help needed

Hi,my name is janine and iv got a cat called lily.We got her a few months ago to keep me company whilst my boyfriend is at work.The only problem is is that she is totally insane.She was fine the first month and now shes running up and down the stairs jumping all over the funiture and attacking everything in sight.She can be really nice when she wants to be but her behaviour is getting worse.We got her from a shelter and we think she may have be mistreated because she runs away from my boyfriend alot.We have just started letting her out and it seemed to calm her down a bit but now shes back to her usual self again.Shes hurt her paw on several occasions because of her jumping around.She is only about a yr old but iv never had a cat with this problem before.When she goes out i dont like her to go to far because there is a busy road not far from me and unfortunatly there have been a few dead cats seen there and this is the last thing i want to happen.Does anyone have some advice?The main problem is her attacking people for no reason,i have a 6 month old son and i dont want her to attack him although most of the time she doesnt realise he is there.Anyway thanx for listening

Janine, it sounds like your cat is reliving her kittenhood that she lost while waiting to be adopted. My boys are constantly running up and down the stairs, up and over furniture and me. When she attacks people, is it playing or is she being agressive? Are her ears back and tail down??

You also mention that you're afraid she'll be run over since you live near a busy road. My solution...don't let her out. None of my cats have ever been outside and they're just as happy...maybe even happier. They don't have to worry about cars, feral cats, bugs, poison plants, mean people.

Sandy

When lily bites sometimes it looks like shes just playing but the other day she attacked a relative just because she was stroking her and she wouldnt let go.She hasnt drawn blood yet,im hoping its just a phase and that she'll grow out of it quickly.Everytime i open the door to go out with my baby she runs out the door and im scared that she might get knocked over.There isnt really a way of preventing her from running out cos i have to get a big pushchair out and most of the time i dont notice that she managed to sneak passed me.Anyway thanx for ur help,also could someone plz tell me how to put pics on cos i cant see any options which says i can put them on.thanx 4 listening.

Hey,
I'm not a kitty expert but I do have a pretty hyperactive cat. Maybe you need to make sure you play with her with interactive toys for a substantial portion of time each day (say several intervals of 15 minutes). Play hide and seek, or chase the feather or something to wear her out. My Cat really enjoys wrestling with stuffed animals (instead of my hand) and when she bites my Hand I Tell her No in my scary mean voice and then give her something that is not my hand to chew on. I think its part of how cats play and bond with eachother and she may not have realized that hands are not chew toys. So you have to give her somethign she CAN chew on. (besides your furniture). The running from your husband thing could also be because she wants to play hide and seek or rather "hunt the husband."

And when it comes to her getting out of the house, if you give up that easily then you are doomed. First thing I would do is get a collar with a bell on it, so you know where she is at all times. She will probably hate it at first, but she'll live, I promise. (I hope she's wearing one anyway if you are letting her out). And then you might try rewarding her with treats whens he doesn't run out, say when you come home. And be careful about not letting her out. I usually go for the angry yelling at the cat when she gets out so she knows that she did something bad and then I grab her and put her back in the house. I'm sure you probably can't yell with a 6 month old, but you have to be firm and consistent with kitty.

There are some great behavior articles on this site and others about how to play with cats and how to deal with overactive ones. I'm sure you can find a solution. Maybe when the baby is old enough they can learn to throw balls for the kitty. (Oh how adorable, I'm going to explode) It is definetly much safer for your cat to be inside. She will also be much happier and less CRAZY if you give her constructive outlets for her energy.

This thread might have some information for you:
Ouch!!! How to stop cat aggression toward people. (click here)

Here's the link for how to post pictures:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14474

We'd love to see some.

Originally Posted by jj&lily

When lily bites sometimes it looks like shes just playing but the other day she attacked a relative just because she was stroking her and she wouldnt let go.She hasnt drawn blood yet,im hoping its just a phase and that she'll grow out of it quickly.Everytime i open the door to go out with my baby she runs out the door and im scared that she might get knocked over.There isnt really a way of preventing her from running out cos i have to get a big pushchair out and most of the time i dont notice that she managed to sneak passed me.Anyway thanx for ur help,also could someone plz tell me how to put pics on cos i cant see any options which says i can put them on.thanx 4 listening.

Click to expand...

OK...these are 2 things I CAN help with. If Lily is biting during petting, she's getting overstimulated. Many cats have this habit. In this case, its more retraining of the owner than the cat. You need to learn her signs. When she's had enough petting, she'll actually give you some signs before she bites. Things like her tail lashing.

Before you go out the door, try throwing her favorite toy in the opposite direction. Or keep a soda can with pennies in it next to the door. As she tries to sneak out, shake it quickly. The sound will send her in the other direction.

Some cats can get overstimulated while being petted. If you cat is naturally hyperactive, then she is more likely to be one of those kitties. this isn't anything big, usually, and modified behaviour toward the kitty will help stop the kitty from biting. Paige used to bite a lot, and now, she doesn't. If the cat starts getting antsy while being pet, leave it alone. (this is characterized by dilated pupils, and a wagging or rapidly swishing tail)

I don't have an answer for the hyperactivity, though, sorry.