Help New Sweet Cat Bites

[the13bats]

Im a cat person and have others,
So no novice to cats yet need help on this,

The other day we met a super friendly male cat at s pet store for adoption from the city shelter,
He was said to be a year old, up on shots, good health fixed etc,

He was so kind and loving anyone could pet him pick him up, all the workers there loved him,

We get him home and bring him to the bed room to get acquainted and kept our other cats out of the room,

He was fine, he even met one of our friendliest cats no problem, then while alone in room
Then big problem, he snaps at me when petting his side chest stomach, and seemed agitated,

Okay, i know cats do this i back off give him his space,
Then he is prowling the room lots of tail twitching, and a meow that seemed a bit angry, like he was super upset,

I went to pet his head he snapped at me hard almost got me,
My wife says you pet him wrong went to pet him and he latched onto her forearm, badly aggressively biting her,

I know about wounds and care and went and took care of that,
So no need to go into cat bites,

Now she is understandably freaked out i have nervious issues and it messed me up,

I opened the bedroom door and got him to go to the guest room
He was doing a lot of pacing and growling as i set the room up with food, water and box, i feared attack,

For two days i have gone to see him a bit scared, i feed him and like at the store he is super loving even slept in my lap, and i napped with him in the room,
The tail seems to always twitch,
And he seems upset,

I thought he was adjusting and this attack the first day was just a one time thing,
I went in the room today he was happy to see me saying hello, rubbing all the cat love stuff,

He seemed a bit tense, he didnt want to eat but was again all lovely on me, until i went to leave the room he wanted to go with me,
I put my leg foot up to block him going out the door and he bite my ankle and had that agressive tone to him meow, he was angry, this wasnt a warning nip,

Now I'm more in fear of him,

Im perplexed, from my understanding he has been seen and handled by a lot of people, i really cant imagine the shelter or pet shop would have not told us about this if it was his habit, i cant imagine a pet store risking a cat attacking people, i dont believe he did this there which makes it weird,

so i dont know what to do or think, i have no idea how long he was at the store or shelter just living in cages,

I am a cat lover and not ready to give up on him and take him back to the shelter but i cant deal with his agressive bad biting attacks out of no where its scary,

Any ideas, suggestions or opinions to help i greatly need,

Thanks,
Cheers
B

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, I'm going to suggest that neither you nor your wife attempt to touch him unless he instigates the contact. He's had a rough start in life, and is in a strange place, and that's enough to throw most cats off. He had no territory of his own yet, and he is smelling the other cats, and I am sure sees them as a threat right now. I'm going to link a BUNCH of articles for you. Each one will have some bit of information that the others don't, and between them, I am hoping to find some answers for you!

Cat Aggression Toward People
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)

This will take time and patience, but I think it can be done successfully! PLEASE let me know how you are getting on!

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Please don't give up, since you have only had him a few days. Despite having a few good days, he is still in an adjustment period. He is probably still frightened and confused despite some loving attempts. Avoid wearing shoes around the house, too - my cats hate that. He will come around - he is also picking up on your fear, too, so it is starting a bad cycle. Patience - he has made some loving attempts, which is pretty impressive since it's only been a few days.

 

[the13bats]

Thanks,

Ill read the links

I do not give up, if he stayed like he is i would figure something out, but i wont ditch him back to the shelter,
however,when i visit him i will wear full clothing and shoes, for protection,

He does act on edge, nervious, tail never stops flicking and hes wide pupils a lot, seems upset,

This could be his way of coping,
Biting my leg when i was leaving maybe he didnt want me to leave,

We have a couple other male cats who will get in a hissy fit now and then, and i learned the hard painful way do not break them up by hand,

And that guy who pit me in a fit of misplaced rage has been sleeping on my all day,

I will give the new guy time and kindness,
I Hit the forum to learn this isnt u heard of in the world of cats,

Again,
Thanks

 

[sweetblackpaws]

"He does act on edge, nervious, tail never stops flicking and hes wide pupils a lot, seems upset,"....

You may want to Google Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. It is non-life-threatening, it is rare, but he may have it. One of my cats has it and I love her so much and she is the sweetest cat in the world. But when she gets an "episode", I just have to let her ride it out. The episodes are short and she is fine afterwards. Glad to hear you are not giving up - thank you for caring about him and being so good to him. He needs you.

I still think the more likely scenario is he is still getting acclimated.

 

[the13bats]

So far so good,
Last visit today he did all the loving stuff,
But seems on edge, even when hes still in my lap, head on side eyes closed, cat smile that tail still has that forceful twitch, i believe i his case hes just upset,

When i go to leave he gets very upset talking in a tone that makes me nervous and i believe would have bit my leg if i hadnt wore thick pants,

Perhaps he was sad mad i was leaving,

He has spells where he yells at the door,
Time for me to sleep a few hours and go see him again,

On my nervious issues i need to shake the fear he will atrack me relentless horror movie style where i cant get away, and he really does damage,

I will update later, thanks all,
Bats out...

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Glad it is working out! He does not want you to leave. He does not understand we have to go to work for rent, kitty food, toys, vet visits, etc. :-) If it's any consolation, I have cats all my life and none have ever attacked "horror movie style". He needs to get used to you leaving and coming back. Schedules are important to them, and he hasn't figured yours out yet.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'll take a little improvement over none at all. Thank you for persisting with this difficult boy!

 

[the13bats]

Been a few months and thought i should update,

We slowly allowed quincy out of his room to mingle, and he slowly got to know the other cats,
He can get upset and we just kind of know him now, how to handle him or when not to,

He sleeps many nights next to my head,
And he and a couple of the other guys do get into hissing matches and sometimes we have to break it up, he lives freely in the full house with the rest of the pack,

All in all we love Quincy and are giving him a forever home,

 

[rubysmama]

I didn't see this thread back in November, so just read it now. So glad to see that Quincy is settling into his forever home.

Just in case you might find something helpful in them, I'll post links to 2 more TCS articles:
The Multi-cat Household
How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight

BTW, if you'd like to "formally" introduce yourself and your furry felines, we have a New Cats on the Block forum.