Terror Kitty on Four Legs

i wanted to solicit your advice. i do a lot of TNR work, and trapped 12 cats from a colony up the street.  out of these, two came back to me with the note "not feral."  i named them xander and alice, and they've been living in a room in my friend's garage since May - i was just taking care of them and trying to find homes but i decided to keep them (alice is semi-feral) and they are moving in a few weeks to live with my boyfriend, john. when i first trapped xander and set him up in a cage, i think he was about 6-8 months old? that was about 6 months ago (jeepers!) he was such a sweet little love bug and he would roll on his back and let people pet his belly and happily kick his feet. lately he has been an absolute kitty terror on legs... he has an insane amount of energy,which seems normal, but he has no manners and i do not know how to teach him this. he has gone into some sort of "wild play mode" and scratched and bit me minorly, but last night he hopped on my lap and did that crazy playful kitty thing where they act like they're trying to catch an invisible little bug that's running all over your lap? full claws out and i screamed it hurt so bad!

when i tried to put my hand on him to calm him/get him off he wildly attacked/scratched at my hand. i peeled him off. later he did the same thing again. he has laid on my lap sweetly before i swear. also last night he kept antagonizing one of my friend's former ferals who had slipped out into our space by accident. while normally he is "fine" with other cats and obnoxiously pounces on them in an attempt to play, he kept bullying this poor kitty and making an awful yowling noise with his tail puffed up. he also intimidates alice and hits her when food or attention are being served (sometimes she does the same to him though) my friend keeps telling me he's probably acting nuts because he's in a small room all the time (maybe like 20 ft by 15?) but they have tons of stuff to climb really high up, and they do. it probably doesn't sound that bad, but i swear when he gets the crazies he is quite scary to me because he will hurt me, even if not purposefully, it's like he loses his mind.  my friend thinks it is an adolescent phase he will outgrow - but she has a kitty who is years old now that someone swapped with her because he is very nasty - he bites and scratches everyone while acting loving and soliciting attention and petting, has really hurt people, and is very rude and attacks other cats. he was separated from his mom real young. he didn't outgrow it, and i don't want to sound like a terrible human, but i am concerned about xander growing up to be an awful cat that creates disharmony and hurts people. i love him and it's causing me a lot of stress and conflict. do you have any advice?

xander and alice are spayed and neutered.  i have another kitty from a different colony, grace, who lives with me and my father, and she also is spayed and went through alternating fiesty/terror and sweet loving perfect companion phases.  i socialized her from about 2-4 months old as she was feral.  they will all be integrated at some point in the future.

thank you!

-Rebecca

I think he sounds like a normal adolescent cat that needs an outlet for all that energy. I really think he'll calm down in a few years, but you are right,he was most likely separated from his mom too young, before she could socialize him and teach him some manners. Stop playing immediately with him when he acts like that, even hiss at him, turn your back and leave him alone for a 'time out', that helps a lot. The best thing to do is for him to have a high energy 'buddy' who could give him back what he gives out, if at all possible. I'm sure there are those on this site that could give you good advise, or look back through some of the past posts on aggressive behavior. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thank you so much for your helpful and prompt reply!  I am looking for advice for certain, but I am also looking for comfort that it will pass!!!  I love all my formerly feral kitties and I want to keep them all as happily as possible.  Grace is a very energetic and playful cat and is constantly soliciting me for play.  She is a little older but only by a handful of months, and I had hoped to have Xander live with us now, but my dad rejected the idea.  Alice is the only cat he has access to all the time and she is super sweet and shy, approx 4 years old and just learning to relax/play/trust and enjoy life for the first time in a long time.  I have seen her try to play with him once, but she does not appreciate his style and wildness.  The friend whose house they are staying at fosters and owns many kitties, and each one he has interacted with has been completely turned off by his approach to play.  Good news is - he loves laser pointers and will run forever!!!!