Zella and The Case of a Sweet Cat with a Fear of Feet
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with a cat named Zella. She’s a sweet, affectionate kitty who loves attention, playing, and running around—until someone walks past her. That’s when everything changes.
Zella lives with her devoted guardian, J, and a new roommate, M. J just wants everyone in the apartment to live harmoniously, but M has become afraid of Zella after being attacked several times. M has even been trapped in the kitchen or bathroom, unable to move because Zella was on the prowl. Anytime Zella sees M, she seems to “snap.” This isn’t an isolated issue—other visitors and even a cat sitter have had similar experiences.
I was intrigued right from the start. When I read the description of Zella’s behavior—“aggression towards strangers”—I had a few ideas of what might be going on. But when I arrived at J and M’s apartment, I had to throw all those ideas out the window and start fresh.
Zella was confined to J’s bedroom when I arrived, which gave me time to speak with J and M without distractions. After hearing how fearful they were, I braced myself for the worst. I sat cross-legged on the floor and had M sit on the couch in the farthest corner. Then I asked J to open the door and let Zella out.
What happened next was completely unexpected.
Zella calmly sauntered out of the room and came straight over to me. I offered her my hand to sniff, and she accepted it happily, even initiating a head rub. Wait—this is the vicious cat that attacks everyone? I was confused. As I sat there scratching her head, she purred and got comfortable on the rug. She seemed perfectly content.
As I continued to gather Zella’s history, she lazily got up and approached M. Following my instructions, M held out her hand for Zella to sniff. Zella gave it a quick sniff and returned to her spot on the rug, purring and enjoying some head scratches from me. I even pulled out a string toy for her to play with, which she liked, and gave her a few treats. She rolled around in catnip, completely relaxed.
I couldn’t believe this was the same cat everyone had described. She was sweet, calm, and friendly—no signs of aggression at all.
As I continued asking questions, J explained how she had adopted Zella from a shelter where she volunteered. Zella had been surrendered due to aggression towards her previous guardians, but during her time at the shelter, she showed no signs of aggression. Even during vet visits, she behaved like a perfectly normal cat. When J brought her home, things started off well. Zella bonded with her, slept in her bed, and was overall pleasant. But as soon as J started having guests over, Zella’s behavior took a turn. She attacked anyone new and even struggled to adjust to J’s boyfriend, although she eventually warmed up to him. The real trouble started when they moved into a new apartment and M became her new roommate.
M had never owned a cat before, though she wasn’t afraid of other cats she’d met. We talked about her fear of Zella, how she interacts with her, and the importance of reading a cat’s body language to predict potential attacks.
All the while, Zella remained relaxed on the rug, purring.
Determined to see the aggressive behavior for myself, I asked M to walk across the room toward the door. That’s when it happened—like a switch flipped. Out of nowhere, Zella lunged at M, yowling, scratching, and trying to bite. M quickly made it to her bedroom and closed the door, but it was a full-blown attack.
Once M was safely in her room, Zella calmly walked back to me and then, without warning, attacked my feet. I had shifted my position to try to slow the attack on M, and my feet were now exposed. I quickly hid my feet, and just like that, Zella went back to lounging on the rug, as if nothing had happened.
After another round of questions, it became clear: Zella has a fear of feet!
Here’s the plan we’ve put in place to help Zella and M:
Keep Zella and M separated for now. It’s not ideal in the long term, but until we can work through her triggers, we need to ensure everyone’s safety.
Increase Zella’s Prozac. She had just started the medication a week before, and it hadn’t had time to fully take effect. The vet agreed to monitor her and consider upping the dosage if necessary.
Introduce a harness and leash. The idea is to let Zella out under controlled circumstances so she can’t attack M, while also starting the process of desensitizing her to feet and helping M feel more comfortable around Zella. Cats are incredibly perceptive, and Zella likely senses M’s fear.
Screen for Feline Hyperesthesia. I noticed Zella’s pupils were dilated even when she seemed calm, which threw me off since it’s usually a sign of agitation. Combined with J’s reports that Zella gets overstimulated easily, I suspect she might have Feline Hyperesthesia, a condition that could explain her aggressive outbursts. The vet will look into it.
With time and patience, we hope to help Zella feel less fearful and reactive so she and M can live together peacefully.
*This case is ongoing; updates to follow.
