Lunging Atttack

Since this incadent Ive learned more about cat behavior and why he bites and gets these weird spells. And that by trying to calm hhim I only made it worse. BUT, the aggresion he showed was very scary. Any advise anyone could give would be GREAT! I was all set to bring him back to the shelter (which would keep him until a home was found) but I want to do what I can first. I have had him for 3 months, he is 4 years old.

below is what happened:

I walked passed him and he meowed for my attention. I sat down next to him on the floor and was petting him (on his head), he was happy and purring when suddenly he bit me. I gave him a light tap and he brought his ears back and looked surprised. I tried calming him down in a soothing voice and petting him. As I tried to walk away he jumped up off the floor all 4 legs out to get me. I pushed him away before he got me too bad. I wanted to make sure he was ok so didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even show that I was angry, he kept walk AT ME. I back a way a few times. Tried petting him and finally I walked way into my bedroom. He followed mw at again lunged up and got me in the face. I left the room and closed him in there for about 45 minutes. Oh, and also at no point was the cat corned, the first time he attacked he was right near a hallway. And The 2nd time he had his back to the door.

After he was nervous but all has been ok since then

If you described this in a dog, I would say to definitely get rid of the animal. As pack animals, a dog who lunges at and acts aggressive towards its owner can be very dangerous.

Cats are very different. Cats play with each other by jumping and wrestling. If you have had your kitty for 3 months, and this is the first time he has jumped at you, I would be inclined to have you keep posting here at TCS, learn more about cat behavior and how to interpret their cues, and keep working with your kitty.

Even biting behavior can be relearned. But where with a dog, you might tap their head to say, "no, stop", to the cat that said, "hey I like this rough stuff, lets wrestle". The worst "punishment" or letting him know you don't like this "game" is to break eye contact and walk away. If you backed away while keeping eye contact (which is what people do) you were kind of egging him on (in cat communication).

A fixed stare is a confrontation to a cat, so just looking at him can seem like an aggressive stance to a kitty. Next time you catch his eye, try blinking your eyes really slow. That says-hey, I like you. If he blinks back, he likes you a lot too. (If he doesn't blink it doesn't mean he doesn't like you...)

Best of luck, I hope it works out for you and this kitty. I would love to hear more about him!

I'm not sure I understand fully about your cat's behavior.

My cat will lunge - she likes attacking my leg as if it's a scratching post. She also lunged and got me in the face once with her claws. BUT - it wasnt her fault. She was in that wild crazy mood they get in at least once a day - eyes real big, lotsa energy, running fast, pouncing on everything in sight, etc. When a cat is in the mode - I know I enter their zone at my own risk. When she is not in the zone, she isn't aggressive.

I want to know if it is during one of the cat crazy times or the aggression appears out of nowhere. The distinction is important I think.

he was agitated during the attack. my attemps to calm him down only (obviously) made things much worse. He jump up off the floor several feet in the air at me. The continued following me and agression is what was very concerning.

Welcome bobafett1s..it's Katie.

To everyone else....bobafett1s (nice name) adopted a cat through the rescue I volunteer with....I suggested he post about it here to try to gather suggestions on why his cat may have attacked him and different things he can try to help his cat. Any suggestion at all are appreciated.

Katie

Maybe he was upset with you tapping his nose? I know Buffy gets pissed off when I tap her nose (I don't do it anymore for this very reason), and if you've only had the cat 3 months, maybe he overreacted, thought you were trying to hurt him (so he had to get defensive and fight back). That's only a guess, though. Willow used to do the same thing, would hide under a table or something and as you walked by, she'd shoot out and attack your ankles and feet, then retreat back under the table. If you tapped Willow's face, she would stop, but if you tapped Buffy's face, she'd smack you back, lol

And if he likes to bite and fight when you play, sometimes you can use a stuffed animal for kitty to bite at to save your hand!

Boys tend to like rough play more than girls. Sometimes when I play with Gar, instead of playing with a toy at the end of a string, he wants to grab the hand holding the string! He is 16 months old now, and pretty much knows we don't like rough play, but when he was younger sometimes he just played like a beastie! Luckily we have another cat, so Festie gets the brunt of his wrestling. Even she will sometimes hiss at him, as if to say "stop!"

Also, sometimes people love to play rough with a kitten, not realizing that they are teaching him to be a rough cat. Then when he gets older and bites someone, they dump him. It is very possible your dear kitty was taught to be "mean", and now needs to learn that his new Daddy wants him to be gentle.

The fact that you are willing to try to learn how to help your cat be a better companion makes me believe you will work things out. Did you try blinking at him yet? Sometimes Festus will blink back at me, or kinda squint her eyes. Garfield doesn't blink back. But my outside boy Will loves to blink at me! He is a total sweetie!

thanks Katie

thanks to every one for there help with my LUNGING CAT. things are better, still playing it by ear but so far, so good. He is just very nervous. The slightest thing could freak him out.
When I get ready to leave the house he goes and sort of hides? not sure what thats about. And no matter how much attention I give him the minute I stop he sits there looking up at me and just meows with his mouth half open. Kind of freaky but what ever. I try to not give in everytime, dont want him to think he's in charge. But usually have to give in just to settle him down. Any suggestions on how to play that one? Spoil or ignore?

ok, thanks again.

When my cats want my attention, they do the meowing bit too. I spoil them but they aren't spoiled. They are happy whether I pet them more than they want or when I'm in a hurry and they have to be satisfied with a few pats. There are times too that I need to cuddle them and they ignore me totally! Maybe I should meow to them too when this happens!
IMO, you are doing fine. I do not think there's a set of rules about petting your cat. In my experience, time, a basic knowledge of cat behavior and lots of love, make a happy relationship between me and my kitties.

Your cats talking to you. This is my Rosie 99% of the time when i go to take her picture but she's also like this when she wants a treat from me, or tells me about her day when i get in from work. So if i were you chat back to him

Originally Posted by bobafett1s

Since this incadent Ive learned more about cat behavior and why he bites and gets these weird spells. And that by trying to calm hhim I only made it worse. BUT, the aggresion he showed was very scary. Any advise anyone could give would be GREAT! I was all set to bring him back to the shelter (which would keep him until a home was found) but I want to do what I can first. I have had him for 3 months, he is 4 years old.

below is what happened:

I walked passed him and he meowed for my attention. I sat down next to him on the floor and was petting him (on his head), he was happy and purring when suddenly he bit me. I gave him a light tap and he brought his ears back and looked surprised. I tried calming him down in a soothing voice and petting him. As I tried to walk away he jumped up off the floor all 4 legs out to get me. I pushed him away before he got me too bad. I wanted to make sure he was ok so didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even show that I was angry, he kept walk AT ME. I back a way a few times. Tried petting him and finally I walked way into my bedroom. He followed mw at again lunged up and got me in the face. I left the room and closed him in there for about 45 minutes. Oh, and also at no point was the cat corned, the first time he attacked he was right near a hallway. And The 2nd time he had his back to the door.

After he was nervous but all has been ok since then

Click to expand...

Hi Bob,

Below is just my thoughts on what I have read. To give you a background, I deal with abused and abandoned kitties and have for a very long time. I am guessing here, based on my experiences and so you need to understand that only going by what you have shared- these are my personal thoughts on your situation-

Your kitty isn't a threat to you, so you needn't be scared of him. He senses your fear, they pick that up easily, and you tapping him and pushing him away, will only increase his aggression (because that is what you term it) to you. So if possible, you need to stop scaring him. Because as much as he scares you, you scare him even more.

He was more than likely left on his own in the world. Maybe his mom was trapped before he was ready to say goodbye, maybe someone kicked him, drove him off, stepped on him, who knows. If they could talk, I know their stories would bring most people to tears.

You need to relate to him on terms he understands, and you need to understand that he doesn't know what "petting, or hugs" are all about. It is likely that when he was born, it was in a dark secure place where no people were around, and when people came near, mom sat on him to keep him in the nest and keep him quiet- so people are fearful for him.

Now, he is a place, where there are GASP! people, and he can't get away. Worse still, the people want to touch him! No way is he going to allow it.

You can do several things-

Make him places he can effectively hide. I know one gal that rescues feral kittens and her cat post is decorated with artificial plants, attached to the post to give a jungle for the kitties to hide behind. You can get a big cardboard box, cut a few holes in the side big enough for the cat to go through, invert it, weight it down and put soft bedding inside it for his cave.

You need to ignore this cat for awhile. Not for the rest of his life, but don't expect anything from him. I know, you want him to jump on your lap and nestle down and purr his contentment, but it isn't going to happen.

See to his needs, water, food, litter pans (you should have two in a private and secure location with an easy emergency exit nearby) Cats are most vulnerable when they are pooping and peeing. Set his food out at certain times each day, same place, same bowls, don't deviate. Same with the litter pan, do all your maintenance at the same time each day. Let this cat set his internal clock by your movements.

Stop petting him. Ignore him, but talk all the time, let him get used to your voice first, and your touch later. Trust me, in time, he will come to you wanting more of you because you don't threaten him. Right now, even though you didn't mean to, you moved from friend to predator and he is leery.

Good luck!

Yes I agree with Hissy - it's likely this poor kitty has had a rough start. We had the same with Tippy and Adelaide. A couple of things we learned with Tippy, who had a couple of spells like your kitty did.

Yes, allow her places she can hide. Allow her somewhere to go if you are having people to visit. It's amazing how much progress kitty will make with you, yet still be terrified of other people. When you're walking through/into the room where kitty is, announce your presence first by telling the kitty you're there. I used to give Tippy a running commentary on the fact that I was coming into the room, what I was doing there, how long I would be there for and whenI was leaving . Also, when talking to your kitty, kneel down at their level - Tippy was terrified by having people tower over her.

It is a long process but the rewards are incredible. Adelaide was 6 years when she came to our house, she loves a fuss now and follows us everywhere, but will not be picked up or sit on our knee. Tippy was 12 weeks old when we got her and had endured a traumatic time. She is a perfect lovebug now.

Good luck!! You have such a caring approach I know you will do just fine.