cat out of his mind

We bought a rescued feline from Pet smart. We took it to the vet and found out they lied about what type of cat he is and how old he is. He is a 3 to 5 year old tom cat. Turns out he was neglected in some way because hes got scars of mites and fleas that ate him up and he is hairless in some areas. But we love him anyway.

Oh and someone cut his whiskers on one side of his face. We have had our cat Rufus for a month now. He is the sweetest cat in the world. King of the house. Sleeps with me and all. I have Children but they are older so he doesn't get tortured by them.lol In fact he loves then bunches. Well 4th of july came and he hid under the bed the whole day. The next day they did more fireworks in the neighborhood and then came a thunderstorm like you wouldn't believe. then came another thunderstorm like you wouldnt believe. So since he didnt want anything to do with us except stay underneath the bed we figured he was just scared. When we tried to get him out he scratched and bit us. Well this morning he came out and woke me up with lots of love. ANd then went and woke my kids up with lots of love. I gave him fresh food and water and a treat and he was still so loveable. THen out of the blue i go to pet him and he starts jumping and hissing and scratches and bites me. I leave him alone the kids go to pet him and he goes crazy again. What is it with this cats mood swings? He lives like a king and has it made. WHy would he bite the hand that feeds him? I dont have a picture of him but he is a neutered declawed in the front black and white tom cat

Reply
Hi
Well lets look at this from your cats point of view. he is between 2 and 5 years old and by the sounds of it had a rough life before you found him. So he has learned to be on his guard all the time and probably will never fully trust a human being again.
So given the fact that he has recently been frightened by the loud noises and that he hasn't been with you for that long. It is not surprising that he is very jumpy still.

Cats cat aggressively through fear, it is a reflex. So if for some reason he didn't see you coming or he felt threatened in some way, that he would try to protect himself.

you have to realize that it is not actually you he is reacting too but through via and life experience and instinct.

My advice would be, give him lots of space and time to calm down. It will take him months if not years to fully relax around you all and may always be on his guard. Also when either you or your children approach him. Make sure you always make your presence known to him before you get too close and touch him/ this will allow him to not be surprised and react with fear and also it will help to build up trust and confidence in him.

There are also some cat calming medications and or sprays which can help a cat settle down into a new home temporarily. It gives them a sort of time out period so that they can get used to things. I have more information about these here
scared-cat.html

Don't worry, i'm sure that now that he has found a loving home that he will eventually calm down. Don't take it personally.

best wishes kate