Attack Cat

Hi, I'm new and looking for some info and maybe some advice.
I have a 1 1/2 year old neutered male cat. His parents were feral. I got him at 5 wks. He was raised with lots of attention and discipline (not getting on cupboards and tables). He has always been very outgoing and not shy at all. About 9 months old he began to stalk the family members and attack and bite. Depending on what set him off, it's very odd to me. If I sneeze or cough he will stalk me and attack. He doesn't like being told "no" either. I have just tried to redirect his attention thus far, putting a towel over him or putting him in another room. Every night when I get into bed he is hiding and attacks my legs. It's not play, it's mean behavior. Does anyone have any ideas or advice on this. He is a very large cat too .

When people say that they redirect their cats they usually mean that they play with them using something appropriate, like a laser or a toy. Your cat sounds frustrated and like he might not have an outlet for his energy. Do you play with him vigorously?

I play with him when he wants to play. He doesn't always play, he will sit and watch me and sometimes walk away. He has another cat in the house that was a stray that we adopted. They play quite often, but Odin, will get really rough and make the other cat cry.

Right, so you need to find toys that engage him and get him to play with you until he's exhausted. Have you tried a laser pointer?

I do not have a laser pointer, I will try that. Thank you

If Odin gets too rough with your other cat, put him in a short time-out. 5 minutes in a spare room will calm him down and he'll learn that playing too hard means no more playing. Works like a charm in the community cat rooms at the humane society.

I purchased a laser pointer and a few other things to get Odin to play more. The laser pointer sparked his interest until he figured out it was not actually anything he could touch, now he looks at it like he is disgusted. He is a very smart cat, his favorite toy is bead that he can slide around on the floor. I'm thinking of getting a remote controlled mouse to try

Have you tried Da Bird? It's a wand toy that most cats can't resist, possibly because the basic model uses guinea feathers. You can really give Odin a good work out with it and get him running through the house and leaping into the air after it. After each play session, give him a little reward to satisfy his prey drive. If you do this at night before bed time, it might cut down on his biting.

I recommend Da Bird, too. It's Mingo's favorite and I have to hide it when I'm not playing with it or he will chew the feathers to pieces. The feathers are replaceable, which I've done several times. It has an extension, and I taped them together so it won't fall apart. The feathers are real, and that makes it very enticing to the cat.

You don't say whether your cat bites hard, but mine does that stalking and catching game when he wants to play. It's all play to him, no meanness intended.

No, he means business when he stalks . He bites hard , draws blood and sometimes hold on with his claws and bites more. It's usually when he's told NO, or like I said before if I sneeze, which is odd to me. I've never had a cat like him. I need to post a picture.
We can play and he won't bite hard, but when he's in that mode all he wants to do is bite. I can usually change his attention, not always tho

Then it's clear he's angry. It sounds like he's got a bit of feral still left in him. Mingo is like that, too, and I believe he was originally feral. Mingo can get too aggressive when he's prevented from doing what he wants; he's a bit stubborn. I put him down and ignore him if I'm holding him, or loudly shout no at him if he's catching my legs. May you should shut him up as some of the others have suggested when he gets mean. Odin is a beautiful cat, so don't give up on him.

He's not angry and being vindictive. That's a human emotion, not one that cats have. It's more likely that he's frustrated because he's not getting something he needs. In this case, he either needs a more appropriate outlet for his energy or he doesn't feel entirely safe. Possibly both.

Keep trying to redirect to other things, like toys. Never allow him to bite you in play - it's too confusing. You will also need to play vigorously so he's tired out several times a day. If there is a pattern to when he attacks, play before that.

A feliway diffuser could also help to calm him down, if you haven't tried that already.

YES - what talkingpeanut says.  Also yes to DaBird (and there are endless variations to that one toy too!)

I had an extreme biter and attack cat.  Funny, he even looks a bit like Odin!  The thing with higly willed (they want things A LOT), and very intelligent cats, is that 'discipline' in the form of 'sticks' rather than 'carrots' is never going to work.  It actually doesnt work on any cat, but you'll notice worse outcomes with the high willed and high intelligence cat.  So shouting, hitting, spraying, loud noises, angry noises, towel over the cat - the stuff a lot of people use to 'discipline' (not saying you use them all) are all supplying more energy to the situation -NOT calming it down.  For my cat, it upped the anti.  Plus, being physical with the cat can also teach them that that physicality is fine to use on the human too.  You want to always associate love and soft movements with the human body.  It's why the wear them out, make them play like crazy, is done with toys.

I also agree that he seems frustrated.  Additionally, 9 months-3-4years is adolescence for cats.  They are teenagers.  Vets and people often think of them as adults, but no no no, they are teenagers, and you will notice with such a cat there is a very distinct teenage phase. (Like mine!)  This means they are testing the boundaries.  They are also testing how much you love them.  Which is another reason you dont want to be using negatives for discipline, because they will get the message you don't love them, and their heart will be disillusioned - and they will become more distant.  Because it's safer.  They also have large amounts of energy, and a bigger brain.  Seriously, I almost gave up on my boy until I discovered the adoloscent thing, and because I then persevered with showering him with love, from 4 years old, he has become such a love bug!  He is still highly willed, highly intelligent, but our friendship allows more modifications with behaviour.

SO:

1. Play.  Until he flops and pants.  Every single day.  I had it really bad with ours - it was 5 hours of play every single day!! (Lucky there were two of us).

2. Reward every instant of good behaviour. Eg - you notice him as you enter a room, speak lovely things to him.  You notice him lying on a chair - shower him with cat kisses (slow blinks with both eyes).  Both of these things are hands free, so very good for adolescence if cuddles and pats are all just too much input.  Make a production of meal time saying how yummy it is and its just for him.  Tell him how good he is at using the litter box and what a clean boy he is.  Admire his lovely fur.  Basically, just whenever you notice Odin, do something to express how much you love him.  (I had to use lots of hands-free ways, because, too much physical input would also sometimes trigger biting).

3.  Meet his needs (with cat glasses on!).  I gave my boy his own stool - he then didnt get in trouble by getting on the bench because he could get up on his stool and see the stuff he needed to see.  WHne he did get on the bench, I didnt need to yell - I just moved his stool over and put him on that.  He got it quickly.  Reassure him that nothing scary happens when you sneeze.  I think it must be the noise here, and the fright, so explain in a light hearted way  'oh, that was a funny thing!'.  He's intelligent, he will get it.  Be relaxed about it.  Provide him with lots of places that are 'his' so he can decompress and process all the teenage emotions and info coming into his growing brain - high places and cubbies.  If you get/make him a good place, make a big fuss of it and show him.  We have velcroed a cat bed on top of a bookcase, regularly build rug 'tents', have boxes and tunnels all over the place, a set of drawers built like a staircase with carpet put on each layer.  If it was our place, we'd have shelves all over the walls so he could run around the house without touching the floor! All of these things give him territory and ways to get away from too much input.

4.  Distract him to avert attacks.  This means keeping a toy on you (in you pocket), or some treats on you.  These are both GOOD things (not a nasty towel over his head).  Toss the toy, or treat.  

5.  In the instance of attack, do not move.  If you do, it triggers the 'prey' response.  So even if he bites you, don't pull your hand away.  It takes a bit of training for the human, but actually, less damage is done if we don't pull away.  Instead, hold very still, and pretend to softly (no loud noises) cry in a very sad way.  You are working on building a friendship with him - so he wont want to hurt his friend.  At the very least, the distressed noise will make him pause and think.  You can try time out if the attack is not frenzied - use the bathroom, and put him gently with no emotion inside for 1 min.  Then let him out with no fuss or attention.  In my case, any movement would lead to frenzy level, so time out wasnt working.  I would turn my back.  He would try to circle in front of me, and I would keep turning.  As said, he's intelligent, so that only worked for a bit, then if I moved AT ALL, he'd attack.  So I just started the crying thing!  

I think you will have some really good progress with all of these things.  I have to tell you that in my case, they didnt solve it completely- what solved it for us was what the breeder said would solve it!! (Clever breeder!).  The minute we got him a playmate, the biting stopped.  But this was MY situation, with a specialised breed of cat that needed another cat of the same breed.  Put all of the above into play, and you should see great progress - good luck!!

My kitten Sawyer attacks as well.  Has since we got him at 8 weeks old!  We have literally tried everything suggested and he will still attack, but I have found that what works the best is what was mentioned previously...playing!  I have a feather stick toy that we play with multiple times a day, he LOVES it and will leap in the air for it.  I do it until he is panting and then he is much less likely to stalk me and attack me.  It is hard to redirect when it HURTS when they latch onto you!  But it is definitely the most effective.  He is a sweet sweet boy when he is in non attack mode, rubs and purrs and wants petted.  But if he is in attack mode you can't touch him or he will latch onto you.  Getting mad only makes it worse.  

I have heard great things about Da Bird as well!  I keep meaning to order one to replace his feather toy.  (His feather toy is really...one feather on a stick since he pulled the rest out..).  

Odin2014 said:

I play with him when he wants to play. He doesn't always play, he will sit and watch me and sometimes walk away. He has another cat in the house that was a stray that we adopted. They play quite often, but Odin, will get really rough and make the other cat cry.

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The second was adobted after Odin ? Did the aggression start after you got the other cat. Maybe he's jealous or territorial.. 

Just making guesses ! 

The second (Autum), started coming around the house a week after we adopted Odin. I do think Odin is jealous of him by the way he looks at Autum when he is on my lap. Odin does not lay on our laps, he has always layed on our legs or feet.
Odin has always claimed me as his person, maybe because I spend the most time with him, he is also the most aggressive toward me.
I ordered a "Feliaway" plug in to see if it will do anything . I do believe that both of his parents were feral and that has a lot to do with his behavior. He is a very intelligent cat. He has also been trying to sneak outside when we open the door. He has been in a harness and on a leash since he was 8 weeks old. I walk him outside frequently.
Thanks for all the advice I have received here, I appreciate all of it!

tammyp said:

YES - what talkingpeanut says.  Also yes to DaBird (and there are endless variations to that one toy too!)



I had an extreme biter and attack cat.  Funny, he even looks a bit like Odin!  The thing with higly willed (they want things A LOT), and very intelligent cats, is that 'discipline' in the form of 'sticks' rather than 'carrots' is never going to work.  It actually doesnt work on any cat, but you'll notice worse outcomes with the high willed and high intelligence cat.  So shouting, hitting, spraying, loud noises, angry noises, towel over the cat - the stuff a lot of people use to 'discipline' (not saying you use them all) are all supplying more energy to the situation -NOT calming it down.  For my cat, it upped the anti.  Plus, being physical with the cat can also teach them that that physicality is fine to use on the human too.  You want to always associate love and soft movements with the human body.  It's why the wear them out, make them play like crazy, is done with toys.

I also agree that he seems frustrated.  Additionally, 9 months-3-4years is adolescence for cats.  They are teenagers.  Vets and people often think of them as adults, but no no no, they are teenagers, and you will notice with such a cat there is a very distinct teenage phase. (Like mine!)  This means they are testing the boundaries.  They are also testing how much you love them.  Which is another reason you dont want to be using negatives for discipline, because they will get the message you don't love them, and their heart will be disillusioned - and they will become more distant.  Because it's safer.  They also have large amounts of energy, and a bigger brain.  Seriously, I almost gave up on my boy until I discovered the adoloscent thing, and because I then persevered with showering him with love, from 4 years old, he has become such a love bug!  He is still highly willed, highly intelligent, but our friendship allows more modifications with behaviour.

SO:
1. Play.  Until he flops and pants.  Every single day.  I had it really bad with ours - it was 5 hours of play every single day!! (Lucky there were two of us).
2. Reward every instant of good behaviour. Eg - you notice him as you enter a room, speak lovely things to him.  You notice him lying on a chair - shower him with cat kisses (slow blinks with both eyes).  Both of these things are hands free, so very good for adolescence if cuddles and pats are all just too much input.  Make a production of meal time saying how yummy it is and its just for him.  Tell him how good he is at using the litter box and what a clean boy he is.  Admire his lovely fur.  Basically, just whenever you notice Odin, do something to express how much you love him.  (I had to use lots of hands-free ways, because, too much physical input would also sometimes trigger biting).
3.  Meet his needs (with cat glasses on!).  I gave my boy his own stool - he then didnt get in trouble by getting on the bench because he could get up on his stool and see the stuff he needed to see.  WHne he did get on the bench, I didnt need to yell - I just moved his stool over and put him on that.  He got it quickly.  Reassure him that nothing scary happens when you sneeze.  I think it must be the noise here, and the fright, so explain in a light hearted way  'oh, that was a funny thing!'.  He's intelligent, he will get it.  Be relaxed about it.  Provide him with lots of places that are 'his' so he can decompress and process all the teenage emotions and info coming into his growing brain - high places and cubbies.  If you get/make him a good place, make a big fuss of it and show him.  We have velcroed a cat bed on top of a bookcase, regularly build rug 'tents', have boxes and tunnels all over the place, a set of drawers built like a staircase with carpet put on each layer.  If it was our place, we'd have shelves all over the walls so he could run around the house without touching the floor! All of these things give him territory and ways to get away from too much input.
4.  Distract him to avert attacks.  This means keeping a toy on you (in you pocket), or some treats on you.  These are both GOOD things (not a nasty towel over his head).  Toss the toy, or treat.  
5.  In the instance of attack, do not move.  If you do, it triggers the 'prey' response.  So even if he bites you, don't pull your hand away.  It takes a bit of training for the human, but actually, less damage is done if we don't pull away.  Instead, hold very still, and pretend to softly (no loud noises) cry in a very sad way.  You are working on building a friendship with him - so he wont want to hurt his friend.  At the very least, the distressed noise will make him pause and think.  You can try time out if the attack is not frenzied - use the bathroom, and put him gently with no emotion inside for 1 min.  Then let him out with no fuss or attention.  In my case, any movement would lead to frenzy level, so time out wasnt working.  I would turn my back.  He would try to circle in front of me, and I would keep turning.  As said, he's intelligent, so that only worked for a bit, then if I moved AT ALL, he'd attack.  So I just started the crying thing!  

I think you will have some really good progress with all of these things.  I have to tell you that in my case, they didnt solve it completely- what solved it for us was what the breeder said would solve it!! (Clever breeder!).  The minute we got him a playmate, the biting stopped.  But this was MY situation, with a specialised breed of cat that needed another cat of the same breed.  Put all of the above into play, and you should see great progress - good luck!!

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Thank you so much for this. I already do many of these things. You have really opened my eyes on what to do and what not to do , I really want him to enjoy his life and know how much I love him.
Thanks again and have a Merry Christmas!

Odin, I just thought of something I did to reduce the aggressiveness in my cat. I put out two soft knitted ponchos in the places where he slept. Soft things remind cats of their mother's breasts and they will start kneading and purring. It must bring back happy secure times to them and it has an overall gentling affect.

I'm not sure about the above. It's worth a try, but your cat should have someplace soft to sleep regardless of aggression. Cats will knead when they are happy and calm. Helping him to let out his energy in a productive way when appropriate will lead to more calm times for all of you.