About one of my cats: redirected aggression

[SolaresLarrave]

Since there are so many cat owners here and there's also an Off-Topic forum, allow me to consult you about one problem I have with one of my cats: Mimi, the youngest, a feisty 8-month female who shares the house with 12-year-old Ben.

This afternoon Mimi was in the yard with Ben when she found an intruding cat. She froze and the two were in a stand-off. I wanted to "save her" so I stepped in the ferns where the cat was hiding. The cat jumped over the fence, but Mimi, who seemed primed for action, bounced off and hissed. I picked her up to check if she was hurt and she hissed again.

Later, I decided it was time for both cats to get back in the house, so I went and picked Mimi up. She hates it, and this time I aggravated the matter by insisting. To make a long story short, she peed on me and left me bitten and scratched. And boy, did she growl...

Upon entering the house she ran away... and I foolishly followed her. I stopped on time and took care of my wounds, then changed and showered and even went out for a drive for about 20 minutes, but Mimi is still growling and hissing at me. My wife is still in Germany, so I have to feed her, clean her litter and everything for the cats. The only thing I wont' do is let her in the yard again.

Anybody has experienced this case of redirected aggression? Or aggression? After all, she didn't know I was trying to protect her. How long can she be like this? I have read I should make myself scarce, and it won't be too difficult, but then it'll be at Ben's expense.

Any suggestions will be welcome. In the meanwhile, I decided she won't sleep in the house tonight. That's fine: she has slept in the porch before and it's warm enough. I'll just leave food and water.

And things were going so well... And I have nobody to blame but me.

TIA!

[Trius]

I know what it's like to have a cat out of sorts ... we had redirected aggression with two of our cats (but not against me or my wife), and it took a couple of weeks for them to sort it out. They had been great pals for quite some time before the incident.

So my experience is yeah, keep it cool. Don't try to force things back to normal, let her get over her hissy fit (couldn't resist! ), and just realize that cats are cats.

Earl

[FrankS]

Just remember that contrary to cats' opinions, human beings are the superior species.

[SolaresLarrave]

Just remember that contrary to cats' opinions, human beings are the superior species.

There are times, Frank, when I SEE that very idea in Ben's expression, especially when he's asking for something and neither my wife nor I can figure out what it is.

Hissy fits? You ain't see a hissy fit until you see a Mimi's hissy fit!

Thanks, guys! I just closed the porch door on the cats. Ben has a strange look in his face, like he's aware that something is amiss but can't put a paw on it (sorry, couldn't help myself). Mimi gave me her most contemptuous look.

It's going to be a looong weekend.

[nikon_sam]

Originally Posted by FrankS

Just remember that contrary to cats' opinions, human beings are the superior species.

FrankS,

Make sure your cat isn't looking over your shoulder while your in here!!!
The cat might have an good argument against your statement...

[Robert Price]

the cats will work it out. just be patient with her, and things will look good for you soon. dont for one minute interact with her, just ignore her and she will come to you.

I have 4 cats in my house and it works.

[Marc-A.]

Originally Posted by Robert Price

the cats will work it out. just be patient with her, and things will look good for you soon. dont for one minute interact with her, just ignore her and she will come to you.

I have 4 cats in my house and it works.

I second that opinion. I experienced many times cat agression too and the only thing to do is ignore it and be calm. The intrusion of another cat has surely been a shock and Mimi reacted with rage. If Mimi 's a "dominating" cat, it can be a hard experience for it. My cat is not dominating and sometimes it's pretty hard to make it cool down.

FrankS, cat are far superior to human being - I'm sure of that . (There's a wonderful short story about that, but it's in French; sorry I won't translate it; I sent it to Nomade lately).

Good luck Francisco.

[FrankS]

Much better to have a cat angry with you than your wife. When a cat withholds affection, its impact is not as great.

[SolaresLarrave]

I guess under these circumstances a trip to Chicago this weekend is a must.

Also, I'll be able to do more work now that I don't have to play with her when she gets bored (yes, I do that).

Thanks for confirming my initial hunch. I guess I will have to make myself very scarce for this cat!

[SolaresLarrave]

In case you want to know...

Early morning, she was back to her old self, although less effusive. By noon, she hissed at me.

Hence, I'm at my office right now.

Frank, nobody could put things in perspective better than you. Thanks!

[kmack]

At eight months she is still a kitten, and subject to all the fits and weirdness that kittens exhibit.

Trike, the 3 legged cat I currently use as an avatar, went through a bout of "evil cat in the mirror" syndrome at about eight months. Every time he saw himself in a mirror or even a reflection in a glass case he would attack the glass, me or my wife who ever or what ever was nearest.

It lasted about two weeks and then he was back to what ever normal is for a cat.

Cats are stoic critters and will hide injuries as long as they are able. Things to look for, loss of appetite, strong bad breath, strong body odor; lying in a "meatloaf" position (head down, front paws close to body) for long periods of time, refusing to make eye contact, dull eyes. If you see any or all of those then its time for a trip to the vet.

Otherwise she is just being a typical queen.

[35mmdelux]

Apparently Mimi doesn't like you or want your help. No doubt she is your wife's cat!

Be patient. Do NOT retaliate. Let her sleep where she wants and by all means leave water and food.

When cats hate you it takes years for them to warm up to you. My 24 lb alley cat, Maxwell, avoided me at all costs. My wife, a registered nurse, saved Maxwell from certain death and so he adores her and she can do nothing wrong. It took three yrs before I could say he was ok with me. We're buddies now.

[SolaresLarrave]

Actually, Mimi is not my wife's cat. She's really ours, but I brought her to the house.

BTW, after spending most of the day out of the house, I came back this afternoon to a somewhat friendlier cat. I left again (went for a swim) and she was doing all kinds of things to get my attention. Later, when I watched TV, she climbed on the couch, begged to be petted and ended up falling asleep on the chair next to me. I dared pick her up and she purred again.

However, she's not going out for a while. Not because of fear of the other cat and a second act; it's just raining cats and dogs... and the bad weather will continue for a while. Since both, Ben and Mimí are mortally afraid of thunder, they won't have objections to staying indoors.

I won't assume anything yet. She's a kitten, and after reading Kevin's and Paul's stories, I'm going to be careful. She's always been feisty, anyway.

Will keep you posted!

[pvdhaar]

Bribe.

There's nothing that can't be cured by a nice slice of salmon..

[colinh]

Just to mention the obvious...

Cat bites (maybe not kittens) can be pretty dangerous. Especially if it was at a joint. Those wee teeth are pretty pointy and covered in nasty bacteria. Depending on where and what sort of bite it was - get it checked.

You have a photo of the little cutie? :-)

colin

[eli griggs]

A cat, or cats in the home can be a tricky thing. Cats can be great companions, aloof roommates or vindictive little monsters. I've never personally had a problem with a cat, but one night several years ago, a cat we raised from a kitten, an animal as gentle and loving as they come, awoke abruptly from a nap on the back of the couch and viciously attacked my wife, leaping, clawing and biting, upon her head. I pulled that cat off her three times and finally managed to put a box over it, stopping it only be imposing my 300 plus pounds between my wife and the enraged beast, which was unanimously dedicated and determined to continue to attack her. The Vet and Animal Control called it a case of 'sudden rage syndrome' and the cat had to be put down, as there was no way I would allow the animal, which had been a great friend and constant companion, to possibly harm someone else. This was a strictly indoor cat, that had very little contact with other animals but was a good example of how relationships with household pets and people can change in a heatbeat.

If you do keep your wife's cat, you might start to think of how you can build a real relationship with the animal, silly as that sounds, that will help you think of it more as a member of your household, than a animal belong to your wife, to be fed, petted and cleaned-up after, and help the cat to regard you as more than another creature, like that strange cat in the yard, that happens to occupy the same surroundings, sometimes a source of food and attention and other times a threat. IMO, you will both benefit in the long run.
ELi

[dmr]

Originally Posted by SolaresLarrave

Since there are so many cat owners

Uh, does anybody really own a cat? Cats might tend to disagree.

but Mimi, who seemed primed for action, bounced off and hissed. I picked her up to check if she was hurt and she hissed again.

To make a long story short, she peed on me and left me bitten and scratched. And boy, did she growl...

Anybody has experienced this case of redirected aggression? Or aggression? After all, she didn't know I was trying to protect her. How long can she be like this?

I've learned the hard way a couple of times to not get involved in a cat's territorial issues. They resent humans intervening. I think it's best to stay out of things like this unless your cat is actually in danger.

My suggestion is to back off, let things settle, and let the cat come to you when she is ready.

[rover]

Yeah, just leave her alone and let her work things out. And, don't let her out again. She may be a feisty one now, but as she grows she will calm and change.

Dogs can learn behaviors, cats are beasts and just are.

[dmr]

Originally Posted by memphis

just have a bbq as cats are the other white meat... and they taste better than chicken

EEEwwwwww, that's not nice!

[dmr]

Originally Posted by memphis

You don't even want to know what my friend from china told me -- he swore up and down that cats are a delicacy and that it is common to eat cat at the street vendors in china --

I believe it, I've heard it too.

I've also heard the story of the monkey. I don't know whether to believe that one or not.

[oftheherd]

Originally Posted by dmr

I believe it, I've heard it too.

I've also heard the story of the monkey. I don't know whether to believe that one or not.

Never heard about the cat in China. I have heard about the monkey in China and Vietnam, and poisonous snakes. It was always one of those I heard from a friend who had a friend ... except for the snakes. A friend told me his wife and her family "treated" him to that experience.

I guess I need to ask one of my Vietnamese co-workers. I never saw it myself, but I expect any of my friends when I was there would have expected that was more gross than I would have wanted to engage in, to say nothing of probably very expensive.

[ChrisN]

Dogs have owners; cats have staff.

[oftheherd]

Years ago, my wife and I adopted a couple of stray cats. The first didn't like the new cat a little and the second reacted typically. As luck would have it, I had an unused room and a glass storm door. I placed it in the door to keep them apart and and let the two posture, hiss and agress to their hearts content. It got old after a while and they just accepted each other since no matter what they did, the other didn't back down, not having to. I didn't know if it would work or not, and I am still not sure exactly why it did. Maybe they were just not really that commited to winning over companionship.

Has nothing to do with your current situation except to again show that it is difficult to figure out cats. If they do what you want, it is probably only because that is what they want to do, as far as I can see. Of course, all animals have their own personalities. Some cats are very afraid of dogs. Others immediately train all dogs they come across. Good luck.

[rgripp]

Talk to your veterinarian about Feliway - commercial product that is a synthetic analogue of feline facial pheromone (mood modifying chemical released when cats rub their faces on furniture, legs etc.).
Very useful in any feline stress situation, available as spray or plug-in diffuser.
Maufacturer's site: www.ceva.com/

[sepiareverb]

I'll chime in with some more of the 'let them work it out' method. I've found that getting in the way of that stuff with cats or dogs to both drag out the unpleasantness and sometimes get dangerous. Something changes with cats at 8 months to a year in age- their teenage years or something. I've had several (when I lived in the city and they needed to stay indoors always) go through a period of 'ceiling confusion' (my term). They walk around the apartment looking up at the ceiling and yowling, then up on the furniture, one cat managed to get atop the kitchen cabinets and actually touch the ceiling and yowl. In all three cats this lasted for about two weeks- part of each day and then nothing about it again.

I would suspect that the cat will warm up to you again- especially if you allow her to see you filling the food bowl- perhaps a bit of milk or cheese now and again as well. Aloof is one thing to be expected in cats, but mad is not.