Ragdoll Cat Forums

Hi All,
Need a bit of help for my daughter who has a lilac raggie, Zoro, I posted a pic of him a while back? Well, Zoro is 18 months old, he is an only cat, he lives in a flat wth my daughter and her partner. Recently he has started showing what we think is probably jealousy. He seems to resent people coming to the flat and has started showing aggression towards them. His latest was a totally unprovoked hissing at a young girl (5), who was sitting quietly watching TV, she knew not to approach Zoro, who had scooted away as soon as she arrived! After a few minutes he came back into the room, walked right up to her and 'hissed' at her! On other accasions, he has walked behind people and 'batted' them when they are sitting down! My daughter is very upset by this behaviour, as she frequently has people to the flat! She is going to talk to her Vet, but I thought i would pose the question on here as some of you may have had similar experiences and could suggest a remedy. I feel myself, that Elizabeth(my daughter) has allowed Zoro to be 'boss' cat rather than herself be boss cat, so he reacts when people invade 'his' territory, but I'm not sure how she reverses that situation. It is different with a dog, or rather the cure is easier, but with a cat?? Any ideas or tips will be gratefully received!

Is Zoro neutered? If he's not yet neutered then the problem likely lies within a hormone-induced "rage" that causes males to become territorial and aggressive.

BlueSkyRagdolls Wrote:Is Zoro neutered? If he's not yet neutered then the problem likely lies within a hormone-induced "rage" that causes males to become territorial and aggressive.

Yes, he is neutered, done at 5.5 months.

Sounds like fear aggression. You need to introduce newcomers with the same care as introducing a new pet. If guests of the same type (to him) are relatively frequent and he is slowly introduced to them, then he will adjust to them and not be afraid. So, a cat can accept adult newcomers and be afraid of children - who are closer to them, move quickly and have high voices. Make sure he has a place to retreat when newcomers invade "his territory."

JanH Wrote:Sounds like fear aggression. You need to introduce newcomers with the same care as introducing a new pet. If guests of the same type (to him) are relatively frequent and he is slowly introduced to them, then he will adjust to them and not be afraid. So, a cat can accept adult newcomers and be afraid of children - who are closer to them, move quickly and have high voices. Make sure he has a place to retreat when newcomers invade "his territory."

Thanks for that, Jan. That is actually what happens most of the time and he does retreat to the bedroom, but on several occasions recently and this time in particular, he came out of his 'safe' place and deliberately confronted the child!! That is what worried my daughter, as this is a new turn of events, he usually just clears off into the bedroom when people arrive that he is not familiar with.

This actually may be a sign of improvement, but does mean he needs to be supervised during visits. It is likely that he is MORE comfortable with newcomers, wants to investigate, gets close and then wants to warn them with a swat or hiss that they should be careful with him.

I would "use" friends to make him more comfortable with newcomer visits and close him in the bedroom when visitors are there and he cannot be supervised.

JanH Wrote:This actually may be a sign of improvement, but does mean he needs to be supervised during visits. It is likely that he is MORE comfortable with newcomers, wants to investigate, gets close and then wants to warn them with a swat or hiss that they should be careful with him.

I would "use" friends to make him more comfortable with newcomer visits and close him in the bedroom when visitors are there and he cannot be supervised.

Thanks, Jan, I'll pass that on. I'll be in Australia next week, so will be able to see first hand what he behaves like. I haven't seen him since he was 4 months so I don't imagine he will remember me!

Then you can be the newcomer trainer to help him learn they are friendly. ; )

JanH Wrote:Then you can be the newcomer trainer to help him learn they are friendly. ; )

Yes, that crossed my mind too!

Hi Mary - you might also want to check the FAB Cats web site at http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/index.php for some thoughts on Zoro's agression. They've got some great advice from experts in the UK.

My friends have a nine-year-old male Ragdoll and he's become rather grumpy in recent years. He's fine with them, but he'll swat at people who come too close to him. He also spends a lot of time in the basement, or as they call it, his "bachelor pad." Hopefully your daughter can get Zoro sorted though. He seems a bit young to be grumpy!