Are you playing or hunting?

Dear Fisher,

My name is Boone, and I am writing about my housemate Smokey. He is the one in the picture. We joined our new family about a year ago and before that we were kinda passed around and unsettled. I know we both love it here with a man and his teenage daughter. It’s a great place!

Smokey is usually a pretty nice cat to be around and he doesn’t bother me at all, but he can be a real jerk when it comes to the girl we live with. One minute he is all calm and curled up on the couch, and then the next minute he sees her walking across the living room and he is up and chasing her and trying to bite her ankles.

No one in the house ever knows when he is gong to have his attacks and we sure don’t know why. She is a neat kid and loves him and plays with him. Why would he want to hurt her?

Boone

Dear Boone,

The first thing you need to determine is if Smokey is being aggressive or is he trying to play? Think back to when you first joined your new family. Smokey might have felt scared and needed extra attention. When he acted out, did your new people laugh and play along?

Because of your unsettled past, I am thinking Smokey may have developed his behavior because he was afraid or defensive about his territory. Aggressive cats are much more trainable when they are kittens. If you don’t encourage biting and nipping then, they will likely not turn to it when they are older. This is not the case for you now, but I can think of two things you can try, and then if it continues, you might want to seek professional help.

One of the best ways to help a cat overcome this bad habit is to totally ignore his actions. That is easy for us to decide, but the young lady might not find it so. First, her best recourse is to not react at all. If she runs away, he will be encouraged and his predatory instincts will come into play. If she can, she should try to just stop in her tracks, stand still, and say nothing. That might cause Smokey to also stop and THINK. When that happens, the young lady should purposely and obviously ignore him. No scolding, no chasing back, and no attention whatsoever will give Smokey a clear signal that his actions are not appreciated. She could then distance herself from him, possibly going into a room and closing him out for awhile.

Secondly, Smokey might just need to join into play that allows him to be playful and somewhat aggressive, but not hurtful. There are some fun toys out there. Many pet stores will have a toy attached to a small fishing rod. The toy can be hurled out and Smokey can chase and fetch. He gets a chance to be the predator, he gets a heightened amount of exercise, and he gets tired and will want to nap. Hurray!. My very favorite toy is called the Cat Dancer and you can find it in “I recommend…” on the side bar. I have never met a cat who didn’t love it. The toy is constructed with a thin wire that is invisible to us and then has an attachment on the end that makes us think of prey. The wire allows for a lot of springing away when the end piece is attacked and hunting and jumping of the cat can last for a good fifteen minutes plus!

I cannot ignore a small warning for you, dear Boone. Cat scratches can lead to infections, so please try to help your family stop the attacks. Your young lady is a precious part of your household and I know the intention is not to harm her.

Your friend,

Fisher

published in tbt* Tampa Bay