DESPERATE PLEASE HELP!! Play Aggression or Something Else?

Around two months ago I adopted my first furbaby, Thomas. I'm a recent college grad, and have always had pets in the home (including cats) but this is the first companion who is all my own.

I love him to pieces already. He is incredibly cuddly and affectionate, very confidant and sociable.

I feed him wet food twice a day, and from the get go have played with him with various toys (mostly fishing pole feather type toys) when I wake up, before I leave for work, when I get home from work, and before I go to bed.

He is NOT declawed and has no behavioral problems, except...

About two weeks in, he started hunting me and "attacking" my hands and feet as if they are pray. I was shocked the first time. He had been nothing but affectionate, I played with him frequently (trying to follow a stalk, catch, kill, eat routine) and had never dangled my fingers in front of him like a toy.

Unfortunately, he had three owners before me, so who knows what kind of behavior they encouraged.

I read a few articles online and decided to up my play and purchase more toys. A variety of wand toys, but also puzzle toys he could safely use while I'm at work.

The play aggression has only gotten worse. I can now confidently say that I'm TERRIFIED and ANXIOUS around my cat, which is something I never wanted to be. He is still cuddly and affectionate, but he launches himself at me over and over again throughout the day and night. I have to wear long pants and shoes while at home, always, to protect my skin. Every time he does it, I simply ignore him and then redirect his attention to a toy, but it still just gets worse.

Tonight, I played with him using just about all his toys, from midnight to 2:30 am. At the end of his play session I let him chew and kick and kill his favorite toy for a bit, and then fed him a small wet food treat.

As I was getting ready for bed. He launched himself from the floor at my throat for the first time. He bit my neck, and drew blood on my back as well as my arm.

I have no idea what to do. I feel so lost and upset. Please please, any advice would be so helpful.

I am so sorry this is happening.  The first thing I would suggest is a visit to the vet.  You want to be sure he has a clean bill of health.  Has he been neutered?  Do you know anything about his age and previous owners?  It may have been why he did not last long with his other owners.

This is an issue that will definitely take time.  I would start by continuing to play with him and use the hunt, catch, kill, eat, sleep, groom.  Be sure you are offering a special treat or small meal after the play session.  This is very important and the step most people forget about. 

I would not allow him in my bedroom at this time for you own safety.  If possible when he does this behavior, I would give him a very sharp "NO" and put him down and then walk away.  If you have to, shut yourself in a separate room.  You also can put him in a separate room for a short time out.

A couple of things come to mind...I myself am noticing a behavior change in my 18 week old kitten.  He has begun being much more aggressive with his sister lately and I don't like it.  Sometimes when kittens are removed from their mothers or siblings before they get some valuable "soft paws and teeth" training they can become play aggressive, unknowingly.  I've read articles that state this training happens between 8 and 12 weeks.  My kitten is still with his mother and has never used his claws or teeth on me.  The recent behavior with his sister I'm chalking up to the very beginning of him feeling his sex hormones and I have him scheduled for neuter this Friday.  Also, during adolescence they begin trying to find their pecking order in the group.

With your cat, you are now his group and mother and you will have to give him the soft paws and soft teeth training.  You also need to make it known that you are highest in pecking order.  You didn't mention how old he is?  If it were me...I hope others will state their methods, I would isolate him in a bathroom or other room away from you as soon as you suffer any play aggression pain.  It may take awhile for him to associate him inflicting pain with his isolation but eventually, I think he can get the understanding.  You have to isolate him immediately.  No waiting, not even a minute.  Have your isolation area all set up with necessities like a litter box and water and carry him to it.

You can also try hissing at him or fake hurt crying when he acts aggressive.  Soft claws are sheaths that you may apply to his claws until he gets control of them.

Good luck and let us know how it goes so others with this problem can learn.  Kudos to you for understanding a cat's need for play stimulation.  It is so very important for their quality of life.

Thank you both for the quick responses. I took him for a vet visit when I first got him and he came out with a clean bill of health, but taking him again couldn't hurt. I have a great vet - at the very least I'm sure she could offer some advice.

And yes I completely forgot - he's estimated to be around four or five, and is neutered.

HeatherGrace said:

Thank you both for the quick responses. I took him for a vet visit when I first got him and he came out with a clean bill of health, but taking him again couldn't hurt. I have a great vet - at the very least I'm sure she could offer some advice.

And yes I completely forgot - he's estimated to be around four or five, and is neutered.

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Do you have any idea about his life before he came to you?  That might clue you in to his behavior issues.

Have you tried feliway plug ins?  They might help.  Just be sure you have one in each room.  They are costly, but you will not see the benefits if you don't have enough.

Also you might want to try some Composure calming treats or composure liquid max.  I prefer the liquid as it is easily mixed into wet food.  The treats are sometimes not liked by cats and it can take 3-4 each dose to get enough.  It is non sedating and works to help calm the cat.  I used it with a territorial aggressive cat.  He was constantly attacking my other cat.  The composure really helped him to calm himself. I used it for over 6 month before gradually tapering his dosage.  I also used the feliway diffusers.

Your vet might have some other suggestions such as behavior medication.  Yet you might want to try feliway and/or composure first.

Wow, what a stressful situation! Sending good vibes your way and hoping you manage to solve it!

I can't claim to be very experienced with cat aggression, but maybe cat TV would help? I've got a bird feeder suction cupped to my cat's favorite window and I've found it's helped a lot with my cat's stress levels. She used to get freaked out about the dogs barking at things outside, but now she's too busy trying to stalk the birds to care. (She sits beneath the window sill so the birds can't see her then leaps up to scare them off. It's actually pretty cute. The only problem is that now I need to open the blinds as soon as it's daylight or else she'll climb them trying to see the birds!)

Your cat could be attacking you because you're the only prey within sight that seems to constantly move independently. Maybe some birds by a window or a fish or something would take her attention away from you.

 I can understand why you're anxious around your cat, goodness he's beating you up! I believe you would have to take a look at the cat's body language to determine what kind of intent they have, whether it be play or something more sinister. Either way, if he is hurting you, whatever his intentions might have been, it must stop for both of you to be happy. What kind of mood do you think he is in when he jumps up at you? Is he staring at you, ears pinned back/to the sides, puffed up fur, twitching, or making vocalizations? Or is he laying on the floor, relaxed body, ears forward? Watch some videos of cats playing with each other to see what is normal.  Paying close attention to his cues will help you to outwit him. Once you know the precursor to his attack you will hopefully be able to discourage him before he lays a paw on you.

It took my girl cat, when newly adopted, about 3 months to stop biting me. Although my girl is very outgoing it still took her time to really trust me and learn that she does not need to bite me to communicate her wishes. I learned to watch my cats face and body during that time. How has your kitty settled into your home? I think 2 months is still pretty short, he may still be adjusting. Like others have mentioned, perhaps he did not learn how to inhibit his biting and scratching from a young age.

Taking him to be vet again is a great choice. The cat mentioned above got an OK from my vet upon adoption, only to end up having a UTI a month later.

Until his attacks can be remedied, try to have his claws trimmed or put the caps on them. If he's short haired maybe put a bell collar on him so he can't try any surprises. And in my experience, Feliway does cut down on aggression. While you work on this behavior try out the calming products suggested, they may make training easier or just do the trick on their own.

Good luck and thank you for having patience with your kitty