Angry Cat Problems. Please help me!

[TripHopChick]

I'm new here so plz let me know if this is not the right spot for my post!


Last year for christmas, my boyfriend gave me a kitten (Bender). He's a strange cat, he has "poor falling reflexes", so he doesn't always land on his feet, he sniffs EVERYTHING, wasn't weaned properly so he's very oral and I'm quite sure he thinks he's a dog, because he plays fetch, howls when people come to our door, barks(or at least tries to) when birds play outside our window. But these are all things that make him adorable.

What DOESN'T make him adorable is:

1. He chews through wires. We've gone through two controllers and 4 headsets on our PS2, as well as the speakers to my computer.

2. He has gotten more and more aggressive lately. We assumed that the aggression was from him needing to get fixed. He was neutered on July 6. (the vet actually had to sedate him first so he could give him the real sedative for the procedure) We lock him out of the bedroom at night because he just comes in and breaks anything and everything. In the morning, he's calm and nice and purring, and then after about 20 minutes, he starts just knawing on us and then hurting us. And so it goes back and forth all day.

We've tried:

a: Spraying water: he just lets the water hit him and all it does is distract him for as second, but it doesn't really affect him. Plus we can't spray him while he's tangled up in our cords!

b: We clipped his claws every time he was bad, but it is so hard to do it, it's more of a punishment for us than him.

c: Make noise: We did the marbles in a can thing, and he thought we were giving him a treat so he ran up to us expecting a treat. Lately he doesn't really respond at all. Yelling and stomping just mystifies him and makes us feel like idiots. It even seems to encourage him to chew more, or get more agressive.

d: My father recommended we roll up a magazine and thwap him lightly on the rear when he's bad. I don't recommend this, we tried it, and really if you "thwap" anybody with a magazine they're gonna get even more pissed off.


We've checked everything, the food and water levels, litter condition. We keep the entire apt. almost spotless.

Getting rid of him is not an option.
So what options do I have?
Can I correct his behavior?
Is there anything we can put on wires to keep him from gnawing?
HELP! (>.<;)

[Traci]

Last year for christmas, my boyfriend gave me a kitten (Bender).

How old is he?

He's a strange cat, he has "poor falling reflexes", so he doesn't always land on his feet, he sniffs EVERYTHING, wasn't weaned properly so he's very oral and I'm quite sure he thinks he's a dog, because he plays fetch, howls when people come to our door, barks(or at least tries to) when birds play outside our window. But these are all things that make him adorable.

When was the last time he was seen by your vet? Why do you think he has 'poor falling reflexes'? Is he jumping from very high areas? Fwiw, it is a myth that cats will automatically or assumably land on all fours....while they are slightly more balanced than other animals, they are indeed subject to accidents.

Many cats play fetch, chatter at things outside a window and greet visitors, all relatively normal behavior.

1. He chews through wires. We've gone through two controllers and 4 headsets on our PS2, as well as the speakers to my computer.

Easy solution, put the wires and cords out of reach when unused, and divert kitty's attention to other things when you are using your PS. Most home hardware stores carry cord covers you can use in the home (i.e., piping or pvc piping, cord storers designed specifically for this purpose.

He has gotten more and more aggressive lately. We assumed that the aggression was from him needing to get fixed. He was neutered on July 6. (the vet actually had to sedate him first so he could give him the real sedative for the procedure) We lock him out of the bedroom at night because he just comes in and breaks anything and everything. In the morning, he's calm and nice and purring, and then after about 20 minutes, he starts just knawing on us and then hurting us. And so it goes back and forth all day.

Breaking things indicates you need to cat-proof your home. Put breakables up or in safer places out of reach to him. Spend quality time with him in the evenings to help calm him, expend his energy so he is less likely to want to stay up all night looking for mischief.

Knawing on you, then hurting you sounds like misdirected play agression. In other words, he is practically demanding your attention, affection. It sounds like you are impatient and not giving him true consideration concerning playtime, activity, excercise, bonding, etc.

If he is actually biting you in an outright agitated way, or deliberately scratching due to agression, he wouldn't have equal periods of purring, affection, etc. but would probably be withdrawn with no desire for affection or attention from you. So, it is for that reason I would suspect his behavior is misdirected play agression.

Spraying water: he just lets the water hit him and all it does is distract him for as second, but it doesn't really affect him. Plus we can't spray him while he's tangled up in our cords!

We clipped his claws every time he was bad, but it is so hard to do it, it's more of a punishment for us than him.

Make noise: We did the marbles in a can thing, and he thought we were giving him a treat so he ran up to us expecting a treat. Lately he doesn't really respond at all. Yelling and stomping just mystifies him and makes us feel like idiots. It even seems to encourage him to chew more, or get more agressive.

My father recommended we roll up a magazine and thwap him lightly on the rear when he's bad. I don't recommend this, we tried it, and really if you "thwap" anybody with a magazine they're gonna get even more pissed off.

a. again, see above for storing and covering the cords.

b. clip his claws every time he is bad? Typically, for obvious reasons such as choosing not to declaw, clipping nails should only be necessary once a month. Using this method for any form of behavioral punishment would be futile. I doubt he would associate nail-trimming with any behavior you found unacceptable.

c. yelling and stomping are counter-productive. Instead, try a short time-out with him by putting him in another room for a few minutes at a time until he learns that isolation will not earn him special treats or attention. Note: this should only be done with short time-outs, and directly after the incident or behavior he exhibits, NEVER wait until long after the incident to approach this method, as he won't associate it with the behavior.

d. correct, using a rolled-up newspaper is also counter productive and may only increase agression. It is not an acceptable form of recourse.

Probably the best effective solution is to try a few time-outs when his behavior is actually clear agression, such as biting you hard enough to draw blood, etc. BUT, time-outs for chewing on cords would be futile, because it truly sounds like he is bored and only trying to get your attention to play with him, spend time with him. Cats are healthier, happier and more adjusted if the owner spends quality time with their cat, get actively involved with playtime sessions, and exercise of course is beneficial to his health.

Try to exercise a bit more patience and tolerance with your kitty, when he approaches you with a friendly nibble or love-bite, that is usually an indication he wants affection and/or playtime. Get some interactive toys for him to play with, that also includes your involvement. Spend more time with him, and spend less time on finding reprimands for his behavior. If you continue to look for reprimands, you are evading the issue when in all actuality, you probably only need to spend more time with him.

[Guest]

It is an attention getter, for the most part, we've stopped all of the different types of "punishment" b/c they never worked anyways and just got him a bazillion more toys. He's a little less aggressive now, but he still gets in his moods. Thanks for the advice.