Problem Cat?

Question

I have had this cat for almost a year, he is about 14 months old, and in spite of all I've tried, he is practically too wild to be a pet. He is from an animal shelter, taken from his mother far too early, and is extremely antisocial. He never wants to be petted unless he's asleep (and he's never asleep) and growls when I pick him up. I used to keep him inside with me, but he tears around all night, scratching things and meowing constantly. He also has a nasty habit of peeing on the bed when I don't clean his litterbox out often enough. I have been forced to move him out to the garage, which he hates (he hates being outdoors).

I have spoiled him more than any other cat I've owned, being very careful with his diet and buying him a carpet tower and toys, and I've tried to train him to be nice, but he's still too wild. Any suggestions to help curb this noxious behavior? Or is it impossible and I should resign myself to owning an outdoor, unsociable cat? (He is neutered but not decawed.)

Footnote--I am not willing to have him declawed. My previous cat was declawed and had so many psychological problems because of it (peed on everything, scared of everything, bit people who scared him...) So I'm open to any options apart from declawing!

Answer 1

Do you live in a big city or suburb or the country? I believe given the amount of time that you've worked with him you shouldn't feel guilty about letting him outside, as long as you live in the country or suburb. He's neutered so he cannot reproduce and has his claws so he can defend himself. Cats, just like people all have different personalities and he just may be a loner =) Just make sure you have some sort of shelter for him outside for bad weather, and food and water and he'll probablly be a happy kitty!
Also if you decide to keep him inside go to your local Petsmart and they have a product called No-Mark!, which stops cats' desire to urine indoors. My cat was extremely stressed out when we moved and kept on peeing on the futon. Just follow the instructions and the problem will be gone in no time!

Answer 2

Do not de-claw the cat. It's the same as having your own nails surgically removed from the nailbed. Sounds like your cat is under alot of stress at your house. It can be caused by any number of things such as having small children running around the house, being left alone while you're at work, or by his diet. He also could be aggresive because of lack of exersize, a lodged hairball or he is bored. If he isn't neutered, do so immediately. His peeing all over your bed is a sign of distress and he could have a urinary tract infection. Take him to your vet and have him thoroughly examined. Now, how to get him to respond properly depends on how patient you are willing to be. Redirecting a cat's bad behaviour isn't easy but can be done. Don't give up. Try some catnip when you want to put him on your lap. He'll enjoy that. Sooner or later he will associate good things happen when he is petted. Get down on the floor at his level and try playing with him. Try introducing another cat into the household, most cats are loners but some prefer a buddy to boss around instead of people. Good luck and let us know how this works out for you.

Answer 3

Talking to the shelter would be good. 14 months is a little late to change the way he is. I foster kittens for the local shelter. I've had lots of batches of kittens and I can say that each cat is different, from birth, and sometimes there is little that you can do to change their ways, but I don't think it's time for you to give up on this guy yet. This is what I've had to do with one of the cats that I ended up keeping after raising her from a 2 week old. At night the cat was crazy and kept us up, so I purchased a medium crate, just big enough for a small litter box and a sleeping area. Not enough room to really play. When I was ready for bed I'd pick up the cat, love on it as much as she's let me, and then put her in the crate. I left the crate in the office, away from my room so that the yelling cat wouldn’t keep me up. In the morning I would come in and talk nice to her and give her a treat then take her out and love on her some more. During the day I left her alone, let her do her own thing, but if she came to me I would love on her, or let her just lay near me without being bothered. I did this for 6 months. Now 5 years later she knows that night time is sleep time. She still does not like to be held, and is very scared of strangers and noises. She hides most of the day, but in the evenings she'll come out and sometimes sit in my lap. I'd love for her to not be so scared, and let me touch her more, but she is not like that and never will be. I'm just happy with what I've got. As for the peeing on the bed, the only way to fix this is to clean the litter as often as he needs. It's his way of letting you know how bad his box is. Remember cats HATE strong smells and it actually hurts them to smell strong odors. Just keep it cleaner, he might start appreciate you more too.

Answer 4

If he was a feral kitten here is a website that gives some info on how to deal with a grown up feral cat as a pet. Some can never be domesticated.
http://muttcats.com/articles/taming_ferals.htm

I would let him be in indoor/outdoor cat. He would probably be much happier being able to go outside to be wild and free. And as long as you feed him, he won't probably won't go far. If not, as hard as it would be, I would take him back to the shelter and get another cat. A cat is supposed to be a joy, not a misery.

Answer 5

Call the shelter where you got him and ask them for advice. Some cats never do socialize because they're too used to being wild. It sounds like you've done everything you can. At the worst, you can keep him outside. Just make sure and provide him with a shelter for bad weather.

Answer 6

please do not declaw he has alot of wild still in him let him be this may be the way he wants it about the petting it is unusal for an netured cat to behave this way when you try to keep him inside at night litter box i get some cats have to have a clean box at all times please don't give up on him he just may need more time to adjust as he ages

Answer 7

You can get medication from the vet, then trawl the web for a cat whisperer or join a cat rescue group on Yahoo, cat rescuers will often take on cats that are labled un trainable and turn them into nice kittys.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fortheloveofcats

Answer 8

something similar happened to me. I had a little kitten, and whenever you would make a sudden movement, he would come up to you and start scrathing you. He would do that while you were sleeping at night. We locked him in the bathroom until everyone was awake. He woukd come running out and attacking everyone. I finally was done. I gave him away, but I dont think you would want to do.

Answer 9

Too bad, this cat is anti-social from early separation. Unfortunately, you cannot "counsel" this cat back to accpetance. We cannot work our way through issues with our pets, so we have to leave it up to the experts.

It is in your best interest to return the cat to the shelter to have them work through the issues. You are not expected to be the expert, so help both parties and bring him back to the home base.

Answer 10

de claw him, maybe he will calmd own. sometimes when they are kittens -2yrs old they are wild but evetually they calm down. but then again my ex boyfriend had a similar cat. it couldnt get along inthe house, scratched hissed, bit , and was obnoxious. eventually i was sick of this cats abusive behavior toward sall the ther animals (it wouldnt let them eat or come out from under the bed without attacking and biting them) i told him if he didnt find it a new home it would be let loose in central park. well the cat went to petco and was adopted by a new family. sometimes peopel do all they c an but animals cant adapt. what can u do?