Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My parents have had a cat for about three years now that is notoriously evil. She can come up and love all over someone but the next second bite the heck out of that person. Her behavior is very unpredictable at times.

This week she had crossed the line with my Father. After he and the cat had been playing with one of her favorite toys, she lurched forward and bit is leg. The bite mark left four deep puncture wounds. My dad is a diabetic and can't afford to get cat bites like that. He is the disciplinarian of the house, and before that cat knew she was never supposed to bite him.

Not that we like the fact that she occassionally bites us, but I can deal with it. I mean how do you really discipline a cat anyway?

Another big issue is with the cat and my grandparents. She hates them. They are over at the house all the time, and she still tries to attack if they get near her. Sometimes they feed her when my parents are out of town. When this happens she is nice to them only when she wants to eat, then its back to hissing and lunging.

My dad has never believed in keeping an animal that bites, and I can't help but feel like we are somewhat to blame for her behavior. Maybe we somehow didn't do a good job of raising her.

We got her when she was three weeks old. The people that had her always get rid of the kittens at that age, which sounds extremely young to me.

This cat is spayed, and I am just wondering what on earth we could do to get this cat to at least not attack people. She can be very sweet and playful at times. Also, there were a lot of people over at the house this week and I think that might have upset her?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh another thing... I got a puppy almost exactly one year after we had the cat. She loved the other dog we had, but that dog was soo old she really could not interact with the cat. She just absorbed the attention.

But the cat still hates this newer dog. I have had this dog for over two years now. They live in the same house cuz I am away at college and can't keep the dog with me. The dog has always loved the cat and tried to be gentle with her, but the cat still throws a fit any time the dog is in the vicinity.

I just always thought the cat would come around eventually, but she hasn't modified her behavior one bit.

We've only had one other cat besides this one, and although he was extremely shy around company, we had not problems with him being aggressive.

You have one majorly stressed out kitty on your hands. Of course with your dad's diabetes you cannot tolerate this behavior. The cat needs heavy duty intervention and fast.

I cannot emphasize enough that your cat has a serious problem, but that it can be corrected. You will need to persue every avenue available. In the meantime, consider getting some Comfort Zone with Feliway plug-ins to help you cat calm down.
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