Kitten has unusual hissing and aggressive behavior
by Teesha
(Nevada)
rag doll kitten
My boyfriend and I found a stray Ragdoll kitten. She is the cutest! Her name is Baby Kitty a.k.a. Libby. Anyway, we have had her for about 3 weeks and haven't had a chance to take her to a vet. But in the last week and a half, she has become aggressive to my boyfriend. If he looks at her, or walks past her, she will hiss at him, and back away in a crouching position. She wasn't like this at first with him. She was very sweet and cuddly at first. But now she doesn't like to be around him, meows in a mad way, and will be extremely aggressive towards him. But she does not act like this to me in any way. She isn't aggressive and doesn't really hiss at me. What could be the reason for this?
She is still eating and drinking normally, going to the bathroom normally, and is lovable to me, but is showing signs of aggression to my boyfriend, and only him. She plays with me, and her toys, and trash on the floor (nothing she shouldn't play with). Can you help me please!!! It is starting to drive my boyfriend crazy, and it really affects him, cause he really loves her, but is talking of getting rid of her because of this aggressive behavior.
Reply
Hi
Has your boyfriend changed his after shave or using any new scented products? i ask this as I have seen a cat react very badly to strong scents before.
My advice to him would be to start to practice some bonding techniques with the kitten. this basically involves allowing the kitten to come to him and then to try and engage her in a game to distract her from her fear. it can take some time but it helps to rebuild trust and confidence in the person.
i have a web page about how to carry out this bonding technique here
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/new-cat.htmlDon't worry too much I'm sure this is just a phase.
It is very unusual to find a rag doll kitten as a stray so it probably is a good idea to see a vet as soon as possible in case some one is looking for her and also to have her checked over for any health issues.
best wishes Kate