I Need Advice About My Aggressive Cat

[KristinaW]

I need advice and I'm looking to this community to help me out. I hope someone has the answer because I am frustrated and I don't know what to do. Here's the story:

I recently adopted a cat that's been adopted twice before. He has some behavioral issues and the first two people who adopted him from the humane society didn't like him because he can be unpredictably aggressive at times. The first people who adopted him didn't like him because he (Jake) went after their dog and the second people didn't like him and returned him because he bit their daughter. I know this sounds bad, but he's really the sweetest cat ever. He sits on my lap and purrs and looks me in the eyes. He is so nice when he wants to be. The problem is, out of nowhere sometimes, he'll be purring and then he'll attack us out of the blue. He'll scratch or bite and then run across the room as if someone is after him. Then, he'll hide all scared in the corner or under the bed. I've seen his eyes after he does this and they're all huge like he just saw Godzilla. Again, this happens out of the blue and it's becoming difficult to be affectionate with him when I don't know when he's going to turn on me.

He does this when he's just standing on the floor rubbing up against us too. He'll rub our legs and be all purring and then he'll bite our legs and run like heck across the room. Same story. It's like he's somehow overstimulating himself.

So my questions are:

Has anyone ever experienced this type of behavior from their own cat?

If so, what did you do about it?

Is there any way for me to build trust with Jake? I truly do love him.

Any other advice would be great too because I'd like to resolve this issue. Otherwise, he's great!

Thank you so much!

 

[JodyBuchanan]

First of all, you are an angel for taking this cat in. I'm happy to read that you love him and will keep him forever. Too many people give up on their animals and just get rid of them. I don't know how they do that. I would never be able to.

When dealing with so called "crazy" cats, you have to remember that they have similar feelings to humans. They get stressed and act out and they also have anxiety issues at times. I wonder if your cat has experienced some trauma before you adopted him that's causing this random behavior or if his brain is just wired like this. I wouldn't doubt the weird wiring because I've seen cats and dogs that have been abused for years completely snap out of it when they go to loving homes. For a cat to stick with this sort of behavior that may have been caused by previous abuse isn't likely.

My suggestion would be to have a discussion with your vet about Jake's behavior. I'm sure they've heard about this type of thing before. If nothing else, you'll get a perspective from someone who has tons of experience in the field. You may also want to consult with a professional animal behaviorist. They're worth their weight in gold.

At this point, I'd say the most important thing for Jake is to know that he's finally "home" and that he's safe. Cats need someplace to call their own, so if you don't have one already, I suggest setting up some sort of bed or crate that's out of the way that he can call his own. That may work wonders.

Is Jake neutered? That may play a role in behavior issues.

I have a friend who calls her cat "psycho." She's had her for over ten years and loves her to death, but she knows that she'll (the cat) bite or scratch if the opportunity arises. She told me that the best thing for her cat has been consistent daily patterns and patience. Not all cats are cuddly and nice. We just have to accept that. Sometimes they are the way they are and we have to work around them. Try sticking to regular activities that don't change much from day to day and continuously show Jake affection. Let me know how things go.