How to teach a cat to be less agressive?
My cat is 9 years old..She’s getting lazier ad lazier..and she doesn’t like to be touched and played with anymore. She gets a mean look on her face, ears tilted back…and eventually if I don’t leave her alone she either tries to bite or scrach me (not too badly).
She especially doesn’t like when my hand approaches her head to pat her..or when I’m towering over her.
She used to be a sweet, sweet, loving cat ..she still is, I just don’t know how to teach her to be less ready to scrach:) She seems so introverted now.
Can I use food or a certain training to teach an old cat new tricks??? Ideas?
nobody is abusing the cat, on the contrary, she’s very spoiled.
My dad used to play with her (the cat loves him sooo much, she’s always following him in the house and purrrs and wans to be peted by him)..and she used to bite him playfully…now she just bites me whenever she wants..
I don’t know about pains..when she does want to play, it’s like she’s 1 year old again!
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Don’t really have good ideas except to say that cats can be trained and learn. They are actually more intelligent than dogs, just more independent.
I just love how stupid idiots like the first 2 posters come into a forum about a subject they don’t even like (cats) and spew their crap. Sad, they obviously have no lives.
hit her in the head with a boot . that will knock some sense in to her.
My cat does the same exact thing, only she’s younger. She’s 2 years old. The cat puts her ears down whenever we approach her. And all we do when we do go up to her is say hello, or scratch her chin, give her a kiss, try to play with her. She’s never been abused, we’ve had her since she was a kitten. She just doesn’t enjoy being loved. It’s sad. She’s a great mouser though!
Dear Mary,
could it be that your cat got beaten or frightened by someone?
In this case I would try Bach flower remedies. You may look up what symptoms fit your cat best to choose the Bach flower needed, or ask in a health food store. 1-2 drops in the drinking water is sufficient.
The cat may also have pain. In this case Hypericum perforatum could work, 1 pill per day on milk sugar base in the drinking water should be sufficient.
You may also try the Color*MedicineTM system, most animals love it. The cat may tell you the color needed by bathing in the color for a few minutes or more. If the cat moves out of the shine quickly, it is not the right color. If the cat shakes, the color is too strong. Asking the cat would eb a good way to find the right color. Another ways to find the right color: someone could dowse it. In case of pain, Indigo would be the main color to try. The cat may tell you.
Fish oil may calm the cat and heal whatever needs healing. Cats love fish, as we know. For people I found flax seed oil more suitable instead.
You may also talk silently to your cat, calm the cat and tell her that if harm was done the cat can forget it, you love her and will not hurt her. If there is pain or need of healing, all will now heal. You may also Reiki your cat, there are nbooks out now on how to do it. Merely the first symbol, I feel, is for people or animals with no major complaints. I would use the second symbol in this case.
Wishing you and your sweet cat happiness.
Cordially, India.Magica
My cat is 2 years old and she acts the exact same way. we’ve tried everything, but she still acts like that. I just leave her alone now, or else i get bitten or scratched.
You may be meowing up the wrong tree. Cats just don’t change behavior without a reason. If you have ruled out abuse for sure then it’s very possible there is a medical explanation that you haven’t looked at. Your cat may have fallen and injured her spine making it uncomfortable to play or be patted on the head. She may have an infection that is giving her a fever, or it may be a hormonal imbalance. At this age her diet needs may have changed and she may simply not be getting the vitamins she needs.
I would recommend she is checked over by a vet. (Avoid the various vaccinations or injections they may want to sell you. At her age they can cause kidney problems.) Review your cat’s diet with the vet and see if a change may be in order.
My newest cat was very mean and aggressive (violent at times) until we figured out he had medical issues. Now he is just the sweetest thing and I’m not bleeding every time I go near him. My oldest cat April is over 16 and after changing her diet and putting her on a feline vitamin she acts 10 years younger and is once again playing instead of sleeping all day. Simple changes can bring big results.
It may take some detective work, but if you find the underlying cause of the change in your cat, she may be back to her old self in no time. Good luck!
spend a lot of time with her, pamper her, do what she likes to do, be prepared to be scratched! ALso, try to keep as low a profile as poss. so then she is not as scared of you, so that you can work to rebuild your realtionship with her
Cats are stupid. they cant learn anything
Cats are too arrogant. They won’t learn anything.
Shes just a grouchy old cat.. She probably has some pains that when you touch her it aggvrevates them.
Just be nice to her, leave her alone, she’ll come to you when she needs you.
Once you start down the Dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.
Is some one in your household abusing the cat? Or might this have happened?
Also, I suppose that it might be possible for cats to get cantankerous in their old age just as people do. "nutinbut" might have a good point: she could have some arthritic pains or other malady which is causing pain. Watch to see how her mobility is, how she take climbing or jumping, walking. You might try letting her or him stay in a cage, and sleep next to the cage, talking very gently and kindly to it.
Consult your doctor for ideas. Also, ask the animal behaviouralist Patricia McConnell, at "Calling All Pets" through Wisconsin Public Radio.