The Russian Blue is an intelligent, affectionate, and active cat that constantly keeps her humans entertained.
Normally, this cat is gentle and quiet, and loves to spend time with her owners.
If you’re a Russian Blue Cat owner, you’re well aware of all the amazing traits of this breed. However, you might have noticed that your cat isn’t so nice in certain moments.
What could this be about? Why is my Russian Blue Cat so mean?
Don’t give up on living with this kitty just yet, since there is a good explanation for this type of behavior in her. Actually, there are seven common explanations for why would your Russian Blue act meanly towards you.
Let’s look at them, and explore how you should react.
1. Territorial Aggression
Every cat can get territorial sometimes. Usually, this type of aggression is directed towards other cats, but this doesn’t always have to be the case.
If your Russian Blue Cat has suddenly become mean towards you, this could also be a type of territorial aggression.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals explains how a cat’s aggression towards humans include chasing, swatting, hissing, stalking, and growling. It sometimes can even escalate to biting and scratching.
Russian Blue Cats aren’t an aggressive breed, but there is still a chance that your cat, at some point, might show signs of territorial aggression towards you.
Of course, this is something you need to stop as soon as you notice it. You shouldn’t yell at your cat or punish her, since, by this, you might just increase the chance of your cat’s territorial behavior.
You should be patient, take things slowly, and use positive reinforcement. This means that you should reward your Russian Blue with some tasty treats every time she behaves well.
If your cat continues to be extremely aggressive, you should ask a veterinarian or a professional pet behaviorist for advice.
2. Redirected Aggression
Your Russian Blue being mean to you could also be a form of redirected aggression.
Chapman and Voith [1] explain how redirected aggression in felines refers to them being aroused by other stimuli before attacking humans.
Common triggers for this type of aggression include the presence of another cat, exposure to high-pitched noises, the presence of visitors in the house, unfamiliar odors, and more.
The most important thing to do here is to figure out the exact cause of this type of aggression in your Russian Blue. When you succeed in this, you should do your best for your cat to avoid this stimulus.
If it’s impossible to entirely eliminate these situations from your cat’s surroundings, you should stay away from her until she calms down. To check whether your Russian Blue is back to normal, you should offer her treats or a play toy and observe her reaction.
3. Fear Aggression
Suddenly acting mean towards you could be a sign that your Russian Blue Cat is crying for help, as she might be acting aggressively out of fear.
Russian Blue Cats are very affectionate with their human family, but they can be rather shy around strangers. Therefore, new people and places can make them become fearful. When this cat becomes frightened, she might act aggressively even towards her humans.
To prevent your Russian Blue from being mean due to fear of aggression, you should first recognize the fear trigger in her.
If you are able to do this, and if your cat’s aggression signs are mild, then it’s likely it will be enough just to avoid the trigger that makes her frightened.
However, if things seem to be more serious with your Russian Blue, you should reach out to a veterinarian.
4. Your Russian Blue Is Feeling Neglected
Another potential reason for your Russian Blue Cat to be mean is because she feels like you’re not giving enough attention to her.
In other words, she’s mad at you and might show you this by hissing or growling at you, or even scratching you.
Russian Blues are highly active and intelligent cats, and need to have a lot of interaction with their humans.
Therefore, you should make sure to provide your cat with a play session and socialize with her on a daily basis.
No matter how busy you are, always do your best to find a decent amount of time in your day to spend with your furry friend. Otherwise, she might become mean and manifest destructive behaviors.
Interesting Read: Do Russian Blue Cats Like To Be Held?
5. Separation Anxiety
Although Russian Blues typically can stand to be alone for some time, this is still a breed that thrives on communication and interaction with humans.
Due to this, your Russian Blue might become mean if you spend too much time away from home. This means that she might suffer from separation anxiety.
According to Tipp City Veterinary Hospital, some of the destructive signs of feline separation anxiety are knocking things over, scratching doors and furniture, acting aggressively, and urinating on their owners’ clothes or beds while they’re away from home.
To stop this behavior, an important step here is to enrich your Russian Blue’s environment. Even when you’re away from home, she can still get stimulation if you provide her with, for example, scratching posts and cat trees.
Additionally, puzzle feeders are an excellent way to keep your cat engaged and well-fed in your absence.
Finally, it's crucial that you spend quality time with your cat at home.
If her destructive behavior due to separation anxiety doesn’t seem to decrease, the best would be to consult a vet.
6. Stress
Your Russian Blue suddenly becoming mean towards you could indicate that she’s under stress. She is unable to face this emotion on her own, and this is causing her to act aggressively.
There are plenty of stress triggers in a cat’s environment, such as new family members, visitors, loud noises, veterinary visits, and even the slightest change in their household, such as a change of the place of their litter box.
First thing you should do is try to determine the source of stress for your Russian Blue Cat. If possible, you should eliminate it from your cat’s surroundings.
Also, you should do your best to make your cat feel perfectly safe and protected in your home.
Of course, you shouldn’t force her on anything, but rather give her all the time and space she needs.
7. Health Problems
Finally, a mean Russian Blue could be facing an injury or an underlying medical problem.
When a cat is in pain, she might even try to hide this, but you might notice it by a sudden change in her behavior.
This could mean numerous things, so, you shouldn’t try to guess it. You also shouldn’t force your cat to examine her, because, most likely, she won’t permit you to do this.
Instead, you should call a veterinarian and make an appointment for your Russian Blue. A vet clinic is the place where you will get all the answers and where your furry companion will get the best care possible.
Summary
Why is my Russian Blue Cat so mean?
There are a couple of potential explanations for this behavior – from different types of aggression to underlying health problems.
In some situations, it will be possible to solve this problem on your own. However, some causes might request a veterinary visit.
Regardless of the solution to your problem, I'm confident that your Russian Blue Cat will soon return to being the affectionate and calm companion you're accustomed to having.
References:
[1] Chapman BL, Voith VL. Cat aggression redirected to people: 14 cases (1981-1987). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1990 Mar 15;196(6):947-50. DOI, Retrieved September 7, 2023.
