Please help

[tamirra]

Hello, we have a cat called Amber she is 18 months old and we aquired her from somebody else whos daughter was going to uni and could no longer care for her, she has been spayed,but no kittens, we are really at our witts end with how to control her bad behaviour, its not that she claws at the furniture, she is very good in that area,and for going to the loo she still uses a litter box as she was trained while living in a flat and we cant seem to break that habbit as yet, but thats not a problem for us, our biggest problem is that whenever we have visitors and they see a cat they automaticaly go to stroke her, in which case we have to warn them off as she is so spiteful, we are always clawed to pieces, she bites very hard and wont let go, she brings her hind legs up and uses them also her claws are so very sharp, she really needs to be trained but we dont know how, we even wish sometimes we hadnt taken her on, but we wouldnt get rid of her now even though she is so visious. Helppppppp

[pmjblue]

you could try herbal remedies?

http://www.sunessence.co.uk/

[kitty1981]

How long have you had her?? She is most likely very scared and confused!! Give her time and space and let her see that you are not the enemy. Try hand feeding her with a few tit bits, stroking her as she eats them.
my cat was a rescue cat and it took her a couple of months to really settle in.

[tamirra]

Hi, we have had her for 4 months now, you say stroke her while giving her tit bits, you must be joking, you can do it , if you want your hand biting off, lol, she is a happy cat, happier now than when she came to us, so its not that shes unhappy, she is just uncontrolable most of the time.

[bensmum]

Does she just act like this when anyone tries to touch her or does she hiss or growl when you get too close? Also did the previous owners have the same problem? Does she sit on your lap or near you? All cats exhibit this sort of behaviour occasionally - when I play with one of mine she brings up her back feet and I get scratched to pieces but she's normally the gentlest of cats, it's all in play. Herbal remedies or a chat with your vet about behavioural problems might help but you might have to wait until she is ready to feel confident with you.

[foxyflugel]

Hi - I am no cat behaviour expert but I would get your visitors to give her a cat treat as soon as they arrive - so she associates them with a pleasant experience and keep feeding her odd bits while ever she is not showing aggressive behaviour. Also, you don't say if she is a house cat or if she goes outside. If she is a house cat then you could clip the points of all her claws and this would solve the 'damage' to unsuspecting visitors or alternatively you can buy some plastic covers for their claws which you glue on and this again would solve this - they are great I bought some off ebay for my little darlings who - although they have numerous scratching posts - insist on using the backs of my new dining chairs!!
BUT IF SHE DOES GO OUTSIDE THEN PLEASE DO NOT DO THE CLAW OPTIONS AS SHE WILL BE UNABLE TO DEFEND HERSELF. Good Luck ; 0 )

[tamirra]

Hi, well shes not a lap cat, and the previous owners told us she was a playful cat, but im sorry this is not playful at all, she means every bit of what she does. We have her in doors, you can stroke her but she will all of a sudden just turn on you for no reason, so we have given up trying to pet her, and thats why we took her on as we thought we would get a lap cat and one that we could pet, but thats not the case at all,. you say let visitors give her treats, but another problem we have is that she dosnt eat very much and very fussy at what she does like, i think i have tried all the brands on the market and not yet found one she really likes, so again thats another problem we have, but she is a healthy cat.

[michelle1987]

I would talk to your vet about options. Sounds like your cat has some emotional issues. Just be patient, im sure things will calm down after a while, if not, maybe shes just not the cat for you. maybe she would do better in a 1 person home

[foxyflugel]

Hi - just had a thought - I think it would be worth giving a diffuser a whirl. You can get them from the vets - they look like plug in air fresheners and the aroma they give off are meant to appease cats. I had the dog version it was called a DAP diffuser and it worked well in calming her down - but you can also get them for cats. Well worth a try.

[tamirra]

Hi foxyflugel
Ive never heard of one of those, im going to try to get one today, let you know if i do and what happens. Thanks again to everyone who has tried to help. x

[kaylamay]

I would warn visitors at the door not to touch the cat and if they do it's at their own peril. You could put her in a bedroom until your guest leave. It is her new home and guest are just visiting her home so if she isn't a people cat at the moment then have everyone leave her be until such time as she feels she can accept people. I have multiple cats and some of them are beyond love muffins and a few are under the sofa hiders. If a cat wants to know you it will make the move. She may have had a traumatic life before you kindly gave her a new home or if she was a feral kitten before her first home she may never be a lap kitty.
Mikala

[winny]

Does your cat need a friend. She sounds just like ours. Jessie will purr and come for fuss then with a flash she will have had enough and attack you. If you walk too close to her she will swipe you with her paws. She is 10 now and my hubby had her from a kitten so she has never been abused. We found over time the more you actually ignore her the more she relaxes and will accept more fuss but she is still tempremental. If she doesnt want to be a lap cat she wont be one. Cats are single minded. Good luck. Let me know if you find a cure ill try it.