Aggressive Female questions

[aprilc]

We took in a stray 8 weeks ago. She gave birth in my yard and we were able to successfully capture mom and her kittens when the babies were about 24 hours old. I am not sure of her age but I am guessing about 2, maybe less.

Mom is quite affectionate and lovely. She enjoys being pet and purrs her head off. Unfortunately, because I have three cats of my own and we don't know mom's health, she and her kittens have been kept in a separate room. Thry get lots of attention, time and affection but she is obviously getting restless. She goes to the vet Friday and then she can hopefully be allowed to roam the house.

She has been a bit of a spazz since we brought her in. She would get aggressive for seemingly no reason. I have attributed this to feeling that she needs to protect herbabies and some redirected aggression because she hears our dog oitside the room. Lately these aggressive episodes have been getting worse. She bit my friend on Monday and today sunk her teeth into my hand so that all four fangs punctured the skin. It bled for quite some time.

Both times this week she had some time out of the room before the attack. Other times she hasn't.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is she just sick of being locked up with her babies? Will this stop when thr babies are weaned or when she is fixed?

We hope to find her a home of her own once we get her fixed and vaccinated but I can't adopt out a cat that is going to hurt people.

 

[Columbine]

I think its most likely a mixture of redirected aggression and stress. You say you have three cats and a dog of your own. Given that these attacks happen just after Mom's had access to their territory, I think she's moving out of territorial insecurity, overstimulation and anxiety. I'd suggest that you stop letting her have access to the rest of the house and see if that helps. As you're not planning on keeping her, there's no need to introduce her to your furry family.

I would also try to read her body language as much as you can, and back off at the first sign that she needs a little space. Tail swishing is a great indication - if her tail starts going, back off and let her decompress. It's been a very overwhelming time for her, and she's probably still feeling a little unsure of herself.

[article="29673"][/article][article="32390"][/article][article="30316"][/article][article="30274"][/article][article="22480"][/article][article="32680"][/article]

 

[aprilc]

While it isn't my intention to keep momma, I also don't have anyone looking to adopt her yet.  I have no idea how long it will take to find her a new home and I can't leave her locked in a bedroom forever.

We did see the vet on Friday and Momma has tested negative for FIV and Feline leukemia so she can safely roam the house without putting my kitties at risk.

The vet says she is a lovely cat full of head bumps and purring.  Vet felt that because momma was an outdoor cat being kept not only indoors but confined to just one bedroom might be making her a little crazy.  Her uterus also feels enlarged so she is likely getting ready to go into heat again.  She gets spayed August 24.  The vet said that once she has some freedom, doesn't feel she has to protect her babies anymore and the hormones are done that she will likely be a very nice, affectionate cat.

Mom and babies are now free to roam the house.  We have put up a gate to keep the dog from them.  Mom really hates the dog but has quickly figured out that the dog is probably more afraid of her.  She seems tolerant of our other cats who have come to investigate the kittens.  Mom gets a little cranky if they make any growling noises but she has also quickly figured out that they are just a bunch of whiney men who will do nothing more than whine.

Babies will be fixed in mid September when they pass the 12 week mark and then they are off to new homes and hopefully our house will return to normal.  It has been a lot of fun . . . but my goodness those little 2 lb balls of fluff make a lot of noise.

 

[Columbine]

If the idea is to have her living with you for the foreseeable future, then the best thing to do is to carry out introductions as described in the last link I posted. Yes, its not instant, but its the least stressful way to do it and it is proven to work well.

With the dog, I'd carry out introductions with the dog on a lead to start with. Once the dog has learned respect, all will be fine (I have dogs too, and I find they need teaching that each new cat is not a toy. Their logic seems to be - cats that are part of the 'pack' are off limits, but all others are fair game).

[article="29682"][/article]

Making sure that there is plenty of vertical space accessible is also a great idea, as you're effectively increasing the size of the territory. I find it's particularly helpful where dogs are involved, as the cats automatically feel safer when they can get up high to observe while out of reach. This thread shows what can be achieved!

[thread="297074"][/thread]

 

[aprilc]

Charlie is young, just a year old.  Momma put him in his place so he avoids her.  We have been introducing him to the kittens for a couple of weeks so he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed with excitement when we finally opened the door.  He tries to be gentle with them but he is so big (75lbs) that his kisses knock them around.  We have a gate up to keep him away from the kittens when we can't supervise but that is more for his protection than the kittens - I have no doubt that mom can take him out.

All my boys are strays/rescues and I have taken long and painful steps to introduce them all to each other and to Charlie and the introductions have been successful.  The little white devil (as I call him) wants not part in these long drawn out introductions and insists on meeting his new friends much sooner than I would like.  Cats are slippery.  He sits and watches mom and the babies.

We are being careful with the introductions and they have been sniffing each other under the door for 8 weeks and we have done the scent exchange.  Mom really doesn't care about the boys unless they make noises at her babies (and the babies are fearless). I think she will get along with them quite well once the babies are no longer an issue.  When the white devil did growl at her (when the babies were not present) she just walked around him, she has no interest in fighting unless you threaten her kittens and my boys are very passive.

She has stopped trying to bite me.  She seems crankiest when I get down near her tail so I try to stay around her face and chin.  I warned the vet and the vet techs that she could be a little cranky, so of course she was an absolute darling through the entire visit including blood work and nail trimming.