Attacking me when he wants with a serious face

[sooty22]

I got Sooty from the RSPCA thay think he is approx 5 yrs and he is still affectionate but now he's taking to attacking me for some reason, he's been in the house just over 2 weeks now is it cos he is getting bored is that why he is attacking me!? He was a stray before the RSPCA and I was spoiling him could that be another side of him being dominant?
How do I stop this behaviour ftom him?
Thanks for answering q's in advance

 

[calicosrspecial]

Thank you so much for adopting Sooty.

How is he attacking you? Is he chasing you? Is he swatting at you? Is he biting? All of the above? What are you doing at the time and where? At you not paying attention to him? Is it after playing with him? Are you trying to pet him and if so, after play or after something else? Does he attack if he feels cornered or unable to "escape" other than through you? For example, if he is in a bathroom and you walk in quickly not knowing he is in there and he then attacks.

Once we get a little more detail on what attacking details and when and where it is happening I think we can get some good ideas.

It can be a couple of things. He could just feel insecure and if so we would need to build his confidence. He could be bothered by outside cats (is it possible that there are cats outside that might be coming by your house, spraying/marking, etc). It could be causing him territorial issues if so. He could be confusing your legs or arms or hands as things to play with.  

If he attack you when you reach to pet him are you coming from above him to pet? We always want to come from below.

Does he attack you if you are above him? We always want to approach not from above but from their level or close to it.

Cats take on our energy. Is their any negative energy stress in the house lately? We always want to try to be as calm and confident as possible around cats.

Without knowing much I would say work on building his confidence. We do this by food, play (then treats/food), places for him to go high (like cat trees, on top of dressers, etc), and a lot of love and attention. Also, play with him so he gets tired out (after play always give treats or some food). If he is tired he'll be less likely to attack.

Always give him multiple exits, try not to corner him. 

It could be a lot of things so any additional information is very helpful and we should be able to figure out what is going on. Cats typically do not want to attack so we should have success in curbing this behavior. 

 

[sooty22]

He is a gem to me anyway love him to bits. Its when i think i overly stroke him on my lap, and i bent down to get his collar off the floor and he jumped at me with teeth bearing and paws at cant remember if he had his claws out was so fast! I think it maybe that hes been in for 3 weeks thats how long ive had him so yesterday i opened the door for the first time for both of us and let him scout around the garden and smell all different things hes been okay since i did that which is good. Could it be cos he was getting bored and frustrated from being closed in? Plus he was in the RSPCA for just over a month so a long time to be kept in. He did see a fox in the garden few days ago just sniffing around and walked straight up to the closed patio doors Sooty's reaction was his back went up but no hissing was involved.
Hes been much nicer to me since i let him out yesterday but ill only be letting him out when im hime for now until next week as im on holiday so i can put my mind at rest hes been able to come in okay!! Lol sounds silly doesnt it!?
Thank you for replying

 

[sooty22]

Plus I got him a 6 foot activity scratching post for him to climb high and hes not used it its been up for 2 weeks now lol so just waiting on his to climb it when his confidence builds up I suppose it takes time for him.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Given it was after petting him he may have been overstimulated. Was his tail moving rapidly? If he gets overstimulated again (and try not to get him overstimulated) then just be careful and let him cool down before making any sudden movements. 

Great you have a 6 ft high post. He'll go up there, once he goes up he'll love it. Going up in the world builds confidence and is a sign of confidence.

I would try to get him to play and to tire him out as well. After play then give food or treats.

But I am guessing he just got overstimulated and saw you go down to pick up the collar and viewed you as "prey" and went for you. The best remedy for that is not to get him overstimulated and if so to just be careful on the movements. It should be a pretty easy fix to eliminate this behavior. 

Let us know if there are any other attacks and under what circumstances. Thanks again for giving Sooty a home, he is adorable!!