Hi folks,

Hoping I can get some insight from people as I've never had to deal with anything like this before.

For the last few days, Loki has been displaying some aggressive behaviour that doesn't make any sense. It's often prefaced by a slightly different type of vocalisation (more whingy, low-pitched 'mrrrrr' instead of his usual chatty 'mow mow' sort of noise) and has literally come out of nowhere. He will come up to me, sit on my lap, start this 'mrrrr' at me, butt my hand for attention then all of a sudden he's latched onto my arm kicking and biting at me.

We don't know if it's boredom, frustration, being too hot (as it's been VERY warm lately) or trying to push boundaries etc.

He's doing it pre-dominantly with me and we don't know if this because I'm the 'primary caregiver' - I feed, clean his tray, play with him etc.

It's very perplexing and naturally, a little concerning too as there has been no changes to his routine or day to day pattern.

If anyone has any thoughts, it'll be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance :)

Any time there is a drastic change in behavior, it's best to take him to the vet to rule out anything medical being wrong. Has there been any change in the household? You didn't move, have a baby, kids came home from college or the summer, or something like that happen. I ask because many time people leave out the very details that would be helpful in knowing the reason for this. Do you have any other pets? Have new neighbors moved in with a cat? There could be several causes from not enough play time with him or it could be the hot weather making him uncomfortable. You try walking around in a fur coat and see how warm you feel. If it coincided with your heat wave, then do you best to make him comfortable -- fans, cotton sheets or pillow cases on his bed. If a new cat is in the area, he could be sensing that as well and cat behavior will change if they sense a cat anywhere near their territory. Just because you can't see one, doesn't mean Loki can't smell or see it.

You need to be observant of Loki's behavior at all time and see what triggers the episode of aggression.

How old is Loki?

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The little monsters 3

Yes, we're already talking about taking him to vets as well :)

There's been no change in routine or anything. That's what has surprised us most as we could have attributed it to something different but nothing has happened barring our heatwave.

He's about 3.5 years old and neutered.

We do notice that he seems to calm down again (and go back to his happy self) after a really good play session (of which we do have several a day) but I am worried that he is getting inadvertently rewarded for the aggression by initiating play.

I feel it's also worth noting that he has had a couple of accidents as well, something which hasn't happened in a while. He has also, again out of the blue, stopped coming up to bed with us and is instead sleeping downstairs in one of his boxes which again, began when the weather changed. He's also been shedding like crazy which we're keeping on top of with lots of brushing (which he loves!)

He's had a bit of a go at my other half, but the majority of it has been directed at me for some reason. But each time it has happened he has come to me, jumped up onto my lap, butted my hand for attention with some of this low 'mrrrr' vocalising and then wham, suddenly biting at me.

A few thoughts:

1. I don't believe there would be any connection made between him biting you and getting more play. That seems far-fetched to me, because it's not as if the moment he bits you, a toy comes out and a game starts, correct?

2. Him not sleeping upstairs with you is 100% expected when the weather turns warm/hot. Think about it... a cat in a heavy fur coat in warm weather, and if your house is like mine, it's probably close to 10 degrees (F) warmer on the top floor. So naturally he chooses the bottom floor. All cats I've owned have done this too. Conversely, it's convenient to believe that our cats choose to sleep in our beds during the cold weather due to their love for us, but the fact that the beds are upstairs, and warm, doesn't hurt.

3. I'm not discounting your claim of the attacks being completely unprovoked and without warning, but I think you should still really carefully pay attention to your cat in such circumstances, and look at things very critically. It sounds like it could be something like a pain response. You do something seemingly innocent like shift positions or move your hand close to a spot on your cat's body that is tender and he strikes out as a reflex. Something like that. You might want to also just kind of "take inventory" of your cat's body and see if there are any wounds or "sore spots". Another place where your cat could be sore is in the mouth. If he feels a bolt of pain from a sore tooth, that could also explain it. That is best checked by your vet.

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The little monsters 3

Well, you do have a bengal! It sounds to me as if he's very uncomfortable with the heat wave you're having. An unhappy kitty can act aggressive. You've given a great clue with the fact that he prefers to sleep downstairs where it's cooler! How miserable and cranky do humans get when they are overheated? I'm one of those! Heat waves won't last forever (hopefully) and if things go back to normal at that point, then you'll know that was the problem. Even though you're brushing him, he's still ingesting a lot of fur when he grooms himself, so possibly hairballs are involved and he's not passing them.

Observation is everything ..... so watch him closely. Cats will show you how they are feeling.

Just thought people might appreciate a bit of an update.

To rule out anything physiological we swung by the vet and she was happy that there was nothing sinister going on. In terms of eating/drinking/playing etc, Loki is completely normal and I have spent the last few days watching him carefully in the litter trays to make sure there's not been any straining/discomfort.

We've put the aggression down to a couple of likely factors after watching him and looking for any triggers/cues.

1. The heat. We're definitely seeing more crankiness in him at the moment whilst it's warm. We've got lots of fans going, windows open as much as possible etc and we're taking him out back on his harness to get some air.

2. Attention-seeking/jealousy. We noticed that the behaviour almost always occurred when I was doing something 'focused' such as using my laptop, sending a message on my phone etc. We have wondered whether I am the 'target' (so to speak) because I am the primary caregiver - I am currently home 90% of the time as I am out of work and as such, I am the one who feeds, plays, brushes etc because I am the one around and as such, I am the one he automatically comes to for his attention.

3. Some sort of stress. Possibly again because of the heat, but this one has come up as Loki has started peeing next to one door (that goes into the spare room and is generally out of bounds to him and always has been). We don't believe there is any new cats lurking around (we have two females next door that he spots regularly though) and nothing has changed in daily routine etc, no new additions or the like.

So far I have decided that it's worth setting up some feliway in the house again to see if this helps and will be taking him outside more for 'outdoor' stimulation. We are also discussing whether or not we could set up some sort of cat safe enclosure as well. However we're not sure what else to try. Currently he has lots of toys, several cat trees and shelving around the house that he can climb up and access but generally he likes to spend a lot of time sitting in the living room window.

I would like to get some thoughts as to what people suggest regarding how to react when/if the actual aggressive behaviour occurs. At the moment it's generally responded to with a firm 'no!' and he is then put down on the ground and sent away. I try to avoid using his name to tell him off as I don't want his name to become a negative association.

Further thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.

Happy to hear there are no health issuesI believe it's definitely heat related! We humans get miserable when it's really hot -- the same can be said for pets who have fur coats and are not used to it.

Cats can learn what the word "NO" means. I use it on Raiden a lot and he knows exactly what I mean. I usually shake my finger at him and say a stern "NO."

When they want attention, they will do anything to get it! Raiden is one of those. I can be at the computer and he walks on the keyboard in front of the monitor. When we are watching TV at night, he lets us know he will jump up to the top of the TV if we don't give him some attention. I don't care if we've just had a play session! Bengals are insistent and most quirky.

Hopefully the Feliway will help and you can keep your kitty cool. As for the peeing, are you sure it's peeing and not marking that area? When Raiden gets super antsy, he will even mark when in the litter box rather than squatting and peeing. Make sure you clean up the area completely. If he uses the litter box most of the time, this could just be a sometimes thing.

I'm thinking you have a normal bengal who is overheating this summer. Personally, I can't wait until September and the temps cool off. Thankfully, we have a/c and the house is a cool 75 degrees. Raiden still will go for his afternoon walk when the heat index is 105. I'm miserable, but he seems to be okay with it.

Hi Sherry,

Definitely a squat and pee as I've caught him a couple of times! However I am picking up some more enzyme cleaner to give the area a more thorough clean in the hopes that combats it. Every once in a while he does what I call a 'puppy pee' as he will run around and then pause as if he's forgotten to do something... which was use his litter tray! Just stops and pees and then runs off and continues his play. Even the vet couldn't fathom that one!

And yes, I think you're bang on that the heat has a lot to do with it. The way he's doing it is very.... whingy. If that makes sense. It's a very petulant 'pay attention to meeeeeeee' grumbling that turns into 'wahhh you're not doing it right!' petulance. We're keeping him distracted as best we can, but I'm going to look into other ways to keep him cool. Unfortunately he doesn't play with water which we hoped he would as that would surely have helped!

An extra litter box or two never hurts -- and may help the situation! It's really tough to recommend something to keep a cat cool. There are cooling beds for dogs, but not sure they would work for cats. Tile floors are usually much cooler. I don't know if you have them. I don't know how I'd live without air conditioning June/July/August! I know our bengals sometimes drive us crazy, but they are great kitties and if you observe Loki carefully, I'm sure he will tell you what's going on.

I guess he realises that you are both below him him in his perceived pecking order and he is establishing his position in the household. As a stud cat he probably was never really taught boundaries either, as he no doubt went into a pen pretty quick and didn't need to do a whole lot of normal interacting with humans.

Bengals can adopt this "attacking a human" behaviour and is one of the reasons that I do not advise any novice cat owners getting a Bengal as their first cat, and it is something that anyone getting a Bengal should be very aware of.

YOU need to recognise the signs he is about to strike and get yourself out of the area, before he has a chance to claw or bite. If he has grabbed you, then substitute your hand, leg or whatever bit of you he has hold of, with a large cuddly toy, I advice you to keep one to hand all over your house, until he calms down.

My theory is that Bengals, because they have a reputation for being athletic and NEED a lot of exercise, end up getting more exercise with their owner, than just about any other human interaction,
So every time they see a human there is a game, a chase session, a grab and claw and bite session on the cards.

Add in a bit of a fiesty character, a need for control, a need to be top dog, a determined, "never give up" nature, an obsessive personality, a territorial bent - traits which which many Bengals have - then you have a recipe for a cat that is going to be spoiling for a fight quite a lot, whenever there is something they are annoyed with.
I guess Loki was a bit shell shocked with the move, but is now more confident and into his stride and is showing it.

I believe reducing the play is the way to go, let the cat relax, do not become just another play thing, become someone he sees as a relaxing influence. Rather than hype him up, calm him down.
If he is getting overexcited or unhappy, stop what you are doing immediately and walk away, do not ramp up the situation with screaming or running or shouting, or attempt to defuse the situation by escalating the play. Play may tire him out, but he has learned nothing.
Some Bengals enjoy the excitement and the chaos of screaming, running, shouting and the escalated play and will thus be rewarded for the bad behaviour. "This is fun mum/dad, can we do that again..."

What I do is use my stern "that's enough" noise and stop interacting.
I do not know what noise you use, but if you do not have one, decide on one between you and use it every time he steps out of line along with the walk away and stop interacting, he will get the message. It doesn't need to be a loud noise just consistent.

Forget mind numbing exercise and never ending chasing play for just now, throw out Da bird and the like in fact I wish they had never been invented as they are often overused by owners and cause so much trouble - calm is your new watchword.
Try to get him some toys and games that make him think, start clicker training, Bengals are intelligent cats, they need stimulation, else they get bored and turn into delinquents.
Small wild cats or outdoor cats do not spend a lot of time chasing things, they find a likely prey site, stake it out and watch and watch and wait, pounce, grab it, play with it for less than 5 minutes and kill it and eat it. Rinse and repeat.
If you want a stressed out, anxiety ridden, potentially aggressive, exhausted adrenaline junkie, then keep going with Da bird.
If you want a calm, friendly, happy cat then throw out the Da bird or the like and learn how to positively interact with your cat.

Elaine, I think the majority of people on here would disagree with your post. You can't lump ALL bengals into one category. They are individual cats with individual personalities and needs. Members come on here seeking help and answers. They already OWN a bengal and it's a little late for advice on owning a bengal as a first-time cat. My Raiden has never ever been aggressive towards me, my husband, or anybody (except another cat). He has never scratched or bitten me. Most bengals are not aggressive. When sudden aggression comes on -- there is a reason behind it.

I think it's very interesting to hear other people view points and I try to take bits of advice from everyone and use what works for my particular kitty. I think with bengals, they are physically different from your average moggie - more muscular, heavier, stronger, bigger claws etc, so when they do normal cat stuff like play and maybe play aggression they can hurt you more than a normal cat would and therefore can get a reputation for aggression. I do agree with the fact they can try and dominate and I saw that behaviour at first from Oscar, he would hold eye contact, get higher than me on the arm of the sofa moving very slowly and get close and stare me out. If he did this I immediately stood up higher than him and pushed him onto the floor. The cat behaviourist who specialised in bengals said you have to be top of the pack but in a calm manner. She also stressed the working of the brain and problem solving games for bengals, putting dry biscuits in a box so they can rip it open etc I am not sure with the Da bird issue as Oscar is not interested in it anyway but cannot see what harm it would do? I totally agree with the not rewarding bad behaviour with play. Oscar, if he wants to play, comes up and claws the arm of the sofa. He has a scratch post right there so it is a totally deliberate ploy to get my attention. I tell him off with a sharp no and walk out of the room. I then leave half an hour or so before I play with him. Sherry, you are right that every cat is different and no one answer works for everyone. Elaine, I would love to know why you think Da bird is bad for cats or do you only think too much play with it is bad? It genuinely fascinates me listening to different views and experiences!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Although taking the majority of junglerose's post there with a pinch of salt, I would like to point out that I am NOT a novice cat owner. I have kept 'moggies' for about 15 years although yes, Loki IS my first Bengal, he has been an entirely new learning curve; showing several behaviours that I have never encountered before (such as the inappropriate urination). I spent several months reading up on Bengal behaviour and truth be told, aggression only popped up very minorly as a concern - often tied in to boredom and lack of stimulation. Hence why we endeavoured to maintain a proactive approach to keeping Loki busy as an indoor cat.

I do agree that walking away from the behaviour is a good idea. This is something I have been doing the last couple of times he has had a strop (and yes, the behaviour is definitely prefaced with a couple of warning signs) and I quite literally get up and walk away, either to another seat or into another room. I use a specific noise as well and will keep with the approach of 'noise and walkaway'.

I would like to reiterate that the reason we use a 'Da Bird' type toy to engage playtime is because this is the ONLY toy he will actually engage with; occasionally we can get him to play with other wand type toys but he loses interest quite quickly. And trust me, we have tried a LOT, including the interactive 'Cat It' toys, various purchased toys of different styles as well as making our own with straws and feathers.

However, I think there is a lot of truth in the fact that as an ex-stud left to his own devices in a pen, a lot of boundaries have never been established - something we have recognised ourselves in some of his behaviour and was even suggested as the primary cause for his inappropriate urination when we first got him.

Recluso, I think you're doing a great job with your kitty! Most people, at one time or another, have a minor (sometimes major) issue with the cat and need to find a solution. What part of the world are you in? I mean, it's HOT right now in Nashville, TN in the States. I'm just wondering if it's cooled off in your area and your little guy is doing better with the aggression! I know you're dealing with it the best that you can. Thanks for being a part of this forum!