Aggressive cat

[caroline8]

Hi everyone!  I'm here seeking some advice from you wonderful people who might have some ideas for my family and I.  

I am the owner of a wonderful 12-13 year old male rescue cat ("kit") and a 7 year old rescue dog "flo"  (she's small, smaller than my cat).  My boyfriend and I have had the cat about 3+ years and the dog just joined the home in September 2014.  

Our cat's behavior was great with the dog for about 1.5 months.  After that point we began to notice increasingly aggressive behavior around the dog.  Thankfully, the dog leaves the cat alone and avoids him the best she can.  She ignores the aggressive behavior, but I feel bad for both of the animals because it's not ideal for either of them.  The dog is terrified and the cat is constantly upset.  If the dog is walking by in the same room as kit, he will come after her from across the room to slap at her (he's declawed), growl, hiss, etc.  I'm worried that one day, the dog will reach the end of her patient rope and will snap right back at the cat.

We're ordering some pheromone diffusers and are following up with our vet this week as the behaviors have not improved over the past couple months.   We've already tried water herbal calming supplements.  If any of you have had a similar experience and can give me some advice I would really appreciate it.  I don't know how long I can deal with this animal drama.    

Thanks

 

[jiskefet]

Have you noticed any other changes in behaviour in either of them, especially in the cat?

And did this aggression start suddenly, or did it build up gradually?

Best have him checked over by the vet, as aggression may be a symptom of some disease. Cats do not show pain or discomfort as such, as it makes them vulnerable towards other cats or predators, but it will influence their mood, so they may well act out due to their feeling poorly.

If the aggression started suddenly, there is also the possibility Kit got spooked by something, maybe even some scary noise outdoors, and because the dog was near at the time, he is now associating the dog with that scare, and seeing her as a threat. If that is the case, you need to re-introcuce them to each other. You might wish tto consult an animal behaviourist for the best way to do so.

Jackson Galaxy had a case like this in My Cat from Hell, where the cat suddenly got aggressive towards a dog. Fortunately, the son had seen they had been in the garden together when the cat got spooked by a noise, so Jackson was able to figure out the cat attributed this scare to the dog's presence and had turned aggressive towards the 'culprit'.