Adoted 1yr old aggressive/unsocialized

[Kawiipops]

Hi, any help really appreciated. Last year we sadly lost our 2 boys who we had from kitten, we decided it was time to adopt a new boy. We found Yoshi a very large 1year4 month old sphynx and decided we'd love him to join our family. We were told he lived with 2 dogs which he found stressful and made him ill with a uti earlier in the year.
Yoshi's first week with us was wonderful he seemed to settle in really well. We gave Yoshi free access to our home although he would seem very nervous about some rooms, he also came with a cat tree which his previous owner said he loved yet he never used it preferring to hang out with us instead.
Then out of no where on Sunday he was in his bed and it looked like he was struggling to pee, when I went near him he attacked me. I rushed him to the vets thinking it was a blockage or the uti had returned, luckily all was fine but that didn't leave us with any answers. Later that evening Yoshi proceeded with simular behaviour aimed at blankets it turned out he was humping them and getting very aggressive with it (a very expensive £200 hump I might add).
Since then we've had several incidents of aggressive behaviour, biting and aggressive play. We contacted the previous owner who said with them he was fine however she did say he only had structured play time/affection time was locked in a room from 9 each night with the 2 dogs "because that worked for them" only allowed in certain rooms and they used a water spray to discipline him and did not respond to his original name. We renamed him Yoshi.
We desperately want to look after him as he can be such a sweet boy but we have our 2 Yr old so to consider who is used to cats our boy Woody and him were inseparable but both our boys had such wonderful temperaments.
We trusted the previous owners who said he was good with children and used to grooming yet it turns out Yoshi's not used to baths, has never had he's claws cleaned and seems to be into humping all our soft furnishings and sudden violent outbursts. Are his behaviours reversable? Any advice or help very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Is he neutered?


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[Sheldon13]

Yep first question is he neutered?

Second, have you tried a hormone room spray or plug in such as Feliway?

I’m also wondering if you have noticed any pattern fir this behavior? Is it around or after food? It it related to presence of your sweet child? And I’d like to delicately ask, how does you little one interact with him? Sometimes cats can be quite fearful of tiny humans. It can take some patience and training (for both human and cat) to eliminate this fear.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Kawiipops]

Is he neutered?


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Hi, yes he was neutered at 6 months apparently. To us it feels like the poor boy was a vanity pet only to be seen when they wanted then disregard back to his room.

 

[Kawiipops]

Yep first question is he neutered?

Second, have you tried a hormone room spray or plug in such as Feliway?

I’m also wondering if you have noticed any pattern fir this behavior? Is it around or after food? It it related to presence of your sweet child? And I’d like to delicately ask, how does you little one interact with him? Sometimes cats can be quite fearful of tiny humans. It can take some patience and training (for both human and cat) to eliminate this fear.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

Our Son Remi is very good with him, he was brought up to respect animals and like I mentioned our son and our previous sphynx were inseparable. None of the aggressive behaviour has been aimed at our son so far and Yoshi has love chasing his cars and trains around the living room plus, Yoshi always has the option to hide in a different room but chooses to stay with us.
To us it feels like possible pts from the previous owner, who hasn't understood his needs with a incredibly regimented lifestyle, from what she has told us they tried to train him like a dog. He seemed really happy with us the first week which turned to arousal then aggression, He's not used to grooming, he bit me clear though my shirt when I tried to clip his nails, also he's nails have never been cleaned so they are covered in gunk. He has been neutered, is there a chance this hasn't worked? We have just brought a feliway classic, and there is alway one of us home. Can you teach a 1y old to accept baths and nails and to stop aggresive play?
Thank you for your help.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

It can take a while for diffusers to work so give it time. Some cats just hate bathing and nail clipping...especially if they did not get bathed as kittens. As far as aggression...I would play and tire him out every night. But as soon as you see that switch from fun to over stimulated stop and wrap him up in a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer and see if it settles him. He is young and they are very rambunctious naturally the first 2 years. Humping is just the way he has probably gotten his anxiety out if he was locked in a room so many hours a day. He might always do it, but if you fill his life with other things like play, not being locked up etc, it could become less of a thing for him. It will take time, but my bet is he just needs redirecting. Also don’t play with him with your hands. Always have a toy...we see aggressive behavior in some who wiggled their fingers as toys etc. maybe the previous owners wiggled fingers under the sheets or a blanket and that was play for him. It’s cute when they are little but not when older and biting. @Kawiipops

 

[Yoda mom]

@Kawiipops hugs... we are here for you.
I adopted a 11 month old ( who I was mislead by info given). she said she got rid of him bcz he was being picked on... NOT... he was the aggressive one. I tried the feliaway plug in and he got mad at it and growled. each kitty is different. he hates nail trimming and spa day too.
I had to wear a coat in the beginning! I called him Toby Terror. after redirecting and working with him he is now "Toby Love" very cuddly and turning 8 next month.
I will chime in with some tips later tonight when I get back.

 

[Kawiipops]

Thank you everyone so much for all of the advice. We really want to try and give him the home he deserves but I'll admit it did shock us as he's a such lovely boy most of the time.

 

[Yoda mom]

I had to redirect Toby to a kicker firehose material dog toy. He was that rough.
I gave him stern "ah" and redirected him. I rewarded good behavior with a praise and a treat. I kept dry treats nearby in a jar.
you can try to teach him tricks too. I taught him a meet n greet spot.
he also has an exercise wheel he goes crazy for. maybe a used one?
(1 in 4 of my adoptees use the wheel) but for Toby it was a game changer to release energy. he also got annoyed twitchy when I discovered a kitty in the attic! another time an outdoor cat peeking in the window. he is a sensitive kitty. I had to build his self confidence. when he was unsure of things he would react with hissing/anger. I went slow and steady with him. soon there were more good days than fresh days. now he is like a different kitty.
I watched him and learned what his triggers were and worked on it

for spa days, I also went slow. I trimmed one nail a day. praise and a treat. I put a towel on my lap , gently wrapped him and clipped 1 nail. now I can do all at once. he still complaints but does not bite.

I was told he was used to baths... NOT.... I got a stokkes flexibath that has a drainplug . I put it on the bathroom counter with drain hole over the sink with towel inside and under. (can make your own with a small tote) . I put a big pitcher of water with a few drops of hylyt shampoo and baby face clothes in it. and did wipe downs. I wear exfoliating gloves to help hold slippery kitty and speeds up bathtime.

I went super slow with spa day time. he is soo much better .

members will chime in with tips. we are here for you.
oh, to share, catnip makes him aggressive.

 

[Condo commando]

It definitely sounds like the prior owners didn't treat this kitty well at all. It's good that he's with you now.

I adopted a 14 month old Sphynx that was not used to bathing. She never bit me but she hated the bath. In the beginning I used to take her to a groomer for bathing and I think that got her used to the process. Now I bathe her at home but I'm not gonna lie, she still doesn't love it, so I have to be very fast. It's not a perfect bath but she lets me spot clean her with baby wipes. Between the super fast bath and the baby wipes we make it work.