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Mean Kitties Anonymous
Hey /an/, a year ago I adopted a fluffy, orange Maine Coon mix. He was already about a year old, and seemed very sweet and cuddly. When I got him home, he took a couple days to recover from the cat cold he'd gotten while at the humane society, then showed his true bipolar colors.
He still likes to cuddle and follows me around all day... When he's being good, he's the best cat ever, and when he's bad, he's completely intolerable. Can anyone give me some advice about some behavioral problems?

-Without any provocation he'll attack my feet, arms, face, whatever he can sink his claws into. I'll try to distract him with toys or food, but when he's in a mood, he sinks his claws in, clings tightly to a limb, and bites- HARD. He's drawn blood from both myself and my boyfriend, his mom, and several of our friends while visiting.

-Every day, he gets really hyper and tears around the apartment at top speed, and it can get pretty intense. He's climbed up sheer walls (leaving clawmarks in the drywall), knocked down lamps/dishes/irons/etc, leaped from the stairwell onto people's heads, climbed up people's torsos, and routinely runs so quickly that he can't stop and slams into the wall.

-Whenever he's around other cats, he avoids the bigger ones but attacks the smaller ones incessantly. They might start out playfighting, but mine always takes it too far and makes the other cat really distressed, thankfully I've always stepped in before they were injured so far.

I've pretty much adjusted to living with the loveable little jerk, I don't leave out breakable stuff anymore, and can usually tell when he's in a bitchy mood. But I'd always planned on getting another cat someday, and after seeing him interact so poorly with other animals, I'm worried that might not be possible.

Should I declaw him? Use some kind of training? Just give up on ever having any other animal in the house?
>> Anonymous
declaw and lock him up when he gets in a mood. Sometimes you just can't train it out of them and instead just have to let him get through it. I used to have a dog that'd do that as well, except it was because he had brain damage.

don't get another animal either. From the sounds of it you could have a dead cat on your hands if you decide to bring another in. Just tough it out or give him back to the humane society.
>> Anonymous
>>314296

Yeah, I really didn't want to declaw him at first, but I'm starting to reconsider.

I've heard that it can make them bite harder, but since he pretty much bites as hard as possible now, I'm not concerned about that anymore. I am still worried that he'll become nervous and reclusive afterwards, since his affectionate side is the only thing that makes it worth tolerating his fits.
>> Anonymous
Is he neutered?
>> Anonymous
>>314294
I dunno, he sounds like a normal cat to me :V Also, NEVER get your cats declawed. It's like cutting off a chunk of your finger. Have you tried Feliway? It's a hormonal thing that got my cat to stop pissing on everything which she outgrew eventually. Catnip might calm him down, though my cat tears up the house more on it (which I enjoy watching). Clip his nails a bit or take him to the vet and they should do it free of charge.
>> Anonymous
>>314299
Yup, he was already fixed when I got him.

>>314301
I kept them trimmed for about the first two months I had him. I had to sneak up on him when he was sleeping, otherwise he wouldn't let me. He soon caught on, now sleeps very lightly, and runs off/attacks if I so much as touch his paws.
>> Anonymous
>>314323
have the vet do it
>> Crazy Cat Lady
sounds like a normal hyper cat. at least in "racecar mode" running around all crazy like. the attacking, i'm not to sure of. if u declaw him it'll just make him either meaner or make him shy and wanna hide. have you tried the spray bottle technique? he could have been terrorized as a kitten so who knows why he could be so mean. good luck OP, just have patience and make sure your guests know you have a psycho cat
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>314330

Spray bottles are how we got him to stop attacking our feet in the morning, but when he's in a mood, they just make him more irritated.

I think I'm going to try this Feliway stuff and see if it helps at all. We're kinda hoping he'll just outgrow the crazies.

Here's a goofy glamour shot my old roommate took of him.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>314333
The first thing of Feliway will be 50 dollars and then refills every month are about 20. Petco has a storebrand one that's cheaper. It's worth the money, in my opinion. I had to buy it for about four or five months until my cat stopped peeing on the bed. We haven't bought a new one in about two months and have been bed-pee-free! I'd also recommend spray bottles. It keeps our pee-cat from drinking out of our cups but our baby kitten doesn't know what it is so he just takes it in the face for ten minutes.
>> Crazy Cat Lady
>>314333
awww, who would think that something so cute would be such a terror..... sad fact: that's how it tends to be. the some crazy are the cutest....
>> Anonymous
Your description of him made me lol. Sounds awesome and loveable, but also troublesome.

DO NOT FUCKING DECLAW HIM FFS. Why isn't this illegal in America?? If you must do something about the pain he causes you with his claws, try Soft Paws. Little vinyl caps you glue on claws so they can't damage you or furniture. You might have to wrap him in a towel to stop him clawing you to get away though. They normally only go on their front feet, they need their rear claws for purchase.
>> Anonymous
Oh, and the running around like crazy thing is pretty much a normal cat thing :D
>> Anonymous
He sounds like my sister's cat. That bastard sent her to the emergency room and she has nerve damage in one of her fingers because he bit her so hard.

Doping him up on cat pheromones is a good option. That is what my sister did with her monster. You can probably expect him to get very fat and lazy, however.

I think assaulting the cat and pinning him so that OP can put on those little rubber claw tips would be more traumatic than simply getting him declawed. (If you can even pin him, Maine Coons are frikken huge) He'll trust OP less than he does now and probably get more vicious.

Declawing will keep him from mauling you, but you've still got to worry about the teeth. If you do get him declawed, I would recommend front and back. My sister's cat only has back claws and he can still do a hell of a lot of damage. The cat I have is done front and back and it doesn't seem to bother her.

If you exhaust all options then the only thing I can say is that you should take him to the vet and have him put down. I know you love your cat but you shouldn't have to live with that kind of abusive relationship.

- in b4 declaw rage: My cat wasn't mine to begin with and my parents had her declawed because of the other monster. I probably wouldn't have picked a cat for a pet (again, because of the other monster) but this one is very lovable.
>> Anonymous
>>314294

The Play biting is clearly something he grew up with the shelterand nobody minded as a kitten. My cat used to do this too, simplest way to dicourage it is to scream say ow and carry on and ignore the cat.
>> Anonymous
There is a BIG difference between play biting and drawing blood. From my experience, play biting does not involve blood. Maybe tooth marks or little welts but not blood. OP's cat is clearly capable of being very vicious.
Personally, I dislike overly aggressive animals (OP's cat) and I question the sanity of the people who keep them (OP)
>> Anonymous
>>314589

There is no difference. This is basically a cat that was encouraged to play bite as a kitten, and simply grew up without knowing how hard they are biting their owners.

If a cat decided to attack the shit out of you, trust me, you'd look like you've gone through a blender.
>> Anonymous
>> He sounds like my sister's cat. That bastard sent her to the emergency room and she has nerve damage in one of her fingers because he bit her so hard.

>>314595
Do you mean like that? Yes I've seen the what a cat can do when it is well and truly pissed. I posted>>314549.

I actually want to hope you're right and that OP's cat is only bored and just needs some extra play time, but it really doesn't sound like it to me.
>> Anonymous
So cats make good pets because why...?
>> Anonymous
Because they're cute and cuddly! =^_^=
>> Anonymous
>>314831
BECAUSE THEY'RE UHHHH SO INDEPENDENT AND LIKE YEAH DOGS ARE STUPID AND LOYAL BUT CATS LEAVE YOU ALONE AND LIKE HIDE UNDER COUCHES ALL THE TIME UNLESS THEY FEEL LIKE KILLING YOU

MAN I LOVE CATS
>> Anonymous
>>314294
I see what you did there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmDDp-cCo24#
>> Anonymous
>>315047
...and quite easy to care for, in most of the cases.
>> Anonymous
>>315137
My cats are nothing like this. Enjoy your ignorance.
>> Anonymous
>>315233

EVERY cat I've known has the ability to become like OP's cat at the drop of a hat. YOU enjoy YOUR ignorance, blind catfag.

OP, since you're stupid enough to own a cat, do the right thing and declaw the awful monster.
>> Anonymous
>>315238
GTFO /b/fag

Don't be lazy and declaw your cat. It's one of the most horrible things you can do to it.

>>314524

Seriously, it should be illegal.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>315253
Just because that anon insulted your precious cats, that makes him a /b/tard?
>> Anonymous
>>315262

Catfag logic is something that can't really be properly explained.
>> Anonymous
Get rid of it.
Cat's are one of the worst pets around.
>> Anonymous
Cats are nice, but the OP's one is morbid.
>> Anonymous
i beat my cats good, they don't act up.

you need to teach your cat to fear the fuck out of you, then they won't mess you
>> Anonymous
Is the kitteh neutered/spayed? Best thing to do is get a can of change. Should rattle like a mofo when shaken. Whenever the cat looks like it's about to attack shake the can to scare it. The people attacking and smaller cat attacking is a sign of insecurity.
check it:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/03/19/cat_whisperer/
>> Anonymous
bring it to a shelter, buy a new pet
>> Anonymous
>>315265
>>315268
>>315276
>>315238

what the FUCK... what kind of people are you?
>> Anonymous
>>314294

OP, at the end of the day, your cat's an animal, and it thinks in animal logic. You gotta show the cat there is either a) a benefit in treating you nicely or b) a detriment in treating you badly.

go OWWWWWWWW! and shove the cat away and ignore the cat for a few hours. Easiest way to let the cat know you don't like it and you won't have any of it.

>>315291

They're clearly newfags.
>> Anonymous
Can we get an update OP? Did you try the Feliway or clawcaps?
>> A few tips to try out Anonymous
We have a cat that we adopted from an animal shelter who had wild behavior when we first got him. It seems to me that a few things helped:

1. Keep in mind that cats are predators, respect this nature of theirs
2. Get him neutered
3. Clap loudly for any behavior you disapprove of
4. Stomp your feet whenever your feet are attacked
5. Give him a light smack on the nose when he bites and say, "No" loudly scolding him
6. Brush your cat twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening
7. Purchase a "bitey" stick, a round rawhide stick for small, even tiny dogs will do and ALLOW him to bite the stick when he gets in that bitey mood
6. Give him string time regularly every day, like once the morning before work, once when coming home and once before going to bed
7. Clean the cat box every day, yes, every day
8. Watch him carefully and figure out his own patterns and preferences to understand how he's trying to communicate

Our cat went from being a crazy hellion to being a loveable little guy when we did these things. If he's outside, all I have to do is call him and he comes in. When I don't want him to do something, all I have to do is say "No" gently and he will stop. He looks forward to giving us kisses 3 - 4 times a day. He still runs around, but that's good exercise for him so it doesn't bother me.

I don't know if these tips will work for you, but I was amazed at the transformation over the last year.
>> Anonymous
>>315307
>They're clearly not fags.

Fixed it for you bro
>> Anonymous
>>315307
of course, because someone who doesn't like cats is CLEARLY a newfag.

I don't like rats either, unlike most people on here, I must be a newfag as well.
>> Anonymous
>>315530
I don't like rats either and I've had them as pets.
>> Anonymous
>>315238
But this is a massive generalisation. Sure some cats are dicks, but every single one has its own personality.
>> Anonymous
OP has a typical cat.

They are possibly the worst animals ever "domesticated," if you can call it that.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
It's these fucking orange cats...I'm positive that's what Garfield was based on. Orange cats are horrible, mean, nasty, rude and they just don't give a fuck.

My cat Bucky will scratch the shit out of my arms & hands. Picking him up is almost suicide sometimes. He was never like this until he was about 2.
>> sage
>>315661
D'AAAAAAAAAAW
>> Anonymous
>>315544

Cats don't have any discernible personality, they all pretty much just act like pieces of shit. They're awful, evil, self-serving, little assholes.
>> Anonymous
>>315738

Exactly. Humans domesticated cats because they are the one animal that reminded them most of themselves.
>> Anonymous
I have 6 cats, and they don't bother anyone that much. At most they fight with each other now and then, and somebody has to go and stop it, but they're really nice, clean and independent. I've never had a guest bothered by one of my cats, they're shy so most just run away. I mean... I've had plenty of guests never was one atacked...i've even seen some of my cats lose some of their shiness towards my common visits. So i really don't know what the fuck is this about cats being evil and shit.
>> Anonymous
>>315755
So true. So true.
>> Anonymous
OP needs to let the cat know who is the 'alpha' in the house. My cat is constantly trying to push me around and used to attack my feet when he got annoyed, but as one anon said, that's when you start stomping your feet as loudly as you can, yell to it and chase it for a while until it hides under a bed or something. That shows them that they are biting more that they can chew when attacking.

Also, snapping your finger quickly at cats nose will also make them back off, their noses are really sensitive.

Declawing won't help shit, the cat will just bite harder and to get it off you might really hurt it.
>> Anonymous
>>315738
8/10, really irritated me and I suspect if this board got more traffic you'd start a shit storm.