I am in desperate need of help! My cat attacked me viciously

[Fatime]

Hello,
I am new to the group and I am desperate for help.
We have a 2 year old male cat, that’s been castrated, named Momo, an indoor cat.
Two weeks ago he started peeing outside his litter box after being in contact with a lily flower.
We took him to the vet and he has been diagnosed with crystals in his urine and an infection for which we were described antibiotics for. We were supposed to give him a pill a day for 10 days. Momo wouldn’t really take them so we forced him by shoving the pill in his mouth and closing his mouth. Around day 6, while we were leaving the room, Momo attacked me furiously, biting and scratching while hissing and howling. Day 7, no attacks. Day 8, during the day he attacked my husband the same way he attacked me. We left him alone to calm down for a few hours. We went to our room as usual (Momo usually sleeps and eats in our room), and I had a good time playing with him and he came to me purring, but my husband got on his feet and Momo got very aggressive once again, but this time Momo didn’t stop attacking he kept chasing my husband until Momo pooped and peed in the middle of the attack. 10 minutes later he violently attacked me the same way, scratching and biting while hissing and howling. Both me and my husband have been treated for his bites and scratches with a tetanus shot and antibiotics. That night we left him alone with plenty of water and food and a clean litter box. The next day I made the mistake of opening the door, where he also wanted to attack me but this time I had a basket with me where I had him in while cleaning his litter and filling the bowls with food and water. During this time he hissed a lot, but it had to be done and then we let him in his/our room alone.
In the next few days we have tried slow reintroduction, allowing him out of the room, playing with him and giving him lots of treats and pets. To this Momo reacted so good, normal as any other day, in the past few days we even went in and out of room for short period of times ~5 minutes, while giving him treats.
Unfortunately, today we tried the same thing, we left him out of the room, he came running to us, went in the room with the treats, he was purring and rubbing himself against us. Up until this point he was completely normal, when suddenly he attacked me while hissing and howling. He didn’t show any signs of aggression, or aggravation or that he was getting annoyed and stressed by our presence beforehand.
We live in a small country and we cannot find a behaviorist even in our region and close states.
We are desperate for help but even our vet said that he cannot really know what caused him to lash out again.
We are very unsure of the steps we should take now and don’t really have much ideas as how we should continue with Momo. Can this be territorial aggression or is he that much traumatized by the antibiotics?
Any advice would be helpful!!

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Exposure to a lily is usually fatal. Was any bloodwork done? Was he given iv fluids?

A cat that is feeling sick can become aggressive. Also you may have hurt him unintentionally when giving antibiotics.

This is a very difficult and scary situation that honestly really can’t be helped except for by a professional that can see and evaluate your cat.

I would suggest you call your vet back and explain this situation and ask for a referral to a specialist that can help you.

In the meantime limit any interaction with him.

 

[Fatime]

Hi. Exposure to a lily is usually fatal. Was any bloodwork done? Was he given iv fluids?

A cat that is feeling sick can become aggressive. Also you may have hurt him unintentionally when giving antibiotics.

This is a very difficult and scary situation that honestly really can’t be helped except for by a professional that can see and evaluate your cat.

I would suggest you call your vet back and explain this situation and ask for a referral to a specialist that can help you.

In the meantime limit any interaction with him.

thank you for your advise. Yes, blood work has been done, and it came out fine. We also took an XRay and he didn’t have any kidney stones. The vet said that because he is eating, drinking and peeing and pooping fine he is not in pain. The cat has been left alone in his room with 3-4 hours of daily interactions with us, but I’m afraid that’s stressing him even more.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS despite what brought you here. How long ago was his last antibiotic dose? Although his reaction is very extreme, it is possible that he is still reeling from being forced to take the meds, and he may not actually be entirely well yet. Usually a urine re-check is done about 1-2 weeks after completion of an antibiotic to ensure the infection has been cleared, so you probably should do that and then you can talk with the vet about the attacks.

I am not sure I entirely agree with your vet about the pain. Most infections do involve some pain, and my own cat has had multiple infections but still ate/drink/peed/pooped just fine. I don't think those are the only indicators of pain level. Crystals, if they are passed through a male cat's urethra can be very painful.

Nonetheless, If he is cleared, then I world still consider this a passing problem - the key is how long it will take to pass. It seems like his behavior has to be related to the antibiotics, and possibly the inaction as well. I'd ask the vet about giving him some sort of anti-anxiety meds for a temporary period of time and see if that would take the edge off of whatever he is feeling right now. If not anti-anxiety meds, then perhaps a common med that is given to cats to calm them before a vet visit, that is often used for pain as well - gabapentin.

However, you will need to try another approach to giving him meds - now or any time in the future. Pill pcoket or pill masker are two things you could try. Crushing a pill in a lickable treat, or using baby food meat are other things that might work. Some cats will take cat-sized capsules with meds hidden in them, often given in a bite of some food (human food too) that the cat loves. These articles include more than just giving a pill to a cat as you did.
Pilling Cats [Must-Know Tips For Hiding Pills] - TheCatSite
How Can I Give A Pill To My Cat? [Stress-Free Techniques] - TheCatSite

 

[Fatime]

Hello,
Thank you for your reply!
It’s been a week since his last antibiotic take, we have taken it very slow with small interactions, allowing him to come at us and he comes happily and purrs. We’re afraid that it has to do with the inaction as well as he attacked me again in the room, but we truly don’t know how to take it from here, vet is not being helpful either and we don’t have any behaviorists close to use (neither in our country or closed countries to us, we live in Albania).

 

[FeebysOwner]

As far as I am concerned, a behaviorist would only go through steps similar to the things suggested in this thread. If he was never like this before, then it has to have something to do with the whole antibiotic ordeal. I can only say to go back in your mind and think of all the things that you did/actions you took when trying to administer the pills to him - then compare anything that you might be doing now that would look similar to him. Reaching over or behind him, for example. Something you are doing is triggering his memory of the actions he saw/experienced with the process of giving hm the antibiotics.

I can honestly say I have never heard of an antibiotic - the med itself - causing some sort of disconnect in a cat's brain, and the fact it isn't all the time, to me, makes it even less likely. So, I keep going back to this being a reaction to his experience with being given the antibiotics.

I don't know if anything in these TCS articles can help, but it sure wouldn't hurt to look at them just in case. They include things that aren't necessarily applicable to your case, so be patient when going through them.
Why Do Cats Attack? A Closer Look at Cat Aggression And Its Causes - TheCatSite
Cat Aggression Toward People - Causes, Signs, And Solutions - TheCatSite
Re-Directed Aggression In Cats [Insight And Solutions] - TheCatSite

Keep posting - we (I) haven't given up trying to get to the bottom of this!!!!!

 

[Kittybang]

Hi there I’m sorry for what happened to you and your husband. Read the post and everyone’s comments on your situation. Also remember I’m no doctor or vet , so this isn’t medical advice. This is just my own personal opinion. Ok well it seems like you were being attack cause he seemed stressed out . One being force fed pills daily , plus being me pain from the crystals . That would even cause me to latch out also , he doesn’t seem to be himself . Maybe the reason he kept those attacks up cause forcing those pills down his throat . Cause some type of fear or even trauma to him . And when ever you or the husband went and approached him . He might thought you were going to force him to take another pill . That just my guess and opinion. I’m just guessing and I could be wrong on both counts . But take a step back and take a little breath and ask yourself . How would you react daily if someone came up to you and forcefully make you take pills . That you didn’t agree to take ? Wouldn’t you act out too ? I know I would start either bitting or etc even if it’s a love one . It’s fight or flight I feel he’s having , so i hope the situation is a lot better . I have a furbaby also that I love so very much . I’ve had situations where u just gotta give them some space . And hopefully they come around and come back there old selves again . Also I don’t want you to feel like you did anything bad . I’ve had to force feed my cat a few times . But anyhow if you can get a second opinion from another vet . That what I would do really . But anyhow good luck and hope everything gets back to normal

 

[silent meowlook]

The reason a veterinary behaviorist is good is, because of not only being a veterinarian, but also going through years of additional schooling on animal behavior, and they can prescribe medication if needed. There is no comparison between lay people’s advice on an online forum and veterinary behaviorist.

But, if you don’t have access to one and your vet is being less than helpful, there are some things to try.

I am not a veterinarian.

Stop trying to figure out why the behavior change. It doesn’t matter now. This is of course provided it is behavioral and not medical. You did say he is good medically right? I know you mentioned crystals in the urine, but some crystals are a normal finding in cat urine.

Don’t make any eye contact with him. If he is in a room, just go in, ignore him. Feed, ( should be canned only) change the litter, but do not engage him or look at him. People always have the hardest time doing this. Don’t feel bad for him. Don’t feel anything for him right now. Don’t direct any energy towards him. He needs to decompress. Give it a week. Then and only if he starts to try to engage you, you can interact with a wand toy. Still don’t look at him.

The reason to do this is a reset for him. There is to much focus on him and cats feel energy and things we can’t. He needs a break from it all. Of course you have to be sure he is eating, drinking and using the litter box. But other than that, don’t go hang out with him. It is stressing him out right now.

In about a week he will become bored and want to interact with you again.

 

[iPappy]

As far as I am concerned, a behaviorist would only go through steps similar to the things suggested in this thread. If he was never like this before, then it has to have something to do with the whole antibiotic ordeal. I can only say to go back in your mind and think of all the things that you did/actions you took when trying to administer the pills to him - then compare anything that you might be doing now that would look similar to him. Reaching over or behind him, for example. Something you are doing is triggering his memory of the actions he saw/experienced with the process of giving hm the antibiotics.

I can honestly say I have never heard of an antibiotic - the med itself - causing some sort of disconnect in a cat's brain, and the fact it isn't all the time, to me, makes it even less likely. So, I keep going back to this being a reaction to his experience with being given the antibiotics.

I don't know if anything in these TCS articles can help, but it sure wouldn't hurt to look at them just in case. They include things that aren't necessarily applicable to your case, so be patient when going through them.
Why Do Cats Attack? A Closer Look at Cat Aggression And Its Causes - TheCatSite
Cat Aggression Toward People - Causes, Signs, And Solutions - TheCatSite
Re-Directed Aggression In Cats [Insight And Solutions] - TheCatSite

Keep posting - we (I) haven't given up trying to get to the bottom of this!!!!!

Triggering a memory is a great possibility.
I had a cat that hated nail trims and it needed done badly. Her sister is easy to get a nail trim done when she has food in front of her, so I thought I'd try that with this cat. I fed her as usual, then turn on the water in the sink to rinse my hands, picked up the nail clippers and attempted to clip them while she was distracted. She absolutely freaked out. She fought me like crazy. Despite purrito-wrapping her and talking to her and being gentle, she cried and fought. I considered it a win to get her back claws clipped and let her go.
For weeks, every time I rinsed my hands in that particular sink, she'd run and hide. She had never in her life had a negative reaction to the sound of sink water running. That little insignificant thing I did (to me) left a big impression on her.

 

[catsknowme]

I am so sorry for your family enduring this difficult time. Perhaps you could confer with a holistic vet to see if there are herbs that might help various issues. Your country may have something similar to marshmallow root (soothe the urinary tract) and german chamomile or whatever a qualified veterinarian recommends. I prefer to use decoctions/teas and mix them with gravy cat food or Gerber stage 2 human baby food, beef, ham or turkey (some kitties have sensitivity to chicken.
Also, keep a stuffed toy handy to offer in case of attacks! It is similar to offering an attacking dog a stick to bite. Be alert for signs of attack (ear position, switching tail, rippling skin) and offer the stuffed toy & encourage him to express his aggression. Reassure him that he will be okay and "this too shall pass". Try to give off a calm, assertive vibe with "bold leadership" in your voice (challenging, I know, but usually very effective, just like being a commanding officer during battle). Please keep us updated!

 

[Alldara]

My cat, Nobel attacked me during a deferred aggression episode from a cat outside. I too, went to hospital and had tetanus, antibiotics and all that.

If you can take your cat back for updated bloodwork and updated urine test that would be helpful. The bloodwork could be different now that the body has processed the lily contact. As well, he could need a second set of antibiotics. I recommend to discuss the risks/benefits of a needle of long-acting antibiotics. As with any medicine, your cat can have an allergic reaction which is dangerous, but Nobel had this needle many times because he would be aggressive to pill.

Sometimes, I could hide medicine in a treat to get him to take it. So the vet would give a crushable medicine instead. I also began to train him with treats to take liquid medicine. I used Churu lickable treats to do this.


For the behaviour, I had to act as if I was meeting a new cat. Give lots of rewards for being around me, go slow. Do slow blinking and no staring or watching. It took some weeks, but we were able to repair our relationship.

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home - TheCatSite

14 Cat Experts Reveal - How To Get A Cat To Like Me - TheCatSite