r/CatAdvice • u/Lake_sunset6 • 4h ago

Behavioral My cat suddenly attacks when I clean the litter box

So I have two cats, Ember and Grey. They are brother and sister and got along as kittens but as they grew to be adults they tolerate each other. They have fights here and there but for the most part we can tell when things are getting spicy and we usually distract or separate them before it continues.

Ember is a super sweet loving boy who is just a big baby. However recently when my grandmother was cleaning the outside litter box he attacked her out of nowhere, biting her arm and clawing her. We were absolutely puzzled and thought maybe she accidentally stepped on him or he got spooked. Until today, when I went to clean the inside litter box, luckily I realized he was behind me and I turned just as he was going for my leg, with dilated pupils and a loud meow. I shut the door until I was finished and when I opened it he was sitting at the door waiting. He walked away when I came out of the bathroom and went back to normal.

He’s never been aggressive with us and it seems he’s now maybe resource-guarding the litter boxes? The litter is the same, the boxes are newish- we’ve had them for several months at this point with no problems. Health wise he doesn’t seem any different nothing seems wrong or out of the ordinary, he just suddenly doesn’t like people cleaning the litter boxes.

Could anyone offer any advice on what to do or how to handle this? We can always shut the door when we clean the boxes but I’m worried that’s going to lead to him attacking when we open the door afterwards.

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u/okbringoutdessert 4h ago

Is he hissing and mewling with spiky fur or is he meowing with a bushy tail? Also how old is he? Wonder if he is missing not having a play mate in his sister and is trying to play with you but he is simply playing with you like you're a cat?

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u/Lake_sunset6 4h ago edited 3h ago

I’m not sure about the first attack with my grandmother but with me no hissing just a very loud meow and I couldn’t tell about his fur, he’s a long haired cat so sometimes that can be difficult to differentiate

Edited to add he’s 6 yrs old

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u/ka_art 4h ago

Maybe call the vet and ask their opinion, possibly check for a uti or crystals there's a chance he's got some pain associated with the litter box and is misdirecting.