Gia Is Aggressive To My Friends - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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13 Apr Gia Is Aggressive To My Friends

Posted at 05:16h in Blog by
GIA

My Gia Lashes Out
(Aggressive Cat Behavior)

“Gia loves me and her companion Tank, but she can be aggressive with my boyfriend and my friends. I always wanted Gia to like every one and for everyone to like Gia. But now I realize that it doesn’t have to be that way. Thanks for your insight and expertise,” said Ann.

It’s a natural feeling for us to want our cats to love and be loved by all. But some cats are selective with their feeling and actions because of their emotional make-up. Gia is one of these cats. What confused Ann was that Gia would bump against a friend’s leg or arm but often hissed or lashed out if they petted her. I explained to Ann that Gia became easily overstimulated. When this occurred she felt threatened and would resort to “fight” instead of “flight”.  I told Ann to tell her friends they could admire Gia but shouldn’t try to engage her even if she tried to seduce them. Ann could also have Gia and Tank hang out in another room if she thought Gia might be uncomfortable or threatened.

Ann’s boyfriend was a different issue. Whenever, he arrived, naturally, he became Ann’s focus and Gia felt left out. So  I recommended the following:

  • When your boyfriend arrives, engage and acknowledge Gia in your conversation  so your focus isn’t entirely on your boyfriend. Otherwise, it’s a sudden attention shift and Gia feels “left out”.
  • He should verbalize whenever he moves around — I’m standing up, sitting down — so Gia isn’t ‘startled’ and bops him out of transitional angst.
  • Gia should be the decider in their interactions. He shouldn’t pet her long — if at all — until she really trusts him.

I reminded Ann that not every person or cat has to be super social. But, gradually, Gia’s tolerance would build, and if Ann wanted, we could do more sessions with Gia for major changes.

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