Territorial Aggressive Cat

My cat, whom I love very much , has suddenly become very territorial. He is about 8 months old, and is in those "maturing" days. I love cats very much, so, as you can imagine, I feed, pet, and love any cat I see. Including outside cats. There are three stray cats outside my house that I pet and feed. One is his mother, who is a very mean cat, another is a female stray, and there is one stray male cat. The two females are pregnant. Occasionally, when it gets cold, I will let the outside cats into a room, which neither of my cats are allowed in. Everytime I come in from the outside, I let both my cats sniff my hands, because I pet one of the outside cats. My tomcat, Wild Bill, always sniffs and puffs up his tail, and everything, and I have to pet him, and then he's fine. He always loves to smell my hands when I have pet the stray cats outside. This all started when his mother, some how, snuck into the house. When Wild Bill discovered her, he went to investigate, and she scratched him. He's been spraying everywhere. And then this happened...
Last night, I had let one of the stray pregnant females, not his mother, into the room I mentioned above. I came in, and, of course, there was Wild Bill, and his sister/companion, Calamity Jane. They were both meowing at me to sniff my hands. I let them sniff my hands, and Wild Bill (Billy) puffed up like usual. I pet him and he walked away. I then turned around to wash my hands, and Billy came up behind me, sniffed my leg, which the stray had rubbed up against, started to walk off, then attacked my leg, biting and scratching. I tried to kick him off, and he wouldn't let go, but when I finally got him off, he sat there and growled at me. My dad came and put him in his cage, "time out," and then he was locked up in a room for the rest of the night. I know it was a territorial thing, so I'm giving him a second chance. I really don't want to get rid of him. He is getting vaccinations in a couple of days, then we are going to neuter him. Do you think this will calm him down a bit? I will appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

CJand Billy

you love cats and that is great, but you should never let a stray cat come incontact with a inside cat. they can pick up all kinds of diseases and fleas .Is there anyway you can get the female cats fixed? You can contact a rescue group in your area and they can help you, because if not there will just be more and more cats.My cats hiss at me when ever they smell another cat, so I think it is a normal, but please try and get something done about the outside cats. You can go to www.petfinder.org and it will list rescue groups in your area(top tab on page). I hope you are ok and he might calm down when fixed.

After my cats came in contact with the outside cats, one was tested for Feluk, and distemper, and such, and all were negative. Also, I am not going to mess with the stray cats anymore. We are just going to feed them. That's all. Thank-you for the website of rescue shelters, but I have looked around, and there are no shelters that will take pregnant cats. I have already grown attached to these cats, and since they are all adults, I want to make sure they go to a no-kill shelter, as to insure they get a home, and aren't just put to sleep. I am going to stay away from the outside cats from now on, for Billy's sake. I was curious if he wouldn't be as territorial when he gets fixed.

Thank-you for all your advice!

CJandBilly

Rescue organizations are different from shelters. There are lots in fl. and they will help with these cats, because being outside will only make more cats and more will die. I am glad you are keeping your cats inside. Here is one site with lots of info:http://www.alleycat.org/, on feral(outside cats).

All the organizations in this website were spay or neuter clinics. The females are both pregnant. They can't spay them while they are with kitten. The local animal (Which is a no-kill) shelter told me that I can bring the cats down, and they will find them a home AFTER they have their kittens, and the kittens are weaned. We can also bring the kittens down, but with two cats having kittens, and it's $25 a cat.... that'll be kinda hard! However, we can bring the adults to the no-kill shelter, and then the kittens to a shelter that takes them for free... I know they'll find a home. So, I guess that is my strategy. Thank-you for all your advice, catlover.

I was curious if Billy wouldn't be as territorial when he gets fixed.

CJandBilly

I am not an expert but from all I know I think he will calm down after neutering, and will probably stop spraying, but as he is already 8 months old, it may take a while, a month or two, as the behaviour is starting to get established. He has probably been capable of mating for two or three months now, which is causing his aggression.

Thanks for all the help.

CJandBilly

Hi, neutering may calm down but territorialism will not go away. my advice would be, if you have contact with the strays, do not let Billy and CJ smell your hands. he wants to protect you, his big cat, his food source and he does not want to share you, and he can't see them, so he lashed out at you as misplaced aggression because he could smell them but not get to them. think of a person yelling at a friend when it is really their mother they are upset at, example. he will stop attacking you once he is not upset by smelling them. also the strays are not fixed so that makes it worse too in terms of smell i think. he won't understand any form of punishment. he will understand only his smell on you....and that will make him peaceful and happy.

Glowbugm,
Great advice, thanks! I have already started to stay away from the stray cats outside, because I don't want a re-occurance of this. I love my Billy more than I love the cats outside. Thank-you so very much for your reply and advice.
I have one more question, now. My sister, who lives right next door to me, has two cats, Billy and CJ's brothers, but Billy doesn't get along with them. Do you think that if I have their smell on me, he'll lash out again?
Attached is a picture of CJ and Billy when they were kittens. This is my favorite picture of them. Click the link on the bottom to see.

Thanks!!!
CJandBilly

CJ and Billy

oh, pretty cute picture. i do not know, probably only billy knows, but i would surely say it is a possibility. i have a grey tabby boy, charlie, who is a fighter not a lover, not a cat's cat, and will try to be a bad-butt with any stray outside the window and sadly, with any new cat, so i have a little experience in this. if a stray shows up, i now try to deal with it separately from him--get it needed help but avoid having him smell it on me---hard though because you may think smell is gone from your hands but...it's on your legs or clothes.....

if a stray shows up, i now try to deal with it separately from him--get it needed help but avoid having him smell it on me---hard though because you may think smell is gone from your hands but...it's on your legs or clothes.....

Click to expand...

That is so very true. It is hard. I am trying to do the same. As I said above, we have 3 stray cats. Two of which are pregnant females, and no one will take a pregnant female without putting it to sleep. I have already grown to love these cats, and I don't want to see them die, but I do want to find them loving homes. I am doing just as you said, now... meaning I'm staying away from the strays outside except for needs, not my wants. He is doing much better, now, and I would like to personally thank all of you for you support, and help. Thank-you!

[yes, well, good luck, i know it is hard. i thought we had a pregnant stray but she wasn't pregnant after all but i remember the dilemma--what to do? the local rescue place said a pregnant cat could be spayed, esp. if early...hard decision. a new stray has shown up outside our window, or maybe she is not even a stray, though i have had no contact with her charlie just went and sprayed in the closet because he saw her.

Thank-you so very much!

Here's a pic of the stray that Billy attacked me because I had her smell on my leg.
Click here for a pick of Tri-Bi.
Isn't she beautiful? We call her Tri-Bi because she's tri-colored, and......... bi-polar! LOL! When we first "met" her, she was weird... but now she's used to us, and she's not so bad.

yes she is beautiful! i'm partial to calicos.

Want her?


Go here to read a little about her..... Tri-Bi .

YAY! Billy has an appointment to be neutered on Tuesday! Thanks for the advice everyone!!!!!!!!

So very unfortunately, I must tell you all some bad news. A few weeks ago, when Billy attacked me, I decided to give him a second chance. Well, he took that second chance and threw it in the trash. He attacked my mother this time, and he no longer resides in my house. We brought him to the local shelter, and told them he needed a farm with some mice to pounce on. They assured us that he would find a home.