Idiopathic aggression / redirected aggression

catmomma22

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I have a terrible problem. I have a 3 year old cat that I love dearly. I bottle fed him from four days old. We were going to adopt him out after fostering him but my female pit bull just loved him to pieces so we kept him. Shortly after his second birthday I had a kitchen fire. I hollered, he turned to run and the dog was in his way. The cat went after the dog like gangbusters and relentlessly attacked her until I got her in her crate and then hid in the bathroom. He was fine after about 45 minutes. A few weeks later he followed me and my teenage daughter into the bathroom (he follows me everywhere) and while we were rummaging thru the closet, something fell on the floor and made a loud noise. Next thing he is latched onto my leg tearing into my flesh. I got him off of me but he relentless pursued us yowling into the corner of the bathroom. I did not help the situation by screaming like a lunatic. My husband intervened with a towel and got us out of there. About 45 minutes later he seemed fine. Then he stalked and attacked me twice more in the next 12 hours. I took him to the vet and found out there was nothing medically wrong with him and after discussing options with the vet (including euthanasia), decided to put him on Prozac and try to reintegrate him into the family. He lived mostly alone in a large playroom for a month and we gradually brought him back into family life. He behaved like a normal cat from then on, whenever he heard a loud noise or anything else. He just ran off. We weaned him off of the Prozac after 8 months and then this Christmas my family came to visit for a week. One of them is still here. While my husband was in the bathroom shaving, he dropped his electric razor twice into the sink. The second time, the cat attacked him, yowling and screaming. My poor naked husband had to be rescued by me with a towel. The cat actually launched himself at my husbands face but he saw him coming and straightened up and the cat latched onto his shoulder and torn up his back.

If it was just me and my husband living here, I would put him back on Prozac, maybe declaw him and attempt to make it work. The problem is my teenage daughter is terrified of him. My younger teen son is very attached to him and would be heartbroken (as I would) if we euthanized him. We have tons of kids coming in and out of the house, tons of guests, are currently hosting an exchange student etc.  Our house is very busy and chaotic. My vet has said that it would not be ethical to rehome him because he could attack and cause serious injury. I have permanent scars from his attack on me. My daughter was scared to come in the house for six months after the last attack and sat outside on the stoop waiting for someone to come home and ensure the cat was away. I could never forgive myself if he attacked and seriously injured her.

But of course, I cannot reconcile putting to sleep an otherwise healthy animal, that I am extremely attached to. I would also feel terrible for the dog who LOVES LOVES the cat and they spend endless hours gently playing together and cuddled up sleeping together. 

Anyway, I am completely beside myself. 
 

margd

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I am not sure what the problem is with putting him back on the Prozac since it seemed to resolve the aggressive behavior before. Is it because your daughter would still be so frightened of him?

Please don't declaw him. This procedure actually amputates the last section of each toe and can result in a host of physical and behavioral issues. Also, since the Prozac works, why would it be necessary?

Having an aggressive cat is a very difficult situation. It's very frightening and can cause a lot of heartache. I hope you can come up with a solution that works for everyone.
 

talkingpeanut

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Agreed. I would take this as a sign that the prozac worked for your cat and being off the Prozac has not been successful. Can you try putting him back on and reintegrating him to the house slowly again?
 

adoringangel72

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I'm sorry I don't have advice or words of wisdom but I understand the sadness and problems associated with an aggressive cat. [emoji]128542[/emoji] I have a bottle baby whom was never socialized so I can empathize. She attacked me twice the other night, with no provocation. Hope everything gets better with your situation. There are many members on this site very helpful.
 
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catmomma22

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Well, part of the problem is that just because he did not attack anyone in the 6 months he was on Prozac, does not mean he will not attack anyone while on it. I've taken it off and on for over 10 years and it can lose its efficacy over time. I am well aware of the implications of the declawing procedure but I thought it might be preferable to having him put to sleep. My vet has had a client in the past whose cat severed a tendon in her arm during such an attack and she now has limited use of her hand.

Another option is to make him an outdoor only cat and make a cat access door to our garage that would contain a heated sleeping area. I am not sure he would enjoy that life however as he is very social. 

I do not think it's fair to make my daughter live with an animal that she is rightly terrified of. I just can't find an equitable solution. 
 

ashley berner

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I am sorry I don't have any advice. Dealing with my two cats who have been friends for two years suddenly having an episode of redirected aggression. I hope it works out for you.
 

catdogmommy4

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Bottle fed kitty's that don't have an adult cat in their life that teaches them how to adapt to life with humans, often have a very hard time adapting with out help. Your kitty is extremely stressed, on the severe end of generalized anxiety disorder. I really believe your Kitty NEEDS Prozac, not just for him to no longer be dangerous to humans, but for his own relief.
I feel for you, I bottle fed a stranded baby kitty, 2 days old. She held my heart. She had to be on Prozac for the rest of her life, otherwise she would bite to communicate. I had other adult kitty's but they didn't attach to her, she was a very wild girl. I had no idea how important the role of a good mama cat was till that experience. I'm so sorry you are going through this.
 
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catmomma22

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Thanks for the kind words everyone. He is back on Prozac now and I let him out of the playroom to spend the day when most of the people are out of the house. We are keeping him out of the master bathroom where most of the incidences occured. The acoustics are bad in there and I think he feels it is "his space" as it is where we kept him at night, fed him and where his litterbox was. He is more or less back to his normal self. My son stepped on him the other day and he hissed and then ran away like a normal cat. View media item 319661
 

Sophia terzi

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I have the same problem with my cat. She is on anti-epileptic medication! I hope it will work, otherwise i don't know that to do. I cannot live in my home. Please share your stories, it might help.
 

SmallKitty

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I am in the middle of a similar situation. We’ve been to several veterinarians and specialists over the last week. Soon a veterinary behaviorist.

I have had her since she was 6 months, she’s now 9. No aggression, extremely affectionate (head butter, hand licked, chewed my hair & groomed me) but definitely some anxiety & required gabapentin before vet visits. A month ago we tried to introduce a new cat but it failed horribly. She smelled another cat, and attacked me on the offensive. Leaping up to attack. Flying at me with claws out, fangs ready. My bites were black and blue. I used a water spray bottle to defend myself which I didn’t want to do but was all i had. The only thing that worked was slipping gabapentin in her food, shutting her in a room with it. We immediately found a more suitable home for the other cat. It took my cat 3 days to stop attacking me proactively. Gabapentin was the only thing that worked. After three days she was normalized but i noticed her hiding.

last week she bit into a pill by accident. Paused. It appeared that she may have bit her own tongue. .....And suddenly she attacked me - leaped across the room, charged toward me to attack. Same thing, i have puncture wounds from her fangs that are black and blue. Deep scratches. Everything bled a lot. Once again, gabapentin fixed it. But I had to keep administering it to keep her calm, and me feeling safe.

An MRI, ultrasound, many tests and vet visits later over the last 7 days, we discovered little ulcers on her tongue. Very painful. She got pain meds and suddenly she was herself again (no hiding, no pain crouch). It’s also worth noting that she’d been in the pain crouch - even on the gabapentin. The only thing that got her out of the pain crouch was when her vet gave her a shot of buprenepherine after discovering the tiny ulcers on her tongue. After she got that shot when I brought her home, she was herself. Clearly transformed by alleviation of pain with a stronger pain med.

She is on her pain meds now (buprenex) but the oncologist who saw her today says her mouth is mostly healed so that appears resolved to him & the source of pain is unknown. Keep the behaviorist appt, he said.

She has an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist in 6 days. Until then I am afraid to stop giving her medicine for pain and/or gabapentin because, well, it’s scary, and no matter what I do I feel afraid of another attack. I also love her so much and she’s been super cuddly again. I should note that she’s the most affectionate cat I’ve ever ever had. I realize this is idiopathic right now, but at the same time I’m certain when she bit the pill, it hurt her and she went into this new attack mode, which she learned a month ago.

I am so sad and scared that I did damage by trying to integrate a new cat. I thought she could handle it because the first 5 years of her life she lived with another cat.
Someone said keep sharing the stories so there’s mine.
I am scared of her and it breaks my heart; I am afraid to pull back on the pain meds before she gets to her veterinary behaviorist appt. I have been feverishly googling to find people with similar stories; it’s terrifying and not the average cat attack. Anyway, I could pull back on the pain meds and gabapentin for keep giving it to her until we get to the veterinary behaviorist next week. Thoughts?
 

flybear

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Have your thought about a cat space in your house? You could build an indoor catio or dedicate a room to the cat to keep him and the family safe ... allow him to roam freely when you can be on alert/ nobody else is in the home and put cat back on meds ? Wire cube shelving can make rather large cat spaces... many breeders have to keep their males and females separated and often have " rooms' for them ... Short of confining the cat ... I have no good solution. I have fostered a lot and met many dogs and cats and if one of them would have been unsafe for my family ... it would have not been a sustainable situation ... there is liability involved with strangers coming and going as well ... I would first confine the cat and create a safe space so nobody has to be scared for the moment. BIG hug! I cannot imagine the heartbreak this is causing you and your family !!!
 

requin

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I am in the middle of a similar situation. We’ve been to several veterinarians and specialists over the last week. Soon a veterinary behaviorist.

I have had her since she was 6 months, she’s now 9. No aggression, extremely affectionate (head butter, hand licked, chewed my hair & groomed me) but definitely some anxiety & required gabapentin before vet visits. A month ago we tried to introduce a new cat but it failed horribly. She smelled another cat, and attacked me on the offensive. Leaping up to attack. Flying at me with claws out, fangs ready. My bites were black and blue. I used a water spray bottle to defend myself which I didn’t want to do but was all i had. The only thing that worked was slipping gabapentin in her food, shutting her in a room with it. We immediately found a more suitable home for the other cat. It took my cat 3 days to stop attacking me proactively. Gabapentin was the only thing that worked. After three days she was normalized but i noticed her hiding.

last week she bit into a pill by accident. Paused. It appeared that she may have bit her own tongue. .....And suddenly she attacked me - leaped across the room, charged toward me to attack. Same thing, i have puncture wounds from her fangs that are black and blue. Deep scratches. Everything bled a lot. Once again, gabapentin fixed it. But I had to keep administering it to keep her calm, and me feeling safe.

An MRI, ultrasound, many tests and vet visits later over the last 7 days, we discovered little ulcers on her tongue. Very painful. She got pain meds and suddenly she was herself again (no hiding, no pain crouch). It’s also worth noting that she’d been in the pain crouch - even on the gabapentin. The only thing that got her out of the pain crouch was when her vet gave her a shot of buprenepherine after discovering the tiny ulcers on her tongue. After she got that shot when I brought her home, she was herself. Clearly transformed by alleviation of pain with a stronger pain med.

She is on her pain meds now (buprenex) but the oncologist who saw her today says her mouth is mostly healed so that appears resolved to him & the source of pain is unknown. Keep the behaviorist appt, he said.

She has an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist in 6 days. Until then I am afraid to stop giving her medicine for pain and/or gabapentin because, well, it’s scary, and no matter what I do I feel afraid of another attack. I also love her so much and she’s been super cuddly again. I should note that she’s the most affectionate cat I’ve ever ever had. I realize this is idiopathic right now, but at the same time I’m certain when she bit the pill, it hurt her and she went into this new attack mode, which she learned a month ago.

I am so sad and scared that I did damage by trying to integrate a new cat. I thought she could handle it because the first 5 years of her life she lived with another cat.
Someone said keep sharing the stories so there’s mine.
I am scared of her and it breaks my heart; I am afraid to pull back on the pain meds before she gets to her veterinary behaviorist appt. I have been feverishly googling to find people with similar stories; it’s terrifying and not the average cat attack. Anyway, I could pull back on the pain meds and gabapentin for keep giving it to her until we get to the veterinary behaviorist next week. Thoughts?
Hi, I'm new to this forum, I joined yesterday because I have a suddenly -aggressive cat too. I feel your pain! How are things going w/ your cat now?

I'm waiting for the vet to call after I called their office yesterday. My 3 yr old neutered male tabby, Robinson, has had 3 episodes so far where he's flown off the handle and gone into Mr Hyde mode. Luckily he never actually attacked me (but he wanted to!).

The first episode was about 2 years ago after I had scratched his ear for him and he smelled his ear on my finger. Then no more episodes for 2 years (I learned and kept my fingers out of his ears!).

About 2 weeks ago out of the blue came the second episode--when I was cleaning up some day-old hairball puke on his cat tree (that I had not seen since it was up high). He came over to see what i was doing, smelled the hairballs, and went INSANE on me. Vicious, screaming, hissing, wailing, chasing, running..gah. I managed to get him into a bedroom w/ a litterbox and overnight he was ok.

The third time was yesterday. He was gently playing w/ my fingers while I was on the phone, and suddenly for no reason I can figure out, he went into Hyde Mode again. This time he spent the night in the attached garage w/ a litter box.

This morning when I let him out of "jail", I put a few grains of gabapentin in his food. Like your cat, he's needed some of that before vet visits, at least he used to; the last few vet visits he didn't need it. But he is a somewhat nervous skittish cat. Very affectionate and playful and very bonded to me. Which is why when these Mr Hyde Modes happen, it's that much more heartbreaking. :( It's like he hates me.

I can't, for my own safety, live w/ a cat who attacks for no reason. I'm walking on eggshells today. I'm glad he's on the few grains of gaba. So far, he's mostly normal, although keeps sniffing around the house on stealth mode. He's outside in the yard now (that's a relief!!)

I don't have the money for all sorts of tests. He was recently on a shot of depo-medrol (steroid) for allergies and was sick while it was in his system for a month but it's out of his system now and he was back to normal. I have to ask the vet if this behavior could be a post-drug side effect of the steroid. I don't know. It's likely he will have to go on drugs. He tolerates the gabapentin well. He didn't tolerate the steroid well, so I'm nervous about trying prozac or something like that, but we will see.

Please let me know how things are going. Like you, I keep looking for others dealing w/ aggressive cats (towards the owner/people) to try to find help.
 

flybear

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steroids can make people and pets a bit crazy ... some react quite strongly and they do take a while to get out f the system and there can be a withdrawal period if the treatments was longer than a week or two. Our behaviorist recommended an indoor Catio ( large cat enclosure) for our 5 indoor cats- reasoning that at some point one or two of them will be sick, stressed out, recovering from medical treatment, having issues and we needed a safe space to offer to the cats where they ( and the rest of us ) would feel safe ... Maybe this could be an interim solution for those aggressive cats as well ... I built a very large enclosed space , large enough for a cat tree and litter box, food dishes and toys out of wire shelf cubes - usually the doors are open and the cats use it more as a play space but we had situations where we used it to keep a cat safe and contained without isolating her like in a bathroom with a closed door.
 

suzeanna

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Prozac has worked out very well for my very anxious cat who had a triggering event ~3 months after we adopted her and who was progressively more easily triggered. We did gabapentin at first, then transitioned her onto fluoxetine (Prozac) since it takes some time to really take effect. She's definitely less anxious and is never aggressive anymore.
 
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