My cat attacks me every time I try to touch her

[jsc92880]

I have a white cat I rescued while I was working at an animal hospital when she was only 2 weeks old.  She was never a very affectionate cat but it was okay.  She is about 2 years old now and I cant get near her without her scratching me or biting me.  I can't brush her (and she sheds a ton), clip her nails, or even pet her.  sometimes, she'll rub against my legs and ill reach down to pet her and she'll latch on with all four paws and scratch me severely with her back paws.  Since, I can never groom her (trim her nails), my arms end up a bloody mess from her scratches.  I don't know what to do or why she is doing this, but I don't want to give her up since I'm not sure what her fate would be as she is not friendly nor affectionate in any way.  How do I get her to stop the scratching and biting?

[MandyLass]

Does the cat act like her skin irritates her? When you touch her it could cause pain and therefore the bite. Have you called a vet? It may be a skin disease you could clear up. My moms cat acts the same way and has never been rescued. The cat has done that her whole entire life. She will come up to people like she wants to be petted but then bites when you touch her. Could be wrong but this is just a theory you may want to look into.

[Piparskeggr]

Miss Teia was still semi-feral and quite fearful when we adopted her at age 10 1/2 in June 2009.  Folks expressed doubt that a cat that age could be socialized.  She hid, only came out at night, could only tell she was eating and drinking because her litter box needed scooping, if she saw you first, you did not see her, could not be touched, was very hostile to the other cats, did not play...

Do a search on this forum with the key word Teia, you'll see it can be done.  Patient, persistent kindness and letting kitty come to you on her own terms.

She is now a little over 16, sleeping under the computer desk as I type, even though the kittens are out and about.  Rarely hides (unless the boys are a bit too rambunctious), eats in the kitchen, plays, loves laptime and to be brushed, when the weather is nice, likes to go outside, roams the entire house (has a routine "security patrol" she makes)...does not mind Buff and Cooper, so long as they do not break her personal "bubble."

It took Teia almost 5 months to learn she was safe and that we could be trusted, a bit longer before we could actually pet her.

[CML2014]

HI RBP,

Cats need to be in control. She needs to COME TO YOU, not the other way around. Cats generally do not like to be picked up and cuddled--they feel trapped. They will jump on your lap and even sleep on you when they are ready, but still will not like being confined.

Please don't give up on your little girl, she will come around--promise, but here is what you have to do.
Try and position yourself near her, don't pet, just ta about how beautiful she is and how much you love her. Blink your eyes slowly while doing this (I know this sounds silly, but Cat Daddy convinced me this works, it makes them realize you are no threatening).

Always try and engage her in play with her brother or even with a feather you and her. Sit by her when she eats and talk to her---she needs to get comfortable with you and know you are not going to grab her or restrain her. You will see once she gets used to your voice and your being around but NEVER invading her personal space--trust begins. When that happens she will come to you.....and  the JOY that moment brings--hard to explain, but I have gone through this many times with rescues. Your heart just swell so much you feel like it will burst. ...of course I get all teary eyed, but then I am such a wimp.

This does take time but it is so worth it. Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

P.S. I know one foster who allowed her rescue to remain behind the refrigerator so as not to frighten  and left food and water there and just spoke to him while she was making her meals and would sit down next to the fridge  and talk and hum for one month--One day a little paw came out and touch her leg and --well Love begot Love

Hang in there and good luck
CML

[RedBankPam]

I am going through the same thing with one of the 2 cats I rescued when they were 5 months old.  They were with a foster mom that told me the story of how she had to "pull" them away from their mother's milk when they were only 5 weeks old.  I didn't know that until I was ready to adopt them...and forgot to ask at the beginning where they were from originally!  No wonder the female (who is a lot smaller than her brother that I adopted together) is so terrified of hands coming for her! That foster lady, although good intentions, had torn them away from their mommy...and I know she wanted to save them - but it was summer time & they could've nursed another 3 weeks.  So the male is decently calm...and loving. the female is a aggressive scratcher...my hands are scarred! I want to her to see I love her & just want to hold her & pet her....but she is terrified!  I had a lot of cats thru my life..but I really am losing patience & hope for this one.  I will keep trying...got 1 claw clipped while she was sleeping...but now she is totally afraid of me approaching her.  Why oh why can't she see i just want to snuggle her? She watches me snuggle her brother and hug him & she wants to play but then runs away....uggghhh!

[Mrs_Savas]

Great advice from Dominosarah.  

Frankly, in order to say much more, we'd need to know some more details.  In addition to her questions, I might ask, if this is a case of changed behavior, as anything changed in the home environment that coincides with her behavior change?

If she gets a clean bill of health, let us know and we can go from there.  In the meantime, give some thought to what might be upsetting her, if anything.  Cats don't like change at all and rescued cats are very sensitive to feeling threatened in their environment.  I'm not saying that anyone is doing anything on purpose, it might really be something that you wouldn't normally think about.  Like a new person around,  or some kind of loud noise.

Until you sort this out, there is a great product called Soft Paws.  It consists of little claw covers that keep the claws from doing damage without harming or upsettng the cat.  In her current state you might need some help from a vet to get them on her, but they are really great and something to consider for the future as well.  A lot of people don't know this, but claw clipping can be really dangerous.  Even a pro can very easily crush a cats claw when clipping.  Even if it's slight, you won't even see it but a crushed claw is open to bacterial infection which can be really serious.  Trust me, I've seen it happen.

Anyway, I don't mean to lecture :)   Welcome to the forum.  Good for you for rescuing your kitty and we'll help all we can, ok?  Please keep us posted.

[zodiacqueen]

Has she always been aggressive or is this a new thing?  Could she have been abused by someone that visits or lives with you?  It sounds like she doesn't trust people at all and I'm trying to figure out what has made her this way.  I expect a feral cat to act like that, NOT a cat that's been around people since she was a baby.  That's why I was wondering if she could have been abused.

Maybe there's a physical problem that's causing her to be nasty.  A possible infection?  I'd take her to the vet to rule this out.  I hope to God, for your sake and hers, that her behavior can be stopped!  If it can't, it's gonna be rough giving her meds, grooming her, etc.

Hopefully, someone will come up with some other ideas on how to get your kitty to chill out!!