Dealing with cat’s aggression towards people

[Kwik]

Hi,thsts good information above.... I do think she(& you) will greatly benefit by providing her vertical space.Give her options if it is triggered by her feeling there's no option to avoid- cats typically will always choose avoidance rather than confront..... unlike canines who live in packs and establish hierarchy & pecking order( there's dominant and submissive)- though cats are social creatures and thrive on companionship they are lone hunters and do not " need" others for survival so they don't need to establish those relationships.... I hope this is helpful for you in understanding how to prevent undesirable behavior You sound seasoned ,not green and do have cats so I believe this should be easy enough for you to get through quite effectively.... it's " prevention " you're after,certainly not correction......

Now here's my question,of course we can prevent these triggered aggressive reactions from Lisa and after she's established her familiar environment as her territory she will learn what is acceptable,what is not and be a trustworthy little darling as she trust you and is certain of her position.... but am I to understand this is temporary?Are you and your boyfriend ( perfect attitude btw,lol- I like that guy)planning on keeping Lisa or what is the goal here?The more Lisa is shuffled around from unfamiliar place to unfamiliar place the harder it will be for her and she sure deserves a stable forever home

Your boyfriends has the right attitude and no doubt his body language is telling Lisa" I am no threat dear".... cats pick up on EVERYTHING,especially a very alert,intelligent breed such as Lisa's Her elderly lady friend being fearful surely sent out the wrong signals to Lisa and only exasperated the issue- hard to get a cat to trust you when you don't trust them

I've got a sweet darling tabby named Timmy who WAS an adult feral only 6 months ago,he'd slice n dice if ever cornered and now I trust him well enough to let me know if he is frightened- he knows I trust him and it's mutual,he has plenty of options to avoid and thst comes from familiar environment more so thst relationship- Lisa needs a forever home

 

[Aldel]

Hi,thsts good information above.... I do think she(& you) will greatly benefit by providing her vertical space.Give her options if it is triggered by her feeling there's no option to avoid- cats typically will always choose avoidance rather than confront..... unlike canines who live in packs and establish hierarchy & pecking order( there's dominant and submissive)- though cats are social creatures and thrive on companionship they are lone hunters and do not " need" others for survival so they don't need to establish those relationships.... I hope this is helpful for you in understanding how to prevent undesirable behavior You sound seasoned ,not green and do have cats so I believe this should be easy enough for you to get through quite effectively.... it's " prevention " you're after,certainly not correction......

Now here's my question,of course we can prevent these triggered aggressive reactions from Lisa and after she's established her familiar environment as her territory she will learn what is acceptable,what is not and be a trustworthy little darling as she trust you and is certain of her position.... but am I to understand this is temporary?Are you and your boyfriend ( perfect attitude btw,lol- I like that guy)planning on keeping Lisa or what is the goal here?The more Lisa is shuffled around from unfamiliar place to unfamiliar place the harder it will be for her and she sure deserves a stable forever home

Your boyfriends has the right attitude and no doubt his body language is telling Lisa" I am no threat dear".... cats pick up on EVERYTHING,especially a very alert,intelligent breed such as Lisa's Her elderly lady friend being fearful surely sent out the wrong signals to Lisa and only exasperated the issue- hard to get a cat to trust you when you don't trust them

I've got a sweet darling tabby named Timmy who WAS an adult feral only 6 months ago,he'd slice n dice if ever cornered and now I trust him well enough to let me know if he is frightened- he knows I trust him and it's mutual,he has plenty of options to avoid and thst comes from familiar environment more so thst relationship- Lisa needs a forever home

Thank you for your kind words, the reassurance and all the advice I received on here.
I will ask my hubby to install the cats walks throughout the hallway.
Unfortunately I cannot keep Lisa as much a I would LOVE to: we have 3 cats, the 2 of which hate each other ( Somali and Aby, btw). Whilst Lisa is roaming around-they are locked away

I just want to make sure we do everything right for Lisa until the permanent loving home is found.The selection process is ongoing.
I couldn‘t possibly agree with you more- Lisa needs her permanent home and quite asap.
She landed by us on the Christmas Day due to an emergency situation with the foster mum.
I was asked to foster her till the mid January ( we are travelling after that. unfortunately there was no better solution as its Xmas time and many people are travelling/celebrating/ not ready to accept a new family member.
Also the charity organisation supporting Lisa wanted to understand whethershe poses a threat/really badly aggressive etc. This doesn’t appear to be the case, thanks God

In a meantime, I have learnt more from the vet who fostered her abroad: her Initial owners were locking her in their bathroom for entire days to prevent her interractions with their dog
Yet another reason for her to have a fear of closed spaces.

 

[Kwik]

Thank you for your kind words, the reassurance and all the advice I received on here.
I will ask my hubby to install the cats walks throughout the hallway.
Unfortunately I cannot keep Lisa as much a I would LOVE to: we have 3 cats, the 2 of which hate each other ( Somali and Aby, btw). Whilst Lisa is roaming around-they are locked away

I just want to make sure we do everything right for Lisa until the permanent loving home is found.The selection process is ongoing.
I couldn‘t possibly agree with you more- Lisa needs her permanent home and quite asap.
She landed by us on the Christmas Day due to an emergency situation with the foster mum.
I was asked to foster her till the mid January ( we are travelling after that. unfortunately there was no better solution as its Xmas time and many people are travelling/celebrating/ not ready to accept a new family member.
Also the charity organisation supporting Lisa wanted to understand whethershe poses a threat/really badly aggressive etc. This doesn’t appear to be the case, thanks God

In a meantime, I have learnt more from the vet who fostered her abroad: her Initial owners were locking her in their bathroom for entire days to prevent her interractions with their dog
Yet another reason for her to have a fear of closed spaces.

Oh wow,no wonder this poor girl is so confused,thats alot of stress for a kitty-it's very sad but hopefully her next placement will be her last

 

[Kflowers]

Have you considered having her checked for epilepsy? I've known dogs who tended to attack anything/one who was close when they went into grand mal seizure so that it looked like an attack rather than a seizure. I also know a cat who has focal seizures and turns to attack whatever arm is closest to her as she is coming out of the seizure. I know for a fact that she has not been hit by a person or other animal after her rescue from the hidden nest at 5 weeks.

 

[Aldel]

I have asked my vet about a possibility of ruling out a number of conditions, but she is confident that no check is needed.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
Sorry - I started writing this this morning and got distracted - so my apologies if this is old or I‘ve missed something in the comments.
Thanks so much for trying to work with such a troubled kitty. She’s beautiful too. She seems to be incredibly insecure and IMO is showing fear and seeking reassurance/looking for attention simultaneously. And it’s difficult to find reassurance from people she doesn‘t know and whom she‘s terrified of. She’s probably a cat who bonds deeply so this could also be a case of separation anxiety which is hardly surprising seeing how many people have left her and forced her to leave her known environment (which of course from our perspective is totally understandable if she was aggressive). But again the aggression probably stems from fear regarding something that happened in the first home. So it‘s a vicious circle.
As much as possible I‘d emphasize trying to consistently reinforce positive behaviours and ignore (or deflect) negative ones - maybe trick training would provide a possibility here as could really allow her to grasp the reward strategy and within the right framework brings communication, understanding and trust.

In terms of deflecting negative behaviours - if she looks like she wants to attack you have can a couple of wand kicker toys on hand that she can sink her teeth into and play with to release energy. I think it‘s great that you‘re doing the many play sessions as this allows you to release energy and bond with you.

Also more energy outlets and stimulation could be offered to her like a cat wheel or harness training and taking her out to explore? (But of course you‘d have to build up with the harness training and she‘d need a level of trust to her human first)

I also think that the key is providing the consistency of a quiet, predictable routine and behaviour within the framework of a forever home with a kind, compassionate, sensitive experienced, tolerant and patient new human who is prepared to deal with difficult behaviour and just hang in there. I just read that you can’t keep her either and I really don’t think that much can be achieved at present if she‘s looking to be rehomed again anyway. Each change if environment with new people is enormous stress and will just add to her fight or flight behaviour.
I really hope you find an experienced and kind forever home for her.
The very best of luck

 

[price053]

Thank you so much for all this information.
I have forgotten to mention that I am a happy owner of 2 Somali/Abessinier cats ( both females), and can only tell that the 3 girls ( including Lisa) have similarities but are also quite different in some ways. Personality certainly plays a role
We know nothing about Lisa’s heritage as all contact had been lost with the initials owners.
So, no way to learn if inbred, family traits etc


The vet, in whose place she stayed, was a lady.
Lisa seems to be more relaxed with my husband than with me , but it could be while he is totally relaxed with her and completely dismisses any concerns whilst I am searching for cues for that attack on the foster mum

She definitely seems to always look up the walls of our hallway as if she is searching for climbing/escape possibilities. Will see if we can install something to give her that confidence.

No obvious signs of visual problems either.
We will continue and see what happens

I just wanted to check on Lisa and on you too. Not sure what time it is for you but I am guessing you may be in New Year's eve day. I do hope Lisa is feeling not so fussy

 

[Aldel]

I just wanted to check on Lisa and on you too. Not sure what time it is for you but I am guessing you may be in New Year's eve day. I do hope Lisa is feeling not so fussy

This is really kind of you.
Its early hours of 30th Dezember, the worst ist yet to come on Sunday night.
Lisa did not hiss at me today- I consider it an excellent day
I gave her CBD oil, maybe this the reason -we will see
I wish a happy New Year to everyone on here
I will give you an update after the weekend.

 

[price053]

This is really kind of you.
Its early hours of 30th Dezember, the worst ist yet to come on Sunday night.
Lisa did not hiss at me today- I consider it an excellent day
I gave her CBD oil, maybe this the reason -we will see
I wish a happy New Year to everyone on here
I will give you an update after the weekend.

 

[price053]

This is really kind of you.
Its early hours of 30th Dezember, the worst ist yet to come on Sunday night.
Lisa did not hiss at me today- I consider it an excellent day
I gave her CBD oil, maybe this the reason -we will see
I wish a happy New Year to everyone on here
I will give you an update after the weekend.

Thank you and HAPPY New year to you too.

 

[Aldel]

Hi there
Sorry - I started writing this this morning and got distracted - so my apologies if this is old or I‘ve missed something in the comments.
Thanks so much for trying to work with such a troubled kitty. She’s beautiful too. She seems to be incredibly insecure and IMO is showing fear and seeking reassurance/looking for attention simultaneously. And it’s difficult to find reassurance from people she doesn‘t know and whom she‘s terrified of. She’s probably a cat who bonds deeply so this could also be a case of separation anxiety which is hardly surprising seeing how many people have left her and forced her to leave her known environment (which of course from our perspective is totally understandable if she was aggressive). But again the aggression probably stems from fear regarding something that happened in the first home. So it‘s a vicious circle.
As much as possible I‘d emphasize trying to consistently reinforce positive behaviours and ignore (or deflect) negative ones - maybe trick training would provide a possibility here as could really allow her to grasp the reward strategy and within the right framework brings communication, understanding and trust.

In terms of deflecting negative behaviours - if she looks like she wants to attack you have can a couple of wand kicker toys on hand that she can sink her teeth into and play with to release energy. I think it‘s great that you‘re doing the many play sessions as this allows you to release energy and bond with you.

Also more energy outlets and stimulation could be offered to her like a cat wheel or harness training and taking her out to explore? (But of course you‘d have to build up with the harness training and she‘d need a level of trust to her human first)

I also think that the key is providing the consistency of a quiet, predictable routine and behaviour within the framework of a forever home with a kind, compassionate, sensitive experienced, tolerant and patient new human who is prepared to deal with difficult behaviour and just hang in there. I just read that you can’t keep her either and I really don’t think that much can be achieved at present if she‘s looking to be rehomed again anyway. Each change if environment with new people is enormous stress and will just add to her fight or flight behaviour.
I really hope you find an experienced and kind forever home for her.
The very best of luck

Thank you so much for your thoughtful, helpful and encouraging post. To find a right home for little Lisa is my biggest dream, and your description of the ideal potential owner sounds perfect.
May I pass it onto the charity that advertises her?

I was thinking of harness training as I also have a feeling it would do her good, but as it is quite cold outside and they have already started fireworks here and there-the situation isn’t perfect. I will pass the advice onto the new owners.
I tried the clicker training, but so far not much success. Will continue.

One question I have to you or to anyone who reads it: my interpretation is that Lisa’s aggressive behaviour is base on insecurity and fear. But here I had some opinion clash with the previous foster mum, who believes that Lisa is trying to dominate her humans. She was very scarred when Lisa did not allow her to leave the kitchen after the attack for some time (hissing, screaming loudly, growling), and she made this conclusion. She therefore believes the key is not to allow to be dominated and hold your ground.

I believe it is important to understand the route cause to inform the new owners correctly as much is possible. But my question is whether a dominance is really a thing for cats and how it presents itself and what look out for??

BTW, The attack itself is puzzling for me as all that I have observed so far was occasional hissing, and I was able to either distract her with a toy or to walk away pretending to ignore her and acting is it is all good as much as possible. And so far we have not observed signs of “dominance” of any kind.
But as the foster mum is a very experienced owner, it does not feel right to discard her opinion.

 

[nurseangel]

My RB cat Daisy would attack when she first came to us, but it was mostly due to loud noises or sudden movements. She bit my leg and Speck jumped in between us. They both bowed up like Halloween cats and Speck, still mostly a kitten at the time, took a beating for me. She attacked my Dust Buster. Finally, she calmed down. It wasn't easy. She went from growling whenever I came in the room (I was terrified) to following me around (she was afraid of men) to a sweet, loving cat who would occasionally lash out. Bob, my Manx, was rescued from a hoarding situation and has apparently not been socialized. We are working with him (he is very intelligent; he can learn a simple word in a day), so he isn't as rough or aggressive. He is still a kitten and a tough little boy. I wish you the best of luck. Every cat is different, and I wish I had the solution to your problem. It sounds like Lisa has been moved around quite a bit, through no fault of hers or yours. I think there is hope. I know you want to help her so that she will become successful in her forever home. She is a beautiful cat. Maybe another experienced cat owner who desires the breed would be willing to work with her. Maybe the stability of her own home would help? I noticed a Bombay in our local shelter. He was there when Bob was. He has been adopted now, but he was listed as needing an experienced cat owner because of his anger issues.

 

[Kwik]

No- fear ,mistrust,insecurity and she's not a dominant canine trying to establish a pecking order of hierarchy within a pack

I'm not wanting to sound disrespectful towards the previous owner but " holding your ground" is not something you do with a cat,this fuels aggression ,increases fear and anxiety giving the cat no other choice but to fight..... Cats are really not a prey animal either,like a horse or a deer where there's " fight or flight" they are in a class of their own where it's more avoid and be complacent rather than confront for conflict.... a makes a very obvious choice as you can observe them not make eye contact and nonchalantly walk away or around and continue on -and csts wouldn't typically " hold their ground" unless it's mating time or food competition - not for dominance as I've explained they are not pack or herd animals

So this might is highly likely the very reason this very frightened kitty cat was extremely aggressive towards this particular person

I seriously doubt you'll experience any similar behavior,the elderly lady has probably had many cats over the years but not experienced with very frightened animals

This is my area of expertise- including wild animals of various species to ferals ,fear biter canines:and aggressive Stallions..... most aggression is fear based and the most difficult to overcome...it takes alot of patience,love,time and comes with many bites,scratches and kicks over 4 decades .....we communicate with animals with our body language as they do,the lady was insisting on conflict,giving Lisa no other choice " I will hurt you" is what Lisa was told and it's just amazing thst sweet darling Lisa would still try to have a relationship with her- csts hold no resentment they are fascinating creatures- unlike a horse that will hold a grudge,lol

I worked with a Standard bred stallion ( trotter) who was terribly abused as a young colt,thankfully after putting several trainers in the hospital a client was very interested in purchasing him because of his bloodline and conformation but in order to get the big bucks breeding a horse has to prove his worth which is judged by his success on the track... my client asked if I'd work with him,of course any challenge is right up my alley- long story short - we were walking out on the grounds side by side just hanging out and walked past a trainer/breeder minding his business.... the stallion freaked out and made a bee line to attack the man,I knew that it was the man who abused him 4,yrs earlier! And yes,I let him have at it!

 

[Aldel]

No- fear ,mistrust,insecurity and she's not a dominant canine trying to establish a pecking order of hierarchy within a pack

I'm not wanting to sound disrespectful towards the previous owner but " holding your ground" is not something you do with a cat,this fuels aggression ,increases fear and anxiety giving the cat no other choice but to fight..... Cats are really not a prey animal either,like a horse or a deer where there's " fight or flight" they are in a class of their own where it's more avoid and be complacent rather than confront for conflict.... a makes a very obvious choice as you can observe them not make eye contact and nonchalantly walk away or around and continue on -and csts wouldn't typically " hold their ground" unless it's mating time or food competition - not for dominance as I've explained they are not pack or herd animals

So this might is highly likely the very reason this very frightened kitty cat was extremely aggressive towards this particular person

I seriously doubt you'll experience any similar behavior,the elderly lady has probably had many cats over the years but not experienced with very frightened animals

This is my area of expertise- including wild animals of various species to ferals ,fear biter canines:and aggressive Stallions..... most aggression is fear based and the most difficult to overcome...it takes alot of patience,love,time and comes with many bites,scratches and kicks over 4 decades .....we communicate with animals with our body language as they do,the lady was insisting on conflict,giving Lisa no other choice " I will hurt you" is what Lisa was told and it's just amazing thst sweet darling Lisa would still try to have a relationship with her- csts hold no resentment they are fascinating creatures- unlike a horse that will hold a grudge,lol

I worked with a Standard bred stallion ( trotter) who was terribly abused as a young colt,thankfully after putting several trainers in the hospital a client was very interested in purchasing him because of his bloodline and conformation but in order to get the big bucks breeding a horse has to prove his worth which is judged by his success on the track... my client asked if I'd work with him,of course any challenge is right up my alley- long story short - we were walking out on the grounds side by side just hanging out and walked past a trainer/breeder minding his business.... the stallion freaked out and made a bee line to attack the man,I knew that it was the man who abused him 4,yrs earlier! And yes,I let him have at it!

Thank you for sharing your experience -brought tears to my eyes. You are truly an amazing person. Working with aggressive Stallions-wow!!!

Your explanation is perfectly in line with what I am seeing. ( And just to add to that - Lisa thrives when my husband is around as he is always calm, treats ger with respect and shows her only love, confidence and “not a big deal” attitude when she hisses at him or at me. No wonder she always go to him first.)

I also think there is lots of hope for Lisa being happy-as she absolutely deserves it.

 

[Kwik]

Thank you for sharing your experience -brought tears to my eyes. You are truly an amazing person. Working with aggressive Stallions-wow!!!

Your explanation is perfectly in line with what I am seeing. ( And just to add to that - Lisa thrives when my husband is around as he is always calm, treats ger with respect and shows her only love, confidence and “not a big deal” attitude when she hisses at him or at me. No wonder she always go to him first.)

I also think there is lots of hope for Lisa being happy-as she absolutely deserves it.

Awww- I'm not amazing but thank you sweetheart- when you are as old as me and began showing horses as age 3 it would be amazing if I could not speak " horsey" lol

Yes,your husband is exactly the type of person that would be the best suited for Lisa- she'll be just fine with the right person....- a pet companion would be nice for her too to play and get all thst energy put that are a characterister of her breed

After the nearly 30 days she'll be spending with you no doubt you'll be able to figure out the type of house that she should be in- bigger is better with Abz A younger couple perhsps that wants to spend lots of time ,msybe works from home and can teach her tricks & fetch etc

There's always solutions,always .... Unless there's something wrong in the brain( I've encountered thst once or twice!!!)

Don't worry,there's someone out there just waiting for their perfect furbaby

 

[Kwik]

Can I mention one more thing,if it were me.. I understand you are worried about Lisa with the upcoming fireworks and if you choose to medicate her I get it but I would not.....I'd let it be.Reason being is because I would want a fully alert cat that's not groggy or sleepy if I was working with this type of aggression - she's not a mean cat that is looking to hurt anyone and there's certainly abused animals that have become very very mean(they too can be reconditioned) but when they are that mean and far gone they don't warn with hisses- puff up and strike ,real fast too!

It's entirely your decision and if you feel youd be helping her with sedation then by all means there's nothing wrong with it- it's just me,I prefer to know exactly what I'm dealing with.....hopefully ,as I suspect she'd just hide- do you think so?

 

[Darlene T]

Beautiful Abs.... it's difficult to assess aggression related behavioral problems without observation but there's a couple of things to think about starting with this breed in particular

Abyssinians are a popular breed in the USA and odd as it may seem part of the reason this particular breed is so popular is because they are bsducally very low maintenance ( low shedding,less grooming) and with their high energy levels and playfulness they are a good fit for an active family.

Abysinnians do very well in a large home with lots of vertical space for jumping and climbing- they typically prefer to be up high looking down on everyone- little things like thst can often give us a clue as to why Lisa may feel threatened when in a tight space,with hoomans " above" or looking down on her......it's instinctual to be " on guard" finding herself in close quarters with no " vertical " escape route

Also,when it comes to purebreds there could be alot of " inbreeding " to produce certain qualities( appearance) that unfortunately can also result in undesirable characteristics- do we know or have any information on her lineage background? That could prove to be very helpful in most cases like this particular case (;or not-lol)

Getting up in her previous owners face fits perfectly with this breed- they crave companionship,seek attention and interactive play- they do best with a companion cat or families and from everything I know about the Abysinnism they do not like being "left" alone - lots of toys,a busy family with other pets or kids in a big house is the perfect environment for this busy,intelligent breed

Now everything I'm telling you would be what a breeder would look for when prospective adopters want to purchase a kitten......so do we know Lisa's beginnings?When a cat like this ends up someplace thats not a good fit and then gets passed on to another less suitable environment and so on its difficult to know whst went wrong to bring out this aggressive behavior- we can only assume

Lisa's aggression,from whst info you've given seems to be triggered when she feels cornered with others passijg OVER her and for all we know when she hissed at whoever she felt was a threat might have yelled at her,thrown something at her or was aggressive in return ( might be the reason her aggression is fueled by confrontation.... her behavior sounds more like an intact male than it does a female,doesn't it?

You mentioned blood work and that she has gotten a clean bill of health- has she seen an ophthalmologist? This breed is known to have hereditary problems with a retinal atrophy- how is her eyesight? Does she ever stand with legs apart or bump into anything? We would want to rule out any physical or underlying health conditions first

Most animals in general either gravitate towards male humans or females if you've ever noticed,especially felines.... Was the Vet who kept her and had no issues a male ( I'm just curious).... you mentioned she seems more comfortable with your boyfriend,is that right?

 

[Aldel]

Can I mention one more thing,if it were me.. I understand you are worried about Lisa with the upcoming fireworks and if you choose to medicate her I get it but I would not.....I'd let it be.Reason being is because I would want a fully alert cat that's not groggy or sleepy if I was working with this type of aggression - she's not a mean cat that is looking to hurt anyone and there's certainly abused animals that have become very very mean(they too can be reconditioned) but when they are that mean and far gone they don't warn with hisses- puff up and strike ,real fast too!

It's entirely your decision and if you feel youd be helping her with sedation then by all means there's nothing wrong with it- it's just me,I prefer to know exactly what I'm dealing with.....hopefully ,as I suspect she'd just hide- do you think so?

Thank you for the advice!
this is exactly what my husband says -“she is a normal cat, let her be”.
After all the words of wisdom Ive read on here I feel much more calm and less worried, even about the fireworks tomorrow ( although they really are over the top in Berlin!).
Lisa indeed is only a very scared tiny kitty. She only hissed once and briefly today at my husband, who approached her from behind, carrying her litter box. It was clear to me that she did not expect him to appear so close as she was too cobcebtrated on playing with me
As did not notice the episode and passed by-she also returned her attention to the game and did not pay any further attention to him.
She looks completely relaxed now when stays in her room alone: she plays a lot and sleeps also a lot
I will monitor her through a web camera tomorrow evening, when not in the room with her, and, if I see that she gets too agitated, I will perhaps give her gabapentin ( prescribed by our vet for all my 3 cats for that single night). It takes about an hour for the effect to fully take place.
It might be that she will be much less worried that I thought initially. Fingers crossd

 

[Kwik]

I'm really glad you are more confident and relaxed now- theres no reason to worry,do remember though if you are not going to administer the gabapentin before the fireworks starts its likely not to have an effect after the fact ( if stress level is high)..... I'd not worry about it,by herself in her room even frightened she will just hide.....no harm will come to anyone and she's not going to harm herself

If you are thst concerned about it than give it to her an hour before the fireworks will begin......it does take about an hour to take effect

 

[Hellenww]

Lisa is lucky to have landed with you! I'd add announcing yourself as soon as you see her. Just "Hello Lisa, I'm here and I'm going..." or even a little noise so she expects you. Watch for her to look or just perk her ears, especially if she is deep in play.

I normally wouldn't think of this with a young cat but have you played games to test her hearing?