I know that a lot of people post here when they are... hopeless, and out of options, and they are searching for advice from experienced cat lovers, and I am one of these people.
I beg of you to read this and please, if you have advice, I desperately need it.
I've had Zoe for eight years. She's always been... ornery. She is an only cat, but she's been pampered her entire life.
When she was around three, she had (what we call) an 'episode.' Seemingly out of the blue, she became enraged and attacked me viciously. It was an hour or two of stalking me around the house, hissing, yowling, and attacking with teeth and claws. I managed to get her into the bathroom and, about 12 hours later, she seemed to be fine. We took her to the vet, and she was physically fine.
A good five years have passed. We've moved, we've added a puppy (they are separated at all times due to the Yorkie, not Zoe), and things have been fine. Zoe is a scratcher, she nips me when she's been petted too much, she doesn't take well to company.. she's extremely anxious. On the other hand, this baby follows me around the house. She's paper-trained (no litter boxes!), she runs downstairs when I get home from work and flops over so I can rub her belly. She sleeps in my arms under the covers... she is.. I can't explain (and I'm sure you all understand).. how much I love her. She is my heart.
Zoe had bladder stones removed about four years ago, and was diagnosed in April with them again. We set up a surgery appointment in April for a Friday. The Monday before the surgery, Zoe had another episode. She was... god, she was like possessed. She cornered me for 45 minutes, alternating between hissing and yowling, and attacking me. My carpets were covered in blood. I was scared to walk past her, because every time I tried, she went after me. Again, I got her into the bathroom and about 12 hours later, she seemed okay.
We attributed this latest episode to the stones, and bumped the surgery up to that Wednesday. The surgery went well, and she seemed to be fine. She's healing well, and there are no complications.
About three weeks ago, there was another episode -- this was, by far, the worst yet. The attack was brutal and prolonged. I suffered severe bites and had to be on antibiotics for ten days. Once AGAIN, we had to get Zoe into the bathroom but this time.. she remained a bit.. perturbed. No severe attacks, but..every time I tried to let her out of the bathroom, she'd start yowling and hissing and, to be honest, I am petrified of her.
I moved her from the small bathroom to the large bathroom that has a window. I put one of her cat towers, blankets, beds, food and water, and her wee-wee pads into the bathroom and she seemed to be doing okay. I made an appointment, on the advice from my vet, with a behaviorist a few towns away. We took her and I mentioned that I had an office in the house that I was thinking of modifying into a sort of cat condo, and the behaviorist agreed. She also prescribed ClomiCalm (the vet was already planning on doing that).
We set up the office for Zoe (honestly, if I were a cat, I'd love to live there) last Saturday and placed her in the room. She seemed to love it. She was bouncing around and when I went to sit at my desk, she curled up in my arms and I placed my head on her side and we laid there for a while.. she was purring. I thought everything would be okay. I was hopeful for the first time in weeks.
Sunday was.. about the same during the day. In the evening I was going to go into the office, and she was near the door and meowing.. but it wasn't her happy meow, it was a distressed angry meow. Not quite a yowl, but it made me nervous. I had been waiting for Sunday evening to give her the ClomiCalm. So, while I was scared out of my mind, I went in and managed to give her the liquid syringe (she won't take pills at all..ever, no matter what). She wasn't thrilled, but she just walked away from me.
I went in about a half hour later to check on her, and she was sitting on her cat tower, and I knelt down and started petting her.. She seemed calm and relaxed, so I thought the medicine might be working. When I stood up to leave, however, she jumped down from the tower and crouched, and started hissing and snarling at me again. I managed to get out of the room before much damage, but she did shred my foot a bit.
The behaviorist has apparently abandoned me. I emailed her to ask what to do, and she chided me for letting Zoe out of the bathroom before giving her the ClomiCalm.
Monday evening, I took her back to the vet. I have to admit, I was hysterically crying the entire time (the staff thought I was insane). I had to get Zoe out of the office with Ugg boots on and Oven mitts. The vet checked her out, and when she palpated a certain area on her abdomen, Zoe kinda freaked out. So they scheduled a full abdomen ultrasound for Wednesday. I hate to admit it, but I was praying that it was something physical to explain why she has been attacking me (something physical AND treatable). Unfortunately, there was nothing there.
My vet set me up with a pharmacy that does compounding and they made up some treats and more liquid versions of ClomiCalm. Zoe, being ridiculously finicky, took one lick at the treat and turned up her nose at it (she's back in the bathroom, by the way). I managed to get the liquid into her today, and she's been calm.
People have been telling me to put her to sleep because she's a danger. Giving her away is not an option, I am the only person she will let near her without attacking. I can't... I just can't. I want to try everything imaginable before I consider making that decision.
I don't know what to do. I've tried Feliway in the past, it doesn't work. I'm PRAYING that the clomicalm will work, but I don't know.
Does anyone have any advice??? I LOVE my cat, I love her with all my heart.. I don't know what to do.
Thanks for reading this.
Rachel (aka Zoe's Mama)
I beg of you to read this and please, if you have advice, I desperately need it.
I've had Zoe for eight years. She's always been... ornery. She is an only cat, but she's been pampered her entire life.
When she was around three, she had (what we call) an 'episode.' Seemingly out of the blue, she became enraged and attacked me viciously. It was an hour or two of stalking me around the house, hissing, yowling, and attacking with teeth and claws. I managed to get her into the bathroom and, about 12 hours later, she seemed to be fine. We took her to the vet, and she was physically fine.
A good five years have passed. We've moved, we've added a puppy (they are separated at all times due to the Yorkie, not Zoe), and things have been fine. Zoe is a scratcher, she nips me when she's been petted too much, she doesn't take well to company.. she's extremely anxious. On the other hand, this baby follows me around the house. She's paper-trained (no litter boxes!), she runs downstairs when I get home from work and flops over so I can rub her belly. She sleeps in my arms under the covers... she is.. I can't explain (and I'm sure you all understand).. how much I love her. She is my heart.
Zoe had bladder stones removed about four years ago, and was diagnosed in April with them again. We set up a surgery appointment in April for a Friday. The Monday before the surgery, Zoe had another episode. She was... god, she was like possessed. She cornered me for 45 minutes, alternating between hissing and yowling, and attacking me. My carpets were covered in blood. I was scared to walk past her, because every time I tried, she went after me. Again, I got her into the bathroom and about 12 hours later, she seemed okay.
We attributed this latest episode to the stones, and bumped the surgery up to that Wednesday. The surgery went well, and she seemed to be fine. She's healing well, and there are no complications.
About three weeks ago, there was another episode -- this was, by far, the worst yet. The attack was brutal and prolonged. I suffered severe bites and had to be on antibiotics for ten days. Once AGAIN, we had to get Zoe into the bathroom but this time.. she remained a bit.. perturbed. No severe attacks, but..every time I tried to let her out of the bathroom, she'd start yowling and hissing and, to be honest, I am petrified of her.
I moved her from the small bathroom to the large bathroom that has a window. I put one of her cat towers, blankets, beds, food and water, and her wee-wee pads into the bathroom and she seemed to be doing okay. I made an appointment, on the advice from my vet, with a behaviorist a few towns away. We took her and I mentioned that I had an office in the house that I was thinking of modifying into a sort of cat condo, and the behaviorist agreed. She also prescribed ClomiCalm (the vet was already planning on doing that).
We set up the office for Zoe (honestly, if I were a cat, I'd love to live there) last Saturday and placed her in the room. She seemed to love it. She was bouncing around and when I went to sit at my desk, she curled up in my arms and I placed my head on her side and we laid there for a while.. she was purring. I thought everything would be okay. I was hopeful for the first time in weeks.
Sunday was.. about the same during the day. In the evening I was going to go into the office, and she was near the door and meowing.. but it wasn't her happy meow, it was a distressed angry meow. Not quite a yowl, but it made me nervous. I had been waiting for Sunday evening to give her the ClomiCalm. So, while I was scared out of my mind, I went in and managed to give her the liquid syringe (she won't take pills at all..ever, no matter what). She wasn't thrilled, but she just walked away from me.
I went in about a half hour later to check on her, and she was sitting on her cat tower, and I knelt down and started petting her.. She seemed calm and relaxed, so I thought the medicine might be working. When I stood up to leave, however, she jumped down from the tower and crouched, and started hissing and snarling at me again. I managed to get out of the room before much damage, but she did shred my foot a bit.
The behaviorist has apparently abandoned me. I emailed her to ask what to do, and she chided me for letting Zoe out of the bathroom before giving her the ClomiCalm.
Monday evening, I took her back to the vet. I have to admit, I was hysterically crying the entire time (the staff thought I was insane). I had to get Zoe out of the office with Ugg boots on and Oven mitts. The vet checked her out, and when she palpated a certain area on her abdomen, Zoe kinda freaked out. So they scheduled a full abdomen ultrasound for Wednesday. I hate to admit it, but I was praying that it was something physical to explain why she has been attacking me (something physical AND treatable). Unfortunately, there was nothing there.
My vet set me up with a pharmacy that does compounding and they made up some treats and more liquid versions of ClomiCalm. Zoe, being ridiculously finicky, took one lick at the treat and turned up her nose at it (she's back in the bathroom, by the way). I managed to get the liquid into her today, and she's been calm.
People have been telling me to put her to sleep because she's a danger. Giving her away is not an option, I am the only person she will let near her without attacking. I can't... I just can't. I want to try everything imaginable before I consider making that decision.
I don't know what to do. I've tried Feliway in the past, it doesn't work. I'm PRAYING that the clomicalm will work, but I don't know.
Does anyone have any advice??? I LOVE my cat, I love her with all my heart.. I don't know what to do.
Thanks for reading this.
Rachel (aka Zoe's Mama)
