Help Training My Cat?

Question

I have 4 different problems with my cat.

1) He doesn't meow when he is hungry, but he gets really lovable and as soon as you get up to move he MEOWS to the point it's really annoying and he won't stop tell he starts to eat. Is there a good way to stop this meowing?

2) He won't wait till I pour the food all the way out to eat. He starts to eat it as I am pouring it out and even shoves his face into the bag while I'm pouring it. Is there a way to train him to not do this?

3) I have a litter box, but I live in a one bedroom apartment and it stinks like crazy! I would love to be able to teach him to be able to tell me he needs to go outside and put it out on the balcony so it won't smell the whole entire apartment up.

Before I do this last one I have to say this. He is/was a stray. I don't know how old he is. He didn't take long to trust me, but he was a stray so he has his aggressive times, but the problem is the longer I have him the worse and meaner he gets.

4) He will be purring and lovable then all the sudden he will attack my hand and hiss. I can't touch him "wrong" or he gets mad and attacks me, then goes straight back to being lovable until I touch him in a way he doesn't like. There have been times that I just had my hand laying by him and he got mad and started attacking it. This is what has been making me want to get rid of him, but I would love to keep him around so I'm not lonely when my partner's at work, and I don't want to have to throw him out because then I will feel bad. Is there a way to teach him not to attack?

Answer 1

Rescued strays often exhibit food anxiety of one form or another.

1) Stop feeding in the morning, so he doesn't think waking you will get him food sooner.

2) Pick up the bowl to refill it. Problem solved.

3) That solution is unlikely to work. Filling the litter box deeper so he can bury more effectively, getting an absorbent/clumping cat litter and cleaning it on a daily basis, using a covered cat box if your cat will accept it (most will), all help. Sometimes what you are feeding the cat also matters, and the cat's health may; consider asking your vet.

4) Common behavior, especially for ex-feral. Over time you will learn the signals that he is getting over-excited and should be allowed to rest; over time he may learn to trust you more and sit still for longer petting sessions. Or he may not; I knew a cat who never entirely trusted humans.

Reminder: Rolling over to expose the belly is "I trust you not to attack me", and unless the cat really trusts you, reaching in to rub the belly may provoke a "hey, no, don't be rude!" reaction. Keep your hands in places the cat tells you are acceptable, at least for now, unless you have a specific need like trimming claws.

Answer 2

Cats meow when they think food is coming or they are hungry. Not much you can do about it. Make sure you only feed the cat at a specific time. If the cat gets the idea they can cause you to feed them by meowing, then they will meow constantly. Never let it get to you. I deal with it by going into my study and closing the door.

Don't fill bowls with the cat there. Fill the bowl in a secure location and put it down. You can train a cat to stand down from jumping for food, but you have to be EXTREMELY patient, because cats learn a lot slower than dogs. You could easily be there for an hour every day, waiting for him to stand down. One of my cats was getting too pushy, so I would not feed him until he got off the food stand. He learned that eventually but it took a LONG time.

If you use a large, covered litter box it can help. Cat excrement stinks. Get used to it.

Male cats will bite unless they are trained from kitten (6 weeks old) to be cuddled. Since you got a mature cat, he will bite forever.