Tempermental kitty

[Firiel]

So we just (as in within the last couple of weeks) adopted a cat. She was a stray that came by our house, so unfortunately, we don't know a lot about her. Our main problem is this-- 98% of the time, she is sweet and loving. She will come and sit on my lap and just purr for hours. She always sits RIGHT next to me on the couch. She's not even playful most of the time. If I dangle a string in front of her face, she just looks annoyed and turns her head. However, she's gotten scary a couple of times for no real reason. Once I went to pick her up to put her outside and she just attacked me (I've picked her up tons of times before and since with no issue). I've had cats before and have dealt with being playfully swatted at or even scratched, but this wasn't playful at all. Then there have been two times when she has gone from super sweet to super mad in no time. Just today, she was sitting on my lap purring when she got annoyed very quickly and just clawed at me (luckily, her claws are newly trimmed). Then she hissed at me... all while staying on my lap! With previous cats, when they got annoyed, they'd just run off.

 

I've never directly adopted a stray, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it? We suspect she has been someone's pet in the past because of her usual friendly attitude and the fact that she was already spayed when we got her. If she has aggression issues from being wild for a time, will those fade as she readjusts to living with a family? I also don't want to de-claw her, although I will if it feels necessary. I don't like to do that with cats, but if we find we are unable to live with her with claws, I'd rather de-claw her than get rid of her.

 

Does anyone else have experience with newly adopted strays and/or sporadically violent cats?

[abitbroken]

I would go at her own pace and don't force her to go outside, especially if that is where she used to be lost and alone. I would more likely for the first month or two keep her in to let her adjust to life with you anyways if you are keeping her as an indoor/outdoor cat. Also, have you had her spayed? and has she been vet checked to make sure nothing is bothering her? My dog went through a period like that of turning on me for no reason and then i found out he had some pain and after that was taken care of, she went back to sweet. But it was unpredictable sometimes. Also, have you had her scanned for a microchip in case she is somebody's that lost her way, or have you covered that?

 

Also, you say she got "annoyed?" What annoyed her?

 

My advice would be, in a nutshell, to give her space, keep her in to establish where her home is so, and get her checked and spayed.

[Firiel]

Yes, we don't really make her go outside anymore. She still chooses to at times. We used to put her out during the night before we got a litter box/before she had used the litter box (she never had any accidents inside, but she tends to go outside for that). We took her in to get spayed, so I'm assuming they also scanned her for a microchip? We put an ad on craigslist when she came around and asked around the neighborhood, but actually didn't think of the microchip. Anyway, we found out she was already spayed when we took her in. We are planning (I think) on giving her a regular check-up soon, so we can make sure she is scanned for a microchip then.

 

As to what annoyed her, I really don't know. I was just sitting there petting her when suddenly that was annoying to her and she flipped. I wonder if it's just getting readjusted to living with people. Today when she got sick of me holding her, she just wiggled away and jumped out which was nice. No added claws or teeth.

[abitbroken]

No, they wouldn't scan her for a chip unless you asked as they assume that you adopted her or got her from someone rather than she was a stray. Sometimes you can feel it between her shoulder blades if she is very, very thin but if she has modest to generous padding, you won't ever. I just think that if she is spayed already, someone could be missing her and she could have been on her own for awhile, but there are jerky people too that might have just set her out on her own. If she is chipped than she had been originally adopted from a shelter or someone cared about her to have it done.

 

If she isn't chipped, I would chip her. Most people don't think about it for cats, but if she ever got out and got picked up and taken to the pound, that would be her saving grace.

 

That is so kind of you to take her in and I am glad she has stopped with the claws and is adjusting.

[Firiel]

We'll definitely get her scanned when we take her in to the vet for shots... I'm not sure how we didn't think of it earlier! Actually, we were worried she was pregnant (before we knew she was spayed, obviously!), so we were most likely preoccupied with worrying about that.

[KittyRed]

My cat Henry was a stray. The owners of the house I bought had abandoned him and left him for dead.

It took me a long time to coax Henry into good behaviours. There were different areas of my house he'd get territorial over, for example, at a certain part of the garden path he'd hiss and strike my legs with his claws.

When I'd initially go near him, he'd cower as though he'd been abused- it was very distressing.

 

I've been lucky that Henry has been socialised by people in the past, be it in a very little form. He craves love and attention and like your cat, he is very friendly. I feel, given time that you will have some luck with your cat too.

 

As corny as it sounds, I think Henry knows he has been rescued and knows he has to be a better pet for it. His negative behaviours have settled and he has adapted to indoor living well.

 

I wish you the best with your cat.

 

-e