aggressivness/appetite

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Allan Mooney - 29 Dec 2005 22:56 GMT

Hello All
A while back I posted to the group regarding the cat I got. He was being
very aggressive, at that point he had not been neutered as he was too young.
He's now overt he 6 month mark and has been neutered, but it's not calmed
him down any, he is still incredibly aggressive and is lashing out for no
particular reason. His aggressiveness seems only to be directed towards
myself and also my father-in-law. He is aggressive towards my wife
sometimes, but mostly is nice to her.

I don;'t do anything to wind him up, I pet him, play with his toys with him,
clean his litter tray, it's mostly myself that feeds him, and I even give
him treats, yet still he is aggressive towards me, my wife thinks it may be
something to do with him wanting to be the male of the house....surely my
cat is not trying to demote me down to 2nd place in my own house?!

As he's only just over 6 months is there anything I can do to try and
'train' him to be less aggressive towards me, it's getting to the point
where I'm having to lock him out of any room I am in case he decides to take
a swipe at me, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him, and wouldn't get rid of
him (Although I've thought of it) but it's getting ridiculous now...I never
had any problems like this with my other cats.

My 2nd problem is his appetite! I feed him 3 times a day, once in the
morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening, he gets Whiskas
kitten pouches topped off with dried biscuits and a bowl of water, yet still
he is looking for something to eat. I feed him at 5 just after I get in from
work, by the time I have cooked my dinner and I'm sitting down to eat
it...he's finished his and is after some of mine! Should I just 'top up' his
dish with dried biscuits for him to chew on between meals or feed him
something else...don't want him getting massive!

Apart from this it's all going well (lol)

Any advice is greatly welcomed!

Thanks

//Allan

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CatDude - 29 Dec 2005 23:45 GMT

> As he's only just over 6 months is there anything I can do to try and
> 'train' him to be less aggressive towards me, it's getting to the point
> where I'm having to lock him out of any room I am in case he decides to take
> a swipe at me, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him, and wouldn't get rid of
> him (Although I've thought of it) but it's getting ridiculous now...I never
> had any problems like this with my other cats.

How long ago was he fixed? If it was less than 2 or 3 months ago, he's
still got hormones in his bloodstream. Give him some time for them to
dissipate.

I'd suggest putting Rescue Remedy drops in his water (or the less
expensive generic stuff sold at Petco), and probably put a Feliway
diffuser or 2 in the rooms where you encounter him most often.

Beyond that, it's just a matter of his personality. Probably the best
thing for this will be time.

> My 2nd problem is his appetite! I feed him 3 times a day, once in the
> morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening, he gets Whiskas
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> just 'top up' his dish with dried biscuits for him to chew on between
> meals or feed him something else...don't want him getting massive!

I'd like to find the answer to this one myself! One of mine is just like
that - she derives a great part of her security from eating. The best
thing I can suggest is to feed him a healthy amount of a healthy food
(which it sounds like you're doing), maybe offer up some crunchy snacks
between meals, but don't make too much food available. Getting too
"fluffy" isn't any healthier for cats than it is for humans.

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carola - 29 Dec 2005 23:52 GMT

: I'd like to find the answer to this one myself! One of mine is just like
: that - she derives a great part of her security from eating. The best
: thing I can suggest is to feed him a healthy amount of a healthy food
: (which it sounds like you're doing), maybe offer up some crunchy snacks
: between meals, but don't make too much food available. Getting too
: "fluffy" isn't any healthier for cats than it is for humans.

I would free feed the cat - and Whiskas is not very healthy, full of sugar.
It's not wrong to feed something he doesn't like so much and leave it out
all the time.

carola

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~*Connie*~ - 30 Dec 2005 12:46 GMT

I have to ask if you have had young cats before. There is aggressiveness,
then there is extreme playfulness. You said you don't do anything to "wind
him up" well maybe you should. Get a fishing pole type cat toy and wind him
up and tire him out. He might just have excessive energy and just really
want to play.

As for the eating, at six months he is still a growing boy - think 12 yr
old. Give him all the food he can eat. Three times a day is a little much,
and will be hard to wean him off once he is an adult. Usually with kittens
I give two large meals of wet food and free feed crunchies. I am an
advocate of scheduled feedings because you can better monitor when there are
problems, but you will notice those when feeding wet at this age anyway.

> Hello All
> A while back I posted to the group regarding the cat I got. He was
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
>
> //Allan

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CadillacWoman - 30 Dec 2005 13:27 GMT

> Hello All
> A while back I posted to the group regarding the cat I got. He was being
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>
> //Allan

He's still a growing kitten, and in age, he's the equivalent of a human
teenager. Need I say more? In another six months, he'll be much calmer
and not as hungry. In the meantime, feed him all he wants to eat.

His aggressiveness (which is probably playfulness) will diminish as he
gets older. One of my cats did the "take a swipe" behavior too. It
wasn't aggression, rather it was a clumsy attempt to engage us in play.
This is how cats engage each other in play. To play with your cat, you
might trail a mouse on a string for him to chase, or get a cat dancer
toy for him to leap at, or use a pet-approved laser pointer. The idea
is that he's playing with the toy, not going after your hands or
ankles.

If you are near him and then he claws you, yelp in pain and then walk
away. He'll get the message. If you play with him right after he
hurts you, you'll only be reinforcing bad behavior. Similarly, if you
are playing and he then turns aggressive, stop playing with him and
walk away. BTW, my cat who does the "take a swipe" behavior sheathes
his claws, so it's more like getting a soft, furry bop with his paw,
and I do take the hint and break out the laser mouse.

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