Three weeks ago, we left our cat with a pet sitter for a fortnight. It wasn't the first time she'd looked after him... but this time, he wasn't himself at all. He became aggressive, attacked her, and she couldn't even be in the same room as him without him lunging at her.
At first, we thought it was just because he didn't like being dropped off and felt abandoned. When we picked him up, everything seemed fine; he was very cuddly and happy to see us. Then, out of nowhere, while I was walking through the living room, he decided to go for me too. He started yowling really loudly and creeping towards me to pounce. We managed to distract him and shut him in a room on his own so he could calm down.
Another time, he'd been sleeping on me and being 'cuddly' only five minutes before. As I got up to go and sit elsewhere, he jumped on my leg. I said 'NO' and turned around, and he just launched himself at me, scratching and biting my leg! I ran into the hallway and he chased me. I took refuge in a room, and when my boyfriend tried to distract him and lure him away to put him in a separate room, the cat started threatening him and screaming as if he were being strangled!
We took him to the vet, who said it was because he hadn't been neutered. So, we had him snipped... except it's started happening again.
Now I'm traumatised and terrified of him. Yesterday, while I was sitting down, he tried to bite my foot. When I gently pulled my foot away, his ears went back and he went into an attack stance. My boyfriend got up to distract him, and when I closed the glass door behind him, the cat jumped at the door, still acting aggressively, hissing and growling really loudly. It took us two hours to get him back out... now he goes outside and comes back in, but I'm still scared because he's still acting so threatening. I don't go near him anymore, but as soon as I stand up he follows me, and I'm worried he's going to try and attack again.
I just don't know what to do; I'm living under an incredible amount of stress! I can't take much more, but I love my cat to bits and really don't want to have to give him up.
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Hi there, oh yes, it’s definitely scary. I never thought a cat could be like that... We’ve ordered the toy, so I hope it helps... thanks :) Yes, it’s only been a week since he was neutered.
Hi there,
You're right, a cat that attacks can be really frightening. It’s also possible he’s picking up on your anxiety, which might be making him even more unsettled.
You could try looking into the Kong Kickeroo range; they’re great toys for cats to blow off some steam and are usually a big hit. For example, when one of my boys gets grumpy and redirects his aggression towards our other two cats by growling and attacking, I pop the Kong between his paws and he takes his frustration out on that instead.
I might have missed this, but was he neutered recently?
Hi there. So, the vet asked us if he was neutered, and when we said no, he said that was definitely the cause and that no tests were needed. So he neutered him and told us to wait three weeks for him to calm down. For now, he isn’t calming down at all. He goes outside now, too. He didn’t before because we live in a complex with several other cats but it’s near a main road, and I was scared, especially after he went missing for two days. When he’s at home, I’m incredibly stressed. I don’t touch him, I don’t talk to him, and I act like he’s not there. But at my slightest movement, he watches me and stands up to follow me if I get up. When he tries to bite my foot, I slowly move my foot away, but he doesn't like that; his ears go back and he tries to get to my foot again. If I can't distract him or hide in a room straight away, he attacks me. I’m petrified; I shake like a leaf now when he’s in the house. He’s always had dry food available whenever he wants. He even has two bowls—one upstairs in his "room" and one downstairs. I don't think anything happened at the pet sitter’s. She’s used to looking after pets... the first time went really well. We’re going to try Feliway and maybe that Royal Canin dry food, I’ll look into it. We’ll wait for the next vet appointment... but in the meantime, it’s honestly really hard to live with.
But if he attacks me and I’m supposed to stay still without running, it’s so hard because he lunges at me with his claws out and bites me.
Either he attacks by biting my foot and I pull away so he jumps, or he’ll suddenly start meowing and getting worked up out of nowhere, creeping towards me in a threatening way, ready to pounce at any moment, and then he screams like two cats fighting. That’s the main thing I just don’t understand.
Hi there,
I agree with Grandchat. Obviously, the first question is whether the vet found any injury or health issue. A cat in pain usually either becomes aggressive or completely withdrawn.
Otherwise, there are a few other possibilities to consider:
- The stay with the pet sitter went badly and they might not be telling you everything. Does she have other pets, or even worse, any that haven't been neutered? Could she have been a bit rough or accidentally hurt him? Did he have an accident, like getting a paw caught in a door or something? A cat's behaviour doesn't change that drastically without some kind of 'trauma'.
- If he’s only recently been neutered, he’ll still have male hormones in his system. If he can smell unneutered toms nearby, he might be displaying 'redirected aggression' – a classic feline issue. He can't get to the males that are stressing him out, so he takes his frustration out on you.
- He needs to have access to food 24/7, with no rationing at all.
For the time being, I’d suggest ignoring him. Don’t seek him out for attention, and even avoid stroking him if he comes up to rub against you. Don't make eye contact and don't talk to him. You need to let the tension simmer down.
If he calms down over the next few days, I’d suspect some kind of emotional or physical trauma at the sitter's. If it carries on, you'll need to get some more in-depth tests done at the vet, specifically to rule out a neurological problem.
I assume the vet has already ruled out any underlying health issues?
Does your cat have access to dry food at all times? If not, that’s the first thing you should look into.
As Lewina mentioned, you could try Bach flowers or Feliway. There’s also Royal Canin Calm dry food; I’ve never used it myself, but it has very high ratings on the Zooplus website.
It’s currently breeding season, so if your cat doesn’t go outside, he may have caught the scent, sight, or sound of unneutered males roaming around your home. These attacks could be due to the frustration of not being able to reach them, which is known as redirected aggression.
Even though it’s very difficult, try to stay calm and neutral when your cat follows you or wants a cuddle, as they can sense your emotions. Play with him regularly and set up some hiding spots (like a cardboard box) where he can retreat if he needs to.
When he does attack, try not to run away or shout, as this will only wind him up further.
Our girl gets like this whenever she’s stressed. During the first lockdown, having us home all the time really stressed her out; she’d go for us in the hallway (not too hard, mind) and would suddenly hiss at us even if she’d been purring two seconds before. She even started losing fur around her neck. Feliway and moving to a house where she could go outdoors really helped her out.
She’s staying with my parents at the moment as we’re away on holiday, and she’s back to her old self again—hissing at anything that moves and scratching (my arm is a right mess!). I reckon she’ll be like it for a few days after we get her back, too, but it should settle down with the Feliway. Have you thought about trying Bach Flower Remedies? I’ve heard a lot of good things about them, though I’ve never actually tried them myself.
Thanks for your reply...
I think we’re going to give Feliway a go to see if it calms him down. We have to try everything... I feel like we’ve got a completely different cat now. Why would he suddenly, overnight, start attacking for no reason—and with such violence? I actually had to go to A&E for the bite because it was so severe. He’s always been such a sweet boy... :/ I’m worried he’ll never go back to how he used to be. If it is stress, I just don’t get it, because he attacks out of the blue even when nobody is moving, even if he was looking for cuddles two minutes before or had just been sleeping. :/
I’m not sure if it’s the same for you, but with my cat, when she gets aggressive—a bit like yours, although maybe not quite as bad—it’s down to her being really stressed. To help her through these "episodes", we do everything we can to de-stress her, so we use Feliway in our case, but I think there are other herbal remedies out there as well?
Giving Feliway a go might be a good place to start.
