Behaviour advice for Kizzy please

[Desley (booktigger)]

I am puzzled as to why you think redirected aggression? I think it is overstimulation, the only problem with her is that there is no apparent trigger, and the amount of time she will allow fuss varies.

i am going to get the vet to clip her claws on Thurs, and then see about rehoming, what I dont want is someone to come and look at her and her attack them.

[JackSpratt]

Desley, it does sound a little like redirected aggression. If she's seemingly happy to have a fuss and then suddenly turns it's likely she's lashing out, but not at what she actually wants to hit!

It's a shame that you can't test the only cat theory. Maybe you could see if anyone could cope with her if you were honest about her moodiness. A lady I know "inherited" a semi feral cat from her husbands side of the family - was a terribly grumpy old thing that hissed and hit from time to time. People just learnt to leave her alone unless she insisted on fuss. She lived out the rest of her life quite happily being a bossy old mare!

Poor Kizzy and poor you - it must be terribly frustrating.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Just taken these two - she is actually yawning in the second pic!! Completely different cat from earlier on in the day, I dont think i will ever understand her, and at times could kill her owner for making her into this kind of cat by his thoughtlessness.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Hmm, my post doesn't seem to have appeared - we have no way of testing her as an only cat, as we dont have anyone who doesn't have cats - this is the nearest we have, she has the downstairs completely to herself, she has to find cats unless Oscar manages to escape and tbh, after being pinned down to the floor by her, he doesn't go any further than the top step!! Only problem is that I have an open plan house, so can't stop her coming upstairs unless I put her in the kitchen - she hates that, and you have to put a heavy box in front of it, or she escapes within 5 minutes.

She has been really nice tonight, I have even managed to hold her head cos she had an odd spot near her whiskers. She could be nice for days now.

[Millys Mum]

Her behaviour needs to be checked out as an only cat before homing, if she continues to be as she is it will really restrict what kind of household she can go to, if at all, normal people dont want a cat that attacks them for no reason lol

[Kirst]

Sounds to me like she doesnt want to share - maybe being an only cat would suit her better??

[Janeyk]

yes, maybe she just needs to be an only cat

[Millys Mum]

Could she move to a fosterer with no other cats and see if that changes her?

[Desley (booktigger)]

Kizzy's background - http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,17880.0.html I thought she had calmed down enough to be considered rehomable, but we have had an awful day so far - she had me up 4 times between 5.30 and 6.00, the first time chasing Molly, the other 3 spitting at the bathroom door (she has a real dislike of Oscar even though she rarely sees him) - she does this at least once a week, fortunately it is most common at weekends. I do have someone possibly interested in him, but i am on standby for an elderly blind and deaf cat, hopefully she wont take as much dislike to ther. The last 3 cats in teh bathroom have all been under the age of 6 months, and this is the first time she has reacted this strongly.

During the day, she has alternated between nasty and nice - she drew blood this morning cos I tried to tidy up, I was only picking up a piece of paper, I wasn't that close to her. Then she had a period of rolling over and wanting fuss, but I could only get a couple of strokes before she went again. While I was doing OScars tray, she was on the stairs and I was two steps away from her, but she was going ballistic, hissing and spitting at me, so I decided not to walk downstairs (she has no hesitation in going for your feet or legs). My sis came, she ran up to her, had a fuss, and then swiped at her. I got her to play for a bit to see if that would help, she loves to play with jingly balls. After I got back from my errands, she is still the same, she will be rubbing up against you, rolling over to show her belly, but try and respond to her, and she is likely to go - she has drawn blood again since I Got back, although not as much as this morning.

I Really dont know if I am going to be able to risk rehoming her, as it seems she will just attack people she hasn't met before for seemingly no reason (she did the same with my brother, let him stroke her, then went for him), but she can't stay here longterm due to her dislike of other cats. i think I will have to put her back on RR, and I have some lavender oil I could use, but I do think she needs more than that, I just dont know what, but I might try and contact the behaviourist at my vet this week.