Can cats have developmental problems? Is this cat abuse?

[catattack2000]

So sometimes my cat gets aggressive. I've posted on forums questions about this but the responses have yet to work. So today, my cat was sleeping locked in the room with the dog. I figured that this should not occur, because the cat may want to get out, have access to the house, etc.

So I decide I will move him. He is sleeping very peacefully. I pick him up and take him to my room so he can get access to his food and water.

This is where he gets violent. So I put him on the floor, and he starts chewing my foot. I try to say no, you can't do that, and I pick him up and try to take him outside my room to get him away from my foot. I put him on the ground.

At this point, he decides he wants revenge for being awoken. He jumps up my leg, claws at the side of my face and bites at my lip. My lip is still hurting from this.
Take in mind, this really hurts, and pulling claws out of your cheek is no fun task either. I try to quickly put him back in his original room so I can escape, but he darts out before I can close the door, and again, tries to reach my face. Multiple times this happens.

This is my sad part.
Eventually, he's going at my leg (take in mind I am in my underwear (tmi I know. This is just to show I have NO PROTECTION) and I kick him like 3 feet and get out without him following.
Is this cat abuse? I'm really sad that I might have hurt my cat he just hurts me so much sometimes. Can anyone give me any advice as to how to get him away from me so I can escape him without hurting him?

Please no one be mad at me, I just didn't know what to do.

And could this super violent behavior be that he's bipolar or something? I just don't think I should be scared of my cat anymore. frown.gif

And I don't think it's pent up energy, because he was sleeping before hand.

Sorry about the length
Happy holidays!
Sorry if this is posted twice. It said there was an error.

 

[catattack2000]

Wow and now he's being a snuggley. So strange.

 

[dalismum]

Is this for real? Sorry but I have to say, you should never kick your cat!!! The reason he may have been aggressive is because you picked him up and moved him while he was sound asleep and comfortable - that will make a cat feel threatened. If you react violently to a cat that is in his mind defending itself then you will make it more fearful of you and possibly escalate the aggression in the first place as you continue to be a "threat" to him.

Why is the cat not allowed access to the rest of the house? If you were only confined to two rooms and moved between them on someone else's' say so I think you'd be a bit agitated as well.

I don't think your cat is bi-polar at all, I think he's probably insecure.

 

[fyllis]

I just read your other post and came back here to reply.

You don't say how old your cat is, but I am assuming he is fairly young. In reading your first post, it seemed to me as if he was 'playing'. 

You said that your Dad plays with the kitten and he gets bitten. He needs to stop using his hands as 'toys' because all he is doing is training the kitten to bite. Kittens have a natural instinct to 'pretend' they are attacking their prey, so when your Dad is messing with him the kitten sees him as an opponent and wants to fight him - hense, bite and scratch. Kittens and young cats will do this sort of activity with each other as a way of honing their hunting and fighting skills. 

Now your kitten is associating hands with play fighting. It has to stop or it will get worse as he gets older. (I will get to the recent 'attack' in a few minutes, but first let me address the first issue).

Your kitten needs play time and lots of it. He doesn't have another kitten to play with, so you are it. You need to get a toy that has a wand with a string and a toy attatched to it... like a fishing pole type toy. That way he will interact with you but go after the toy at the end of the string and not after your hands. You have to keep him entertainned from a distance. You can purchase wand toys, but you can also easily make one very cheap! Get a ruler, yard-stick, even a plastic coat hanger will work if you don't have anything else, and tie a long, sturdy string to the end of it (I bought some 72 inch shoe/boot strings at the dollar store) and tie a small toy to the other end. The toy can be a small stuffed mouse, one of thos little plastic balls with a bell in it, or the plastic ring off of a milk jug. Hold it out and away from you and dangle it for him - let him swipe at it. Raise it up a little so he can jump for it. Then drag it along the ground so he can chase it and eventually 'capture his prey'. Keep this up until he loses interest and then give him a treat and walk away. If he comes back, continue with the play session until he goes and lays down somewhere. Wear him out playing, but do NOT let him near your hands.

IF he goes after your hands or feet at any time, do NOT push or shove him away. This just makes him think you want to play and he will get more aggressive toward you by going after you. Instead, give him a firm, "NO!". Then toss him a toy and turn your back to him. Avoid direct eye contact or staring because that is also a challenge to him. 

As far as the spray bottle... *sigh*. I used it for my cat (with my Vet's recommendation) and it worked just fine. I would spritz him on the butt or hind quarter - NEVER in the face/head! After a while, all I had to do was pick up the bottle and shake it and he would stop - I didn't even have to spritz him. Now, he responds well to verbal commands. He doesn't resent me at all and it didn't hurt him one bit. He didn't like the water, but he learned that it meant STOP! Now all I have to do is firmly say, "No!" or "Play easy!" and he immediately stops the rough play. When he does, I give him a treat and a toy. He is 20 months old now and, while he does still get a little rough on occasion, it only happens maybe once a month or so. He is a cat and cat's have about a 16 hour short term memory - he's going to mess up once in a while - but I just remind him.

Now, let's get to the recent epidode where you felt the need to kick him. I know you felt that was your only option; however, it wasn't a good one. First, cat's don't respond to punishment. They don't understand it. Second, he might have taken it to be a challenge to fight. 

Let's go back a step... you said he was sleeping nd you woke him to move him and he started biting you. Put yourself in his paws for a second. What if you were in a good sleep and some huge person suddenly picked you up and woke you without warning. What would YOU do? He was probably startled and his 'fight or flight' instinct came out -- he fought and tried to flea. 

After you put him on the floor, he started to go after your foot - he is still in the mind-set that you are an enemy. What he did was what is referred to as 'redirected aggression'. He wasn't attacking 'you' personally. He was attacking whatever huge monster woke him up and moved him. Don't approach him from the rear. Don't touch him to wake him up. Talk to him first and get his attention so he knows it is you and not a predator coming at him. 

It's hard to do, but you have to learn to turn your back on him and ignore him after you give the firm verbal "NO!". Continue with the sharp verbal warning and walk away.  And, if necessary, spritz his butt with the water when you give the verbal command. It is NOT abusive and it will NOT hurt him physically or mentally. Will he resent you? Sure, for about 5 minutes. But that is the point - if he doesn't want to get spritzed, he'll stop the behavior. 

Be consistent and be firm. As far as the 'mid-attack' goes... again, the firm verbal warning, spritz him with water, turn your back and walk away. Avoid using your hands and/or feet to push him away unless you have no other option. Do not pick him up afterward to put him in another room - don't touch him at all - he will see this as an invitation to continue. You go to another room and shut the door if you have to for a few minutes. 

You need to talk with your Dad and ask that he stop using his hands as toys and explain to him why - because it is teaching the kitten that hands are OK to bite. 

Speaking of bites - be sure to wash the bites VERY well with warm soap and water, then rinse thoroughly with hydrogen peroxide. If it gets the slightest bit red or swollen, see a doctor immediately! Cat bites are very dangerous! I got a bite a few years ago by my sister's cat who was strictly indoors and current on all his shots and within a few hours, my forearm was swollen to twice it's size. I was on antibiotics for 30 days and it took 6 weeks to completely heal! You should also be sure you are current on your tetanus shot! 

In the meantime, play interactively with him several times a day with a wand type toy and wear him out.

I hope this makes sense and helps you. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. 

 

[talkingpeanut]

The advice above is really great. Wanted to add that there is nothing wrong with your cat. You and your family need to learn how to interact with him in a way that is beneficial to all. If you train him, as mentioned above, and adjust your behavior you'll all be happy.

 

[catattack2000]

He's not confined to two rooms, the DOG is not allowed around the house at night, the cat can go anywhere he wants. I HAD to move him because the DOG is supposed be in the room at night with access to the outside. The cat is not an outdoor cat so I did NOT want him to be out there.
We DO play with him with one of those dangly toys. But I'm not exactly going to wake him up if he's asleep for the purpose of tiring him out with a toy. That would be counter productive, no?
My dad does NOT play with him with his hands anymore. We put a stop to that.
I know I shouldn't have kicked him, and I expressed regret to that. If you see, I also asked what could be done when he's attacking me, so can have other options of self defense at night.
We do the yelping or yelling no when he attacks. It worked at first, now we yell no and he continues. We keep doing it, but it does not seem to phase him.
I have never kicked him before and I don't plan to again, but I don't want to go to school with cuts all over my face again. That doesn't look good to anybody.

Thank you for everyone who responded nicely. I appreciate it.

 

[catattack2000]

Oh, and the cat does this to the dog too. The dog growels and tries to defend herself too. I can't exactly get the dog to say "no!" And move him away when he gets aggressive, so this may be part of the problem.

 

[talkingpeanut]

We are saying that you need to tire him out throughout the day so he won't wake up with that much energy. More active play throughout the day, ideally several times a day, will help your family and the dog. He is looking for a playmate and the boredom is where the aggression comes in. He has nothing good to do with his energy.

Also, no one said that you shouldn't wake the cat up. It's about how you do it. As suggested above, alert him to your presence by saying his name before you pick him up. You startled him.

 

[onirin]

I agree with most of what everyone else is saying.  Sounds like the cat just got really spooked from being woken up.

Also kind of curious how you picked him up.  There are some people I've seen that hold cats like a baby which is fine sometimes but honestly it leaves the cats belly exposed and defenseless so some really hate that.

Anyways we cant turn back time so looking ahead.  Next that you want to move the cat I would agree with talking to him, wait till your sure he knows your there, like a meow or looks at you.  Offer your hand for him to sniff so he knows who you are, maybe give him a light pet.  Then go ahead and pick him up.

If this is a room he loves to sleep in and you have to get him out often to close the door, maybe you should leave him in there.  Just have an extra water bowl and litterbox so he can get to what he needs

 

[catattack2000]

Thank you all I'm playing with him with a dangly toy now he seems to be enjoying this. He's half ignoring it half playing with it. Sorry if i seem like I don't know anything about cats, so thank you for your advice