Help With Chloe!!

[AC1819]

Hey everybody... I have a (about) 6 month old-Chloe. She was an abandoned feral that we took in when she was 3 weeks. She’s gotten so big and is doing well. Besides the fact that she’s actually gotten aggressive. She’s biting every time you try and touch her (and she chews on your hands, you can’t get her off sometimes), and is always pouncing and biting your ankles. It HURTS. REALLY BAD. We have tried everything. The noises, the spray bottle, yelling, just about everything. We love her so very much but we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking for me and the kids. She’s had her shots and been spaid. The hardest part is her longing to be outside. She spends hours in the window watching outside. We can tell she wants to be outside and hunt (it’s her nature, she was born outside). She recently has gotten into the garage and we can’t seem to get her out or keep her away. We want her to be an indoor cat because of a couple reasons. 1) There’s coyotes in the neighborhood that have killed other pets. 2) Fleas and bugs. 3) Were terrified of her running away. We’re very scared that someday she’s going to get out of the house and never come back. Summer is coming up and we’re not sure if having a cat that wants to go outside is going to work. Is there a way home to tame her, and have her be okay with staying inside? Would taking her on walks help? or make her want to go outdoors even more? She hasn’t been outside since she was about 2 weeks old. Is it cruel to keep her indoors when she so badly wants to venture outdoors? Also is she going to mellow down as she gets older? Looking back, when I said she was aggressive when we first got her, she wasn’t. She was just playful. She really is aggressive now. What do we do? We have tried everything and she’s just so stubborn that nothing seems to work. Please help!!! Because we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking (like I said) Because we love her so much. We would be so heartbroken if we had to rehire her but if that is the best thing to do, I guess we will just have to consider it.
PS. Sorry about all the questions (lol) hopefully I can get them all answered!! Thanks for your guys’ help

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - I think that due to her being brought in at the age of 2 weeks, what you're observing with her staring outside is that she's seeing (and smelling through the garage door) other cats, wild animals, dogs etc. In other words, I'm not a vet but her being born outside might not have that much to do with things.
If you do decide to put her in a harness and go on walks, be sure you take a lot of time working with her inside before venturing out. She might pick up some fleas if you do this so keep an eye out for that (If it does happen, ask your vet for a flea med rather than using something over the counter).
Are you playing with her? distracting her with toys when she goes into Staring Mode? Could you put a film over the window so she can't see, and then have toys she can play with that don't need you on the other end? Are you able to keep the door to the garage closed so that she doesn't have access? She's a kitten, she needs playtime. As she matures, although I'm not a vet but she should mellow some.
By the way, if you can especially when you're working with her, try and be as calm as possible, including the kids because she is picking up on your stress.
So here's that other information about biting; (it's just long enough that you might need to click on the bottom of the gray part to expand it)

Does Polly show any signs of hyperesthesia syndrome? That was Jamie's diagnosis. It never completely disappeared, but improved after a bout of eosinophilic granuloma. We had him tested for food allergies, and after eliminating soy and beet pulp from his diet, the "rippling skin" and manic behavior also lessened quite a bit.

I was advised to distract him when he showed the first signs of aggression by dropping a set of keys on the floor or throwing ping pong balls or a small toy. It worked most of the time, but meant having full pockets all the time.

Nowadays I work at a shelter, and we've had pretty good results giving cats (and dogs) that exhibit fear aggression Zylkene It takes several days (or a few weeks) before you see any effect, but it's something your daughter might try.

 

[duckpond]

At 6 months it is sometimes hard to tell the difference in play, or aggression. Especially if she is an only cat, she may be trying to play with you like she would a buddy cat. they play rough! Do you use anything like a feather wand, wear her out playing when she acts this way? Or if your up for 2 cats you could get another one about her size and age, they would wear each other out...lol

But she will most likely mellow as she gits a bit older, she is a teenager now

None of my 4 go outdoors either. They love to sit in the sun room for hours looking out at the birds and other wildlife that come to the feeders. I think its like TV for them

 

[AC1819]

Hi - I think that due to her being brought in at the age of 2 weeks, what you're observing with her staring outside is that she's seeing (and smelling through the garage door) other cats, wild animals, dogs etc. In other words, I'm not a vet but her being born outside might not have that much to do with things.
If you do decide to put her in a harness and go on walks, be sure you take a lot of time working with her inside before venturing out. She might pick up some fleas if you do this so keep an eye out for that (If it does happen, ask your vet for a flea med rather than using something over the counter).
Are you playing with her? distracting her with toys when she goes into Staring Mode? Could you put a film over the window so she can't see, and then have toys she can play with that don't need you on the other end? Are you able to keep the door to the garage closed so that she doesn't have access? She's a kitten, she needs playtime. As she matures, although I'm not a vet but she should mellow some.
By the way, if you can especially when you're working with her, try and be as calm as possible, including the kids because she is picking up on your stress.
So here's that other information about biting; (it's just long enough that you might need to click on the bottom of the gray part to expand it)

That’s another thing I’m worried about taking her on walks is the fleas and the bugs. So it is okay to take her on walks if she’s and indoor cat? We do keep the doors to the garage closed but whenever we go into the garage she manages to escape out. I really do hope she mellows.

 

[AC1819]

At 6 months it is sometimes hard to tell the difference in play, or aggression. Especially if she is an only cat, she may be trying to play with you like she would a buddy cat. they play rough! Do you use anything like a feather wand, wear her out playing when she acts this way? Or if your up for 2 cats you could get another one about her size and age, they would wear each other out...lol

But she will most likely mellow as she gits a bit older, she is a teenager now

None of my 4 go outdoors either. They love to sit in the sun room for hours looking out at the birds and other wildlife that come to the feeders. I think its like TV for them

I do think that there is a difference between okay and aggression. She is actually aggressive. Not like a normal cat. 2 cats wouldn’t work because we’re barely getting by with 1 (due to allergies)

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - I'm not exactly sure you're asking about in regards to your question about whether it's okay to take her on walks, but a lot of folks here do that, sometimes even without a harness/leash. (You could check out the thread titled Walkies). Also, there's a relatively inexpensive cat mesh tent you could consider.
But yes, it's possible that if you give an inch she'll want a mile and you end up with a cat that meows/yowls about wanting to go outside a lot.
I meant to mention, you said you'd tried a lot of things - did you try feliway diffusers? There are also calming treats and collars available and if those don't/didn't have an effect your vet could prescribe kitty Prozac. I'm sending a lot of good thoughts your way, hang in there!!