Hi everyone, I am new here but I have always been a cat lover. I am hoping to just get some advice, because I am feeling a little overwelmed at the moment. Here is my story:
I have a 9 month old cat named Banjo, and for the past month or so i have been wanting to get a second cat. I was kind of hoping i would just come across one, but after some debating i filled out an adoption application for a city rescue. The day after I put in my application i got home from work i saw that something had dug through the trash on my porch and licked clean an empty can of cat food. I was sitting inside watching tv and then i saw the culprit... A pretty grey and white cat, with a big round belly. I stood up, and she saw me, and turned around and ran into some bushes. I heated up some canned food and went outside with it. I sat outside for a minute and then i heard a little mew from the bushes. She poked her head out and must have smelled the food, because she stood mewing and watching me for about 30 seconds, then slowly made her way over and dove in. She was hungry, i had to take it away from her because she started gagging she was eating so fast. She warmed up to me pretty quickly, let me pet her head and rubbed up against me when i took her food bowl away. I ran inside and got my carrier, put the foodbowl i side and was able to get her in it.
I took her to the vet, got her tested for fiv/felv and we got an x-ray. While I was at the vet I was petting her the whole time, and was even able to carry her from one exam room to the other with no complaint. Tests were neg and they think she is 60 days along with only one fetus, that appears healthy and they think she will be able to deliver without a problem. At that point I made the decision that I would like to keep her and her baby.
So i brought her home, and put her her in my bedroom since I didnt want her to get near Banjo. I set up a few different boxes for her with blankets in them, and her water dish and litter box. She came right out of the carrier and didnt seem scared or skittish at all. She actually just plopped right over on her side and seemed very content to be there. I would bend down and she would come right to me, rubbing my hand and letting me pet her. Then I must have moved the wrong way, because she turned and hissed, and took a swipe. It was nothing unexpected, as I had put her through a lot that night and i just sat back and let her get acclimated. I slept in my bedroom with her, she left me alone all night, and when I woke up and said good morning, she jumped up on the bed and climbed right on top of me, purring and wanting love. Then she did it again, hissed and swiped. So i pulled away from her and she jumped down.
I decided to be more careful when i pet her, so i was very careful to pay attention to her body language, not to make eye contact, etc. I waited for her to come to me, and I only petted her on her cheeks where she was rubbing against me. Then she hissed and bit me, bad enough to draw blood and leave a bruise. So I went to the doc and got a tetanus shot and antibiotics. The health department called today and luckily in my county as long as i keep her quarantined for 10 days and she shows no ill symptoms everything is good. It just has discouraged me a little, I have never been afraid of a cat before like this. I used to work at an animal hospital and I had dealt with ferals before, but this situation is so different because she is just sooo unpredictable. She is the most lovingist cat ever, and then just snaps. I went in there today to feed her and I put on a leather garden glove so I could try petting her without fear of a bite. I held my hand completely still, and she came and rubbed on me, then hissed and bit again. It wasnt as hard of a bite, and she only got the very tip of my glove, but the fact that I did not move at all and she still bit really concerned me. She is also very demanding with food. She comes right to the door when I open it and meows and puts her front feet on my legs. I know that she can sense my fear so I feel like I am making the situation worse instead of better.
Now my fear is that she will get even more aggressive after she has the kitten. Am I being completely crazy imagining her actually attacking me when I walk in the room if she has had her kitten?
Keep in mind I have only had her since tuesday night, and it is now friday. The fact that she seems to trust me but acts out makes me think that maybe its just hormones, since she is due any day now I am sure she is not feeling too good. I also am assuming that the smell of an unfamiliar cat (Banjo) even though he is neutered, is probably threatening to her. She is not showing any other signs of discomfort. She has used the litterbox perfectly, which makes me very happy.
So my question is this, how do I combat this aggression? Should I try to feed her and pet her, or should I just wait it out until she has the kitten and I get her spayed? I have been feeding her with a spoon instead of just dropping the food and running, I am still scared to touch her though. Do you guys think that this is just an environmental reaction, could this be something I always have to worry about? I am especially concerned for Banjo's safety. I obviously dont plan on introducing them until she has calmed down considerably. Any advice is appreciated, and I am sorry for this being so long, I have never taken on anything like this and I have a million things running through my head right now. Thanks so much
I have a 9 month old cat named Banjo, and for the past month or so i have been wanting to get a second cat. I was kind of hoping i would just come across one, but after some debating i filled out an adoption application for a city rescue. The day after I put in my application i got home from work i saw that something had dug through the trash on my porch and licked clean an empty can of cat food. I was sitting inside watching tv and then i saw the culprit... A pretty grey and white cat, with a big round belly. I stood up, and she saw me, and turned around and ran into some bushes. I heated up some canned food and went outside with it. I sat outside for a minute and then i heard a little mew from the bushes. She poked her head out and must have smelled the food, because she stood mewing and watching me for about 30 seconds, then slowly made her way over and dove in. She was hungry, i had to take it away from her because she started gagging she was eating so fast. She warmed up to me pretty quickly, let me pet her head and rubbed up against me when i took her food bowl away. I ran inside and got my carrier, put the foodbowl i side and was able to get her in it.
I took her to the vet, got her tested for fiv/felv and we got an x-ray. While I was at the vet I was petting her the whole time, and was even able to carry her from one exam room to the other with no complaint. Tests were neg and they think she is 60 days along with only one fetus, that appears healthy and they think she will be able to deliver without a problem. At that point I made the decision that I would like to keep her and her baby.
So i brought her home, and put her her in my bedroom since I didnt want her to get near Banjo. I set up a few different boxes for her with blankets in them, and her water dish and litter box. She came right out of the carrier and didnt seem scared or skittish at all. She actually just plopped right over on her side and seemed very content to be there. I would bend down and she would come right to me, rubbing my hand and letting me pet her. Then I must have moved the wrong way, because she turned and hissed, and took a swipe. It was nothing unexpected, as I had put her through a lot that night and i just sat back and let her get acclimated. I slept in my bedroom with her, she left me alone all night, and when I woke up and said good morning, she jumped up on the bed and climbed right on top of me, purring and wanting love. Then she did it again, hissed and swiped. So i pulled away from her and she jumped down.
I decided to be more careful when i pet her, so i was very careful to pay attention to her body language, not to make eye contact, etc. I waited for her to come to me, and I only petted her on her cheeks where she was rubbing against me. Then she hissed and bit me, bad enough to draw blood and leave a bruise. So I went to the doc and got a tetanus shot and antibiotics. The health department called today and luckily in my county as long as i keep her quarantined for 10 days and she shows no ill symptoms everything is good. It just has discouraged me a little, I have never been afraid of a cat before like this. I used to work at an animal hospital and I had dealt with ferals before, but this situation is so different because she is just sooo unpredictable. She is the most lovingist cat ever, and then just snaps. I went in there today to feed her and I put on a leather garden glove so I could try petting her without fear of a bite. I held my hand completely still, and she came and rubbed on me, then hissed and bit again. It wasnt as hard of a bite, and she only got the very tip of my glove, but the fact that I did not move at all and she still bit really concerned me. She is also very demanding with food. She comes right to the door when I open it and meows and puts her front feet on my legs. I know that she can sense my fear so I feel like I am making the situation worse instead of better.
Now my fear is that she will get even more aggressive after she has the kitten. Am I being completely crazy imagining her actually attacking me when I walk in the room if she has had her kitten?
Keep in mind I have only had her since tuesday night, and it is now friday. The fact that she seems to trust me but acts out makes me think that maybe its just hormones, since she is due any day now I am sure she is not feeling too good. I also am assuming that the smell of an unfamiliar cat (Banjo) even though he is neutered, is probably threatening to her. She is not showing any other signs of discomfort. She has used the litterbox perfectly, which makes me very happy.
So my question is this, how do I combat this aggression? Should I try to feed her and pet her, or should I just wait it out until she has the kitten and I get her spayed? I have been feeding her with a spoon instead of just dropping the food and running, I am still scared to touch her though. Do you guys think that this is just an environmental reaction, could this be something I always have to worry about? I am especially concerned for Banjo's safety. I obviously dont plan on introducing them until she has calmed down considerably. Any advice is appreciated, and I am sorry for this being so long, I have never taken on anything like this and I have a million things running through my head right now. Thanks so much