My cat has taken a disliking to my brother - Advice

[ShortWarning]

I have recently moved and have taken my cat with me. She was very stressed for about 4-5 days (hiding under the sofa, hissing at people she doesn't know, not eating etc) but since then she has been fine (moved around 3 weeks ago)....unless my brother is around.

Since moving, she has hissed at him whenever she sees him and today full on attacked him. She knew my brother well and had no problems with him in my old house but ever since moving she seems to hate him. She has hissed at my Dad since moving but has never looked aggressive (she doesn't know him so well).

Ordinarily this wouldn't really be a problem, I'd just put her in another room but I have 2 young children and he is just about to have one of his own. She has never shown any aggression towards my kids (even since moving), they'll prod and poke her and she'll remain passive or run away but now I'm worried, what if she flips on them?

I'm guessing it's some sort of territorial thing but I need advice on how to correct this behaviour. I have told him to pick her up and tell her off if she does it but he doesn't want to get scratched and she runs away if I try to tell her off.

Any advice?

 

[Maximum Triceratops]

Get some high quality food, fish/chicken and give it to your Bro to feed it.

 

[adolf hamster]

does she go out? does she have things to play with?

you can try some feliway might help calm her down a bit, and playing with her constructively before eating.

she might feel threatened, especially if people are approaching her when she wants to be left alone like the kids.

be sure there are plenty of hidey holes, somewhere she can feel she can run to if she doesn't feel social, a "safe space" to use modern parlance, it needs to be somewhere nobody disturbs her, not you, your brother or the kids.

 

[ShortWarning]

does she go out? does she have things to play with?

you can try some feliway might help calm her down a bit, and playing with her constructively before eating.

she might feel threatened, especially if people are approaching her when she wants to be left alone like the kids.

be sure there are plenty of hidey holes, somewhere she can feel she can run to if she doesn't feel social, a "safe space" to use modern parlance, it needs to be somewhere nobody disturbs her, not you, your brother or the kids.

She doesn't go out but she never has. She's a lot smaller than most fully grown cats and only has 1 eye (she's a rescue).

The thing is, today she went to meet my brother at the door, he stroked her for 10 seconds then she flipped and literally chased him round the house. He went to the toilet and she just waited outside growling. She's never behaved like this before.

She's already found plenty of safe spaces (under my bed mostly). My brother never goes looking for her.

 

[Dis86]

Ditch the brother. Cats are better. This is coming from someone who doesn't particularly like cats either...

 

[Haze]

Tell you brother to buy some sort of catnip toy to give it

 

[wesley]

Get a new brother?

 

[Thekwango]

Any advice?

aye.....

 

[ShortWarning]

I'm more worried about the kids than my brother!

 

[dl8860]

Clearly your brother is possessed. Don't know any good exorcists, sorry.

 

[VermilionChaos]

Brother's are replaceable right ? Failing that, the cat nip toys are a good idea, even if it's just to stop the hissing. I think with the new kid on the way, I don't see that as being a problem with the cat being ok with the other kids so even that might bring the cat round to your brother

 

[jsmoke]

Catnip.

Make sure its got somewhere high to sleep like on too of the sofa.

 

[adolf hamster]

i'm not so sure, cats work on smell and the brothers kids will smell of the brother.

playing is very important, at the very least it'll tire her out and get rid of some of the pent up aggression. get a bunch of toys and spend 15 mins a day properly playing (not just flicking a toy around not paying attention)

the safe space is somewhere she can accumulate smell, like cat beds. we got a pair of indoor cats a while back and it's been cat bed roulette as the cat we already had goes around sleeping in "their" beds to assert dominance by spreading his smell

 

[ShortWarning]

i'm not so sure, cats work on smell and the brothers kids will smell of the brother.

playing is very important, at the very least it'll tire her out and get rid of some of the pent up aggression. get a bunch of toys and spend 15 mins a day properly playing (not just flicking a toy around not paying attention)

the safe space is somewhere she can accumulate smell, like cat beds. we got a pair of indoor cats a while back and it's been cat bed roulette as the cat we already had goes around sleeping in "their" beds to assert dominance by spreading his smell

She doesn't have any problem with my brother's pregnant girlfriend.

A Catnip toy is a good shout. She has plenty of toys but isn't really interested in playing with them on th emost part.

 

[jsmoke]

What your aiming for.

 

[Puzzled]

Cats can just flip sometimes, ours went missing for a few days and then just turned up again. About a week later she completely flipped at my dad, scratched him pretty bad.

Never did it again and was fine after but we think something traumatic happened when she disappeared.

 

[ChrisJSY]

Hiss back really loudly, whenever our cat gets moody it shuts it right up.
Thing is it so rarely happens, it doesn't expect it and has no clue what to do.

Don't reward bad behaviour with treats, if she attacks him again while trying to earn her trust take it back until another time.

 

[Hades]

What did your brother do to the cat?

#meowtoo

 

[Minusorange]

what if she flips on them?

It's a cat not a ******* Lion

There has been zero reported fatalities by house cat ever reported in the entire history of humans owning cats

I'm sure if she "flipped" all that would happen is a clawed hand as a warning as opposed to a brutal mauling which you seem to think will happen ?

 

[BuffetSlayer]

What did your brother do to the cat?

#meowtoo

Winner!!