Hello,
My 9 month old kitty, Harriet, has recently become more aggressive towards humans. She hardly lets me pick her up anymore without biting my face; I will put her down immediately and yell out "OUCH!" + leave the room when she does this, but she'll often follow and lunge / attack my leg / ankle. I'm working on behavior techniques, such as rewarding her with treats when she lets me pet her; limiting the time I pick her up / pet her, etc., but I am wondering if this aggression could in part be due to loneliness.
She is a Korat mix, and I've read that Korats are very social cats who need to be around others all the time. When I'm at work, I worry that she's becoming increasingly lonely / bored, which = aggressive behavior. I'm considering getting her a companion kitty. (We only adopted Harriet because our landlord would only allow us to have one cat--we are going to move in the Spring and will only move to a place that will allow us to get another kitty, although I don't want to do both at once--move and get a second kitten--for fear it will be a great stress on Harriet).
I've heard good things about Feliway, but I'm mostly concerned with her social loneliness. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Harriet's mom
My 9 month old kitty, Harriet, has recently become more aggressive towards humans. She hardly lets me pick her up anymore without biting my face; I will put her down immediately and yell out "OUCH!" + leave the room when she does this, but she'll often follow and lunge / attack my leg / ankle. I'm working on behavior techniques, such as rewarding her with treats when she lets me pet her; limiting the time I pick her up / pet her, etc., but I am wondering if this aggression could in part be due to loneliness.
She is a Korat mix, and I've read that Korats are very social cats who need to be around others all the time. When I'm at work, I worry that she's becoming increasingly lonely / bored, which = aggressive behavior. I'm considering getting her a companion kitty. (We only adopted Harriet because our landlord would only allow us to have one cat--we are going to move in the Spring and will only move to a place that will allow us to get another kitty, although I don't want to do both at once--move and get a second kitten--for fear it will be a great stress on Harriet).
I've heard good things about Feliway, but I'm mostly concerned with her social loneliness. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Harriet's mom