spiteful cat!? help! how can i make her nice!!!?

Question

hi, ive had my female cat for 2 years now and shes not a very nice cat! i love her and dont want to get rid of her but i have a 3 month old and im worried that when she is older my cat may scratch her. i dont no whats made her this way, when she was a kitten she was fine but was overly played with by partner and family so dont no if this was the reason or maybe it was because we have moved 3 times or maybe she is half ferral? or it could be because shes an inddor cat?? i just dont no but i really want her to be a nice cat as at the moment shes banned from front room in case she gets little one which i hate to do but have to, she comes in room when little ones in bed but thats it,but i have to say that she is nice when she is on call to males! shes nice to everyone and wouldnt hurt a fly then!? can anyone help with this issue??? is there ANYTHING i can do apart from getting rid of her??

hi, i have to say it is not because she lost me as one of you have said, she went like this a long long time ago, no ones aloud to touch, if they do then she will scrath and its not in a playful way, its a nasty way, shes sometimes nice to me but if she then gets fed up of me touching her she will scratch and her scratches can be very very painful as she does it hard so it goes deep!! not nice!! she is not spayed as one of you asked so that could be the reason, also one of you said to introduce her to another cat, we tried this but she just hid up and didnt come down all night even when cat had gone!? i think im gonna get her spayed, see if this helps! (if i can get her to vets!!!!) but i WONT be getting rid of her coz i beleive that if you get a pet you have to look after it forever like you would a child, if she does continue this way i will have to train my little one to STAY AWAY!!!!

one more thing, someone said she CANT be half ferral and an indoor cat, well i was just going by what vet had told me what might be wrong.

have to add that she was like this long long before little one was born so is not due to little one coming along

hi, can i also now add that i CANT get her declawed, i live in the uk and its illegal here as its considered cruel, also she IS an indoor cat, she has NEVER been outside, she can go on call without seeing a male cat, my mates is the same AND she can be half ferral as her dad could of been completely ferral, im thinking of getting her spayed to see if anything changes, fingers crossed!!!

Answer 1

maybe go to Petsmart and get some training or associate with other cats, it may just take some time for her to get used to other cats, especially if you got a new cat and this just started happening.

Answer 2

I would suggest two things to start with.

1. I would get her spayed, it may be hormones and we all know how bad they can be. Cats are often much more relaxed when spayed, it really can make a huge difference.

2. There is a product on the market called Feliway, it is a phereomone that mother cats produce to make their kittens more relaxed and feel more comforatable, and can work wonders on stresses out cats. It comes in spray or diffuser/plug-in form. I suggest getting one of each. Ideally I would suggest getting a diffuser to put in the room in which the cat spends most of her time, and maybe a spray that you can use in other rooms, but the diffuser is the most important.

I really think these are a good start to a more relaxed cat house and I think the situation will greatly improve.

PS. If in the UK you can get Feliway at your vets or on the internet, not sure about the USA though.

Answer 3

get her spayed!!! this will help enormously. Cats generally become more social, and less irritable after they have been fixed. It sound like your cat has had a lot of stress in it's life. You said it's half feral, was she adopted? If she is under 2, getting her spayed, and giving her another year, she will calm down a lot. Moving, and a new addition (baby) to the house, probably makes her feel threatened. make sure you are giving her attention as well! Please don't give her to a shelter. Adult cats do not have a good chance of being adopted. no matter what the shelter tells you, they are almost always put down. Get her fixed at a clinic, it only costs about $40.00. You should see a difference within a couple of months.

Answer 4

I have a half Siamese cat. He is different than any other cat we have had over the years. They get a bad rap sometimes kinda like pit bulls. Peoples biggest complaints are that they meow to much. Mine does not have this trait but he is half. It is true that they are really need they follow you around like puppy dogs. They hate being left alone too, we have 4 cats which helps if we are out for the day so he has company, but every time we go on vacation he is mean to whoever baby sits. I know someone who baby sat 2 pure breed ones and they did the same thing. They are more needy than most cats. Also think about trying to find a half Siamese cat too, my vet actually said they are healthier because there wont be the genetic problems.

Answer 5

I think spaying may help. Talk to your vet and I'm sure they will help. I had a semi ferral cat for 15yrs and he never quite grew out of the spiteful stage but we learned to live together in perfect harmony. He was never the cute cuddley cat I always wanted but he was my friend and silent company. CATNIP in a sock on a piece of string made him playful but at arms length. Keep babes away from ur cat-I did-its a shame I know but best to be safe.Give cats protection league a call cos they give advice on teaching your cats manners.lol-wish we could ring a helpline like that for some humans I know. My ferral has just passed away and I miss him just as much as any lap cat.Good luck with it.

Answer 6

I'm afraid its just her personality. Some cats want a bit of attention, but they reach the point of 'thats enough' quite quickly. (Unlike pets that could lie on your lap all day and can't get enough fuss)
As soon as they decide they've had enough, their emotions change quickly, and they move from feeling like a fuss to feeling like they want you to leave them alone in the wink of an eye.
Thats why she lashes out. Her emotions change quickly and you don't get a chance to read her signals.
The best thing to do is if you ever give her attention, make it for a very short time and stop before she has had enough so you never trigger the reaction.

They're like people who feel one way, then a second later feel a different way; they're hard work because its difficult to keep up with them and impossible to please them.
It has nothing to do with being feral and a cat can't be half feral, its either feral or its not. If your cat were feral she wouldn't tolerate being indoors.

A feral cat is one that was born away from contact with people. Its essential that young kittens are handled properly so they get used to human contact. Feral cats see us as a threat, not a freind.
Your cat just has a difficult personality.

Answer 7

Hi,
My 9 month old cat is spiteful too. She started off being a little playful but has now escalated to attacking my 3yr old twins. She has all the love, food, toys and scratch posts a cat could need. I have tried all sorts of things to discourage this behaviour with no effect. She takes a flying leap at their faces but doesn't attack anyone else in the house. I think sometimes when you have tried every other avenue you have to accept you might not be the right home for them. I'm now trying to find her a new home (without young children). I hope things work out better for you.

Answer 8

You really have to have a new day with your cat. You are all over the place in your ideas of what might be wrong, None of which have created the problems with this cat. You say she is not a nice cat but you do not elaborate very much as to how she is not very nice, It is hard to imagine her being an indoor cat in one hand and being half feral in the other..very doubtful. You probably do not have the time but time will have to be spent with this cat.She has lost someone she loved. That is whats wrong with her.

Answer 9

My Mom had a cat just like yours, she was a mean little turkey, she only allowed one person to touch that fuzz of hers and it was Mom and Mom alone, but only for a brief amount of time before she turned them razor sharp claws on her.
When she is spayed, she might settle down, but if not just let her be, everyone will learn that she is the queen of the roost. To let her get out some of the aggression that she has in her find a very long string and play with her, she will be happy and you will have a friend for life.
Good luck

Answer 10

I'm confused!

You say she's an "indoor" cat. When I think of cats being "indoor," to me that means that they never go out. But then you say she's "on call" to males, that would seem to say that she DOES GO OUT. (Or, have you other male cats?)
In any event if you're sure you want to keep her but worry about the infant getting scratched, WHY NOT HAVE HER DECLAWED! They only do her front paws, not the rear too.
This way you won't have to worry about baby getting scratched when she's able to play a bit rough with her.

My cat doesn't got out, but she's also a bit spiteful; when I've hollered at her not to do something and turn and walk away, she jumps on my heels as if to say, "There, that's what you get!"
If you female cat IS an indoor cat, please don't let her out to get preggers. There are enough stray cats roaming the neighborhood as it is and they all seem to assemble beneath somebody's bedroom window for their nitely seranade.
There are places (check on the internet or call your local vet.) that do free spaying. The claws you might have to pay for though.
Spaying calms the females right down, too.
Hope this helps.

Answer 11

Get the cat interested in something that you cand do as well as she can do together like a toy or something towards that area. Cats can have many behavioarl problems that may develop in the later stages of there life. It could be something phsycological you just realy cant tell just keep trying to work with her and tell us how she does. Sorry i cant help you that much being that i havent seen the cat i hope some of this helps you.