Adopted an Adult - hissing, swatting, digging HELP

[Brigitte Cowell]

You can also try deli turkey or some sort of meat....as a treat, not as normal diet. Just finding something you can give a little bit of that he finds special and yummy. Shrimp can be good too, cut up in smaller pieces. Just toss one near him and see if he sniffs it and then eats it. Over time you toss the "treat" (whatever it turns out to be) closer and closer to you before you then try offering on your hand.

Yes, play is good! If you can get him to interact with you via a wand toy then that is great... it's also something that means he will associate something fun and good with you. Plus, I'd think you could then start using that wand toy to help with the walking issue... if he's playing with you with the wand, what if you move a step...and keep waving the wand to keep him playing. You could even try walking past trailing a wand toy, hence his attention is distracted from your legs to the toy.

 

[Kat Edge]

You can also try deli turkey or some sort of meat....as a treat, not as normal diet. Just finding something you can give a little bit of that he finds special and yummy. Shrimp can be good too, cut up in smaller pieces. Just toss one near him and see if he sniffs it and then eats it. Over time you toss the "treat" (whatever it turns out to be) closer and closer to you before you then try offering on your hand.

Yes, play is good! If you can get him to interact with you via a wand toy then that is great... it's also something that means he will associate something fun and good with you. Plus, I'd think you could then start using that wand toy to help with the walking issue... if he's playing with you with the wand, what if you move a step...and keep waving the wand to keep him playing. You could even try walking past trailing a wand toy, hence his attention is distracted from your legs to the toy.

Wonderful advice!

 

[Kat Edge]

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and caring about poor Ziggister. (Ziggy + sinister)

 

[Patti]

it must have been the child. The family said that Ziggy charged at their au pair once and it took weeks before he wouldn't hiss at her.

Or it could have been the au pair that hurt him...
I think repetition and routine are very important - he didn't take the treat the first time you offered it, but keep trying two or three times a day, preferably around the same time of day - I think eventually he will take it from you.

 

[Kristin]

I just wanted to pop on and say good luck...you are getting great advice from the people here.

 

[NikkiA]

Do you know what exactly you were doing to put him on the defensive? I've realized that Ziggy is really comfortable around me any time I am sitting on the floor or my bed, but anytime I am walking around and he's on the floor, he runs at my legs and swats them hissing with his ears back almost every time I walk by him

I was doing several things.
I was making eye contact with him in an attempt to get, and hold, his attention.
I was attempting to pick him up.
I was picking him up.
I was generally following him around trying to make friends, but actually scaring him (Jarvis is my 2d cat, ever, and D is extremely tolerant of poor cat manners in his humans).
Once I stopped trying to get his attention, and stopped trying to force him to like me, he stopped feeling scared, and we built a relationship from there.
Today, he comes and meets me at the door when I get home every night, snuggles next to me and begs for attention, and will tolerate being picked up and carried.
He is no longer fearful around me or our guests- he is developing into a confident cat.

 

[Kat Edge]

Ziggy slept on the bed with me all night last night! And hung out this morning. I played with him and walked around with the wand, he did great. No hissing!

Tonight, however, has taken a turn for the worse. I put Ziggy's wet food down on the ground and he immediately charged at me hissing and swatting my boots. I said NO and that made him hiss and swat harder. I tried to step back, because that's obviously what he wants, but then he'd charge at me again. I tried talking nicely to him, and this seemed to work. He ignored me, and went to his food, though his body language was still pretty tense. So I walked to the other side of the apartment. Well, I was just walking around (picking up my backpack) while he was still far from me, and he full on charged at me. Ears back, hissing, and swatting at me. This time, he would NOT let me go anywhere. If I went back, he attacked. Forward, he attacked. All of this attacking was at my feet. So I bent down and offered him my hand to smell, which worked. He smelled it, walked away. But as soon as I took a step, he attacked again. Not letting me walk in any direction. So I bent down again and offered him my hand, bad idea. He attacked my hand.

Usually when he does this, I say "NO" and stay exactly where I am, while avoiding eye contact. I try to stay like this until he relaxes, but as soon as he relaxes, and I move, he attacks again!! I don't know what to do! I took some videos I will try to upload. In the videos I step backwards and forwards (which I normally wouldn't do because obviously that's going to make him defensive), I walked forwards because I knew he'd have a strong reaction which mimics what he's normally doing. I could only catch so much in the video. While I'm taking the videos, I wouldn't move at all (except the steps forward or back) and I wasn't looking at him at all. I tried to look as relaxed as I could, so I have no idea what is setting him off!!

Yes, this may be "food aggression", but this happens outside of feeding time. He's the radius of attacking me is greater with food time though.

 

[Kat Edge]

Also, if I try to give him a treat (even if I toss it away from me), he immediately attacks my hand and charges at me.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I'm repeating my recommendation that you contact Marilyn Krieger for help. She will likely be able to offer insight and help that is beyond our abilities and experience here.

 

[Kat Edge]

I don't have the proper funding for her right now (I have to move and have Georgetown tuition coming up, ughh). The breeder keeps saying that this is all normal for a "transplant"?

Here's the video

View My Video