Help me please!! I'm afraid of my cat who attacks me viciously

mrseoc

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Please help.

My name is Allie. I have two cats Layla and Morrison. Morris my boy cat has anxiety or something. For as long as we've had him he's been afraid of his own shadow. We got him when he was just 8 weeks so there's no previous happenings in his life that may have caused it, as far as we know, it's just his personality.

Morrison started to get sick, maybe about a year ago. He ended up having to have the PU surgery after 2 urinary blockages that sent him into the hospital. We almost lost him due to his blockages.  He was probably dealing with the pain of the blockages long before we found out it was actually a problem. He got his PU surgery just this August and hasn't had much issue since then.

The only issue is the ever increasing attacks on ME. Only me. Not my husband or our almost 2 year old daughter... it's me. When something scares him he comes out of no where and attacks me.

a few examples include: Once when my daughter fell down the stairs. I shreaked and cryed because I watched it happen. When I scooped her up is when Morris made it to me and attacked me violently. Another time, just the other night. I guess I walked too fast in his direction and moments later he cornered me in my kitchen and attacked me. Each time he leaves bruised bite and scratch marks on my legs and arms.

His attacks are like this: His eyes get big and crazy, all his hairs stands up.. he makes a noise which I can only describe as yowling and comes at me... no matter what I do... put something between us and push him, shout no at him, stand still, try to shoosh him and make no sudden movements..... no matter what I do he will lunge at me and grab on with all his claws and bite if he gets the chance.. ill shake him off and he'll lunge at me again... Luckily their is an abundance of baby gates around my house and I use it as a barrier between us and I push him behind a closed door. While this happens he never backs down. I tried squirting water, throwing a towel over him and standing tall but nothing works. He attacks me like I'm another cat and he thinks he's the dominant one.

I'm terrified he's going to miss one day and leave marks on my daughter like the marks he leaves on me. I cant risk that.

At the moment he's in the bacement because for no apparent reason he started at me again. He'll follow me around the house staying about two or three feet away then just run at me and attack my legs. This will be day three in a row he's done this to me and I don't know what to do anymore. We have to wait until after Christmas to get him to the vet to make sure everything is ok. I'm almost certain he has no physical issues just some mental issues.

Please tell me someone out there can help me. Why is it only me??? Why is he doing this??? I'm honestly afraid of a cat in my own house, and that's not right. We saved his life and it cost us $5,000 and to repay us he treats me like prey. What am I doing wrong!?
 
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mrseoc

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I would like to add when he's not in his crazy state, he's a very sweet cat. Everyone loves him. Everyone at the hospital (when he was going through his surgery) loved him and told me what a great cat he was. My daughter loves him. When he's locked up after having attacked me she will tell me she misses him that he's her buddy. I couldn't stand to get rid of him. It goes against everything I stand for. However I am scared of him now. I let him out of the basement and I literally am sweating. I'm physically shaking because he's out from behind closed doors and if I make the wrong move he'll attack me.
 

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Your kitty doesn't know you spent $5000 on it--he's not being ungrateful.  He's unhappy or maybe in pain about something.  But I feel for you--we took in a cat earlier this year who started attacking us and the other cats.  It got to the point I was afraid to be in the same room with him, I never knew what would trigger him to attack.  I took him to the vet to make sure he had nothing wrong with him physically, and got a prescription of acepromazine--it's a kitty tranquilizer, people sometimes give it to their cats before traveling and things like that.  We isolated him in a separate room and kept him on the tranquilizers for a couple of days just to calm him down.

It really helped to calm him down from whatever freaked him out to start with.  Now I only give him a small dose once in awhile when it seems like he's getting agitated.

If you find out there's nothing wrong physically with Morris, maybe you could ask your vet about trying something like the acepromazine, at least short term to try to calm him down.  
 

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When did the attacks start? and how old is he?  Was there ANY possible trigger before the attacks first started (keep in mind that even moving a piece of furniture can upset a cat)? Is he the only cat in the house?

As a preliminary matter I would stop yelling at him and disciplining him with a water bottle and similar.  I  know essentially you have been trying to try everything, but it is clear this is not a cat who likes or responds well to shouting, and probably being sprayed with water is making him more aggressive. It would be better if you could find a way to reward him for good behavior. I see this might be difficult in this case.

I really do feel for you.  I cannot imagine living in fear of my cats.  I hope others will come by with other possible solutions.
 
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laurag

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I wonder if you hissed back at him or blew on his face if that would stop it. When they have that kind of aggression though, not sure it would work or make him even more livid.

My cats do this when they are overcome by misplaced aggression. It usually gets exercised on one of the other cats. I get it from Simone the devil cat because she is quite angry that we adopted Boo who had been a stray we fed on our deck.

When I hiss back at her she is quite surprised and it puts a check on her aggression for a bit. If she swats at me and hisses, I blow on her face. She doesn't do the bit again for days.
 

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I wouldn't try hissing or blowing in the face of a cat who's attacking me, it probably would make him more aggressive.  And if he's attacking as badly as it sounds, you wouldn't want to get close enough to him to try that. 

Tulosai has a good idea trying to figure out what the original trigger might have been.  Our Jake got traumatized somehow and once he got in the habit of attacking, it seemed he just wasn't going to stop.  The acepromazine really broke the spell.  In fact we haven't had to use it in months.

Trying a Feliway diffuser in the basement while he's in there might be an option as well.
 

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Oh my. This is an awful position to be in. I can only share with you some of my experiences. I have 6 cats from 2 yo to 20, 5 1/2 lbs to 22 lbs. Anytime any of them has gotten out of hand, I reassert myself as the mom cat. Now you need to know when your asserting and when your hurting. I get them by the scruff, pin them down with my body then lick their face. No talking, no yelling, no noise unless it's them, they tend to decompress in my grip. Then I will carry them into a play room and play with them. In the event I get bitten, your right, I bite them right back. Sometimes I will bite them on the scruff and hold them between my teeth just to calm them down, just seems to relax them. Since I have 6 cats and don't want continual trips to the vet their nails are cut at least every 2 weeks or if I feel a pinch during needing time. But I'm not sure if you can even cut your little guys nails. I would hate to see him get transquiluzed but if it's between tranquilizing and getting rid of him, then tranquilize away. Good luck.
 

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I would guess he has fear aggression.  Cats are predators and when faced with a fight or flight situation they respond, often by fighting.  When you screamed when your child fell, you probably scared the cat and he reacted by going after the nearest target- you.   It is even possible he was trying to protect your child. All he knows is you are making a horrible noise and standing over your child.

I would make sure you don't scream, yell or otherwise trying to punish the cat (even when he attacks you). If you start making loud noises you are only making the cat more stressed out. If you can grab him by the scruff and get him off you. Even hold him down if you can. If that fails, a laundry basket can be placed on top of him to give him a "time out".

I would try playing with him more often. Every day. I would also try feeding him with a spoon as they do on my cat from hell.

Medications may be needed.  I had one cat with severe aggression issues towards other cats. He had been feral and was a rescue. I put him outside and within a few months he took off and I never saw him again.  I had to use a laundry basket to trap him, as he was very dangerous when angry. Would rip you to shreds.

You can try anti-depressants and other behavioral modification drugs. My cat had FLUTD. Today is the 6th day on amitryptline and he has not had a single accident since I started him on the drug.

If this is fear related anti-anxiety medications may help wonders.
 
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mrseoc

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Thank you all for your responses. Sorry for my misspellings. 

Just to clear it up these attacks are very very aggressive. Like i mentioned i have to use a baby gate to back him up behind a closed door until he cools down, or he would just continue to attack me. Since my daughter is always within arms reach, its too dangerous not to lock him up.

I actually ordered some feliway and hoping that makes a difference. I'm willing to put him on medications if that's what the vet says, and i hope they do. 

He is almost 3 years old (just after Christmas) and the only trigger i can think of is possibly the pain from his blockages. Before we figured out that there was a problem, he likely dealt with it for some time since he was showing signs before i knew they where signs. It started about a year ago. It has gotten worse though. 

His attacks have gotten more frequent since we got new neighbors. Our yards are connected and they have 3 dogs that come outside a couple times a day. I know this probably is adding to his agitation, but its out of my hands. I'd close the shades so he didnt see them outside, but him and my other cat are indoor cats and i'd hate to cut them off from the outside. 
 

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Heartfelt sympathies.  I am glad you are going to take him to the vet - psychological problems are just as important as physical ones.  Sometimes a short course of calming medication can just help to break the cycle of fear and allow him to start to learn that his fear response is not needed.  Understanding that he is just 'out of his mind' can give a clue as to how to behave around him.  Everything needs to be calm - noises, intrusions, and emotions.  Terribly hard I know when you are scared of him, but you will need to practice calming your emotions so it eliminates a trigger for him - your fear could be telling him he is CORRECT, that there are terribly threatening things around.  So do what you can to calm yourself, and definitely get the feliway on to calm him.

It may also be a good idea to make his living area smaller for a time.  It's not a punishment or 'time out' - these are different.  This idea is simply giving him a smaller space that he needs to monitor, and there are fewer threats in a smaller environment.  You could make it a room - put all his things in there; food, litter box, water, toys, bed etc - and quietly go in to visit as many times as you can.  (If it is too big a step to go in right away, visit from the other side of the door and talk lovingly to him - have your husband, as he is trusted, do frequent inside the room visits - work up to you going in there). Just sit in there quietly, talking to him.  If he wants to play, yes, play can be a really good way to help a cat decompress.  While you're in there and as things progress, you can try offering him treats - on a spoon if you are worried, so the long handle keeps your hand safe.  This next step is to reassociate good, calm, lovely things with you; it sounds like your screams were the incident that preceeded his fear aggression?  It sounds that as he only attacks you, he has associated something bad and scary with you, and this is what needs to be corrected.

In any event, the poor boy has been through so much, with his painful blockages and surgery, so I'm not surprised that any 'hair of the camel' is breaking him down mentally.

Re the dog situation, it's true they may also be triggering the 'protect from intruders' cycle that channels (mistakenly) into the fear cycle manifesting on you.  Do what you can to keep them out - not sure of you exact situation.  Is it possible to put up a temporary barrier between your yards?  I'm sure if it were just a matter of consent/understanding from your neighbours, something could be worked out for a time.  Chicken wire and nails and poles has worked over here as a temporary barrier that leaves no lasting marks and can be taken down.  You'll have a bit of time to work on that one in any case, if you can find him his 'quiet space' in a room away from the sounds/smells/sights of intruders in his yard.

My best wishes, and hopefully you feel a bit of hope while you await the vet visit.
 
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mrseoc

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Thank you Tammy for your response. You mentioned moving him to his own space. I have a pretty small house. The only rooms there are behind closed doors is the basement, the baby's play room and the family bedroom. I keep all the baby's clothes in her playroom not to mention she plays in there, and obviously the bedroom is out of the question. It leaves me with only the basement (no windows or doors to outside) and i would have to separate my two cats... if you see in my avatar they are best friends. When Morris is downstairs Layla will wait for him, or look at me quizzically "Why are you not letting him out?" ... Then when he comes out he comes over to me, seeks my hand and rubs himself on me. He will follow me around the house and "pet" me (this is after he calmed down after an attack). He and I are good friends... I'm afraid of him because he's always just a loud noise away from attacking me, but i can live with him, so long as i walk on egg shells... make no sudden movements, or sounds. 

I'm wondering is there anything besides staying calm that i can do while he and I are together? If he's not going crazy he loves me. He'll "ask" me what i'm doing a couple times a day (you know the loving brrrrr that they give). We have talks. He'll come when i call and he'll roll on his back and let me rub his belly. He's very loving but just so on edge. I feel like he gets embarrassed aand is sorry after he attacks me and has had time to calm down. I would hate to move him into the basement by himself :( 
 

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True, the basement may not be the best option, especially if it is not a physically pleasant place (we don't have basements here, so I can only imagine they might be scary?), or are associated with the place he is put when naughty.

I'm just thinking here, but is there scope to give him, temporarily, the baby play room?  Not sure how old your daughter is, but if old enough to understand, she could be in the big plan to help her cat and it could be turned into a massive adventure for her.  It would mean you use your living room with a play pen for her to play in, you could keep some of her things in the room no problem, then some more in your own room, and lesser used things in the basement?  I know it sounds like a massive upheaval, but it would really be 'camping' just for a little while - could she sleep in your room?  And having a play pen for a child is a bit easier than a play pen for a cat (given babies can't jump out lol!)  The other way is to make a special 'room' within your living room for your cat, but I'm just wondering if this is harder and would be compromised from the original ideal such that it wouldnt really work.  Again, not in your shoes to know what scope there is, but I'd be hoping that it wouldn't take that long to calm down(2 weeks maybe) - at least until your vet visit you would have some breathing space.

My best wishes.
 

tammyp

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Oops, missed this question
 I'm wondering is there anything besides staying calm that i can do while he and I are together? 
In short, I don't know, given I don't really know the severity of the attacks.  If he is out of his mind, then no, there isnt much you can do except to try and get to safety/allow him to get to safety (if he can even recognise it).   So a towel or washing basket as mentioned may be needed in this dire situation - it won't help him to get past the fear though, so it is not something I'd want to do on a 'recovery program'.  This is emergency only, and for your safety.  And if this is your situation, then I'd strongly advocate the separate room thing for a short while to help him cope and re-wire.

If he is not quite out of his mind, you could try to immediately reduce all the 'noise' (the imput).  Turn your back on him, sit on the floor and keep the flow of sweet nothings streaming out of your mouth in a soft soft voice - but don't touch him.  Sometimes this will work, as you are no longer bigger, or face on to be 'confronting'.  I have used this when my active one goes slightly crazy and into his 'I want to bite you' mode - I can pick ti before it happens.  In such an instance, I cannot pick him up to put him into timeout, nor can I remove myself into timeout, as action spurs him on.  Forget about blowing on him or biting him back or squirting or clapping or ANYTHING of that ilk - these things send him over the edge, as they are aggressive.  He needs help to calm down, not ark up.

There are things that you can do if he is in his 'good' state, that will help prevent mad episodes, and I would definitely do all of these.

1.  Make him safe places.  That means give him furniture or shelves where he can get high, and move around the room without touching the floor.  It also means safe dens - a box for example, tucked behind a sofa or a quiet area, lined with towels, maybe a towel thrown over the top to partially cover it.  I have loads of 'their places' for ideas on my blog if you want help: http://catstuff4aussies.weebly.com/equipment--furniture.html

2. Play, play, play.  At least 20mins a day with a wand toy.  It will help destress him.  He NEEDS somewhere for all the pent up 'fear' or 'input' to get discharged.

3. His furniture.  The other ways cats dissipate stress is through scratching - you need mulitple scratch areas for him.  They don't have to be expensive.  We have vertical, inclined, and horizontal and they all get used.  Then there are chomping/ripping things.  Our guys, in frustration, will rip up boxes.  Fine by me, cardboard boxes are free!  Or paper.

4. Feliway. 
 

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I had a cat that I inherited from a former boyfriend.  Her pupils dilated and her fur stood up just before she would attack me.  She particularly attacked me at night while I was sleeping.  This behavior came out of nowhere and she and I had lived together peacefully for at least three years before this happened.  Her attacks were so vicious that I had to pry her jaws open to get my arm or my foot loose from her teeth.  She infected me badly enough to send me to the emergency room with overnight stays for antibiotics on three occasions and she got my femoral artery in my foot such that my entire leg got badly infected and was taken my ambulance to the hospital

  What did I do?  I took her to an animal behavior specialist who spent a lot of time watching her and gave me several things to do, which worked and I never was attacked again. (I might add that she was an older cat and her previous owners had encouraged play-biting of hands and feet when she was a kitten, so this might have been regressive behavior on her part for some unknown reason.)  In any case this is what he told me to do: 1) he gave me a spray that smelled like citronella and it would spray a jet of about 12 feet in length.  When her pupils became dilated, this was the time to spray it NEAR her, but NOT at her.  This was the first step in breaking the cycle that she was starting upon and which would end with an attack.  It was a distraction because cats do not like citrus scents. 2) I was then to take a toy and start playing with her so that she re-allocated her attention and any desire for attacking to the toy and not to me.  Cats don't really know the word "no" and they don't respond well to aggression or punishment.  Instead, you substitute the positive and appropriate target items to play with or attack (a toy) in place of your being the target of the attack.  So the breaking of your cat's fixation on you (enlarged pupils) stops that project that the cat is plotting, and you replace it with something that is acceptable.  It does not look like a reward because it is separated from what he planned to do by that unpleasantly scented, non-irritating spray. After doing this distraction and substitution enough times, my cat stopped the attacks. 

She was also bored, and though I played with her, she needed more and different stimulation on a regular basis.  So taping a shoebox lid to the box and cutting holes in the top and then putting things in that your cat has to find a way to get out, or dangling items on strings inside the box and getting the cat to find a way to pull it out helped.  In any case, my cat and I continued to live peacefully for another three years without a single other attack before her kidneys gave way and I eventually had to part with her.  So at the very least, an animal behavioralist is the next step after making sure the cat is not ill via a cat wellness blood panel.

Hope this helps.

Pippa77
 

serryjw

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Pippa77...Thank You, I will try... I adopted a 5 year old male one month ago. He is a love but out of blue, after I kissed and petted him, he lounges and tonight clawed me badly. I will try your recommendations.

Thanks and Happy Holiday,

Serry
 

betsygee

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Oops, missed this question

In short, I don't know, given I don't really know the severity of the attacks.  If he is out of his mind, then no, there isnt much you can do except to try and get to safety/allow him to get to safety (if he can even recognise it).   So a towel or washing basket as mentioned may be needed in this dire situation - it won't help him to get past the fear though, so it is not something I'd want to do on a 'recovery program'.  This is emergency only, and for your safety.  And if this is your situation, then I'd strongly advocate the separate room thing for a short while to help him cope and re-wire.

If he is not quite out of his mind, you could try to immediately reduce all the 'noise' (the imput).  Turn your back on him, sit on the floor and keep the flow of sweet nothings streaming out of your mouth in a soft soft voice - but don't touch him.  Sometimes this will work, as you are no longer bigger, or face on to be 'confronting'.  I have used this when my active one goes slightly crazy and into his 'I want to bite you' mode - I can pick ti before it happens.  In such an instance, I cannot pick him up to put him into timeout, nor can I remove myself into timeout, as action spurs him on.  Forget about blowing on him or biting him back or squirting or clapping or ANYTHING of that ilk - these things send him over the edge, as they are aggressive.  He needs help to calm down, not ark up.

There are things that you can do if he is in his 'good' state, that will help prevent mad episodes, and I would definitely do all of these.

1.  Make him safe places.  That means give him furniture or shelves where he can get high, and move around the room without touching the floor.  It also means safe dens - a box for example, tucked behind a sofa or a quiet area, lined with towels, maybe a towel thrown over the top to partially cover it.  I have loads of 'their places' for ideas on my blog if you want help: http://catstuff4aussies.weebly.com/equipment--furniture.html

2. Play, play, play.  At least 20mins a day with a wand toy.  It will help destress him.  He NEEDS somewhere for all the pent up 'fear' or 'input' to get discharged.

3. His furniture.  The other ways cats dissipate stress is through scratching - you need mulitple scratch areas for him.  They don't have to be expensive.  We have vertical, inclined, and horizontal and they all get used.  Then there are chomping/ripping things.  Our guys, in frustration, will rip up boxes.  Fine by me, cardboard boxes are free!  Or paper.

4. Feliway. 
This is all excellent advice!
 

tammyp

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Re the 'citronella' or 'citrus based' smelly things

Please be acutely aware of what the substance is.  If it is made from an ESSENTIAL OIL, then you will poison your cat.  The poisoning occurs through skin absorption, inhalation, ingesting.  The amount of essential oil that causes death is as yet unknown.  What is known, is that cats are one of the very few animals that cannot break down these compounds, so the toxins accumulate in their body - they keep accumulating over the feline's life until a fatal load is reached.

Again, DO NOT accept the advice of any vet, behaviourist, author or anyone else in a position of 'authority' in regards to telling you that such a substance (one that contains any essential oil) is safe.  If they say it is safe, they are wrong.  Unfortunately the fatal toxicity of essential oils is little known - vet toxicologists know, and the info is slowly getting out there.  At one point, essential oils were believed to be safe, so it is understandable that there is a 'lag' in everyone getting up to date.

For more information on essential oils and cats, have a look at this site, which is informed by chemists and vet toxicologists: 
http://www.thelavendercat.com/images/PDF-TheLavenderCat_temp_use.pdf
 
 

terry kuehner

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At this point, it doesn't really make any difference why or how this started.  Something happened to make him afraid/not trust you.  You need to re-bond with him...if that's a phrase that works.  I'm a firm believer in bribery.  Squirting him, yelling at him, pushing him away only makes him believe you ARE a danger.  It only makes things worse.  First, I would confine him to one room until things change. If he's afraid at first, just sit in the room and read, talk on your phone..anything...ignoring him. Just have him get comfortable with your presence.

He needs to see you as the best thing since white bread.  You become the only person to feed him, give him treats, play with him, love him, etc.  Just give him 1/2 hour twice a day to give him the TLC (longer if you have the time). If, at first, he seems frightened or aggressive, do not look him in the eye.  Look away or do 'sleepy eye'.  When cats are submissive, you'll see them doing slow blinks.  So doing slow blinks to him, will show him that you're not a threat.

Give him a few treats, a little canned food, sit on the floor.  Be very quiet and calm.  Speak softly and lovingly.  Use a toy on a stick to interactively play with him.  He needs to see you as his best friend...and to trust you again.

If you can, buy the book "TWISTED WHISKERS" by Pam Johnson.  It's available in paperback and is one of the best books about cat behavior. 
 

terry kuehner

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I think that's the worst thing I've ever heard of anybody doing. I can't imagine ANY cat behaviorist suggesting that.  If you can find one, please let us know.
 
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