Heartsick, cat attacked me and I can't part with him!

[huntersmommy]

Hunter lunged at my face after a routine cat fight (his sister got in a plastic bag, freaked out and both of them chased her furiously).  I made some muttered comment, he left a claw in my hand, then sat in front of me.  I asked him gently what was wrong and he lunged at my face, then totally attacked my lower leg.  I had to go to the hospital to have the claw taken out and finger deeply cleansed, if he had bit I would be on antibiotic IV right now, but instead they let me go home with pills. 

Animal Control financed taking him for me.  He has been making weird meowing sounds and his bum stinks, he got bored with his toys, I think he either has a brain tumor or some cognitive disorder.  I can coax my vet to work out a payment plan (as she said before that I should have called her, we are always flat broke) ... I don't want to just have him put down in case it is something simple like ear mites or the squirrels and birds on the balcony and the noisy yelling people around the building that set him off.  I am afraid I missed something.  I am crying my eyes out intermittently, this is my first night without him and he always paws my head so gently to get me to wake up and feed him.  I love him to pieces and just can't let him go.  Please help me because I am utterly torn.

I should have said also, that he scratched a friend and went on weird crazy mode for a few days about a year ago.  The vet saw him in the summer and he checked out fine.  Also, my son and his friend were holed up in their bedroom and I in the bathroom, bleeding and shaking and crying, for a while and he spent the night isolated in my son's bedroom with my son sleeping on the couch.  He did this horrible growling and howling and his brother and sister joined in, they sounded a bit like coyotes, it was freaky and scary and it was very traumatizing to be attacked like that.  But I have seen so many other people on forums who took their cat back after vicious bloody attacks and I do not want to just put him down unnecessarily if he could have kitty Prozac or something and live to a ripe old age.  He is 5 and  a half years old.  :/

 

[gardenandcats]

Not quite sure do you mean animal control took your cat away from you because of attacking you? Sound like your cat might be sick..And I'm sure the sister being caught in a plastic bag and then the cats chasing each other had alot to do with the attack. If you can have your cat back then do so. And work out a payment plan with the vets and have kitty checked out for any illness. then you decide what to do

 

[huntersmommy]

Thanks!  I called animal control because I was in mind mode and figured we could not have a vicious cat around.  It isn't that easy.  I miss him like crazy already.  Thank you for the advice!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

How upsetting for you!!  I agree he needs to be seen by a vet and thoroughly evaluated.  It sounds to me like it could also be redirected aggression because it happened after the other cat was caught up in a bag: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-aggression-toward-people.  The vet really should be your first stop though.  If it is health related and you try to approach this from any other standpoint; it'll be a waste of time.  

Good luck and welcome to TCS!

 

[huntersmommy]

UPDATE:  I told the shelter I am taking him home on the 18th and made a vet appointment for the following Monday.  I also called to check on him and he has not had any more upsets, but is cowering in the back of his cage and overwhelmed, poor baby.  They said it usually takes kitties a couple of days to get used to being there. 

 

[jennyr]

As this is not the first time he has had these upsets, it does sound as if there could be something wrong. He certainly needs a thorough vet check. Redirected aggression is not uncommon, but if it happens often then yes, perhaps he could be better on prozac or similar. Have you tried using Feliway spray or plug-ins - that is 'happy cat pheromones ' that some cats react to very positively, though it does not work with all. Rescue Remedy (obtainable at large pharmacies or online) can help too - I had success with that once, just a few drops in the drinking water. Good luck, you need to sort it out - you would never forgive yourself if he attacked a child who was trying to play with him.

 

[huntersmommy]

He did once, only put one scratch on the person - I was not so lucky.  Thank you for the tip, I had not heard of the spray but will certainly look into it!  All my cats are on edge due to noisy rowdy neighbors near our balcony and I have had to close the window.  Also going to cover the window most of the time so the squirrels and birds don't drive them crazy, break up any fights, and try to calm down the one very frightened and shy female kitty.  Wish I had read more about cats before getting them!

 

[Willowy]

Cats frequently redirect "aggression" (which is usually fear, not true aggression). His sister got stuck and this scared him so he attacked her and then attacked you. It's just kind of a survival thing for cats. I remember one of my first cats, who was a sweet gentle kitty, once got scared of the pump noise from my mom's airbed. I touched her to try to calm her down and she shredded my arm. I learned then to stay away from scared kitties! I would recommend learning his warning signs and just staying away from him when he's showing those signs. Of course a vet visit should be the first thing to make sure it's not physical, and to look into what options there are for stress relief.

If youre worried about guests, put him up before anyone comes over. If you give him lots of treats in his private room, he should look forward to having some alone time.

 

[jennyr]

We all learn more by doing things than by reading. However good your research is, you need practical experience. I got attacked by a feral cat years ago, because I forgot the one thing I knew not to do and looked him straight in the eyes. He was full of adrenaline after a huge fight with several of my cats, and just leapt on my head and went for me with teeth and claws. I needed 12 stitches to sew my scalp back on and was on antibiotics for weeks.But I got better - the poor cat was impounded, kept in quarantine for rabies checks, and then PTS anyway, and I couldn't stop the process, though I never blamed him. I have never looked a strange cat in the eyes since!

 

[hissy]

Just to let those of you know  that when two cats are fighting you should NEVER directly intervene. You can get seriously hurt and find your cat taken away from you or worse. Grab a dark blanket and use it by tossing it over the fighting pair. Then take the blanket without touching any cat and herd one into a small room. Have food, water and litter in the room and you just shut the door and let the cat decompress. When you go back- if the food isn't touched or the cat is still on alert- keep him on time out. If the cats fighting aren't neutered or spayed get that done immediately. But always stand clear of fighting cats- if you have ever seen them take on each other outside, it is pretty spectacular. They go airborne and anything in their way will get mauled.

Sometimes, two cats who previously got along will fight- this can mean that one cat is ill and when a cat is ill, his signature scent changes. This causes him to be alien to his buddy and fighting can occur.

You are lucky the cat didn't bite you. Had animal control intervened in that instance chances are good the cat would have been euthanized and examined for rabies (if vaccines weren't current)