7 Year Old Cat - Attacks Me Every Evening

[gabby]

Hello,
I rescued a cat 7 years ago. Ed got adopted twice then given back because of his unprovoked agression. He has been to the vet and nothing is physically wrong with him. He is lovable and affectionate, but tempermental.

He attacks me almost every day. This has been going on for as long as I've had him; however, when i lived with my boyfriend, he never attacked him. It usually happens at night when i go up the steps to bed. He will bite my legs and i have to jump into bed or he'll get me again. And he bites HARD, very hard.

A year ago, someone dumped at cat on my porch. Extremely lovable fellow, easy going temperament and Ed got along with him. I named him Little Man. Ed and Little Man play, but Ed also gets very agressive to the point where Little Man cries. Now Little Man takes the brunt of the attacks. A week ago i found blood on my pillow case and blood in the food bowl. I believe Little Man got attacked really badly when I wasn't home.

I just am so tired. I cannot afford to put Ed on medication and I don't want to do that. I've been losing my temper more and more and that's not good for either of them. Someone suggest buying a nice big cage with various levels to put Ed in when he gets out of control. Any thoughts on that? I'm at my wit's end.
Many thanks

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Were you able to check Little Man over? Bites can get infected, be really sure and watch him. I would suggest you keep Ed in his own room, or keep Little Man contained away from Ed.

This behavior of Ed's need to be dealt with before it really escalates.

Cat Aggression Toward People

Maybe there's something here;

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Financial Aid for Pets

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

 

[ArtNJ]

Yes, as usual Furballsmom zeroes in on the key point. That much blood means a good chance of a bite wound if you don't see visible scratch wounds, and bite wounds get infected and lead to big vet bills. You have to part fur to look. Keep in mind, that sometimes only one fang gets in. One small wound that looks like a nail puncture might well be a bite wound. If you take to the vet early, you can save big dollars later. After two $500 procedures to drain abscesses, I have never minded the cost of vet visits for any of my cats to check questionable wounds. Bite wounds go from invisible if you don't part the fur to a nickel sized area without fur and a hard puss filled abscess very quickly, so you really can't wait and hope to catch it when it is a little infected.

As far as the cat attacking your legs mostly at night while your going up the stairs unprovoked, that sounds like misguided play-hunting (assuming no hissing/growling). Have you tried playing with the cat shortly before the usual time of the attacks? What do you do during the attacks / to stop them?

 

[gabby]

Hello

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I'll follow through on them. I've checked Little Man all over and found one scab on his front leg. I will watch it. Separating them didnt enter my mind. I guess in my mind that would be punishing Ed, but my bedroom has windows so that might be nice for him. I do play with him, but I don't think it is enough. He is very high energy and I only have so much time. I've just recently entertained that maybe he needs a family that can dedicate more time to his play. More people to share the responsibility. Because of his temperament, he is hard to place. I'll try implementing play time before bed if it doesn't overstimulate him.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go with your situation and how your efforts work with Ed .