Animal Welfare Professionals

2 weeks ago I rescued an 8 month old male cat. His owner had to go to a nursing home + he was left in an apartment alone. Prior to his owner going to the nursing home he lived with a small dog and they were great friends.  He was in foster care for a short time where he lived with a small family and a small dog. He was very well behaved, sweet and affectionate. I picked him up from foster care on a Sunday 2 weeks ago and the following Sunday he wad neutered.  The first night went well, he appeared to be comfortable with myself, my husband and my adult daughter. We have no other pets and an adult son who lives nearby who has rescued 2 cats. When my husband got up for work after the first night he went into the LR and greeted the cat, was petting him and went into the bathroom. The cat entered the the bathroom and bit my husbands leg drawing blood and leaving 4 teeth marks. The next morning I had a similar experience and thought it could be food related. So for the next few days I fed him as soon as I woke up and all went fairly well with only one bite when he did not like the canned food I gave him. So 2 weeks have passed and I have noticed that he is very affectionate after he eats and as the day goes on and even into the evening when we come home from work. He was neutered a week ago and is recovering nicely. My son stopped by to meet him a few times, was able to pet him a bit but was growled at when the cat had enough. This morning I slept in, the cat spend the night upstairs with my daughter who he spends most of the day with and when my husband woke up at an tome which was later than his work week schedule the cat came down stairs and went to the LR. My husband said good morning gave him a pet. The cat followed my husband down the hall toward our bedroom to let him in where I was,  and as he went to open the door the cat let out a loud + long scream but did not bite because my husband was loud and verbal knew enough to back the cat off. I am sure he is trying to adjust to a new environment,  new family and I'm sure he lived a very lonely life prior to foster care. He was left alone with no litter box, only newspaper on the floor and who knows how often he was fed. I really love him and want to work with him and want this to work out. Sorry for such a long post.

We always recommend adopters start the cat in one room during their transition period into a home (even if there are no other pets). When cats are scared/nervous, they actually are less intimidated by a smaller space versus having access to the whole house. Here's a good resource on the topic: https://www.meowfoundation.com/resources/new-cat/ 

To me, it does sound like  he's still stressed out but you should also keep in mind that your cat is also very young - he's literally a kitten in a cat body at 8 months old  - so he's going to be very high energy. If you don't provide a playmate for him (like the dog he had in his previous home), he's going to turn you into his littermate/playmate! Instead of jumping to feeding him right away in the morning as a distraction, I'd grab a toy and have a good tough play session! And then it's time to eat (miming "hunting and then eating your 'kill' in the 'wild'). He likely needs several play sessions a day at his age... for my daily schedule, I'd plan for right in the morning, after work, and before bed. You can also introduce him to puzzle feeders as a fun brain game to help with his energy and distract from his stress (though puzzle feeders are not a replacement for playtime!). https://www.iizcat.com/post/4954/7-cat-food-puzzles-that-will-feed-your-cat-s-hunter-spirit

I hope some of this is helpful 

Thank you so much. I will look into both sites.

Another frustration I am going through right now is that after I took him to the clinic to get neutered which was pre arranged he developed an abscess and spent last night at the vet who will drain the abscess, give him long lasting antibiotic.  He refused to wear the cone after his neuter and because of his aggression I just watched him very carefully but still the site got infected from licking, I am asking the vet to put the cone on him before he leaves there today and hopefully he won't rip it off. He went crazy when I tried to use it after his neuter 10 days ago. He would not keep it on, was hissing and couldn't walk across the room with it on. I am learning things the hard way. I do have a proper fit cone, hard not soft , good quality from a pet store who fitted him so wish me luck. I hope I get better at all of this.

Hi Barbara. I’m sorry to hear that your foster Kitty is biting. I went through a similar experience last summer with an adult male cat who was recently neutered after being rescued from a harrowing situation. I informed the shelter of his aggression and learned it was “misplaced aggression” due to something stressing the cat. I tried a feliway plug-in which is a calming hormone and different food. Turns out my vet discovered he was suffering from immense pain in his mouth from 3 roots left behind in his dental surgery he received from the shelter. I’m not suggesting that’s what your cat is experiencing but have you shared this info with the shelter and/or a vet? While it could be related to the stress of his recent experiences, it could also be from complications of his surgery or another health related issue. I hope things works out for you and I hope others leave their thoughts as well.

I always get scared of situations like that... My tears appear all of sudden on their own, can do nothing with that. I hate that life can be like that...

If your cat is prone to biting or scratching, it might be because he perceives a threat. You need to prove that you are not a threat; you can do that by not reacting. If he bites when you pet him, it’s simply because he doesn’t like to be petted. Also, you need to remember that he is in an entirely new environment, which is stimulating or maybe frightening. Give your cat time to explore this new place and claim his territory before he is completely comfortable.