Hi all
I took in a half-Siamese (about a year old) 10 days ago - his little old lady owner died and he was brought to me by her daughters. . He was castrated/vaccinated/chipped the following day.
The vet explained that it would take from 3-6 weeks for the male hormones to leave his system. In the meantime, however, the cat is trying to mount my leg! Especially when I am in bed and trying to sleep. I can’t shut him out, my apt is completely open-plan. I also don’t want him going out at night as there is a very large stray tom next door and I’d rather my littl’un didn’t get into fights.
Will this behaviour disappear, along with the hormones?
And is there any way I can discourage it in the meantime? (Shaking by the scruff a la mother cat is not working.)
Thanks in advance. Chrissie.
Mine has discovered all those lovely wires that hang down the back of desks… sigh. 
I’m sure he knows!
We have had to replace my son’s mouse for his laptop at least 4 times as our youngest cat, Indi tries to run off with it!
I have one cat that sits on my chair in such a way that I have to share it (uncomfortably!) and another who always lies over the mouse so that it doesn’t work. Do you think he knows its called a mouse…
I work remotely so diary is more a list of things ‘To Do’ and booked phone calls than outside meetings. But yes… work has to take a back seat several times a day for cuddles and playtime.
You can’t win them all Chrissie.
You didn’t need to keep all of those appointments anyway, much better to stay home and cuddle Zorro!!
The water spray worked! I just sprayed the once and he was shocked rather than scared, ie jumped off bed but stayed on the mat - washing furiously! - alongside.
Since then, he’s tried a couple of times but stops, and stays on the bed, the minute my hand stretches towards the spray.
He’s taken to eating my work diary instead rolls eyes !!
Thanks for digging, Lynne. There’s so much info on the web that it’s hard to know where to start sometimes!
He doesn’t seem stressed generally but it could be night-time stress at not being allowed out? I don’t know much about his previous life but I gather he was in during the day and booted out at night, and over the weekends when family members took over from the old lady’s weekday carer.
I’ll certainly keep an eye on him for signs of any physical problems.
Don’t worry… sparing use of spray only, and then only as a last resort. We’re getting along very nicely - he jumps on my lap for a snooze now - and I don’t want to jeopardise that.
I’ve been doing a little digging Chrissie and it seems that this behaviour can be considered a ‘displacement activity’ or coping strategy for something that is stressing your cat.
It could be a sign of another, underlying problem(Apparently, some of these behaviors are an indication of urinary tract problems or other medical problems) so if your vet can’t thrown any light, it may be advisable to consult a cat behaviourist.
I know from experience that although a spray of water deters unwanted cat behaviour, it really isn’t advisable as it only compromises the owner/cat relationship so would not be a good start for you and Zorro. As for the scruff of the neck thing, I’ve never heard of this to deter any unwanted behaviour and can’t imagine what good it could do.
It was the vet that suggested the shaking by the scruff thing, Lynne. Zorro is due for for his booster in 3 weeks so, if mounting hasn’t stopped by then, I shall be asking vet for another solution.
I trawled round a few Siamese websites (he’s only half Siamese by parentage, but wholly Siamese in temperament!) and read that a quick burst of a water spray is recommended for obnoxious behaviour. I shall be going to bed armed with my plant spray tonight!
Re the night time thing… yes, I’m in a tiny 4-house hamlet in the middle of the countryside and completely agree about the need for wildlife to get their share of peace.
Hi Chrissie,
I am not a vet and would be concerned if this behaviour continued for a long period so do advise that you have another chat with your vet - just in case!
All of my cats come to a whistle - eventually (the saying that a dog comes when it is called and the cat takes the message and gets back to you is totally correct!!)
They are all shut in at night time for several reasons. Mainly because I’ve lost a couple on our not very busy road and always early in the morning, but also because it satisfies the need to be friendly to the wildlife around and gives them a chance to enjoy their night-time freedoms.
I thought the ‘feet under the covers’ thing at first, Lynn… but no, it’s most definitely mounting - hanging on with teeth, bottom wiggling and required apparatus on display! My previous cats have all been neutered at 6 months so this behaviour is totally new to me. I can live with it short term but I’m relieved to hear it should lessen.
The reason I was asked to adopt him is that he’d already found his way to me twice so I wasn’t too worried about letting him outdoors once he’d got over his op. He knows where I am! He also comes to a whistle which is handy! I let him out around 9am and he’s free to come and go (and does) till about 5pm and then he’s in for the night, even though he’s not too happy about it. When I talking about shutting him out, I meant out of my bedroom. I can’t…there’s no door.
It’s a little early for the cat to be allowed out on his own yet. if you can keep him in for up to a month then he’s more likely to know where his new home is and not get lost.
Are you sure he is trying to mount your leg? Daft question maybe, but most cats love playing with feet etc under the covers but I’m sure you know the difference! If he’s only a year old, he is probably very playful too.
He should calm down as his hormonal instincts diminish.
If you become more worried, just check with you vet again but normally this behaviour will lessen as the weeks pass.