Odd Aggresion, Dreaming?

[Hlee]

Hi,
My old guy (17) attacked my head while sleeping by me a couple weeks ago and the other day attacked
my husband's back while cuddled up next to him asleep.
It is like he is startled awake by us moving and he attacks while maybe he is sort of still sleeping or dreaming.
Not sure what to do other than not let him sleep with us anymore .
I Hate that but he is pretty out of control when this occurs.
He has has some little psycho kitty episodes over the years , always has been a little anxious but this sleeping thing is new.
He just had a checkup a couple month ago and is doing really well physically for his old age.
Has anyone else ever experianced this type of thing?

 

[inkysmom]

He could have arthritis and be sore and if either of you move it could jostle him in a way that's painful. I've heard about dogs doing this.
He also could have a neurological condition or be dreaming and startled, or getting a bit senile.
I'd get him checked out again at the vet. Maybe he needs a painkiller or sedative before bed in order to continue to be able to safely sleep with you.

 

[ArtNJ]

Unfortunately, inkysmom is likely correct; there is likely a medical reason.

We did have a poster who was seriously injured (lip ripped up) by a cat doing exactly this in bed. It isn't safe. We all tend to shrug off the occasional scratches on the hands or arms, but the eyes are something else entirely. Please don't risk it.

 

[Hlee]

Thank you.
I hesitate another trip to the vet because he has to be so groggy with gabapentin just to get bloodwork and the trauma lasts for days.
I have noticed he seems to be sleeping deeper than he used to. He just sleeps through what used to wake him up and I have contributed that to old age.
He won`t be sleeping by my head anymore. Luckily I am a light sleeper.
I will keep a close eye on him and if it looks like he is hurting I will get him back in to vet.
Thanks for your help.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thats not unreasonable. If the bloodwork was clean and you aren't seeing any signs of arthritis, it could be lots of other things including dementia. Not much the vet could do about that afaik. Makes sense to keep a close eye on the cat before another vet visit for something the vet may well not be able to help with.

 

[inkysmom]

Cats are notorious for being extremely good at hiding pain, better than dogs or other animals. It's a survival skill. So watch out for very subtle signs. He could be sleeping more deeply from exhaustion if he's in constant pain from arthritis, from some neurological condition or he just could have some natural hearing loss from age.
My 14 year old cat with cancer was getting pretty knocked out with gabapentin so the vet lowered the dose slightly. He needs a painkiller daily or he pees on my spare futon and is grouchy and irritable and cuffs the dig og aaother cat, all signs of pain for him. The vet also gave him buorenorbupr which works better for pain and doesn't knock him out as much.

 

[Hlee]

The gabapentin in just for vet visit.
He is untouchable there without it!
He has always been anxious, a little scary and unpredictable.
He was a shelter kitty, stray, about a year old when we got him and though almost always well behaved he has has some psycho moments from the start and over the years.
When company comes he is the one you tell kids to" keep your face away "from lol.
He has a lot of great cat qualities also and we adore him despite all that.

 

[Hlee]

How can vet even evaluate pain in a drugged up anxious wildcat?

 

[Kflowers]

The only way to discover whether or not your cat has arthritis is with a full body x-ray. One will cover most cats.

The only way we knew our kitten had arthritis was she got crankier when a front with rain was coming in. I just mentioned it to the vet, "we noticed she gets crankier, meaner the day before it rains." He suggested arthritis. Full body x-ray later and there arthritis was onthree vertebra on her less than one year old spine. We got her the dasuquin for joints and she got much less cranky.

 

[inkysmom]

Sometimes they look stiff walking or trotting, sometimes they don't run or jump anymore, sometimes they can'ake it up to the bed or couch or places they used to easily jump. Sometimes you can see them take a long time to carefully get up and lie down. Sometimes theyre just cranky and may cry out or have accidents because they can't get I to the kitty litter, or make it in time.
I have arthritis and I can predict any damp weather way better than the weather forecast. It kills to move. Joint t suppliments help immensely. So does ibuprofen for me. Cats need a painkiller safe for cats.
My dog gets Cosequin d5 and wild salmon oil. He's only 4 but has very mild hip dysplasia on one hip. He started fighting with other dogs at the dog park so I knew something wasn't right because he loves other dogs. He also woukdwou run or play much. Now that he's on the suppliments, he's back to normal.
My cat meows and cries a little and pres on the futon unless he gets his painkillers.
The vet can check blood work and a physical exam to look for issues and x rays if needed for arthritis

 

[Hlee]

Thanks everyone. I will be watching closely for any signs of arthritis or physical pain. I really don't see that at all , he runs and jumps and keeps up pretty good with the youngsters . He is very playful for 17 especially , but at this age anything could happen.
He will be sleeping only by my feet from now on at night . I am more worried about my husband. He takes naps sometimes and sleeps soundly. Butchie loves to nap with him.
I do remember a couple occasions years ago where he fell asleep on my lap, woke up saw me, hissed at me. This is similar but way more extreme.
I wish I could read his crazy cat brain.

 

[Kflowers]

I still think it's arthritis that he's hiding. However, from the last being in your lap waking and hissing at you, I think there may be something else going on. One of my cats - if you woke him unexpectedly he'd go into attack mode. The others would look at you and not attack. With one thing and another we were able to discover that attacking cat's vision wasn't all it could have been. He wasn't blind, just really near-sighted. Okay cats are somewhat near sighted by nature, but this was more.

We clued that he couldn't recognize us visually. Cats aren't supposed to be good at recognizing faces, but obviously the others were doing better than this one. When we called his name, he'd wake up, no attack.

Proof? Only what we observed described above. Vet wasn't impressed since he was a indoor cat and managed the house just fine. It made a huge difference in learning how to avoid getting attacked, but that wasn't the vet's area.

 

[inkysmom]

My fourteen year old cat doesn't show pain, and runs and jumps and moves just fine too. But his expression is different and he's crankier and he pees on the futon without the pain meds. It's very subtle but his whole personality changes and he's happy and plays and is affectionate with the pain meds. He plays with the other cat instead of attacking him, wants hugs and attention from me instead of hiding and kisses and cuddles with the dog instead of cuffing him. And eats better and only pees in the litter box
But if you don't know him like I do, you'd think he was fine. The vets didn't want to give him pain meds because he wasn't acting like he was in pain in exams. I had to push and advocate because I know him so well. And his specific cancer is very painful. They say he has flutd but he doesn't fit some of the criteria. I don't really care what they diagnose him with as long as he's happy.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Rule out health related issues first. But, let me tell you - Feeby (14+) while sleeping has jerky, jumpy motions, but she doesn't attack. I thought she was dreaming, but my vet said it is probably a long-standing neurological issue. I haven't done anything about it, since I can touch her with a bit of pressure with my hand, and she settles down.

Talk to your vet about it possibly being of a neurological nature. Perhaps, something like CBD oil would help?