- Joined
- Jul 25, 2015
- Messages
- 17
- Purraise
- 2
After my thread was removed, I decided to leave and not return, but I did get one more post before the thread was gone. This particular poster's experience coincided so much with mine, it was uncanny.
For those that might not be familiar, I have a cat that I got from a shelter and I named her Leona. (She looked like a Leona to me.) Leona seemed fine when I had her taken out of the cage at the PetSmart store that has a room set aside for shelter cats for adopting. She came right to me, and I picked her up and held her and she purred. I didn't look at the other cats, even though there was a solid black one that I thought I'd like. Solid blacks have a nice disposition, it's been my experience. They're perfectly happy to just lay in your lap and purr. Plus, I hear that solid blacks have a hard time getting adopted.
Seriously? People are that superstitious?
But I didn't want to look at any other cats, because I hated the thought of taking Leona out of her cage, only to put her back in again. I really hate seeing cats in those tiny cages.
Anyhow, as distinct from her performance at the PetSmart, Leona turned out to be the antithesis of my previous cat, who was a loving cat who enjoyed being picked up, held and petted. Leona seems more interested in inflicting bleeding scratches on me. She's the most aggressive cat I've ever seen.
Anyhow, I checked the internet for advice on her, and some of the stuff I got came from sources that have no business giving advice on cats. I paid an online veterinarian for help, and she gave some links and tips to correct Leona's behavior. She suggested that I try tapping her on the head with one finger, because mother cats sometimes correct their kittens' bad behavior by lightly smacking them on the head with a paw. I didn't find this very effective and Leona had no trouble voicing her displeasure. She suggested other things that I also tried. And the surprising failure of everything I tried seemed only to confirm that something is not right with Leona.
Having exhausted the vet's suggestions, I came here. And I got a lot of similar advice and useful links, but Leona is simply not a typical cat. For instance, one such site advised me that the next time she latches onto my hand, I should not pull away, as that will make her more aggressive. But I should speak nicely to her, gently pet her paws and she'll let go.
The English language does not have the words to express how much that didn't work.
I had thought about getting another cat to play with, and some here suggested that. But the problem is, Leona's so aggressive that I'm afraid she might hurt another cat. I've seen cats that like to wrestle and play, but not with the ferocity that Leona attacks my hand and legs. I didn't want to give her back to the shelter. I can't be guaranteed that she'll ever get to a suitable home. So, who knows how long she'd end up staying there?
Euthanizing is out of the question unless she's incurably ill. So, not willing to return her or euthanize her, I guess I'm stuck with her.
But there is some good news.
I bought her a cat tower to play with, which arrived in only two days from Amazon. When I picked up my package from the front office at my apartment complex, people scoffed when I told them what it was, claiming that she'll be more interested in the box it came in than the actual tower. She was actually very interested in the process of building the tower. I called her my supervisor, which is to say she was attentive to the process but did absolutely nothing to help.
You can also see the diffuser I got for her on the right just over the floor.
She seems to love it. When I come home, she's often asleep on the highest or second highest platform. And when I stop by to say hello to her, she licks my nose. She seems to like licking my nose. If she licks my nose and I pull away slightly, she'll just move her head forward and keep right on licking. Perhaps that is a sign of affection. I've always known that cats rub their faces on you to show affection (or possession), but Leona, as I've been stressing, does not do ANYTHING by the book.
I took a couple of more pictures of Leona, because I wanted to show you how symmetrical she is with her markings. But Leona didn't quite cooperate. I set some treats down on one side of the first platform of the tower, so she would show one side to the camera.
But when I tried to show her other side by putting some treats down on the other side of the tower, she went into her cubby hole and stuck her head out instead of just turning around.
But I coaxed her out.
Not quite as far as I would have liked, but I think you can see, she's pretty symmetrical in her markings.
I got her some new toys, too. Including a little container that you put treats in. She attacks it, and it dispenses treats for her. But she turned out to be so good at it, that I can just put her food in there and she can feed herself throughout the day.
There is one other interactive toy that seems to be a big success. Although it's not actually a toy. I tried to look up "cat-handling gloves" on the internet (to see if there really was such a thing), and I found a cheap pair of welder's gloves on Amazon. Interestingly enough, the very first review of the product was about someone who was using them not for welding, but for handling the feral cats that came into his home, so he can bring them to the vet to be fixed, innoculated, then released. I think he said, "If you've ever had to handle a feral cat...Tasmanian Devil comes to mind." (Yup, that sounds like a feral cat.)
But I'm not using these gloved to "handle" Leona. She's not quite as bad as a feral; I can manage that with my bare hands if I need to handle her. But instead they're an interactive toy. When Leona wants to get aggressive, I simply put on a glove and she can wrestle with my hand. She seems to like it. She really goes all out. Eyes wide, ears back, she gets on her back so she can attack with all four legs and teeth.
Then when we're done, I give her some treats, because someone here suggested that food should be given after an aggressive play session. Makes sense. She's simulating attacking prey, so she should have something to eat when she's done.
Anyhow, this seems very helpful to her. She's much more docile for the rest of the day. She will probably never like being pet as much as my previous cat, but the petting sessions have gotten longer. She can also walk between my legs and rub against them, WITHOUT ATTACKING THEM! Wonders never cease!
I would only consider rehoming her if I knew a person who loved cats and needed another aggressive cat for his own cat to play with. But giving her back to the shelter, so they can keep her in a cage for who knows how long, trying to find another home for her, which she may or may not get, is OUT! I picked her; she's mine. It's my responsibility to make her as happy as I reasonably can. And I think we're doing much better.
Just wanted to let you know, for those who might have been concerned, what Leona's up to. I'm sure everyone here would feel better knowing that she's all right. She's napping at the moment, on my bed. I think we're okay now. And the only way I will give her up is if I know she's going to a good home where she'll be happier than she is here. If that never happens, that's fine with me. She seems happy.
For those that might be interested in seeing Leona's face, I think I have some more pictures of her on my profile as she's perched on my cabinets. She doesn't climb on the cabinets any more since I got the tower. At least not when I'm here, she doesn't. Not that I would try to stop her.
For those that might not be familiar, I have a cat that I got from a shelter and I named her Leona. (She looked like a Leona to me.) Leona seemed fine when I had her taken out of the cage at the PetSmart store that has a room set aside for shelter cats for adopting. She came right to me, and I picked her up and held her and she purred. I didn't look at the other cats, even though there was a solid black one that I thought I'd like. Solid blacks have a nice disposition, it's been my experience. They're perfectly happy to just lay in your lap and purr. Plus, I hear that solid blacks have a hard time getting adopted.
Seriously? People are that superstitious?
But I didn't want to look at any other cats, because I hated the thought of taking Leona out of her cage, only to put her back in again. I really hate seeing cats in those tiny cages.
Anyhow, as distinct from her performance at the PetSmart, Leona turned out to be the antithesis of my previous cat, who was a loving cat who enjoyed being picked up, held and petted. Leona seems more interested in inflicting bleeding scratches on me. She's the most aggressive cat I've ever seen.
Anyhow, I checked the internet for advice on her, and some of the stuff I got came from sources that have no business giving advice on cats. I paid an online veterinarian for help, and she gave some links and tips to correct Leona's behavior. She suggested that I try tapping her on the head with one finger, because mother cats sometimes correct their kittens' bad behavior by lightly smacking them on the head with a paw. I didn't find this very effective and Leona had no trouble voicing her displeasure. She suggested other things that I also tried. And the surprising failure of everything I tried seemed only to confirm that something is not right with Leona.
Having exhausted the vet's suggestions, I came here. And I got a lot of similar advice and useful links, but Leona is simply not a typical cat. For instance, one such site advised me that the next time she latches onto my hand, I should not pull away, as that will make her more aggressive. But I should speak nicely to her, gently pet her paws and she'll let go.
The English language does not have the words to express how much that didn't work.
I had thought about getting another cat to play with, and some here suggested that. But the problem is, Leona's so aggressive that I'm afraid she might hurt another cat. I've seen cats that like to wrestle and play, but not with the ferocity that Leona attacks my hand and legs. I didn't want to give her back to the shelter. I can't be guaranteed that she'll ever get to a suitable home. So, who knows how long she'd end up staying there?
Euthanizing is out of the question unless she's incurably ill. So, not willing to return her or euthanize her, I guess I'm stuck with her.
But there is some good news.
I bought her a cat tower to play with, which arrived in only two days from Amazon. When I picked up my package from the front office at my apartment complex, people scoffed when I told them what it was, claiming that she'll be more interested in the box it came in than the actual tower. She was actually very interested in the process of building the tower. I called her my supervisor, which is to say she was attentive to the process but did absolutely nothing to help.
You can also see the diffuser I got for her on the right just over the floor.
She seems to love it. When I come home, she's often asleep on the highest or second highest platform. And when I stop by to say hello to her, she licks my nose. She seems to like licking my nose. If she licks my nose and I pull away slightly, she'll just move her head forward and keep right on licking. Perhaps that is a sign of affection. I've always known that cats rub their faces on you to show affection (or possession), but Leona, as I've been stressing, does not do ANYTHING by the book.
I took a couple of more pictures of Leona, because I wanted to show you how symmetrical she is with her markings. But Leona didn't quite cooperate. I set some treats down on one side of the first platform of the tower, so she would show one side to the camera.
But when I tried to show her other side by putting some treats down on the other side of the tower, she went into her cubby hole and stuck her head out instead of just turning around.
But I coaxed her out.
Not quite as far as I would have liked, but I think you can see, she's pretty symmetrical in her markings.
I got her some new toys, too. Including a little container that you put treats in. She attacks it, and it dispenses treats for her. But she turned out to be so good at it, that I can just put her food in there and she can feed herself throughout the day.
There is one other interactive toy that seems to be a big success. Although it's not actually a toy. I tried to look up "cat-handling gloves" on the internet (to see if there really was such a thing), and I found a cheap pair of welder's gloves on Amazon. Interestingly enough, the very first review of the product was about someone who was using them not for welding, but for handling the feral cats that came into his home, so he can bring them to the vet to be fixed, innoculated, then released. I think he said, "If you've ever had to handle a feral cat...Tasmanian Devil comes to mind." (Yup, that sounds like a feral cat.)
But I'm not using these gloved to "handle" Leona. She's not quite as bad as a feral; I can manage that with my bare hands if I need to handle her. But instead they're an interactive toy. When Leona wants to get aggressive, I simply put on a glove and she can wrestle with my hand. She seems to like it. She really goes all out. Eyes wide, ears back, she gets on her back so she can attack with all four legs and teeth.
Then when we're done, I give her some treats, because someone here suggested that food should be given after an aggressive play session. Makes sense. She's simulating attacking prey, so she should have something to eat when she's done.
Anyhow, this seems very helpful to her. She's much more docile for the rest of the day. She will probably never like being pet as much as my previous cat, but the petting sessions have gotten longer. She can also walk between my legs and rub against them, WITHOUT ATTACKING THEM! Wonders never cease!
I would only consider rehoming her if I knew a person who loved cats and needed another aggressive cat for his own cat to play with. But giving her back to the shelter, so they can keep her in a cage for who knows how long, trying to find another home for her, which she may or may not get, is OUT! I picked her; she's mine. It's my responsibility to make her as happy as I reasonably can. And I think we're doing much better.
Just wanted to let you know, for those who might have been concerned, what Leona's up to. I'm sure everyone here would feel better knowing that she's all right. She's napping at the moment, on my bed. I think we're okay now. And the only way I will give her up is if I know she's going to a good home where she'll be happier than she is here. If that never happens, that's fine with me. She seems happy.
For those that might be interested in seeing Leona's face, I think I have some more pictures of her on my profile as she's perched on my cabinets. She doesn't climb on the cabinets any more since I got the tower. At least not when I'm here, she doesn't. Not that I would try to stop her.
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