the thread about aggresive behavior, but I am not 100% sure exactly why she is doing it. It seems to be the over stimulation type, but on the other hand it could be her way of playing, yet way too roughly. I have only had her a few days, so I do not know ALL of her quirks yet. But it usually only takes about 3 strokes before she lunges at you. Then she goes back to rubbing and rolling and purring until the next lunge. She will (hopefully) make someone a wonderful companion pet, but not if she constanly is in attack mode. Not many people want to deal with that kind of behavior. Can anyone help me to 1st determine what she might be thinking, and next how to stop it?

That is a hard one . But when you pet her , have also a toy in the other hand . Pet her twice and then play with her . In time you may be able to pet more then two stroke's . Lily was kind of that way my 7 month old kitten (stray) . So when I pet her I always had something to wickle in my other hand . I also watch her ears and tail in the same time and found out really quick how she is feeling , well sometimes I am still to slow . But she has gotten a lot better , but still have to watch her . Sorry that I could not help much . I wish you luck with your cat .

Could she be in heat? Sounds like it if she is rubbing and rolling around on the ground.

Maybe she needs some time to become adjusted to her new home. Maybe you could give her space until she comes to you for affection.

Looks to me like she is not the lap cat type. Is she spayed? Are her claws out when she lunges?
Some cats don't like to be petted for long periods of time and maybe your foster is like that. My cat Joji acted a little like that at the beginning and it took a very long time and a lot of patience to win her.
Hope I helped!

How old of a cat is she? When she attacks do you notice her posturing beforehand? Ears flat, eyes narrow, tail tucked? Is she playing or attacking is the first thing you need to figure out, and the body language will tell you. Tail up, eyes bright and alert, ears fully tilted she is playing. I wouldn't rub her belly- most cats dislike this. If she came from a shelter, she is so used to being in a cage and touched not that often that this is a learning curve for her. What happens if you don't pet her at all? Try that for a full day and see how she reacts.

Lizzie has been in another foster home for about 6 to 7 months. This is what the petfinder ad says about her:

Elizabeth is a beautiful, huge, gray long hair female. She is spayed and declawed. She was 3 yrs old in 4/03. Lizzie has come to us from a home with where an elderly lady got in over her head with kitties! She has spent her life in a very strange living arrangement, so as you would guess, she is very scared right now. She seems to be a loving girl and probably would do better with only one or two other kitties.

I would bet that with an elderly owner she was not picked up and held a lot (She doesn't like being picked up). I have another cat who also had an elderly owner who also hates to be picked up. I believe that they have no experience with that.


So to answer the questions.
YES....spayed
She has no claws so I do not know if they would be out
HER POSTURE..ears are not flat, they are errect. Eyes, too quick to tell, but normal I believe. Tail straight up
And she DOES come to me, right up to me and if I sit on the floor she will rub the entire length of my leg.

I wonder if she lunges at you when you touch a certain spot. I think you may be stimulating a nerve that causes a pain. With her having come from a home overrun with cats, there is a posibility that she may have an infection or some other problem causing distress.

See if there is a specific spot that promotes this reaction.

Pat

You know Olie the one rescue Persian I got did swat at me a little in the beginning . Luckily the claws in . But he swat me what I believe was , he smelled the other cats on my sweater . So he did not really swat at me , but at the other smells . Is your cat still separet from the others ? Maybe that could be part of the agression .

At first I thought it might be a particular spot, but each time it seems to be different. And since it is not immediately after sniffing me I do not "think" (assumption) it is because of other cats smells. I have a hunch she thinks she is playing but never learned how to so nicely.

Get this:

I just got a little more info on her background. When our organization got her she was in a home where the lady kept her cats in rabbit cages!!! This lady THOUGHT she was a rescuer, but in fact was a hoarder, so we do not know if Lizzie had a previous home or what might have happened to her there.

OMG that sounds like a hoarder to me Jen . You may be right then , she was never socialiced (sp) how to interact with humans . That means you need a lot of patiance with her .Poor baby . Good luck with her .