Hi, all. I have rescued a cat about six months ago that I adore. I found him on the side of the road, in the country but going towards a main highway and didn't want him to get killed. He has obviously had some kind of previous people experience as I got out of the car and motioned for him to come over and he ran to me. I picked him up, without any hissing or anything, and put him in my car and we drove home together. He'd been staying with me temporarily. No hissing or biting. I really bonded with him and decided to keep him (once I called everywhere around and clarified he is not a missing cat, with no microchip, as it is odd for a stray to run right towards you and be friendly.). I got him fixed at the vet and a regular checkup. He was claimed to be very healthy, with no bad health conditions and nothing wrong with him. The vet actually liked him.
Quickly down the line we found out that this cat loves people but hates other animals. We currently live with my family members in their house after I had a rough year in 2016 both financially and in other areas. People he doesn't even know that I bring over--strangers, he will run right over to them and greet them. He loves belly rubs and initiates cuddling. But we quickly found out that he hates other animals. He treats people totally different than he treats the other cats that live in my family's house, where we reside. (And yes I had full permission to keep him and make him a family member.). Maybe he has not ever seen a cat in the wild before? I don't know, but he will try to attack the smaller cats and he is the only male cat in the household. Also, he was declared by the vet as a stray cat, just approaching the 1 year age mark, half starved and he was very dirty looking. Breed is unknown, maybe a mix but he is short haired--white hair with black spots, very light--pink ears, pink nose and greenish yellow eyes that look orange in photographs. Vet said very unusual coloring but breed is not certain. (Now that he's healthy and fed for months he is gorgeous looking, although that doesn't have anything to do with my post.).
It was decided that for the safety of the other cats and the animals in the household, he would need to be separated permanently after he attacked another cat for no reason and there was blood. So now he lives in my bedroom, (separated from the other animals who freely roam the house), and the door is closed all day long meaning he cannot leave when he wants. This is only temporary, as in 12 months we are getting our own place again, me and the cat, and there will be no other animals. (It's not like it's for the rest of his life.). Now let me say that this is an extremely large bedroom, the size of a medium-large sized New York City apartment, with two cat trees in it that are all his own, a nice bed (and of course my furniture, dressers), his own basket full to the brim of toys and treats, litterbox, comfortable bedding, etc. He loves the bed. He loves to sit on one of the cat trees in the room and look out the large window all day long and watch the birds. I also leave the TV on in the room for him 24/7, so when I'm not there he can lay on the bed & watch TV or maybe the sounds will make being stuck in the room less lonely? I do take him outside of the room for 3 hours a day to roam the house with me supervising by his side to make sure he does not harm another cat. He spends a lot of time on a screened in catio porch, on tall cat trees in the sunshine feeling the air, and watching birds alone (I close the door so the other cats cannot get in.).
But I know he desires free roam of the house like the other cats. And now I notice when I try to put him back in the room because exercise/out time is over (I cannot watch an animal 24/7 all day long.) he is becoming super aggressive. I thought it was just towards other animals but its changing. He tried to get out of the room when I opened the door to leave the room, I told him "no no". I came back in the room and started doing ab wheel exercises on the floor. He runs up from behind me and scratches my back--blood everywhere. Out of nowhere. Then, another morning ago he had tried to get out of the room but I had to leave the house so I tried to put him back in the bedroom and he turned around and clawed my face. I now have a huge scratch across my right cheek, in public. I do love him and I know he loves me, he is all cuddly all night and seeks out attention. (When he did have free roam of the house when we first got him before we knew he was a danger to other animals, he would sit in the windows and wait for me to come home--greet me at the door and then we would go to sleep in the bedroom. Didn't have to ask him, he'd follow me up to the room.).
My relatives who have always had a lot of cats say that this is very aggressive behavior. But I reason, that this is only for a couple of months and then he can have free roam of a house with me and without any other animals--problem solved. I know this is the issue. (I will not rehome him as we have a bond, we will have our own place in a year guaranteed, and rehoming him does not solve an aggression issue. He might be aggressive towards the new owners, and some people are not kind to cats who lash out. And I just love him.). But when I try to put him back in the room, he is now becoming aggressive towards me. What should I do? Sorry for the long post, I have no idea what to do?
Quickly down the line we found out that this cat loves people but hates other animals. We currently live with my family members in their house after I had a rough year in 2016 both financially and in other areas. People he doesn't even know that I bring over--strangers, he will run right over to them and greet them. He loves belly rubs and initiates cuddling. But we quickly found out that he hates other animals. He treats people totally different than he treats the other cats that live in my family's house, where we reside. (And yes I had full permission to keep him and make him a family member.). Maybe he has not ever seen a cat in the wild before? I don't know, but he will try to attack the smaller cats and he is the only male cat in the household. Also, he was declared by the vet as a stray cat, just approaching the 1 year age mark, half starved and he was very dirty looking. Breed is unknown, maybe a mix but he is short haired--white hair with black spots, very light--pink ears, pink nose and greenish yellow eyes that look orange in photographs. Vet said very unusual coloring but breed is not certain. (Now that he's healthy and fed for months he is gorgeous looking, although that doesn't have anything to do with my post.).
It was decided that for the safety of the other cats and the animals in the household, he would need to be separated permanently after he attacked another cat for no reason and there was blood. So now he lives in my bedroom, (separated from the other animals who freely roam the house), and the door is closed all day long meaning he cannot leave when he wants. This is only temporary, as in 12 months we are getting our own place again, me and the cat, and there will be no other animals. (It's not like it's for the rest of his life.). Now let me say that this is an extremely large bedroom, the size of a medium-large sized New York City apartment, with two cat trees in it that are all his own, a nice bed (and of course my furniture, dressers), his own basket full to the brim of toys and treats, litterbox, comfortable bedding, etc. He loves the bed. He loves to sit on one of the cat trees in the room and look out the large window all day long and watch the birds. I also leave the TV on in the room for him 24/7, so when I'm not there he can lay on the bed & watch TV or maybe the sounds will make being stuck in the room less lonely? I do take him outside of the room for 3 hours a day to roam the house with me supervising by his side to make sure he does not harm another cat. He spends a lot of time on a screened in catio porch, on tall cat trees in the sunshine feeling the air, and watching birds alone (I close the door so the other cats cannot get in.).
But I know he desires free roam of the house like the other cats. And now I notice when I try to put him back in the room because exercise/out time is over (I cannot watch an animal 24/7 all day long.) he is becoming super aggressive. I thought it was just towards other animals but its changing. He tried to get out of the room when I opened the door to leave the room, I told him "no no". I came back in the room and started doing ab wheel exercises on the floor. He runs up from behind me and scratches my back--blood everywhere. Out of nowhere. Then, another morning ago he had tried to get out of the room but I had to leave the house so I tried to put him back in the bedroom and he turned around and clawed my face. I now have a huge scratch across my right cheek, in public. I do love him and I know he loves me, he is all cuddly all night and seeks out attention. (When he did have free roam of the house when we first got him before we knew he was a danger to other animals, he would sit in the windows and wait for me to come home--greet me at the door and then we would go to sleep in the bedroom. Didn't have to ask him, he'd follow me up to the room.).
My relatives who have always had a lot of cats say that this is very aggressive behavior. But I reason, that this is only for a couple of months and then he can have free roam of a house with me and without any other animals--problem solved. I know this is the issue. (I will not rehome him as we have a bond, we will have our own place in a year guaranteed, and rehoming him does not solve an aggression issue. He might be aggressive towards the new owners, and some people are not kind to cats who lash out. And I just love him.). But when I try to put him back in the room, he is now becoming aggressive towards me. What should I do? Sorry for the long post, I have no idea what to do?
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