Cat problems

[Ninedays9]

For the most part, our new cat has been a good cat. He adjusted pretty quickly, and he seems happy. However... there are times when, if we make him mad or even just random times when he'll turn into what I call "Psycho Cat." It's almost like he's possessed. He'll get this wild look on his face and lounge at whoever it is that offended him with his claws out. And he doesn't stop until he actually gets the person... or even beyond that.

I know Eddie is very dissatisfied with it, and I'm not happy with it, either. I'm not really sure what to do. I've always been against getting cats declawed, plus I think it's too late for him since he's a year and 4 months old. I think the girls we got him from took him to the vet to get his claws clipped or to have little rubber things put on them so they can't do anything. But I'm not sure how often that would need to do be done. Cats hate the car, so I'd rather not be toting him around more than once a year if at all possible.

My sister has a spray bottle for when her cat misbehaves, and I'm kind of thinking about getting one of those and using it when he does that... to see if it would work.

I think more people here have dogs than cats... but does anyone have any ideas for me? I guess either way, we should get him to the vet pretty quickly for a check up, anyway.

[jessicermoon]

I have three cats. Two of them are declawed. I don't think it's a horrible thing to get your cats declawed, IF it's an absolutely necessary thing. My Elvis, we declawed him because he was tearing us to pieces. haha If he didnt get his food fast enough, he'd claw at our ankles and bite... we both have scars from him. Although, if it's going to be done, I really do think it should be done when they are about 6 months old. The older they get the harder it is for them to heal considering the way it is done. Try the spray bottle thing. It does help. And those claw cover things last for awhile. My mom has used them.

[ChibiAiChan]

the spray bottle is a good idea.. i don't even need a spray bottle anymore i just make the noise the bottle made and they listen lol.
I also have declawed cats so I have never had an issue like that, I also got mine when they were teeny tiny babies...
....cats get pretty set in their ways, they are trainable, but MUCH harder than a dog. Your kitty may still be taking in his situation since he finally got his forever home.
I also give mine a tap on the nose when they misbehave and they understand that as well, dunno if you wanna try that with claws though.
sorry it was more rambling than helpful but thats all i can think of. Best of luck!

(a year isn't too old to get declawed, btw, mine got theirs done when they were around 6 mo)

[ChibiAiChan]

oh and if you DO declaw just do the front! if you do all four they cant scratch themselves... or if accidently get out at least they can get up a tree or something =/ heh *kitty mommy*

[PGDesigns]

Personally, I'm very against declawing (with the exception of a few extreme circumstances) because I've seen the damage--physical and psychological--that can be done. Declawed cats are usually more likely to develop poor litterbox habits and a tendency to bite. Also, claws can sometimes grow back after a declawing... as weird as that is. Many vets are now changing their procedures and refusing to declaw cats from what I'm heard from rescue contacts.

Clipping (and I know this is not an option for all cats) nails or using Soft Paws (the rubber things that cover the claws) can be very helpful, as well as spray bottles to deter him. Some people I know use a can of pennines or similar items to make noise, too.

Good luck. I hope are able to start resolving this issue soon!

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

We clip our cats nails pretty regularly. We also bop them on the nose for clawing unnecessarily.

[Ninedays9]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I think I will get a spray bottle and see if that helps. I forgot about the bopping on the nose thing; I may have to try that, too.

Hopefully it's partly a getting used to the new home thing.. though the girls said he liked to claw at their arms sometimes, so I'm wondering if that's the same thing he does with us. And I'm kind of hoping he'll tame down as he gets older but that could take years.

[savepaws]

I personally am against declawing as well. It's not just removing the claws, it is amputating the cats digits. I know I wouldn't be a happy camper if all my fingers were amputated at the first knuckle. When I worked at the animal shelter, almost all of the cats that had been surrendered for litter box issues were all declawed cats. I'd rather deal with the claws rather than deal with getting the smell of cat pee out of my carpets. That stuff reeks and is hard to get rid of.

As for your kitty, does he get mad when you are petting him? Or just walking by him? What sets him off? Could he be getting overstimulated by being pet or played with? He may need time to get adjusted. He has been passed around quite a bit and probably is on the defensive. If you can figure out what sets him off, maybe you can do something to change the situation. For example, if it's when you are petting him, once you notice his ears going back and his tail going back and forth quickly, then you should back off because the body language is showing that he is getting agitated.

[mitch]

We've had Our Cat Elektra from 6-8 weeks old. He has always been a biter. More so on Me than DH. Talk about bite the hand that feeds You LOL.

DH only has to yell and Elektra does as He is told. One day He was going right into one and drew blood on My hands and arms. I finally cornered Him, Pinned Him to the floor, phoned DH at work and asked Him to tell Our Lad off. DH yelled "Behave" down the phone and all was calm again.

99% of the time Elektra sits there like butter wouldn't melt in His mouth. But now and then He gets what i call "A Flea Up His Arse" and runs around like a loony. Attacking My feet, jumping up and biting Me. I smack His bum, tell Him He's naughty (A bit like a Kid) and He soon calms down.

I'm totally against De-Clawing. So to protect furniture i have a spray that Cats hate the smell of. I also spray it on My Rubbish Bags when i put them out for Bin Collection. It also keeps the neighbourhood Cats away from ripping the bags open to get at food scraps etc.

Don't forget You haven't had Toby long. Plus You have just moved house. One fo those is enough to get His back up. Let alone two changes in a short space of time.
Tap His Bum or Nose. Use the same stern voice everytime and He should calm down.
Elektra still has His mad moments. But most of the time it's just because We're winding Him up. :bbredface:

[wannabeNurse2]

Don't get your cat declawed! Both of my cats were declawed before I got them, and they both bite. You could use the peticure for cats. The questions you have about claw caps can be answered by this website.
http://www.softpaws.com/faqs.html
Spray bottles do help modify behavior. There is also a spray that you can get at the pet store that cats really hate that helps correct bad behaviors. Google cat discipline for other helpful tips.

[ChibiAiChan]

okay i don't want to get into a debate at all i just want to give info. I have had 6 cats, all declawed in front. None bite or pee or any trouble really at all... sorry I just felt like I needed to get that out. Each cat has their own personality.

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

okay i don't want to get into a debate at all i just want to give info. I have had 6 cats, all declawed in front. None bite or pee or any trouble really at all... sorry I just felt like I needed to get that out. Each cat has their own personality.

I concur.

Does clipping not work out at ALL? One of our cats is somewhat rowdy and if she throws a fit when we try to clip her nails we just wait and do it while she's sleeping.

[ChibiAiChan]

I concur.

Does clipping not work out at ALL? One of our cats is somewhat rowdy and if she throws a fit when we try to clip her nails we just wait and do it while she's sleeping.

Yeah not so much.
Declawing works best for our family. Honestly if I could not declaw my cats I probably would not have cats. I know a lot of people that feel the same way.

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

Yeah not so much.
Declawing works best for our family. Honestly if I could not declaw my cats I probably would not have cats. I know a lot of people that feel the same way.

It's not as bad as it's been made out to be. I'd declaw our cats if we didn't have to pick between that and spaying on their health care plan.

[savepaws]

Now I'm not trying to debate the issue of declawing (I already stated my stance on it) I just think you should try and stop the behavior because if you declaw him and don't figure out why he's lashing out or find a way to curb the behavior, then he's still going to lash out with or without claws. And if you removes his claws, then he may resort to biting and then you're pretty much back to square one.

Good luck, I hope you can figure something out!

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

^ Valid point.

[Ninedays9]

Now I'm not trying to debate the issue of declawing (I already stated my stance on it) I just think you should try and stop the behavior because if you declaw him and don't figure out why he's lashing out or find a way to curb the behavior, then he's still going to lash out with or without claws. And if you removes his claws, then he may resort to biting and then you're pretty much back to square one.

Good luck, I hope you can figure something out!

I agree. I did very, very briefly consider it because I was so mad at the time, but there's no way I would do it, especially since he's not a kitten anymore. We bought a spray bottle, which I think will work.

He still randomly decides to attack me... but I think he's treating us a lot like he'd treat another cat. You know, how they are all peacefully laying together and then one gets mad for no reason and suddenly there's a fight. The good news is that he doesn't bite or scratch hard.. but the bad news is that he sometimes goes for my face (not very often). I'm hoping the spray bottle will divert that. And I'd like to get another cat sometime in the near future so he has a play buddy.

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

I agree. I did very, very briefly consider it because I was so mad at the time, but there's no way I would do it, especially since he's not a kitten anymore. We bought a spray bottle, which I think will work.

He still randomly decides to attack me... but I think he's treating us a lot like he'd treat another cat. You know, how they are all peacefully laying together and then one gets mad for no reason and suddenly there's a fight. The good news is that he doesn't bite or scratch hard.. but the bad news is that he sometimes goes for my face (not very often). I'm hoping the spray bottle will divert that. And I'd like to get another cat sometime in the near future so he has a play buddy.

Especially since we both work and keep rather busy one BIG thing a lot of folks told us was to get TWO kittens so they have a friend to be with during the day.

[ChibiAiChan]

It's not as bad as it's been made out to be. I'd declaw our cats if we didn't have to pick between that and spaying on their health care plan.

that makes complete sense to me, spaying/nuetering should come first! not to mention declawing is certainly a personal decision =)

[ChibiAiChan]

Especially since we both work and keep rather busy one BIG thing a lot of folks told us was to get TWO kittens so they have a friend to be with during the day.

Yep my kitties are buddies too <3

[amisteratwisterandme]

I think the very first thing you need to do is to see if there are any triggers. You may have to modify your behavior a bit too.

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

Yep my kitties are buddies too <3

A Navy friend of ours got a kitty and between him working and him going through a break up right now and hanging out at the bar all the time the poor kitty is growing up so MEAN. I felt so bad for the little baby. :(

[Ninedays9]

I think the very first thing you need to do is to see if there are any triggers. You may have to modify your behavior a bit too.

It's really hard to tell what the triggers are. It's almost like he gets moody sometimes. 'Cause there's things I do that he normally loves, and sometimes they will trigger it... like petting, brushing, or picking him up. I know cats don't really like to be held so I always limit that as much as I can. But one time I was trying to take a nap, and he was laying next to me purring, and he started it. This is why I think he's treating me like he would another cat. Hopefully we find another kitty we can get soon!

[ChibiAiChan]

A Navy friend of ours got a kitty and between him working and him going through a break up right now and hanging out at the bar all the time the poor kitty is growing up so MEAN. I felt so bad for the little baby. :(

that's so sad =( on all accounts...
i always have more than one because I can't always be home. Cats are talked about as if they are antisocial sometimes.. not true of my cats. I think my kitty Natsu would be attached if she could lol

[ChibiAiChan]

It's really hard to tell what the triggers are. It's almost like he gets moody sometimes. 'Cause there's things I do that he normally loves, and sometimes they will trigger it... like petting, brushing, or picking him up. I know cats don't really like to be held so I always limit that as much as I can. But one time I was trying to take a nap, and he was laying next to me purring, and he started it. This is why I think he's treating me like he would another cat. Hopefully we find another kitty we can get soon!

THat is tough. Maybe it's something one of his other families did that makes him snap like that? Is it agressive or is he just being playful.. some cats don't know how rough they are when they play...
I agree another cat may help =) but remember to slowly bring them together because the other cat won't like the new on on "his" territory. What we did is got a small dog cage that the cat could see through (when I'm talking small dog, the cage was HUGE to the kitten). That way they get used to eachother but no one gets hurt.
We also got the cage from a grage sale =) Sorry I'm not much help! We got all our cats between too soon-6mo

[amisteratwisterandme]

Is there a certain place on him that you touch when he does it?

[Ninedays9]

Nope, there isn't anywhere specific. And sometimes I don't have to touch him at all. Though usually it's when I pet him or brush him. I think it's mostly play since he's not biting very hard. But there are random times when he seems angry... though that is how cats are when they play with each other. Lately he's been doing it less often, so I think part of it is him getting used to us.

I'm pretty certain he's not going to like another cat that we bring home at first. I was reading something that recommended separating them at first, which I think I'm gonna do. And then I'll watch them to make sure they're not hurting each other. That's what we always had to do when we got a new cat, growing up.

[Nekochanpurr]

You know, my Angel kitty gets pissy for no reason sometimes.. But she mostly does her rapid fatty action (hitting the same area a bunch of times.. Good thing shes declawed, haha) then running away with a pissy meow. XD But shes learned not to go much further than that.. I'm bigger, so i win. lol. You just have to be consistent on your actions when they are doing something you don't like..
Do you have a male or female cat? If its a male and you get another, i'd suggest female.. They can be B*tcher, but they don't have the teratorial pissing contest...
Either way, i wish you luck!

[HisDelightfulFaerie]

that's so sad =( on all accounts...
i always have more than one because I can't always be home. Cats are talked about as if they are antisocial sometimes.. not true of my cats. I think my kitty Natsu would be attached if she could lol

I mean I get that he's suffering but when he IS home he roughhouses with the kitty like you would a large size dog. It broke my heart when he swatted at that kitty and he flew. He's only 4 months old! He's a tiny thing. When we first got there he wouldn't let us pet him more than twice without clawing us to heck. We (Fiance and I) were super gentle with him though and by the end of the night when we crashed on the futon he was a bit more lovey and curled up on top of the covers with us. I think it helped that the guy wasn't home except for the first half hour. (He's roommates with one set of our couple friends.) My heart breaks to think about the kitty staying locked in the computer room when the guy isn't home. (He REFUSES to let our friends help with the kitten.) We're at our limit in our apartment but we might bring him home anyway.


Heather (sorry for the off topicness) we got our two girls at the same time from the same litter. Sometimes they STILL get a hair up their butts with each other. Keep in mind getting him a playmate might not fix things because they might not mesh. I would DEFINITELY say separate them and watch what they do at first regardless but go into it weary. Maybe go to a shelter or Petsmart and bring him with to see how he does?

[Nekochanpurr]

Its by no means impossible, though.. As long as one of your cats are willing to not be leader. When we first got Marshmallow, Angel was SO MAD. Shes about 10.. And Mellows was a kitten at the time. But.. 'Mellows kept fangirling her.. And letting Angel be the leader... Now i see them laying together and stuff (it makes my heart melt <3 ). So maybe let your kitty feel like its his home first? That way he can show hes the boss to new kitty, and everyone knows their place... Maybe? Haha. Well, as long as you guys are on the VERY top! =3

[ChibiAiChan]

I mean I get that he's suffering but when he IS home he roughhouses with the kitty like you would a large size dog. It broke my heart when he swatted at that kitty and he flew. He's only 4 months old! He's a tiny thing. When we first got there he wouldn't let us pet him more than twice without clawing us to heck. We (Fiance and I) were super gentle with him though and by the end of the night when we crashed on the futon he was a bit more lovey and curled up on top of the covers with us. I think it helped that the guy wasn't home except for the first half hour. (He's roommates with one set of our couple friends.) My heart breaks to think about the kitty staying locked in the computer room when the guy isn't home. (He REFUSES to let our friends help with the kitten.) We're at our limit in our apartment but we might bring him home anyway.


Heather (sorry for the off topicness) we got our two girls at the same time from the same litter. Sometimes they STILL get a hair up their butts with each other. Keep in mind getting him a playmate might not fix things because they might not mesh. I would DEFINITELY say separate them and watch what they do at first regardless but go into it weary. Maybe go to a shelter or Petsmart and bring him with to see how he does?

i'm really sorry to hear that =( maybe he should have gotten a dog? Hopefully he lets you help because it sounds like that baby needs it.

[Ninedays9]

If it goes as planned... Toby might be getting a little brother. I found some kittens on Craigslist. The one I want is the runt of the litter, and he's very dark brown. I'm just hoping no one else sneaks in and gets him before we can, 'cause we really don't have time to until Sunday... plus we're having a party tomorrow night, so that'd be bad. But anyway, I think if we get him, it might work out ok with Toby 'cause this kitty won't get very big, so Toby can feel like he's the leader. I hope it works out on all accounts (us getting him and Toby eventually liking him) 'cause I think Toby would be happier with a buddy.