Extreme cat aggression

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peagreenboat82

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Hi! I'm new here and was hoping some of you lovely people might have some advice. When my wife walked in the door from work today our cats freaked out for some reason. Our female cat viciously attacked her brother and continued to pursue while he tried to run away. I had to hold him in my arms out of her reach to protect him, and in her continued efforts to attack him, she attacked me (which she's never done before) and drew blood on both my legs through my jeans by biting and scratching. When I ran upstairs with her brother to get safely inside a room, she tried to chase us. When I was safely behind the door with her brother, she then turned and started to attack our other cat. Luckily, my wife was able to corral her into the other bedroom to separate them. I'm now scared to let her back out of the room for fear of her attacking the other cats again. She seems calm now. Has anyone experienced such sudden inexplicable behavior before? What do you recommend?

Backstory:
We have three older cats ( 9 and 11 years old), two of whom were litter mates. The litter mates are a sister and a brother and are 11. They used to be better friends but fight more often now. The other cat is a 9-year-old male. The brother and sister occasionally fight to the point of hair flying and a small amount of blood, but it doesn't happen often, it clears up quickly, and when one tries to run away they don't pursue.

We recently moved to a new house that has a large population of ferral cats outside. When the outdoor cats fight, the sounds freak the indoor cats out and they respond by hiding, growling, or hissing but not fighting each other. We've lived here almost 3 months now and this is the first time we've had this kind of extreme behavior.
 

talkingpeanut

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The first stop would be the vet - you need to make sure nothing is going on with any of your cats health-wise.

You could also get a feliway diffuser to help calm them. She could just be really rattled by the ferals, especially if some are spraying.

Can you keep them separated when you're not there to supervise for now?
 

catsnip404

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Hi!  Welcome to the site!

Oh wow!  There are people here that probably have more expertise than I do in these situations, but I have noticed similar behavior in my cats, however not to this extreme.  I too have ferals nearby, and they feed on my back porch, so sometimes (more so in the past), when my cats see them through the window and get upset, since they can't attack the cat outside, they attack whoever is closest to them.  Kinda like Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Love The One You're With" except it's more like, "And if you can't attack the one you want, honey, attack the one you're with."

It's called redirected or displaced aggression.  I have found that my cats eventually got used to the various ferals coming up, as if they recognized them, and especially since I had started feeding wet food to one cat that started to stick around, which they also received the spoils of (think wet food party), so they associated him with good things.  However, if a brand new cat came up, game was back on again.

As for why this happened when your wife walked in the door, and I'm just guessing off the cuff here, perhaps one of the outside cats sprayed near your door, and as she entered the scent wafted in.  Perhaps using a black light outside at night will show you if there is urine markings near your entryway. Urine will glow florescent yellow.  If you find that's the case, try pressure washing your entry area, or clean it in some way that might eliminate that.  Nature's Miracle is supposed to be good for neutralizing urine.  You can buy a black light for this purpose at the pet store.  If you don't find evidence of that, perhaps there's a medical reason and you should take her to the vet.

If there are no medical reasons, another thing you might try, that I've advised often on here, is Feliway, that Talkingpeanut also advised above.  You had a recent move, which is likely to upset your cats and throw them off balance, and add to that the outdoor cats, which would make them even MORE stressed.  Since I started using Feliway to calm a feral I brought inside, I've noticed my indoor cats have become more "cool" overall with the outdoor cats they see coming up on the back porch.  They are intensely interested, but I don't have the redirected aggression episodes I had seen before.

It would also be great if you could TNR the cats outside (Trap-Neuter-Return) so that you eventually have less cats to deal with, as they won't be making babies.  It would also reduce spraying around your house, which could also solve your problem.  If you want info on that, just ask and we'll be glad to help!  :)
 
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peagreenboat82

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Thanks so much for the tips. Apologies for the delay in my follow up, but there's was actually a second, more severe attack that same night. We've gone to the vet, and I guess my question now is: Is it ethical/safe to rehome an aggressive cat as a barn cat? Explanation below.

After we isolated her in the bedroom, we let everyone calm down for awhile. I was nervous about letting her back out, but in her previous fights with her brother, she was okay after it was over. My wife and I discussed it, and we decided to try letting her back out and then keeping her separated while we were asleep. I feel stupid for making this mistake. She seemed very calm before we released her. Allowed us to pet her and was purring. Within 10 minutes of releasing her, I saw her eyes dilate again (they looked completely black they were so dilated) and she started aggressively trotting toward our third cat (not her brother). I saw her start picking up speed and, although I know better than to interfere in a cat fight, I could sense this attack was going to be bad and I stepped in-between the two cats. She redirected her aggression against me again, and this time I fell on the floor. She was more vicious than I've ever seen her and she attacked my head while my arm covered my face. My left arm is covered in scratches and bites where she drew blood. The only reason I got away from her was because my wife had the presence of mind to put a large blanket over her so that I could get away. She quickly escaped the blanket though and charged the other cat, her brother.

Luckily, we were able to get her into the basement and lock the door. She just wouldn't stop in her attacks. I'm normally not a melodramatic person and am fairly calm, but I have never been so terrified of an animal, especially since it's my own cat. I really thought she might just kill one of the other cats or seriously injure me.

The next morning, I took her breakfast but she ran up the basement steps. I could see her eyes starting to dilate again, her tail was lashing, and she was making similar noises again. I dumped the food on the top step and squeezed out the door. I really hate being this afraid of my own cat who I've loved since she was a baby. I think she could smell the other cat nearby and that might have set her off again. When my wife and I checked on her later together (this time armed with more solid shoes/clothing and a towel to toss on her if necessary), we put the other two cats in the upstairs bedroom so that there was a floor between them. She was much calmer that time and let us pet her again even.

We took her to the vet and the vet doesn't think it's a medical problem. She did say that from the amount of blood she cleaned off Hazel's claws, Hazel would need to "plead the insanity defense if in court," meaning the vet didn't think Hazel was even aware of who she was attacking in particular just that she needed to attack. We've taken Hazel to the vet for aggression repeatedly and have tried various things, including pills, environmental changes, food changes, pheromones, etc. I even tried re-homing her with a family with no other pets thinking she would be happier. But the family returned her to me when she attacked them.

However, her usual attacks have a stopping point. I've never seen anything this extreme where she just wouldn't stop. She's attacked other people too (in fact, my wife is the only other human she's learned to trust so I tell people Hazel chose my wife for me lol), but other than the occasional swipe or bite she's never full out attacked me before. I can only begin to guess this happened because I tried to intervene. I couldn't let her injure the other animals though.

Based on her history, the vet is suggesting we try an ear gel form of cat Prozac as a last ditch effort (Hazel rejected the pills) and to seriously consider euthanasia.

After seeing this level of violence and feeling this terrified of her as her owner, my wife and I are very sadly considering that option. I would feel horrible if she seriously injured another animal or person after this, and I didn't take adequate steps to prevent it. But I really, really, really don't want to euthanize her if I don't have to. She can be a very loving cat. A friend suggested I try re-homing her as a barn cat. If that is a reasonable solution and someone will take her, maybe she'd be happier. But, is it ethical/safe to 1) re-home a cat with this level of aggression even if the cat is a barn cat? 2) re-home an indoor only cat as an outdoor cat (with proper shelter/food of course)?

Thanks for any advice and sorry this is so long. My heart is breaking over this.
 
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peagreenboat82

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I should have noted she does have a history of fighting her brother cat, but she didn't seem to be triggered by the outdoor cats in particular previously that I knew of. Sorry if that was confusing!
 

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I keep wondering if there could be a brain tumor or something going on. Unfortunately I don't think it is ethical to place her outside. There is no telling how much harm she could cause to herself or others. Euthanasia may be the kindest option.
 

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Catsnip makes some excellent points about the feral cats outside. They might be the ultimate source of the problem. What steps have you taken to address them? Repellents outside the house, deodorizing all the spraying, blurring the window panes so your cat can't see them, TNR? Don't consider euthanasia until you have considered this issue.
 

cinqchats

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Thanks so much for the tips. Apologies for the delay in my follow up, but there's was actually a second, more severe attack that same night. We've gone to the vet, and I guess my question now is: Is it ethical/safe to rehome an aggressive cat as a barn cat? Explanation below.
 
Please don't, cats adjust so slowly to new homes as it is. Adjusting to living life outside as a barn cat, around feral cats that are already setting off her displaced aggression? That's like throwing her into the fire.

It's not her fault all those feral cats are outside and freaking her out to the point where she indiscriminately attacks things. First move I'd suggest (I think you've already done by moving her to the basement) is to put her in a place away from your other cats and the ferals. Contain the situation, then get yourself that fluoxetine and a behavioral consultant. Also some thick leather welding gloves. 
 
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peagreenboat82

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Those are definitely excellent points. I was upset when I posted my OP though and didn't give very clear background information. Her aggression started way before we moved to a place with feral cats nearby and has been increasing over time. It's just never been this drastic before. We moved here about 3 months ago, and she seemed to tolerate the move fairly well. And we moved them directly into a room that was set up for them with their own scents and things to keep them comfortable before giving them their freedom in the new home.

I think the feral cats very well might have set off the drastic level of aggression. The problem is there is a very large feral cat population around us, and we can't prevent her from hearing the cat fights. We're in the city, so we can certainly trap and spay/neuter but that will take time, there's a large population as it is, and being the city more might just take their place. We also have a large number of windows so it would be impractical to try to cover them all and we certainly can't keep her in the basement forever. That wouldn't be good for her either. :/ We can definitely try deodorizing any markings, but with this level of aggression, how can I know for sure that someone isn't going to accidentally walk in with a certain scent on their clothing or let something waft in that will set her off? I've been with her for 10 years and have a high tolerance for her unpredictable biting and scratching, but after this even I feel terrified of her which makes me feel awful because I do love her still.

Do you have any thoughts on the barn cat thing? If it would truly be a sanctuary for her, it could be a wonderful idea. But I'm afraid it would actually be a poor solution for a cat that's been indoors her whole life and I wouldn't want her to injure her new family.
 
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peagreenboat82

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I feel like I can't think straight I'm so upset about this whole thing. I have so much history with this cat.

I completely missed talking peanut and cinqchat's responses. We unfortunately already tried the pill form of cat Prozac before and it didn't work out. The vet has now prescribed an ear gel version of it that we didn't know existed before. We're hoping to give it a chance, but I'm not sure how we can trust her after this level of aggression and we can't keep them separated forever in our current environments. We're definitely considering all options though. I wouldn't resort to euthanasia lightly by any means.

Thanks for your feedback on the barn cat scenario. I think you are right unfortunately. Rather than being a sanctuary, it might actually just be that much more distressing to her and could impact the safety of others.

A cat behaviorist isn't exactly in our budget unfortunately or I would have gone that route a while ago. I've tried quite a few things I had looked up online and did the best I could though given what I had. I feel really bad for her. As much as I'm terrified of her right now, I know it's not her fault. :(
 

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Wow, I can imagine it must have been terrifying and traumatic, but I think it's wonderful that you came here asking for advice before simply euthanizing her.  Good to hear that medical causes have been ruled out, unless perhaps there's something unseen such as a brain tumor as one person suggested.

So it sounds like she's always been a little aggressive but something the other day tipped the scales.  I do have a feeling that it has to do with the ferals marking outside, because the first attack happened when when your wife came in through the door.  It could be that the door itself had been freshly sprayed, so the scent was practically inside the house and strong when the door was opened, which might not have been the case previously.

I would first go get a Feliway diffuser at PetSmart or Petco right away, and plug that in in the basement with her.  Depending on the size of your house, you might need more than one but you can order them online cheaper.  I would just go buy the first one in the store in the meantime to get her started on it immediately.  The Feliway says it can take up to 30 days, but I noticed dramatic results with a semi-feral I'm rehabbing in my bedroom within 24 hours.

While you're there, pick up a blacklight and a large jug of Nature's Miracle (if it turns out you don't need it, you can return it, but I suspect you'll need it--if you're hearing cat fights outside your house, it would be a safe bet to assume they are also spraying to mark the territory they are fighting over).  You'll probably need to buy batteries for the blacklight.

Tonight when it gets dark, turn off your porch light and go outside with the blacklight and check around the entryway of your home (door, moldings, exterior walls, porch railings, steps, bushes and other vegetation, etc -- everywhere) for any glowing fluorescent yellow areas.  Hopefully it's not too lit up outside your house, as it needs to be as dark as possible, but do the best you can regardless.  You need to hold the blacklight fairly close to these surfaces, especially if there's some ambient lighting in the area of your home.  I would check the whole exterior of your house, but the entryway area seems likely to be a priority spot.  Spray any glowing areas with Nature's Miracle and allow it to sit.  The next day, pressure wash or scrub all areas that had been marked.

This will address the immediate cause (assuming this is the cause), but the long-term solution would be to contact a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) group in your area.  I saw on your post that you lived in Philadelphia.  Here's a webpage listing a variety of organizations in your area that can assist with TNR:

http://phillycats.autumnheart.net/?page_id=98

It might take some time, but some organizations will help do "mass trapping" where they will pick up a bunch at once.  Depending on how many there are, it might take a few weeks to a few months to get all of them I would guess.  But it would cut back on spraying around your house and the sound of cat fights outside--neutered cats have no need to fight over females or territory, etc.  It also helps the cats outside live longer better, lives and will prevent hundreds of kittens from dying miserable deaths, or living to a miserable adulthood to only continue the cycle.

I understand your concern that the effort might be futile because more cats just might move in, but that is more likely if cats populations are removed, leaving a vacuum.  TNR returns them to where they live and are familiar with and where they want to stay.  There could be an occasional newcomer, but a stable colony of fixed cats is better than a colony of unfixed ones residing in the area that keep making kittens.

There are also cat behaviorists that can assist you.  Have you ever seen My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy?  Many episodes deal with cat aggression, some caused by outside ferals and some caused for other reasons.  There are full episodes on YouTube that might give you some ideas.

And here's a cat behaviorist that's been on the Today Show:

http://www.thecatbehaviorclinic.com

I don't know anything about her, but she seems to have a lot of testimonials.  There are also likely others in your area.

So there are lots of things you can try before making that heartbreaking irreversible decision of euthanasia.  You really don't want to impose on yourself that all-too-familiar and painful regret of, "Did I make the right decision?  Did I do all I could...?"

I truly feel for you and hate the position you are in, but I do think there's hope.  This just started (on this extreme intolerable level at least) and I think there are steps that can be taken.  If you decide to go to the store, here's your shopping list:

Feliway (or Comfort Zone) Diffuser

Blacklight

Nature's Miracle

Batteries

Keep us posted!  :)
 

catsnip404

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Oh, and as far as rehoming her to a barn, I would advise against that.  I board my horses at a barn and no one would want their children, themselves, their horses, dogs or other cats being attacked.  Even if it's not a horse barn, there could be other ferals already there, or cats getting dumped off, and I agree with the poster that said it would be like throwing Hazel into the fire.  It would be a nightmare for her, and not only could she injure the other cats, but she might become seriously injured herself, and then who would take care of her?  

Sadly, a lot of people (not all, but a lot) don't care for barn cats like we care for our pet cats.  Many just want mousers, and cats that feed on mice and rats are prone to parasites and worms.  And being that she's already older, if she starts suffering from kidney disease or some other ailment, she could go undetected/untreated and suffer a slow agonizing death, because a lot of barn cats don't ever see the vet for checkups.  You might find a barn owner who is willing to do all that, but a lot simply don't.  I'm not trying to be gloomy, but I believe all this to be the case.  At the barn where I board the horses, they don't want us to even FEED the cat.  Of course, a few of us do anyway, and I pay to get her shots yearly out of my own pocket when I get my horses their shots, otherwise it won't happen.

And this is if Hazel even stays at the barn.  Cats have an amazing homing instinct, so there's a good chance, if the new placement isn't handled correctly, that she will try to make her way back to your house and die trying.

Similarly, with that many ferals around your house and her aggression levels towards them, turning her outside is probably not the best option for her either.

But don't let all this get you down, as I said in my other post, there are still other options that might have a happier outcome for all involved.  :D

Please keep us posted!  :)
 

catsnip404

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I just now saw that it seems that you have rejected the barn idea prior to my last post.  I think that's great!

And also read that a cat behaviorist is prohibitively expensive.  However, I would check out those episodes of My Cat From Hell because there might be some tidbits in there that you can apply yourself for free.

I really am wishing for the best outcome for you.  I know this is breaking your heart as much as it would mine given the same scenario.  And I do think if you can get the aggression under control, you will build trust again in time.  :)
 
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peagreenboat82

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Thank you all for the support and excellent tips. It's really difficult to give this as my update, but my wife and I talked long and seriously about our options and the associated risks, and we think we are going to have to euthanize her. I really hate writing these words.

We can't try rehoming her again after this level of aggression. The risk of her harming others is too high. We also don't have anyway to provide her with a separate, reasonable place to live in our house. She can't live in the basement forever and is quite sad in there already, meowing at the door.

I have pretty bad allergies and unfortunately developed a cat allergy after my two cats (Hazel and her brother Phantom) were adults. I also have allergic asthma. I decided to keep the cats anyway and avoid rehoming them if I could, but for my own health I have to keep the cats completely out of the bedroom where I sleep. My two cats have lived with this scenario for most of their lives so it's nothing new. My wife already had a cat (Scouty) too when we moved in together. So we have three cats total, which isn't exactly the best scenario for someone with allergic asthma but all our cats are older and we didn't want to rehome them if we could avoid it.

I also work from home and have my own business, so the cats also can't go in my office where I spend a good chunk of my day. So that's two of the three bedrooms the cats absolutely can't use. My wife snores, and part of the reason we moved to this house was so that we would have an additional bedroom for sleeping when the snoring was worse. We already spent a very sleepless year of us switching back and forth with one of us in the bed and the other on an air mattress, which wasn't a good situation for either of us. The cats currently have free access to that third bedroom, but my wife would not feel comfortable sleeping in there with Hazel now that Hazel has demonstrated such extreme violence so it's not like we could turn the third bedroom into a space to separate Hazel. It's also just not a very big room anyway. The basement is carpeted and sort of finished but it's very dark and gloomy and it's not heated. It's not that cold here yet, but it will be and it could be soon. It's no place to leave a cat indefinitely. It was just the easiest place to corral her during the incident.

The welding gloves are a great idea, but she attacked everywhere. For her previous attacks, I'd say the gloves would be helpful. But both my legs are currently covered in bite marks and scratches, some of them fairly deep, and that happened while I was wearing jeans. My left arm from wrist to shoulder is covered with long scratches and bites. My face and head could have been covered with them if I hadn't been able to fend her off with my arm before my wife covered Hazel with the blanket. She also drew blood from my cat Phantom and with that level of rage very well could have killed him if I hadn't intervened. He wasn't even fighting back. She had never attacked Scouty before (only Phantom). I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't intervened there. Scouty is a much bigger cat, and I doubt I would have been able to pry them apart. Phantom is like half Hazel's size.

Hazel has tried various pheromone treatments, Prozac, and even Xanax before to treat her aggression (obviously the Xanax was meant to be temporary). We can try this other form of Prozac, but I don't think my wife and I would ever feel comfortable leaving the cats together alone after this. Even if she seemed to improve, there's no real way to test things without a huge risk. Her behavior has often been very unpredictable.

To be honest, I'm so shaken up, I don't think I'd feel comfortable leaving them together even with me in the house after seeing how badly things can go. I don't know what I would have done if my wife hadn't been there with me.

And what if someone else walked in our door, or one of our friend's kids, and they had a scent on them that Hazel didn't like? If she attacked them like she attacked me, I don't know how I could live with myself if they were seriously injured. People have complained to me about Hazel for years now, and I kept defending her and trying things, but this drastic increase is not something we think we're capable of managing and working around. It is not at all her fault. She doesn't know what she's doing. But that also means we can't exactly reason with her. :/

I definitely think we should still TNR as we can and deodorize any markings on our house and such. We just don't think that will be enough for our situation with Hazel. It may help our other two cats feel better though.

Tonight, we tried giving Hazel "yard time" out of the basement so that she could roam the kitchen, living room, and dining room while the other two cats were locked in the upstairs bedroom. My poor Hazel was trembling like a leaf. She rolled over on her back and her front paws were visibly trembling. She was obviously on high alert and kept darting around. We've noticed her ears turn bright red when she's agitated, and they were red the whole time.

In an earlier instance, we were in the basement with her with the other two cats locked in the upstairs bedroom. So there was the entire first floor between them. She started lashing her tail again, her eyes dilated again, and she was generally acting agitated and hyper darting around. We both left before she got more agitated.

It is a truly terrible thing deciding to euthanize a beloved pet for aggression. I don't think there's any scenario where I won't wonder if I couldn't do more. This would be much easier if she had terminal cancer, and we knew she was going to die anyway but we were easing her pain. But she could still live 5 or more years. This just really truly feels shitty. But my wife put it well when she said, "well. If I were Spock and put emotions aside, logically this is the right decision." It does seem to be, but I just feel really bad for my kitty and will greatly miss her. She has the most beautiful vocalizations. She makes these little chirping sounds when she's looking for us.

This is a long post, but I really appreciate being able to share this process with you all.
 

kittyluv387

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So sorry to hear. It sounds like it might be biological. Like something is seriously messed up in her brain somewhere. :(
 

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Hugs, peagreen!

It's sad, and I'm sure you are both heartbroken.  Just the fact that you came here seeking advice shows how much you love her and really wanted it to end differently.  I would truly hate to be in your position.  But it sounds like you reasoned it through together and it's not something being done out of being angry with her.  You need to do what makes the most sense for your situation.  You provided her a loving home, despite your allergic asthma, for about 10 years, and perhaps you can think of this as a medical condition that you would be easing her from and that you can do no more to treat reasonably with the hope of a successful outcome due to all of the factors involved.  You said you let her roam in the house again and she was visibly agitated, and that can't possibly be a happy way for her to exist.  I'm so sorry.  :(

I do know how it feels.  My boyfriend (at the time) and I saw an ad for a free purebred Alaskan Malamute.  He was gorgeous!  The "free" part should have been our first clue, but nothing seemed amiss when we went to meet Bear, so we took him home.  But we quickly learned he had dominance issues.  I could sit on the floor with him licking my face, and that was fine.  And he loved to play and cuddle.  But he did NOT like the word "no", and if you needed him to get off the couch or off the bed or out of the car and he didn't want to, the battle was on.  The first time, he drew blood on my boyfriend, so after that, any time we knew there was going to be a battle, we'd don heavy winter jackets, leather gloves and paintball masks.  Not a way to live.  I consulted with dog behaviorists, and tried to find a solution to this for about a month, since otherwise he was a really cool dog.

However, we hit the breaking point.  My boyfriend worked 3rd shift, and I was home alone with Bear one night and he was doing something where I had to tell him "no" and he came running at me from the kitchen.  But I saw him coming, and instead of running I braced myself, and when he jumped up I kneed him as hard as I could in the chest and knocked him to the floor and screamed at him to "GO LAY DOWN!!!"  And thankfully he did, but my God, what if he didn't?  Or what if I didn't see him coming?  Or turned and ran?  He was about 90 pounds and my boyfriend could have come home in the morning to find my half-eaten remains scattered throughout the apartment!  I won that battle that night, but what about the next night?

The next day I called the previous owners and they agreed to take him back.  They admitted it was their fault, because when he was a puppy they'd play rough with him, and when he bit or growled, they thought it was so cute and gave him treats, not considering the fact that they were creating a "monster".  And as he started getting bigger, it wasn't so cute anymore, and the dog started to bully them and get his way, and to appease him, they'd give him more treats to get him to do what they want.

I told them what happened and that I was pretty annoyed that they didn't reveal this in the beginning, as the dog could very well have killed me.  But I guess it never got *quite* that bad for them because they knew better than to challenge him in a dominance contest.  The dog pretty much dictated their relationship with him and they tiptoed around him.

They did come pick him up, and few days later called back to say they decided it was best to put him down.  Everyone was sad about it, because especially in this case, it really was their fault for raising him this way, not Bear's, but the situation was what it was, and the behavior was so ingrained that I don't think there was any fixing it.  Did I try a dog trainer?  Other than speaking with them on the phone, no.  I couldn't afford it, and really, I don't know that I would ever have been 100% comfortable being alone with him again as he literally could kill me.  It broke my heart, but he was just too dangerous.

So with all this said, I feel for you because I've been in the situation where you just have to throw in the towel, and it sucks.  The difference here is that, unlike Bear's situation, this is not your fault.  Something has just clearly gone wrong.  I know you both will grieve for her as I did for Bear, and I wish you comfort.

Lastly, please keep a close eye on your bite wounds.  Cat bites are particularly prone to nasty infections.

https://www.minnpost.com/second-opi...can-cause-serious-infections-mayo-study-finds
 
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icoele

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What a horrible situation. You've been through a lot recently, I can tell. As one person suggested, have you watched My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy? Episodes can be found on YouTube, and if you can figure out how, as a last-ditch effort I might even try getting him to help you. I think you can just submit a form here. Whatever you choose, euthanasia or one more shot, you did the right thing for your kitty.
 

catsnip404

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What a horrible situation. You've been through a lot recently, I can tell. As one person suggested, have you watched My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy? Episodes can be found on YouTube, and if you can figure out how, as a last-ditch effort I might even try getting him to help you. I think you can just submit a form here. Whatever you choose, euthanasia or one more shot, you did the right thing for your kitty.
Yes, Jackson Galaxy is really amazing and it's hard to believe the difference in those cats, some of which had those behaviors for a long time.  It would be really cool if he could help Hazel.
 

cinqchats

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I don't blame you for your decision, this is a really tough case and in the end your kitty isn't happy. No one is happy in this situation. Someone else said it too but it really does sound like something in her brain is not wired correctly or is going on the fritz. 
 
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peagreenboat82

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Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions, kind comments, and listening ear everyone. It's definitely helped having a place to discuss this with other cat lovers and not feel so alone in it.

The Jackson Galaxy My Cat from Hell show and tips are awesome, and I've definitely checked them out before. I'm trying to take some comfort in the fact I've given her the best life I could for as long as I could.

Icoele, you're right to sense I've been through a lot recently. Very intuitive of you. It's been tough, and the last thing I want to do is give up on my kitty right now. But, it does seem to be the necessary option right now.

I agree that something just does not seem right with poor Hazel. I do wonder if she has some kind of neurological issue or something. In looking at the Jackson Galaxy website again, I found this comment that really resonated. I wonder if Hazel has something like hyperesthesia syndrome like the 911 cat Lux. Perhaps she's actually in pain. She does self-mutilate and behaves similar to the description. Either way, this is no way for her to live.

 
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