Do I need to rehome my cat? I am at a loss at this point...

sabian

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It sounds like something has triggered this. It's just odd that for 3 years they got along and bam out of the blue it starts. It could be anything from inner ear or tooth abscess like CatladyJan CatladyJan brought up, something neurological, or possibly a brain tumor. I think I would do whatever test that can eliminate the most causes at one time. Whether that be a ultra sound, x-rays, etc. You may want to think about going to an emergency vet at this point too. They're just more experienced than most vets with testing and things of that nature. I'm just curious if you have any cat trees in the house and, has anything changed in or around the house that could have triggered this? In my experience blood test tell you very little most of the time. I had a cat that was pretty much eat up with cancer and his blood test were fine a week before he past away.
 

sabian

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I said Emergency vet but I probably should have said referral clinic. Actually I think they're the same thing. I'm pretty sure they can do CT scans and MRI's too.
 
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Jessica_Merlin_Meep

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But, do make sure they also did (or, will do) a Chemistry Profile which could identify some sort of chemical/enzyme imbalance. I don't know what would necessarily cause aggression from that perspective, but it is certainly something to discuss with the vet.

Also, not all calming products work on all cats, so Meep may not be impacted by Feliway or the calming collar. There are other calming products you could try, just do an internet search on 'cat calming products' to see if there are some others you might want to buy. I know it doesn't sound like it might work, but have you considered cat music? It might help to drown out other noises that could spook him. It could even help to desensitize him to other noises. Courtesy of @Furballsmom: there's Cat In My Arms on spotify and elsewhere, youtube has hours-long compilations of relaxing cat music, and there's also RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats.

Is there any chance an outdoor cat is upsetting Meep? Cats can sense them, even if we can't.

Maybe some information in this article to talk with your vet about?
The Neurologic Evaluation in Cats - Cat Owners - Veterinary Manual (msdvetmanual.com)
Hi there. I will ask my get tomorrow about
J Jessica_Merlin_Meep not sure if you saw this but it’s worth checking dental and ENT
Oh no I did not. Okay good idea!
 

lmdisalle

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Yes right now little Meep is on Gabapentin, but my vet some some cats it works awesome and some it has no effect. They suggested Prozac after that. I hope it doesn’t take that long but I feel like at month 3 we have made no progress. It felt like we had done so well too! They had no problem pawing at each other at the wire gate and watching each other every now and then.
Hi!! I just recently put my 4 year old on Prozac for redirected aggression- it has been only 6 weeks, and we are still in the process of adjustment, but I really do believe it has helped!! I was so worried that it would be a hassle to give to her, but we have a system in place now. I got a pill gun off of amazon, put the bitten prosac pills inside glycerin pills, and roll them in butter.

it took me SO long accept the fact that she just needs a little medical help. Gabbapentin sedates her, and she just needs a little help with her serotonin levels.
 
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Jessica_Merlin_Meep

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Hi!! I just recently put my 4 year old on Prozac for redirected aggression- it has been only 6 weeks, and we are still in the process of adjustment, but I really do believe it has helped!! I was so worried that it would be a hassle to give to her, but we have a system in place now. I got a pill gun off of amazon, put the bitten prosac pills inside glycerin pills, and roll them in butter.

it took me SO long accept the fact that she just needs a little medical help. Gabbapentin sedates her, and she just needs a little help with her serotonin levels.
That’s really encouraging to hear! I hope it works out for my kitty just as well ❤
 

lmdisalle

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That’s really encouraging to hear! I hope it works out for my kitty just as well ❤
The only advice I have, is be patient with the adjustment process. It takes like 8 weeks. We are still in the midst of that time, and some days it hurts my heart to see my precious baby not act like herself... just have to keep going!!
 

fionasmom

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I agree that if there is any chance that Prozac would work, you might have to give it enough time to kick in so to speak.

As for neurological testing....before you agree to any of it, if it does indeed get that far, have a long talk with the vet about the most effective for your money and try to find out if the vet has enough experience in that area to know what he is doing. I do think that if you get to that point you should find a referral clinic with a specialist. If the only procedure they want to do, which is unlikely, is a myelogram make sure to discuss it with them as that procedure has had negative effects in dogs with neurological conditions. Personally, I don't think that is the one they would pull out of the hat.

I really hope that it does not go that far and that the Prozac might work.
 
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Jessica_Merlin_Meep

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Okay update. Meep has seen the vet. The bloodwork they did about a month ago was a full comprehensive screening. It tested everything. Ruled out UTI and thyroid. She said it covered all basis for almost all body functions. She suggested putting BOTH cats on Prozac but I don’t want to put Merlin on it when he isn’t the problem. She also said this last attack seemed like a “resource guarding” problem, like he was fighting for food, which makes no sense because these cats have eaten together their entire lives together and have never had a resource guarding issue. It doesn’t make sense that this would pop up right now.
 
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Jessica_Merlin_Meep

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She suggested other ways to create positive associations in the same space together. I guess that would come down to playtime but I don’t think either cat would be distracted enough to not pay attention to the obvious perceived threat in the room.
 

fionasmom

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At minimum then I would start the Prozac. I see your concern about putting the non aggressive cat on it but I would go ahead with Meep as a first step and then move on from there if it does not help.
 

lmdisalle

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So I’ll try to make a long story not so long.

I have two male cats, Merlin (7) and Meep (4). Over the last three years since we’ve adopted Meep, they have gotten along great. Until now.

Meep is easily triggered by noises, and redirects aggression when he is spooked. He took it out on Merlin late in September when something fell and crashed to the ground. A huge brawl ensued and they have been separated since.

I feel like we have tried everything. We have gone through the reintroduction process not once or twice, but three times at this point. We have Feliway, Meep has been taking Gabapentin, he has a calming collar on, and we have tried giving them adequate playtime so they aren’t bored.
As of late, they have been able to see each other during the day through a sort of wire door we made. They have been doing great, so we started feeding them in the same room together. They have had maybe 3 good sessions of that until this morning. My husband called me in tears saying the boys were eating together in the same room, and Meep attacked Merlin out of nowhere and without any trigger. My husband had to pin Meep down so that Merlin could escape and Meep shredded my husbands arm. They are separated again.

yall, we have been at this for almost three months. Things aren’t looking better. I’m about to see if I could put Meep on some Prozac because it feels like we walk on eggshells around him. He even tries to get after our dog when the dog isn’t doing anything to him. I’m just scared. I don’t want to give my baby up but I don’t know what to do anymore.
Another thought- what kind of feliway are you using? The diffusers are AMAZING - but buy on amazon (much cheaper).
Also, there are 2 formulas. One for generic cat anxiety; and another for multi cats and helping them to get along
 

sabian

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I agree with fionasmom fionasmom . I wouldn't put Merlin on it he's not the problem. I'm sorry, I just don't put alot of faith in blood test. I still think there's an underlying issue that's triggered this and a referral vet is your best option. For sure keep us informed. I want to know how this turns out.
 
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