So, I moved in with my mom after leaving my husband a few months ago. My cat is not getting along with her cats, so she mostly is kept in a large bedroom with an attached bathroom. I also sleep in that room at night, which is usually fine because she's always been a nighttime cuddler. She gets to walk around the house when the other cats are in the basement or outside.
Lately though, we're having some problems with misplaced aggression. She never had misplaced aggression problems until after my (soon to be ex) husband and I moved from a house in the country to an apartment in town (last June). We had neighbors who fought loudly and often and whose kids cried a lot (usually during the fights) and a stray cat would sit on the back deck.
the first incident occurred around early October when I went to see what she was yowling at in the window and she attacked me for getting between her and the window. She kept coming at me but not my husband, who had to keep her at bay while i ran to the bedroom. we left her isolated for about an hour and then i went to check on her and she was fine. she was really cuddly after that.
I didn't have any problems again until about 3 weeks ago when, she and one of mom's cats accidentally met and fought pretty roughly. i managed to separate them and corral her into her room without incident, but when i went to the room later, she came at me. I left her alone for a couple hours and she calmed down.
Last night, she was out in the house while the other cat's were in the basement. she was doing fine, playing and exploring, when somehow there was a wasp in the house and she got very interested in it. Not wanting her to get bitten, I grabbed a shoe to kill the wasp and she attacked,me pretty bad, before i could squash the thing. I'm worried it might have bitten her after all. She was under my mom's bed, which mom was sitting on at the time and I climbed up on myself when she attacked. she spent the next hour pacing back and fourth under and around the bed stalking us, yowling and growling before I managed to make it to the bathroom, grab a pair of boots and the vacuum, and corral her into her bedroom. I left her isolated until she calmed down and hen went to check on her. She let me pet her and even pick her up and I was able to sleep in my own bed like normal.
This morning, mom had a handyman come to clear some junk out of the yard. She heard his car and watched him from the window. I started to go about my day, getting ready for work. When I came back to the room to get clothes, she darted out. I wanted to protect the other cats so I tried to stop her, but she ran down the stairs. I ran after her and went to close the basement door, in case the other cats were down there, so she couldn't get at them (turned out they were outside) but she saw that as a threat and started yowling. She chased me upstairs, but i didn't get any new scratches, because I was able to grab the vacuum to corral her in time. But i had a time trying to get stuff out of my room to get ready for work.
When i came home this afternoon, I went to check on her. she was doing her lonely meow, but when i tried to go in, she hissed. I left her alone a while longer and was able to get inside and pet her, but she still seems stressed (And I am too). I tried again this evening. I am able to get in, but she's overly attentive to every noise outside the room and does not want me to pick her up. I don't know if sleeping in there (or staying for a prolonged period) will comfort her or scare her more. I'm kind of jumpy around her right now myself.
Any suggestions on what to do from here? I know it's just as stressful (if not more) for her as it is for me. She has never attacked another person other than me like this, although she doesn't like other people and I'm afraid of this escalating into regular behavior, and afraid that she'll attack others.
Lately though, we're having some problems with misplaced aggression. She never had misplaced aggression problems until after my (soon to be ex) husband and I moved from a house in the country to an apartment in town (last June). We had neighbors who fought loudly and often and whose kids cried a lot (usually during the fights) and a stray cat would sit on the back deck.
the first incident occurred around early October when I went to see what she was yowling at in the window and she attacked me for getting between her and the window. She kept coming at me but not my husband, who had to keep her at bay while i ran to the bedroom. we left her isolated for about an hour and then i went to check on her and she was fine. she was really cuddly after that.
I didn't have any problems again until about 3 weeks ago when, she and one of mom's cats accidentally met and fought pretty roughly. i managed to separate them and corral her into her room without incident, but when i went to the room later, she came at me. I left her alone for a couple hours and she calmed down.
Last night, she was out in the house while the other cat's were in the basement. she was doing fine, playing and exploring, when somehow there was a wasp in the house and she got very interested in it. Not wanting her to get bitten, I grabbed a shoe to kill the wasp and she attacked,me pretty bad, before i could squash the thing. I'm worried it might have bitten her after all. She was under my mom's bed, which mom was sitting on at the time and I climbed up on myself when she attacked. she spent the next hour pacing back and fourth under and around the bed stalking us, yowling and growling before I managed to make it to the bathroom, grab a pair of boots and the vacuum, and corral her into her bedroom. I left her isolated until she calmed down and hen went to check on her. She let me pet her and even pick her up and I was able to sleep in my own bed like normal.
This morning, mom had a handyman come to clear some junk out of the yard. She heard his car and watched him from the window. I started to go about my day, getting ready for work. When I came back to the room to get clothes, she darted out. I wanted to protect the other cats so I tried to stop her, but she ran down the stairs. I ran after her and went to close the basement door, in case the other cats were down there, so she couldn't get at them (turned out they were outside) but she saw that as a threat and started yowling. She chased me upstairs, but i didn't get any new scratches, because I was able to grab the vacuum to corral her in time. But i had a time trying to get stuff out of my room to get ready for work.
When i came home this afternoon, I went to check on her. she was doing her lonely meow, but when i tried to go in, she hissed. I left her alone a while longer and was able to get inside and pet her, but she still seems stressed (And I am too). I tried again this evening. I am able to get in, but she's overly attentive to every noise outside the room and does not want me to pick her up. I don't know if sleeping in there (or staying for a prolonged period) will comfort her or scare her more. I'm kind of jumpy around her right now myself.
Any suggestions on what to do from here? I know it's just as stressful (if not more) for her as it is for me. She has never attacked another person other than me like this, although she doesn't like other people and I'm afraid of this escalating into regular behavior, and afraid that she'll attack others.
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. I'm tired of being terrified to move around in my home.
