Bored cat

Neutered male, Hmm, right there he does have something to pissed about. Do you know what anesthetic was used during his surgery? Ketamine and ketamine based anesthetics are used on cats with a 50% chance of the cat having one or more psychotic episodes afterwards. One of my cats went through this. I had hin for about twelve years and only during the last four or five did he get over the aggressive behavior.
As far as automated entertainment, try Drs. Foster and Smith, Petco or Petsmart online sites. They all have extensive listings of cat toys that, while not automated, do not require a human to operate. Catnip and/or bergamont given before you leave the house may help your cat to work off some of his more aggressive tendances while you are not home.
Foster and Smith also offer non-pharmaceutical preparations to calm and relax stressed cats.
That's the best I can offer for now. Just be patient and keep trying, eventually things will work out.

Sam

Don't know, joe. My two junior cats (neutered males, also) enjoy a few brisk games of "Thundering Herd of Wildebeast" nightly, with my bed doing double duty as The Sarengetti Plains.

Senior cat is five years older, so maybe it's something they outgrow?

Okay, Sam, I'll leave out some catnip. Does your liability insurance cover third party property damage? Well, that's a question for joe.

Liability insurance? Eeek! I'm changing my name and moving far far away.

joe, I would call the vet to find out about the anesthetic, I think that may be the culprit.

Sam

Our cats dig TV. When we leave, we put on the cartoon network and they keep pretty much amused and outside of the occasional bouts of "9 oclock crazies" they are pretty well behaved. We have a MAine Coon who , being pretty big, dominates the other 2. Hell mash em with a big fuzzy paw and hold them to the ground and groom them. All you need is a goalie.

Could you fill his water dish with Jack Daniels?

That's expensive and Joe will spoil the cat, next it will be demanding Cuban cigars. How about Miller Lite or your local el cheapo Brand X. If that doesn't work try cat nip.

cats become mean drunks. And they wont stop singing .

Another way to keep him from getting bored is , buy a python and let it roam around

farmer,

I cat-sat my friend Roger's young Main Coon, Hawkeye. Roger didn't want Hawkeye to get lonely during his (Roger's) overnight visits with his Lady. He (Hawkeye) was a hoot, he would do a kamikaze routine off the top of a tall chest of drawers onto the waterbed. The resulting tsunami darn near dumped me on to the floor.

gus,

Whiskey? Nope! Peppermint Schnaps!

Sam

I used to cat sit with my friend Nell's cats. They hid the whole time. My last two trips to Florida, she dropped in on mine and didn't see cat number one. I suppose they hid under the bed the whole time and told each other scarey stories. Whatever. . . .

Re: Bored cat

Joe ~
I watched a cat behavior program once where they explained that cats can learn and unlearn behaviors better than once assumed. The behavior of aggression can be unlearned. When your furball was younger, did you play with him where he nipped and scratched you? If so, this may be why he is aggressive with you when trying to initiate play. He doesn't understand that it's not okay to nip and scratch daddy anymore.

~ On the topic of boredom, do you interact and play with your furball on a regular basis? Since your furball is single, you Joe, my friend, are the playmate. Cats are extremely expressive by their behavior. Do you ever notice him trying to get your attention by other means? For example, walking through your legs (almost trying to trip you), staring at you, meowing at you, sitting on your keyboard - you know what I mean? Maybe this hasn't worked in getting your attention, so he is trying "attacking you."

~ Here are some "during your work day" suggestions that may help with kitty's boredom.
1. A Window Seat. They LOVE this. They are curious creatures. They can sit and watch for HOURS.
2. A cat tower. (Cats love to be high) Something he can climb on or sit in - they have danglely things that move when touched.
3. The T.V. (My cats love this, my guy thinks I'm nuts but I know I catch them watching it. Why? I still haven't figured that one out.)
~ Lastly, peruse a several cat magazines while having a cup of coffee at Barnes & Noble. They have a lot of information on all things "CATS".
Best of Luck - Sam

~ Another thought I had Joe ~ On the subject of toy that "operates" randomly, be aware that it is possible your cat may become bored with this too.
The only reason I say this ~ is because I notice my cats playing with all sorts of "random" things. A paper bag, they chase light reflections, they play with and eat bugs (yucky I know), they swat little balls of cat fur with their paws - you know what I'm talking about?
~ I think your furball wants more interaction with you. I have two 15 year old kittys (completely indoors) and although I know they interact with each other, when I show up after work, they are right there wanting some mommy with kitty time. (Besides wanting to be fed, of course. :wink: )
Now how to unlearn the "aggressive" part, do a google search on this, you'd be amazed how many people want to resolve the same problem.

Thanks everyone for your replies (well, maybe not Gus -- my cat already acts like a mean drunk, I don't think Jack Daniels would make things better).

Sam and Samantha&Angie: I have no clue what anesthetic the vets used on him. I got him from the Anti-Cruelty Society when he was three years old, so I guess his previous owners had three years to screw him up. I certainly wasn't the one socializing him as a kitten to play rough.

And it's true that I probably should play with him more often. But the fact is he doesn't bite when he plays: he only bites when he wants to kill me.

Really, I'm not exaggerating. It's not that he is being frisky, he's being sociopathic. He'll get this wild look in his eyes, let out a low, menacing yowl, and then go after me like I was a raw pork chop -- and all this totally unprovoked.

Now, 99% of the time he's sweet, adorable, and lazy -- just like me. It's that other 1% of the time that's the problem.

He has never really shown any interest in watching television, but maybe that's just a commentary on the programming this season. And he's not a huge fan of catnip (he gets bored with that, too). But I'm willing to try just about anything (except, like I said, the booze part).

Another cat?

Or would the other cat just be a smaller, more easily overcome porkchop?

Here's a solution, with items you can find in the average home.


Joseph, you would have some western consumer goods. Would you have a tumble-dryer? Now take that rumbunctious rascal and......







Do I have to draw you a diagram?

I hadn't planned on going there Mr. Stillwater, but I'm glad someone did.

~ Okay Joe, I found this link when doing a google search, "unprovoked aggression male cat" that brought up a lot.
But, I thought maybe this might help you ~ until you can do more research on your own. Don't forget to scroll all they way down to the topic, "For the Rare Cat Whose Attacks are Unprovoked and Extremely Violent". Best of Luck.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20837

Thanks S&A -- that's a really helpful site. Yeah, "unprovoked and extremely violent" pretty much describes it. I don't know about carrying furry little mouse toys in my pockets at all times, but I suppose it's worth a try. I'm intrigued by the Prozac option. Either the cat takes it and becomes less violent, or I take it and just become more mellow about the whole attack thing.

Sozobe: No more cats, at least for the moment. I have a rough parity with the cat right now; I don't want to put myself in a position where I'm outnumbered.

Mr Stillwater: That is a damned funny picture.

Joe

I used to have similar behaviour problems with Possum, left. Heaven knows, the cat threads are full of his antics.

For a while there he was extremely aggressive, and had some other behavioural problems (peeing in the wardrobe, etc.) In consultation with the vet, I tried just about everything we could think of, with no improvement.

As a last resort, she gave him some sort of hormone injection. It quietened him down greatly for a week or so, but then, he livened up, but was nowhere near as violent. He's still a monster, and needs (indeed, demands) a lot of interaction, but generally, he's much better behaved. He's a clown cat!

My aunt cat-sits him occasionally, and he has her bluffed. If he wants company, and she's watching television, Possum jumps up and hits her in the head! He certainly lets aunt know who's the boss.

He has plenty of toys, and uses a variety. Some of his favourites are wine corks - I thrown and he retrieves them. If he wants to play that game, you have to keep throwing until he's sick of it, or the claws are out!

I've dealt with this problem as well. I read that if you play with them for a good hour about 8 or 9pm, they won't be so active at night.

What works for me...

There are balls, the size of ping pong balls, with a bell inside... I call them jingle balls. This can be fun during the day, and in the evening when you play with him. I would recommend you hide them at night though... noisy.

A laser pointer is awesome! I try not to do it every day, but my neutered male cat can't seem to get enough of it. Be careful not to shine it in his eyes.

To keep him from biting on you... get a stuffed toy to guard yourself, and let him have at it. He'll still feel like he's playing with you if you control it, but you won't bleed as much

Good luck, and try to avoid hormones and such.