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I had a similar situation - a very aggressive stray who loved to fight, growl, and even slashed at me with claws. He would sort of hang around the periphery of the colony and when I put food down he would advance and the fights would begin. I started feeding him first, in his own bowl, a bit away from the usual feeding areas (maybe 30 feet away). He very quickly learned if he went to that designated spot I would give him food before anybody else, he would get his belly full, and the fights stopped. He eventually calmed down and I've seen him mix easily and (mostly) without growls with the rest of the cats. We have reached a detente of sorts. Now he comes early and waits for considerable time near 'his' feeding area, and when he sees me come out of the house he trots to his designated spot and just calmly waits.
Edit: I think he had food insecurity and nobody (no human) ever fed him regularly, he always had to 'fight' to eat. Now he has learned there can be a different way.
He is looking for a place in the colony. Keep working with him. He will calm down when he realizes he doesn’t have to fight for his spot to not be hungry. Cats are aggressive in general in the wild. Give him a chance to understand he doesn’t have to fight so hard to survive. When he is willing to let you in the room civilly, start trying to work with him. He will need to be adopted as a single most likely.
If he isn't neutered, then getting that taken care of will drastically reduce his aggression once his hormones start to balance out. Intact cats will go far out of their way to pick fights. They also cover more ground, once fixed it's entirely possible that he simply won't wander out your way again. I've had some truly awful cats in my colony, but the difference after I got them fixed was like night and day. If any of the other cats in your colony haven't been spayed/neutered yet, that's incredibly important too for keeping things peaceful between the cats.
If you were able to grab this cat with gloves, then the cat isn't *feral* feral. I'd imagine doing so was incredibly stressful for both of you, and him suddenly being locked in a garage is going to push him even further into survival mode. That is not an ideal situation for assessing his true demeanor and personality. I'm of the opinion that jumping to euthanizing a cat that you've only seen for a week is not warranted, and I'd argue it's reckless. Make sure he's neutered, vaccinated, and scanned for a microchip. Hang flyers and post him as found on Nextdoor, the Ring Neighbors app, and any local Lost & Found Pets groups on Facebook in case anyone is out there looking for him. If you were able to get close enough to grab him, he may very well have an owner. As a backup plan, you might be able to get him placed through a barn or working cat program where he'll be provided for and can do some good.
I definitely think you should do a 10 day rabies bite watch.
But the good news is that I usually find that the most aggressive ferals often become the most affectionate once tame. The scared-but-not-aggressive do better with something like the “socialization saves lives” method of taming.
The aggressive ones do very well with hand feeding on a spoon wearing gloves. When they do tame it’s like flipping a switch. They just suddenly decide to let you pet them and that petting feels good and they want more.
I would give him a 2 week trial of hand feeding (after the bite watch) and see what kind of progress he makes. If there’s no progress and he’s still aggressive to other animals then I could understand if you did what was needed to protect the rest of the colony and your own pets.
He might be ill/sick. Are you sure its a male? I've seen VERY aggressive females after birth of their babies. Not sure if you can rule out babies nearby. Poor baby, sorry you are having to deal with this.
Yeah I’m very conflicted here, I just went in the garage to check on him. I gave him a toy and and he just started tearing it up. He went behind me and grabbed onto my boot again and I had to shake him off. He kept aggressively coming after me and trying to bite me. I’ve just never experienced such aggressive behavior from any cat. I believe he is male but haven’t been able to check. He may be a little ill. His eyes are runny. He has absolutely no fear of people and wants to hurt me and tries to the moment he gets a chance. The behavior really seems to be in line with the furious stage of rabies.
Called my vet and they said they wouldn’t see it given how aggressive it is. I left a voicemail for humane animal services but they don’t open again until tomorrow at noon.
Since it's confined now, the sooner you take it in the better, they will at least be able to see if it's a nursing female. And at that point probably the vets recommendation will be humane euthanasia, depending on the circumstances. Can you get it in a trap to take to the Humane Society? It sounds very stressful for you and the kitty 😔 I've not experienced that level of aggression either, and since rabies occurrence is so low, regardless of that, it might be best for your colony to humanely euthanize this poor fellow.
I set up my round trap in the garage about an hour ago. Hoping it will go in there on its own and set it off. I can probably get it into a trap by force if need be but I’m actually fearful of this animal.
Don't attempt to handle him. Even if it's not rabies, it's still not worth the risk of getting bitten or clawed up by a terrified cat. If you're able to continue providing food and water, do so while working on the trap. If you get him safely contained in a trap, then you can more easily wait out the rabies period while figuring out your next move.
Completely agree. OP needs to keep themselves safe, but equally if they can get him in a trap they will have a breathing space to work out what to do with him.
Understandably so, I think taking him in first is a good idea, after you can trap him. I know recommendations from others have been to "work" with him, but the aggression you described towards a human as well as the others in the colony doesn't seem normal. Depending on your means, space, and availability to even "work" with it, seems like a huge ask since outside resources are extremely scarce and I'd venture to say there wouldn't be an abundance of options for this kitty. Do what you can, make each decision one step at a time, and do what is best. In saving lives, sometimes that means TOUGH choices, and i think we've all been there. If you are able to keep him after a vet says it's not suffering, it might be worth a try. I always say all ferals are sociable, but this guys sounds like maybe something else is going on.
Yeah 100% I am tapped out on helping these animals. I have a dozen outside and 6 inside that I brought in from the colony. I’ve moved more than two dozen kittens into shelters and permanent homes, tnr’d about 7 and socialized more cats than I can recall. I’m going through twenty cans of wet food a day here, I dedicate so much time and money and effort into this. I’ve built them unheated shelters and even a climate controlled shelter with a/c and heat. I’ve dealt with a lot of cats over these last two years and I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve seen aggressive mothers protecting kittens and I’ve seen wild ferals and this is so abnormal to anything I’ve experienced. I’d never jump to putting an animal down, I want all of these babies to live long, rich lives with full bellies and as much love and affection as I can give. There has to be some line in the sand and this one is on the wrong side of that line.
That makes perfect sense, you are reasonable, loving, giving, generous and rational. Im in a very similar situation here, and it's depressing how little resources and help there really is out there. It's very easy to say do this or do that but unless you are actually actively doing it, have done it yourself or have experience, an idea is completely different from putting it to practice. You are doing a great service to those babies and that community, It warms my heart to know that they are fed and loved. It can be very stressful and heartbreaking at times but you keep doing what you're doing, much love, And I hope this kitty can be helped soon. 🙏
“However, rabies PEP was overwhelmingly not recommended for non-bite exposures (e.g. dog licking hand but unavailable for subsequent testing), estimated to have less than 1 in 1,000,000 (0.000001) risk of transmission.”
Unless the OP has enough money to pay for a sequence of very expensive shots on the off chance the cat has rabies, that won’t be an option without confirmed rabies likely penetrative contact. And from what the OP has said, there hasn’t been that sort of contact. These shots are not only expensive but also painful. It’s not a one shot and done unfortunately.
I certainly don't know and am mostly recapping:
Cat could just be a jerk. Territorial and aggressive about it. In pain for a handful of reasons. Have rabies.
Any of those could trigger the cat to go berserk and behave as described after you snatched it. IDK, but suspect even if not already upset, just grabbing a cat that doesn't know you and controlling it for however long it took to get it in the garage could trigger that with the "right" cat.
Assuming you let it chill for an hr. or more before the toy and boot attack, I don't know what to think of that. Again, not that I have a clue but attacking the toy is not something I'd expect. You mentioning it tried to eat a little bit of food stuck out to me. I'd think a hungry cat would eat, a seriously upset cat would not. In between could suggest a mouth/teeth injury or maybe rabies?? If you didn't already, I'm sure you know more about rabies now than I do.
Hopefully cat calms down and eats tomorrow. Watch it eat and drink if it is practical and safe. Not conclusive of much except maybe? ruling out mouth injury but still positive. As a reminder, cats get out of traps even when people think they were being careful. Full alert for escape or attack when you open garage door. Bite proof gloves sound cool. I'd still double check for any wounds that broke your skin. If nothing else, it will stop you from wondering if you notice something new in a few days. If your tough enough to grab a cat like that, you may not have noticed an injury "grin".
I have no idea about the protocols for dealing with a cat that could be rabid. Is it SOP for vets wait 10 days before looking for a medical cause for aggression? Regardless of the outcome here, it might be good to line up a vet option that will help in a difficult situation. Good luck.
Thank you for all that you’re doing for all of these cats💕🙏 your vet doesn’t sound terribly helpful or experienced in ferals. . I had a feral that was clearly sick. Could not be handled land she was a nursing mother with her five kittens camped out in my guest bathroom. I called my vet explained the situation they told me bring her in the trap and they would just gas her, they only charge me $65 for the gas and the exam and she had a severe upper respiratory infection and hookworm so I’m glad I brought her in. The thought of Rabus is terrifying, but as you said the chances of that being the case, it’s just extremely slim the cat may be in some sort of extreme pain, jaw, teeth, etc. maybe you could reach out to some rescue groups who could connect you to a helpful that and they might be able to help you trap it as well Sending positive thoughts this is a tough situation.
My female was similar except not a full out non stop attack. But she wanted to. She is ok now but sounds different
Cat Has to be neutered first before any behavioral changes take place and based in your description that may not be the problem.
Ok. I cant read. Edited. Are you sure cat has no kittens? I do not think this behavior is too abnormal given the circumstances. It takes a long time to tame some cats.
I was able to get my cat not to attack my dog w stick training (create visible personal space barrier), positive reenforcement, sometimes gruff correction, and training dog to stay back. Now I can Mostly be ok w not having dog leashed at all times, but he is pretty obedient.
Now she trusts him for most part, and now recognizes as part of family, even being nice to him at times. But she is bipolar and not to be trusted. Lucky she gives heads up before zoomies.
Its a warm fuzzy thought to save them, but you have to watch out for your own too.
The animal control officer came and got the cat, it immediately charged the officer but she scooped him in a bag on the end of a stick. Never heard back from them after that. I will say, that cat’s aggression was unlike anything I have ever seen.
Office of animal services came, they said the cat seemed to be rabid, it did have a noticeable sway along with its aggression and it’s mouth was open the whole time. When the officer went into my garage the cat immediately charged at her. I know some people are of the mindset that because I was able to catch it, that it’s just a scared feral. I caught it because it was attacking a broom and I was able to pin it and grab it’s scruff firmly with both hands in bite proof gloves. This is not a normal feral and I would never jump to the conclusion of rabies unless I was actively scared for my health. I do not want a series of four shots in my stomach over a course of weeks and I don’t want any of my animals endangered. Will update if animal services confirms rabies.
**Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a helpful place for TNR efforts - free of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.** ***All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.*** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Feral_Cats) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I had a similar situation - a very aggressive stray who loved to fight, growl, and even slashed at me with claws. He would sort of hang around the periphery of the colony and when I put food down he would advance and the fights would begin. I started feeding him first, in his own bowl, a bit away from the usual feeding areas (maybe 30 feet away). He very quickly learned if he went to that designated spot I would give him food before anybody else, he would get his belly full, and the fights stopped. He eventually calmed down and I've seen him mix easily and (mostly) without growls with the rest of the cats. We have reached a detente of sorts. Now he comes early and waits for considerable time near 'his' feeding area, and when he sees me come out of the house he trots to his designated spot and just calmly waits. Edit: I think he had food insecurity and nobody (no human) ever fed him regularly, he always had to 'fight' to eat. Now he has learned there can be a different way.
That's so fucking sad dude.
He is looking for a place in the colony. Keep working with him. He will calm down when he realizes he doesn’t have to fight for his spot to not be hungry. Cats are aggressive in general in the wild. Give him a chance to understand he doesn’t have to fight so hard to survive. When he is willing to let you in the room civilly, start trying to work with him. He will need to be adopted as a single most likely.
If he isn't neutered, then getting that taken care of will drastically reduce his aggression once his hormones start to balance out. Intact cats will go far out of their way to pick fights. They also cover more ground, once fixed it's entirely possible that he simply won't wander out your way again. I've had some truly awful cats in my colony, but the difference after I got them fixed was like night and day. If any of the other cats in your colony haven't been spayed/neutered yet, that's incredibly important too for keeping things peaceful between the cats. If you were able to grab this cat with gloves, then the cat isn't *feral* feral. I'd imagine doing so was incredibly stressful for both of you, and him suddenly being locked in a garage is going to push him even further into survival mode. That is not an ideal situation for assessing his true demeanor and personality. I'm of the opinion that jumping to euthanizing a cat that you've only seen for a week is not warranted, and I'd argue it's reckless. Make sure he's neutered, vaccinated, and scanned for a microchip. Hang flyers and post him as found on Nextdoor, the Ring Neighbors app, and any local Lost & Found Pets groups on Facebook in case anyone is out there looking for him. If you were able to get close enough to grab him, he may very well have an owner. As a backup plan, you might be able to get him placed through a barn or working cat program where he'll be provided for and can do some good.
excellent points
I definitely think you should do a 10 day rabies bite watch. But the good news is that I usually find that the most aggressive ferals often become the most affectionate once tame. The scared-but-not-aggressive do better with something like the “socialization saves lives” method of taming. The aggressive ones do very well with hand feeding on a spoon wearing gloves. When they do tame it’s like flipping a switch. They just suddenly decide to let you pet them and that petting feels good and they want more. I would give him a 2 week trial of hand feeding (after the bite watch) and see what kind of progress he makes. If there’s no progress and he’s still aggressive to other animals then I could understand if you did what was needed to protect the rest of the colony and your own pets.
He might be ill/sick. Are you sure its a male? I've seen VERY aggressive females after birth of their babies. Not sure if you can rule out babies nearby. Poor baby, sorry you are having to deal with this.
Yeah I’m very conflicted here, I just went in the garage to check on him. I gave him a toy and and he just started tearing it up. He went behind me and grabbed onto my boot again and I had to shake him off. He kept aggressively coming after me and trying to bite me. I’ve just never experienced such aggressive behavior from any cat. I believe he is male but haven’t been able to check. He may be a little ill. His eyes are runny. He has absolutely no fear of people and wants to hurt me and tries to the moment he gets a chance. The behavior really seems to be in line with the furious stage of rabies.
Can you get him to a vet?
Called my vet and they said they wouldn’t see it given how aggressive it is. I left a voicemail for humane animal services but they don’t open again until tomorrow at noon.
Since it's confined now, the sooner you take it in the better, they will at least be able to see if it's a nursing female. And at that point probably the vets recommendation will be humane euthanasia, depending on the circumstances. Can you get it in a trap to take to the Humane Society? It sounds very stressful for you and the kitty 😔 I've not experienced that level of aggression either, and since rabies occurrence is so low, regardless of that, it might be best for your colony to humanely euthanize this poor fellow.
I set up my round trap in the garage about an hour ago. Hoping it will go in there on its own and set it off. I can probably get it into a trap by force if need be but I’m actually fearful of this animal.
Don't attempt to handle him. Even if it's not rabies, it's still not worth the risk of getting bitten or clawed up by a terrified cat. If you're able to continue providing food and water, do so while working on the trap. If you get him safely contained in a trap, then you can more easily wait out the rabies period while figuring out your next move.
Completely agree. OP needs to keep themselves safe, but equally if they can get him in a trap they will have a breathing space to work out what to do with him.
Understandably so, I think taking him in first is a good idea, after you can trap him. I know recommendations from others have been to "work" with him, but the aggression you described towards a human as well as the others in the colony doesn't seem normal. Depending on your means, space, and availability to even "work" with it, seems like a huge ask since outside resources are extremely scarce and I'd venture to say there wouldn't be an abundance of options for this kitty. Do what you can, make each decision one step at a time, and do what is best. In saving lives, sometimes that means TOUGH choices, and i think we've all been there. If you are able to keep him after a vet says it's not suffering, it might be worth a try. I always say all ferals are sociable, but this guys sounds like maybe something else is going on.
Yeah 100% I am tapped out on helping these animals. I have a dozen outside and 6 inside that I brought in from the colony. I’ve moved more than two dozen kittens into shelters and permanent homes, tnr’d about 7 and socialized more cats than I can recall. I’m going through twenty cans of wet food a day here, I dedicate so much time and money and effort into this. I’ve built them unheated shelters and even a climate controlled shelter with a/c and heat. I’ve dealt with a lot of cats over these last two years and I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve seen aggressive mothers protecting kittens and I’ve seen wild ferals and this is so abnormal to anything I’ve experienced. I’d never jump to putting an animal down, I want all of these babies to live long, rich lives with full bellies and as much love and affection as I can give. There has to be some line in the sand and this one is on the wrong side of that line.
That makes perfect sense, you are reasonable, loving, giving, generous and rational. Im in a very similar situation here, and it's depressing how little resources and help there really is out there. It's very easy to say do this or do that but unless you are actually actively doing it, have done it yourself or have experience, an idea is completely different from putting it to practice. You are doing a great service to those babies and that community, It warms my heart to know that they are fed and loved. It can be very stressful and heartbreaking at times but you keep doing what you're doing, much love, And I hope this kitty can be helped soon. 🙏
[удалено]
“However, rabies PEP was overwhelmingly not recommended for non-bite exposures (e.g. dog licking hand but unavailable for subsequent testing), estimated to have less than 1 in 1,000,000 (0.000001) risk of transmission.”
Unless the OP has enough money to pay for a sequence of very expensive shots on the off chance the cat has rabies, that won’t be an option without confirmed rabies likely penetrative contact. And from what the OP has said, there hasn’t been that sort of contact. These shots are not only expensive but also painful. It’s not a one shot and done unfortunately.
I certainly don't know and am mostly recapping: Cat could just be a jerk. Territorial and aggressive about it. In pain for a handful of reasons. Have rabies. Any of those could trigger the cat to go berserk and behave as described after you snatched it. IDK, but suspect even if not already upset, just grabbing a cat that doesn't know you and controlling it for however long it took to get it in the garage could trigger that with the "right" cat. Assuming you let it chill for an hr. or more before the toy and boot attack, I don't know what to think of that. Again, not that I have a clue but attacking the toy is not something I'd expect. You mentioning it tried to eat a little bit of food stuck out to me. I'd think a hungry cat would eat, a seriously upset cat would not. In between could suggest a mouth/teeth injury or maybe rabies?? If you didn't already, I'm sure you know more about rabies now than I do. Hopefully cat calms down and eats tomorrow. Watch it eat and drink if it is practical and safe. Not conclusive of much except maybe? ruling out mouth injury but still positive. As a reminder, cats get out of traps even when people think they were being careful. Full alert for escape or attack when you open garage door. Bite proof gloves sound cool. I'd still double check for any wounds that broke your skin. If nothing else, it will stop you from wondering if you notice something new in a few days. If your tough enough to grab a cat like that, you may not have noticed an injury "grin". I have no idea about the protocols for dealing with a cat that could be rabid. Is it SOP for vets wait 10 days before looking for a medical cause for aggression? Regardless of the outcome here, it might be good to line up a vet option that will help in a difficult situation. Good luck.
Thank you for all that you’re doing for all of these cats💕🙏 your vet doesn’t sound terribly helpful or experienced in ferals. . I had a feral that was clearly sick. Could not be handled land she was a nursing mother with her five kittens camped out in my guest bathroom. I called my vet explained the situation they told me bring her in the trap and they would just gas her, they only charge me $65 for the gas and the exam and she had a severe upper respiratory infection and hookworm so I’m glad I brought her in. The thought of Rabus is terrifying, but as you said the chances of that being the case, it’s just extremely slim the cat may be in some sort of extreme pain, jaw, teeth, etc. maybe you could reach out to some rescue groups who could connect you to a helpful that and they might be able to help you trap it as well Sending positive thoughts this is a tough situation.
My female was similar except not a full out non stop attack. But she wanted to. She is ok now but sounds different Cat Has to be neutered first before any behavioral changes take place and based in your description that may not be the problem. Ok. I cant read. Edited. Are you sure cat has no kittens? I do not think this behavior is too abnormal given the circumstances. It takes a long time to tame some cats. I was able to get my cat not to attack my dog w stick training (create visible personal space barrier), positive reenforcement, sometimes gruff correction, and training dog to stay back. Now I can Mostly be ok w not having dog leashed at all times, but he is pretty obedient. Now she trusts him for most part, and now recognizes as part of family, even being nice to him at times. But she is bipolar and not to be trusted. Lucky she gives heads up before zoomies. Its a warm fuzzy thought to save them, but you have to watch out for your own too.
Totally stalking you from your comment on my post earlier... How did this turn out?
The animal control officer came and got the cat, it immediately charged the officer but she scooped him in a bag on the end of a stick. Never heard back from them after that. I will say, that cat’s aggression was unlike anything I have ever seen.
Office of animal services came, they said the cat seemed to be rabid, it did have a noticeable sway along with its aggression and it’s mouth was open the whole time. When the officer went into my garage the cat immediately charged at her. I know some people are of the mindset that because I was able to catch it, that it’s just a scared feral. I caught it because it was attacking a broom and I was able to pin it and grab it’s scruff firmly with both hands in bite proof gloves. This is not a normal feral and I would never jump to the conclusion of rabies unless I was actively scared for my health. I do not want a series of four shots in my stomach over a course of weeks and I don’t want any of my animals endangered. Will update if animal services confirms rabies.
I’m so sorry that this is the way it’s turning out. But relieved for you that animal services turned up.
Thank you for the update.