In need of advice on how to help calm down a cat.?

Question

I have owned cats all my life and left home while we still had 7 in the house.. indoor and outdoor (by each one's own choice) I have had lots of cats and have never had so much trouble with this cat now.

Our current kitty (appropriately named 'Beast' ) is.. kind of scary.

He's kind of a teenage kitty, almost adult, but still something of a kitten. So, he likes to have spaz attacks and run around the house like a lunatic for a while. That I can tolerate, but he does do it more often than any other cat i've known, and it goes on for forever! He's indoor only, and was brought in from the outside. He has various toys.. A few store bought ones that dingle and a mouse, but his favorites are a tic tac box with corn in it, and plastic bags (with holes, and supervised, dont worry!) He gets REALLY aggresive and scratches and bites sometimes when you want to pet him (or just stand in view of him) Other times he's really cuddly and wants attention.

The situation is kind of complicated though. Though me and my roomate's brother treat the cat calmly and kindly.. with respect. My roommate/friend does not. He's a terrible cat owner, and what he does is abuse. It runs along the lines of playing too roughly with the cat (with his hands, so the cat thinks hands are evil or playtoys).. if he finds the cat doing something he doesn't like (getting on the counters for example) he yells "KITTY!" and runs in there to hit the cat. If I catch the cat on the counter, I make a specific noise that kind of sounds like a 'psst!' and he usually makes this little 'chirp' noise and hops down. I used to 'psst' at him and put him down on the floor when he did it in the past, now I dont have to get up. But if I go in there and dont know he's on the counter.. he PANICS and runs away like i'm going to hit him. (Gee I wonder why..)

Right now however, I need some help with dealing with his issues day to day! I was considering clipping his nails so at least he doesn't draw blood but my roommate will freak if it's noticable. Is there any other calming method for his attacks? The only way I can remove him from my hand when he latches on is by gently grabbing the nape of his neck but i dont like to do that since my roommate picks him up every time that way, and uses it also for 'punishment' when it's not necessary. I have a lot of scratches right now from the cat already, though lucky for me i've already caught cat scratch disease way earlier in life and wont likely get it again, who knows about anyone who visits or the people who live here! I dont know if any kind of conditioning will work right now either, since if I teach him hand's aren't toys, my roommate will continue to teach him otherwise! I have confronted my roommate on this multiple times but he just wont listen.

I'm really at a loss, I do my best to prevent and stop what goes on but i'm only able to interfere with so much, and sometimes i'm not here or awake when it goes on and so forth. I give the cat a hiding place my roommate doesn't know about, but one shake of a tic tac box and the cat comes running to the source! Sigh. ANY advice for the situation or handling of the cat is appreciated!

Dont know if I said this or not yet:

I'm able to remove the cat at the end of the month or so, but the cat isn't mine. But I wont let this continue, I just have to time it carefully. My friend would never forgive me if he knew, and I can't just let the cat go (no nearby humane society). Don't think i'm just standing around letting it happen, i'm more responsible than that, I just have to do this carefully... My friend is unpredictable, and at this time i'm moving out (at the end of the month.. good timing huh?)

My roommate is abusive to the cat contrary to the answer I see below. He will hold the cat until it's CRYING to be let go, the cat struggles endlessly. The he lets the cat run about a foot when he lets go and repeats. Sometimes he forces the cat to walk on its front paws for a while, or holds the cat only under the arms letting it hang there, he swings it around in a way I wouldn't dare do with a human child, much less a cat. Always picks it up by the neck and countless other things. The cat was lovey when it first got here, now it's insane.

Also: I'm taking the cat to a friend's house at the end of the month (I cant afford to fly with the cat when I move back to Oregon) , he will treat the kitty like royalty and not hit or torture it.

Answer 1

You sure have a dilemma here. I have to say it is your roomy torturing this cat that is making him like that. This guy has to stop doing all of this bad stuff to this cat. He's not very caring about this cat, is he? He has to stop, that cat will some day get so out of control that he won't be able to come down. It will get to the point where he will attack any one at any time. Talk to this guy, tell him what he is doing is wrong and that he is making this cat ugly. That cat could seriously hurt some body some day. As far as the cat going on the counter. Double sided sticky tape! Yup, cat's hate things on their paw pads. They hate sticky! I had a cat who would lay on my kitchen counter all cozy looking. I would go and swat him on the rear. He would jet out of the kitchen, just to go back when I wasn't looking. Then I found out about double sided sticky tape. Boy, did I surprise him! I put it along the counter, in strips, covered as much of the counter as I could. He went on the counter, hated that tape, got off of the counter like a bolt of lightning. Never to go on it again. You can buy this tape at any office store or at WalMart. But, please, tell your roomy to cut the sh** with aggravating that cat. I really don't want to see the cat get hurt or any one else. Hope this helps

Answer 2

I am glad the cat will go to a new home where he won't be abused. I would lay down the law with the abuser however even though it is only a month till the cat will have a new home.

Sounds like he needs to be neutered too if that hasn't been done. Be sure to let the new owners know of his "problems" and the reason for it. They must know that he needs to have an interactive toy for play and not be allowed to use human hands for toys. It is not hard to train a cat that way and prevents a lot of problems.

Answer 3

The first thing is ownership. Whose cat is it? If it belongs to you, you must forbid your roommate from touching the cat. If the cat comes to him, he may gently stroke the cat. He sounds hostile toward animals, and he should not be part of any discipline, or any rough play.

When your cat bites (harder than you like) shout "NO" and do not interact for 5 minutes. PUNISHMENT DOES NOT WORK WITH CATS. Time-out does since cats are very social.

To try to settle the cat, select a time that is quiet, with minimal distractions. Lay the cat down gently and gently rub his belly. He may only tolerate it for a brief time, but try to increase the time over the days and weeks. When he gets aggressive (he IS neutered...yes???) he needs to be isolated in a carrier for about 15 minutes (the first time). Increase by 5 minutes each time.

If your roomate refuses to "play nice," you may need to move and set up a place without him. If this is a person that might be more than a friend, be aware that most people treat people the way they treat animals.

Answer 4

lol! That's not abusive! Cats aren't stuffed animals, they're hunters. Watch two cats play together, they're vicious. This cat's personality isn't the result of rough play...it's just the way he is.

I've got two cats. One sounds identical to your own, the other is a gluttonous lap kitty. I treat them each the same. You just have a spaz.

Edit: God I feel sorry for your friend Chris! He takes you in and let's you leach off of him, puts up with your bi-polar nonsense, then you plan to go and steal his cat?? Can you get it through your split head YOU might be the one with the problem?? I think you need your meds adjusted. Go back to therapy. Do everyone including the cat a favor....finish what you started.

Answer 5

you can try a few things, not sure how much you are willing to spend:

1. mood scent plug ins. made specially for pets. can be found in pet stores and target/walmart.
2. there are things called Nail Caps. They are little pieces of plastic that cover the nails. it comes in a variety of colors. looks like your kitty went to the salon.
and...
3. is he fixed? that could be it.

hope these suggestions help. I got confused a bit of the last post you have, are you taking him with you?

Answer 6

This isn't a foremost limitation. A male cat would possibly not exhibit his dominance with a feminine cat. It most effective occurs while 2 male cats meet. So do not be afraid that he's going to assault her or damage her. They're simply gambling.

Answer 7

I didn't catch all of this, but I did catch an episode on Animal Planet years back-
this cat sounds diabetic or something like that.
What has your vet said?

Answer 8

Get rid of the roommate.Keep the cat and give him lots of love.Kick the roommate to the curb!

Answer 9

two ways.
a) the cat is your property (legally). press charges of property damage/animal cruelty/abuse against your room mate.
b) (my preference) next time this poofy abusing sh*t touches your cat, kick him in the groin, very hard! when he goes down (trust me, he will) give his kidneys a severe kicking & tell him your! cat is off limits to him. enforce it!
if anyone hit my cats, i'd put the vermin in hospital.

Answer 10

i have a cat like that who is just plain out NUTZ OK...too calm him down i grab him by the back of his neck...i know it looks like it hurts them...but they really like it....and if that doesnt work get a scratching pad and put catnip on it...then they will go crazy on the pad instead of your home