My cat ferociously attacks only me. How can I stop this behavior?

Question

My cat is 16 months old and I adooted him from a county shelter. He isn't a lap cat and doesn't purr a lot, but that isn't the problem. He just attacks me sometimes. Not a friend or my husband, just me. If I go to pet him or am walking through the house, he lunges and bites. If he doesn't get his way or I brong hime in from outside he gets a "devil cat" look and attacks. Sometimes it is quite ferocious. What can I do? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 4 months old | 9 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

I hate to hear that about CC. Some cats are bullies and will bully certain humans or other cats. You have a few options. Your best option would be to work with a cat behaviorist. This individual will often come to your house and watch interactions and then teach you how to modify the behavior. Another option is to pick up a few books about cat behavior and start reading. This is not an uncommon issue and you can often find very helpful ways to modify the behavior and also learn how to read cat body language. Lastly, you can provide environmental enrichment in the form of tall climbing areas like a cat tree or mounted shelves. This helps many cats to satisfy a natural instinct. You can also try feeding a special prescription diet made by Royal Canin called Calm. It affects the serotonin levels in the brain. Make sure CC gets 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day as this will help to make him more tired and less reactive. Your veterinarian may also be able to provide medication to help calm him more but this is unlikely to help by itself. Lastly, you can carry a squirt bottle with you and spray him with water when he exhibits the bad behavior. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My cat ferociously attacks only me. How can I stop this behavior?

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