My Cat Suddenly Hates Me

[MiaMiaow]

Hi, i have a approximately nine year old sterilised male cat(he was a stray so dont know his actual age). He has been with me for eight years and is very much an alpha cat. He likes to know exactly whats going on in his house and is very alert and inquisitve, makes visitors feel special cos he is so friendly and affectionate. He is not scared or frightened of anything, and over the years i have seen him attack dogs(including pitbulls and a german shepherd) these where all unprovoked attacks where Caltex would sneak up and get the dog from behind.

Five days ago he went crazy, his eyes glazed over, and he attacked like a wildcat. i managed to get him out on the balcony(i live in an apartment),He did calm down a little and i let him back inside, he seemed fine, was demanding attention like he usually would, but as soon as i stopped patting him and turned my back on him he attacked. i couldnt get near him again so two days later the vet gave me some gabapentin to calm him down. He had a full vetcheck and physically he is in perfect health. He was also calm until we got back home and i let him out of his carrier, he sniffed the carpet then instantly went into attack mode, i had to escape into the hallway for three hours as he was pacing back and forth waiting for me to come back inside to attack me.

Anyway, my question is how will i know when he is no longer angry and its safe to be in the same space as him? A couple of times i have opened the door and he has just stared at me with glazed eyes and fur standing up, or has run towards the door meowing normally then when he sees its me it turns into a yowel. I love my cat and i dont want to upset him anymore than he is already. Will he always be like this now or will he eventually snap out of it?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry it's your cat's sudden aggression that brought you here.

Do you have any idea what caused his attack? Is he the only pet? Did something spill on the carpet? Are there possibly stray cats outside your home? Did the vet have any suggestions?

Sorry you are dealing with this. It sounds both scary and stressful.

TCS does have some articles on aggression. Not sure if any apply to your situation, but I'll post the links just in case there might be something helpful.

Cat Aggression Toward People
How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats
Re-directed Aggression In Cats

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

 

[neely]

Another warm welcome to TCS! I'm also sorry you are experiencing this behavior problem with your cat. rubysmama has posted some very helpful Articles for you.

Is it possible Caltex needs more physical activity? If you don't mind reading one more Article, perhaps it can help with explaining how to make your apartment bigger in the eyes of your cat to give him more mental and physical stimulation.
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

Good luck! Please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Hmm sounds like a very strange change in behavior. You said that he often is acting normal until he sees that you’re there and then goes into attack mode? Have you checked to see if he does this with anyone else? Or if he’s just doing it with you. Do you know if anything has changed about your scent? Did you get a different job, have you been petting a lot of dogs etc.

I would try and rule out what is triggering the attack. If it’s something in the apartment that smells strange or if it’s something to do with you (I’m not saying you did anything wrong I’m just saying that something about you could have changed and stressed him out?). So I would get another person and see if he acts the same towards them.

Have you been stressed a lot recently, stressed or angry or some negative emotion. Cats can pick up on that and often it affects their behavior. I mean obviously you’re stressed now because of his behavior but were you stressed/in a bad mood before the behavior started?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Try cleaning your carpet. Also, obtain some calming product spray and put it on your clothing.
Also you may need to try and shake him out of attack mode with a can half full of coins - give it a really good hard shake when you see his eyes start to glaze over, and also give him a big HISS.
You need to be more alpha here, or more like his mama who wouldn't put up with any bad behavior.

 

[MiaMiaow]

Hi, Thankyou so much for the quick responses. I have another cat, Lola, she is three years old and after being slowly introduced her and Caltex love each other, he even washes her and they share the same litter box and will eat from the same bowl. I live in a high rise apartment so he has not been in contact with any other cats and unfortunately theonly outdoor area is the balcony, i used to walk him on a lead occasionally but he really doesnt like to be restricted.
The first attack happened when I had a friend over(who does have a dog) We(the humans) were play fighting and i think Caltex may have been tryong to protect me as he attacked my friend first, and then me. He was okay with a different person(who also has a dog but Caltex knows, and trusts this person) he was sitting calmly, that was when I let him back inside and the second attack happened when I turned my back on Caltex. I got out of the room and he continued attacking my friend. He seems okay today but I am too scared to go too close in case he attacks again. He did mark the carpet in a few places and I think this is what he smelled and it reminded him he was angry. I have washed all the couch covers and the carpet with pet odour neutraliser, they aren’t dry yet tho.
Usually he is always close to me, he likes to be where the people are and is very welcoming to visitors, whether he knows them or not.(if I’m sick he won’t leave my side for days). It breaks my heart to not be able to let him inside and physically reassure him. How long should i wait before trying to reconnect with him? Could he be picking up that I’m scared of him and this upsets him again? Just now his pupils were very small slits and he was meowing in a friendly way but his fur was still standing up on his back and I don’t want to provoke him.
The vet i saw really had no helpful advice about dealing with the aggression, but she didnt witness it so im not sure if she understood how serious the attack was(if was directed at a child or another animal it possibly could have been fatal). He is a big cat, weighing just over 6.5kg, so he can do some damage. I have only one of the gabapentin capsules left, i dont think they work tho cos he knows when its in his food and he wont eat it.
Again thankyou so much for all the helpful advice, i will try all of the suggestions and keep you updated.

 

[Furballsmom]

As long as the fur is till ruffled, I wouldn't try connecting with him.

Did someone move in, or bring in, another cat? He would know even if he can't actually see the other animal. In other words, he's upset about that but taking it out on you...? I'm not sure your play fighting would provoke this dramatic a reaction in him, but I don't know.

I would suggest you talk with your vet and get something stronger and/or a different application method.

Have you tried butter? Pill pockets? Hiding the pill in tuna?

Have someone get a video if you can do this safely, your vet needs to understand what's going on.

 

[MiaMiaow]

I think my being scared of him made the situation worse. Right now I am outside in the balcony with him. He started to growl and hiss at me but I managed to stay calm and stand completely still, and he didn’t attack. I am avoiding looking directly at him but I am trapped outside because Caltex is between me and the door. He isn’t staring at me but I am scared to walk past him in case he attacks. He isn’t showing any aggression now and has gone back into his cat/dog house. Should I just wait for him to fall asleep then sneak past him? Could he be getting angry because I am not letting him inside?

 

[Furballsmom]

He's .not getting angry because you're not letting him back inside. Cats don't think like that.

 

[Molly1000]

I don't know much about cat's brains, but the frontal cortex of a human's brain is responsible for emotions and impulse control. Any damage to that part of the brain or tumours can lead to angry outbursts, violent behaviour and etc. in humans without provocation.

 

[Hellenww]

What ever triggered him initially he associates with you since you were there at the time. Yes, he can probably pick up on your nervousness.

The key is to get him back to seeing everything good as coming from you. Put a used t-shirt under his dish and where he sleeps. Keep toys and treats on you. As soon as he sees you give him a treat or get him going after a string toy before he starts to think of you a prey.

People have had success shaking a soda can with coins to train cats to stay off counters. Maybe shaking one will break his focus and then you can talk calmly to him or toss a toy or treat for not attacking.

When you go to sit with him take something to read outloud. This will help keep you calm and he might stay calmer too.

Being kept out wouldn't make him angry but I could see him being confused which could put him more on edge.

You've both had a scare and are confused by the other. Take yourself out for some fun and bring Caltex home a nice piece of chicken or something else he likes.

 

[ArchyCat]

This is a low probability thought. But have you changed the use of any personal scented product? Perfume, cologne, deodorant, hair spray? How about laundry soap, bleach, or static control dryer strips? Or hose cleaning products.

From what I have on TCS, cats are very oder oriented.

I hope you can get things back to normal soon.

 

[MiaMiaow]

Thankyou for all the replies, and i have found very helpful srticles on this site.
Updating whats going on with Caltex, i found a new vet(a male vet as Caltex responds better to male humans) who was very understanding. He did another full physical and said he does have a heart murmer but besides that he is in perfect health with no weightloss, heavy shedding or any other symptoms associated with hyperthyrism(not sure if thats the exact name) or any other illness. He prescribed prozac, half a tablet once a day. I am having alot of problems getting Caltex to take it tho, obviously i cant get close enough to physically put it in his mouth so i have been crushing it up into a superfine powder and mixing it with his food. It worked the first time but now he knows there is something in his food and.he wont eat it. Even if that is the only food i put out for him he still wont eat it. I have tried all types of food that he normally loved, and tried halving the dose(a quarter tablet twice a day instead of half once a day. He has a sensitive stomach so i dont want to mix his food up too much.

Now im even more stressed about him bacause what Molly1000 said about a brain tumour does make sense, its like something has snapped in his brain and he isnt the same cat, he doesnt respond to his name and his eyes are just vacant. Have uploaded a video i took of him yesterday, i hate seeing him like this, and i still cant get close to him beacuse he starts growling, his eyes have also changed colour, they used to be green but now they are yellow, and his pupils are constantly tiny slits, he is unable to relax, i really dont know what i can do, its heartbreaking to see-he is more like a wild animal than a domesticated cat. He doesn’t recognise me or my other cat, he doesn’t seem confused, just empty.

And I’m too scared to let him back inside because I can’t trust him not to attack. When I put my hand out to him(thru the door) usually he would respond by rubbing his head on my hand,but he just isn’t showing any signs of his old affectionate self.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar with their cat? And did they end up returning to normal? It’s been twelve days now since he attacked.

Also for about two weeks before that happened he hadn’t been himself, and a couple of times I had looked up from what I was doing and Caltex had been sitting in the shadows staring at me, it was kind of creepy because it almost looked like his eyes were glowing.

 

[MiaMiaow]

 

[Molly1000]

Before you start giving a cat psychiatric meds, I would ask for a scan of his brain. You may have to see a cat neurologist, as not all vets may know how to read brain scans or have any experience with it. Sudden onsets of aggression is a symptom of advanced stage brain cancer in cats. If you catch it early enough, your cat has a chance of remission for a few years. Even if the psychiatric meds work to calm the cat, they will only deal with the symptom of a bigger issue.

http://www.lapoflove.com/diseases/feline/Brain_Tumors_in_Cats.pdf

https://www.sfgate.com/pets/askthev...n-onset-aggression-can-be-treated-2462148.php

Prozac can actually increase aggression, irritability and anxiety/distrust of others in people with bipolar, paranoid schizophrenia, depending on where the imbalance is in the brain. It could make the cat believe you are trying to harm it by putting poison in his food. Vet should have prescribed clomicalm first or even lorazapam. Your cat does not sound depressed, low energy. Best wishes!

 

[MiaMiaow]

The tablets are Lovan fluoxetine 20mg and dosage is 1/2 a tablet once a day.

 

[MiaMiaow]

The video upload didn’t work but here are a couple of pictures

 

[Ripley520]

Hi- I realize this was a long while ago, but did you ever figure out what happened? My cat is going through some similar behavior and I was wondering. And hoping for a happy ending.

 

[rubysmama]

Hi R Ripley520 . Welcome to TCS. Since there has been no activity on this thread for a while, do feel free to start your own thread if you would like some replies specific to your own situation. How To Create A New Thread – Cat Articles