Problem with cat, need help

[lemur 6]

Originally Posted by Iron_samurai

Man...Yesterday night I was playing with him, and he bit my like crazy, I got so pissed. I really want to neuter him now... I just want to play with him and have him like me. Heck I brought him here! Is it bad to feed him like canned tuna (The kind we eat) And some turkey slices from the deli (Not the proscessed kind, the fresh kind) he sometimes loves those, and I reward him with those things. anyone recommend a certain brand of food that I can find at a nearby petco or petsmart or whatever?

I wouldn't feed like Albacor tuna to your cat, unless it's like a tiny speck every once in a while. Turkey I would hesitate. Even the canned tuna that's made for cats, I only give a quarter to a third of the can to my cat mixed with a lot of water (easy trick to get her to drink some more since she drinks so little).

Feeding fresh turkey and fish might also trigger hunting response and might be the reason he's biting you (especially if your hands smell like food). Or he might be "muscle-ing" you around to see if he can bully you into giving him more of the kind of food he wants. A domination game if you will.

I recommend Nutro Natural Choice for Indoor Adults for adult cats. It's kinda pricey, but they're always having those $2 off stickers pasted to them and the cut down on the price alot. There are other good foods out there too, it's just convenient for me to get Nutro since everyone has it and I always have coupons for it. For canned food I feed anything that's 90-something% or more tuna (9-lives is the one I feed most). I feed soft food very sparingly. One or two cans a month, or if I need to hide a pill in their food. I stay away from any foods that have corn meal, wheat meal, brown rice, anything that's not meat as the first three ingredients.

Also, what do you do when your cat bites you? Just curious. Depending on your reaction to your cat biting, you might also be causing him to be afraid of you, and incite him to bite you even more. Best thing to do is to let your arm go limp and scream or make a loud noise to surprise him (yeah, I know, I sound like I'm nuts telling you to hold still while your cat's clamping down as hard as he can on your hand, but it's better than tugging and having him dig his claws into you and shred your arm up, or retaliating on your cat by smacking him and then him learning to be afraid of you). I know this one lady who owns a foster home and she has like a "time-out cage" and all her cats now know what "time-out" is.

 

[KitEKats4Eva!]

You shouldn't feed fresh tuna designed for human consumption to cats because it can cause a deficiency in Vitamin E, which can lead to kidney and other problems. I only found this out recently because I'd been feeding Sashka human tuna and wondering why she was eating every bit of polystyrene she found in the house! It's okay as a treat every now and again - as is the turkey. But not as a matter of course.

You also need to remember, as much as you want your baby to be your friend and like you, cats are very different to dogs and will bestow their affection when it suits them. It is not something you can force - in fact trying to do so will more than likely make your cat even more wary of you. It is something you need to do slowly and neutering him is going to help SO much with that. But he might not turn table and love and adore you straight away, and want to be with you all the time. They are loving animals but also solitary animals and like to have their space. I wouldn't want you getting your hopes up and then being disappointed because he isn't quite up to what you expect.

Part of the joy of having a cat is their wonderful independent personalities - and when they do love you (which they nearly all do, eventually) it really feels like it's because you've earned it and they trust you. Not like dogs which love you no matter what.

I'm not saying it won't happen, it probably will, I'm just saying it takes time and patience on your behalf - don't be disappointed in your little critter because he isn't behaving the way you want him to.

 

[cyberkitten]

Tuna of any kind has mercury and other heavy metals - with the per food quality being worse. My YY likes tuna(as do most kitties) amd I sometimes will give her a VERY tiny amt but not often. Buy your cat good quality human grade cat food and he will be healthy! Hills Science, Royal Canin, Wellness are all quite good I understand. I feed mine Wellness. It might be costlier but you save on vet bills in the long run.

 

[arlyn]

Yes, please get him neutered, for his happiness and your own.
If he's out mating, he's opened up to a whole slew of diseases, and if he's carrying any, he exposes every cat he mates with to them.
And don't ever think that he will think of you as his master, cats don't work like that.
He may come to think of you as his friend, his playmate, his provider and protector, but he will never think of you as his master.