Short-tempered rescue cat

m0rgana

Hi all

I'm wondering if there's anything we can do about some of our older cat's more antisocial character traits, and if anyone can suggest what could be causing them.

Jasmine is a lovely cat when she wants to be, but she has a very unpredictable temper, and we'd like to discourage her from lashing out. She is about two years old, now neutered and living with one of her six-month-old kittens. We think he may be the problem, but are not sure.

When she is in a room without the young cat, Jasmine will jump up, rub her face against our hands, purr and be friendly. She is not exactly a lap cat, but she will come and sit near us and enjoys a small amount of attention. This is what we'd expect really as she is a rescue cat who had a rough life before being adopted and MAY have actually been semi-feral. The shelter were never able to establish whether she had owners before, although she seems used to being around people.

The problem is, she will go from being in this affectionate state to suddenly turning completely - snapping at us, hissing and swiping/scratching. There are certain triggers I know to avoid - she likes having her face stroked but goes for you if you touch her 'bib' - and the other big one is if the younger cat comes into the room while she's being petted. She seems to go completely on edge and snap as soon as she sees him.

We have tried using feliway and other things designed to help cat behaviour, and recently I have taken to shutting her out of the room every time she does it. but she still has this tendency to suddenly snap. Is there anything else we can do?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Have you had the younger one neutered yet?

That could help if it hasn't been done so far.


He'll also be getting bigger and possibly she sees a bigger male cat as a threat. Perhaps he's a bit handy himself when you're not at home.

m0rgana

Oh yes, he was fixed at 19 weeks. She definitely has rivalry going on with him though: they scrap a lot. I find it odd that she is OK to be affectionate when he's not around and is hostile when he comes in though - I suppose it's a territorial thing.

I do hope we won't have to split them up - unfortunately they are both a lot more friendly when they're apart! Keeping fingers crossed for a bit more harmony when he grows up.

Hillbilly1

Cats live together where there enough resources for them all - not for any social interaction.

Most boy cats will leave the group they were born in byt a year at the latest.

Therefore I think she really needs to be an only cat. Each cat has their own threshold of the time/space resources they need and she appears to not want to share. She won;t recognise him as her son - they aren't brilliant parents (hence why they breed so prolifically).

You have recognised what makes her happy and tried with feliway etc - all good, but she wants more!

gettingready

Sorry to hear about the issues you have. Lots of rescues press on for taking "mum and a baby" but I know from experience this does not always work, some cats simply prefer to be the only cat at home and you may have this kind of scenario on your hands now.

Lucy will be rehomed as the only cat when her kittens are fully weaned, just so she can enjoy a single cat's life after all she has been through...

How old was the kitten when you adopted him together with Jasmin?

tizerbelle

DippyCat is the same - he's better now than he was when I first adopted him - then you could only get one stroke in down his back before he swore vociferously and tried to kill you. He loves sitting in your lap but you are not allowed to stroke him while he does.

He is much improved now it just took time he'll never be "normal" - he has some issues - he has to be in control - he gets jealous if PiggyCat is being brushed but you can't brush him - you have to hold the brush out and he walks against it.

I did read in one of the cat behaviourist books that lashing out when being stroked is a panic reaction triggered by them enjoying the stroking and then suddenly realising they have stopped being alert to potential threats and this causes them to react violently just in case there is a threat they haven't identified (the author put it far more eloquently).

You will get to know the warning signs (even if the other cat isn't around) such as a change in ear position/head position, a muscle twitch in neck etc so will know when to leave alone. Don't force affection on her though when she's riled. As she relaxes and feels more secure in her home situation and with you, she may allow longer stroking sessions without reaction and if she does, you'll feel great. If she doesn't you'll just have to accept she's a non-tactile cat.

Mrs_Z

Sorry, can't offer you any advice but one of ours makes it very clear that she can only be touched around the ears and the head - for which she purrs very loudly. Down the spine towards the tail is a no-no and no-one is allowed to touch her holy paws under any circumstances. Ever.

m0rgana

gettingready wrote: »

How old was the kitten when you adopted him together with Jasmin?

He was 8 weeks and still feeding from her. This continued till he was relatively old - 11 weeks or so - and during that time they got on really well although she would always 'discipline' him if he annoyed her.

I'd hate to think we'd have to give one of them away, so don't really know what to do next. Is it not worth waiting till he gets to be a year or so old when she might not see him as a juvenile who has to be ejected from the nest?

They are definitely not best pals at the moment - she hisses at him every time he comes near her, aside from the few times when she starts randomly grooming him but I gather this could simply be to show dominance!