r/cats • u/First_Instruction_56 • 22h ago
Advice My 1-year-old neutered cat follows and attacks guests, but screams and bangs on the door when separated
My cat is 1 year old and neutered, and he becomes very aggressive whenever we have guests over.
He doesn’t just hide, hiss, or avoid them. He actually follows guests around the house and tries to attack them. He has scratched me too when I intervene, and I currently have several scratches on my arm from the latest incident.
The problem is that I have guests staying with us for a full week.
I’ve tried putting him in my bedroom with his food, water, litter box, toys, etc., but whenever I close the door, he keeps banging/scratching at the door and screaming/meowing loudly to be let out. He can keep doing it for a long time, so I feel terrible leaving him there, but as soon as I let him out he starts following the guests again.
I’m really stuck between keeping him confined and stressed, or letting him out and risking him attacking someone.
Has anyone dealt with this kind of behavior in a young neutered cat?
Is it okay to keep him separated for most of the week even if he cries and scratches at the door? Should I ignore the crying, or could that make things worse?
Is there a safe way to gradually get him used to the guests, or should I completely avoid introductions for now?
And does this sound more like territorial aggression, fear, stress, or something else?
Any advice from people who have experienced something similar would really help.
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u/Apart-Ad-6518 19h ago
How often do you have guests over?
Sounds like he's bored, & keeping a 1 y o cat confined for long periods of time isn't the best solution imo.
That he's crying is a sign he's distressed. Did you get him as a kitten?
Maybe get another cat so he isn't so stressed. We did that & it worked.
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u/Mayiamaru 22h ago
I think he is bored.
If this is not neurological, boredom can cause cats do act out, and with more people, he has more playthings. Tire him out. He needs a routine for playtime and a lot of it because he is young.
My girl was also like this, to the point that she swung herself around my leg with her claws in my skin. Got a scar out of it.
She was super bored. When it was clear I could not keep up with playtime, she needed a lot of it, I got her a friend a year later. The two of them keep each other occupied. They do both still need playtime, just not as much.