Is the cat neutered? If not, he should be! This will help calm a lot of that behavior. Rescue Remedy - a couple of drops rubbed on the eartips - can also help as can a Comfort Zone plug-in with Feliway (these are rather pricey, however!)



Jack needs to have some limits set. Usually behaviorists suggest putting a cat into "time out" - usually a room like the bathroom when he bites or scratches. Five minutes is probably enough.

Also yelling "ouch" in a very high voice can help - this mimics the cry a kitten makes she has had enough playfighting.



Get a feathered kitty tease and schedule a really good playtime when you get home from work. This will also work off some of the agression. Jack might enjoy a cat tree if you don't have one.



As far as traveling goes, Jack should be in a carrier at all times in the car for your safety and his. He should do OK - just be sure to secure the carrier with a seat belt. If whatever you are doing is working well, however, then Jack is probably a fairly good traveler.



Jack may never totally accept your boyfriend, but you might be able to get him to be a little more friendly. Have your boyfriend sit in a room with Jack. The boyfriend should be doing something like reading or working at the computer. Without making eye contact, BF should toss a treat in Jack's direction every now and then. About 15 minutes at a time might help. The big thing is to act like he is ignoring the cat.



Be sure Jack's scratching post is tall enough for him to get a good stretch. You may have to experiment with various types of scratching surfaces to see which he prefers. Cover the places he does like to scratch but shouldn't with foil and place the scratching post as close as possible to one of those places. Sometimes cats will be attracted to a post if you rub catnip on it.



One final thing to consider. It might just be that Jack would do well with another cat - given his agressiveness you would probably want an older kitten - say around six months or so.



Here is a link to a webpage that explains a lot about feline behavior and it may help with some of your concerns:

Feline Behavior



Good luck with Jack! I hope some other folks will come by and add to these suggestions!




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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

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