agressive cat - wwyd

[Anonymous]

Our cat has fear-based aggression -- so vet visits are impossible. She has bitten my husband once and broken the skin. Bitten me twice, not broken skin. But scratched me and broken it. She has scratched my son. Other behaviors are also undesirable. We've tried home-based training, but a behaviorist starts at $350-400/hour (which is the same cost as our lawyer) and honestly out of current budget (thanks, COVID). We've already put thousands into her over the past couple years.

I know cats and have had them for 30-some years. I have never had one of my cats (or dogs, for that matter) bite or scratch me.

I tried rehoming her once, but it failed. I've talked to rescues, who will not take human-aggressive cats. The shelter where I live is not taking in cats right now, unless they are lost or there's an urgent medical situation. I think they'd just put her to sleep anyway. I know there is a place in VA that rehabilitates cats like her, but I'm no longer in the area.

She is 90% sweet as pie. 10% unpredictable (and honestly scary). She also attacks our older cat; so they split time 50/50 in a guest room or roaming free.

I know it is for the best to find a rehoming solution in order to keep my family safe, but I am (probably stupidly) struggling over this because I just hate the thought of her being put down or passed home to home to home even if I do find someone who can handle her.

What would you do? No judgement please. I'm trying hard to find a humane solution.

[Anonymous]

Try a pheromone collar

[Anonymous]

I’d release her outside.

[Anonymous]

My son used multiple pheromone products when he got a cat which hid and would only come out when he was sleeping (sometimes he'd wake up and find the cat just . . . staring at him, but when it realized he was awake it took off). It eventually took up residents on top the kitchen cabinets (loft apt with very high ceiling). He'd get up on the counter and talk to the cat after spraying himself with pheromones. After 2 months of this, the cat overnight turned into an over affectionate pest who was constantly weaving around his feet when he was walking. Cats are just weird. I just got one someone I knew had taken in. It was very friendly but wouldn't let their original cat out of the basement, or eat, or use the litter box.

[Anonymous]

Kitty prozac. Seriously. Forget the behavioral training and go straight to the meds.

[Anonymous]

Our cat has been on prozac for about a year. It's about 1/4 of the lowest human dose, we get it from a normal pharmacy and cut it into pieces. It is not fun to give it to her, but it absolutely takes the edge off and has helped to address her aggressive behavior (to other cats and people). Maybe worth a try?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our cat has been on prozac for about a year. It's about 1/4 of the lowest human dose, we get it from a normal pharmacy and cut it into pieces. It is not fun to give it to her, but it absolutely takes the edge off and has helped to address her aggressive behavior (to other cats and people). Maybe worth a try?

Same issue. I use cat pill pockets. He eats them up.

[Anonymous]

Kitty Prozac

[Anonymous]

For heaven's sake, don't release her outside. Agree to try medication and then consider euthanizing her. Poor kitty. She must be scared.

[Anonymous]

Feliway + watch some Jackson Galaxy videos. He has excellent tips that a behavioral specialist would charge you for.

Are there specific circumstances where the aggression is happening? Our cat gets bitey/scratchy only when she's in a playful mood but it can be aggressive and we have to redirect to toys. It can happen pretty suddenly and we had to get better at spotting the signs that she was 'in the zone'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our cat has been on prozac for about a year. It's about 1/4 of the lowest human dose, we get it from a normal pharmacy and cut it into pieces. It is not fun to give it to her, but it absolutely takes the edge off and has helped to address her aggressive behavior (to other cats and people). Maybe worth a try?

Same issue. I use cat pill pockets. He eats them up.

Yep. I hid mine in a spoonful of stinky canned food though.

[Anonymous]

Ours got scarier as time when on. It was hard as she was 100 % sweetheart with me up until the final year. Having guests meant getting her locked in a separate area of the house. If the doorbell rang she went berserk. Vet visits were embarrassing and usually involved her having to be quarantined there afterwards as she would bite someone. They would have me go into the staff only section to collect here with these extra long oven mitts. It got to the point I could not manage her and was afraid of her. When you are putting on protective sporting equipment and oven mitts to approach your pet, then something is wrong. Her quality of life sucked and she was unpredictable and frantic at times. The vet looked so relieved when I brought up euthanizing her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our cat has been on prozac for about a year. It's about 1/4 of the lowest human dose, we get it from a normal pharmacy and cut it into pieces. It is not fun to give it to her, but it absolutely takes the edge off and has helped to address her aggressive behavior (to other cats and people). Maybe worth a try?

Same issue. I use cat pill pockets. He eats them up.

Yep. I hid mine in a spoonful of stinky canned food though.

OP here. Our cat is already on 1ml of prozac and has been for 1+ year now. Any less and she's 100% unmanageable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try a pheromone collar

OP here. We tried that -- as well as the ones you plug into the outlet. No change but a rash around her neck and a headache for everyone else. I spray Feliway around the house and on furniture. But she just seems to get angry and runs from it. But no longer scratches sofa. So one success, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours got scarier as time when on. It was hard as she was 100 % sweetheart with me up until the final year. Having guests meant getting her locked in a separate area of the house. If the doorbell rang she went berserk. Vet visits were embarrassing and usually involved her having to be quarantined there afterwards as she would bite someone. They would have me go into the staff only section to collect here with these extra long oven mitts. It got to the point I could not manage her and was afraid of her. When you are putting on protective sporting equipment and oven mitts to approach your pet, then something is wrong. Her quality of life sucked and she was unpredictable and frantic at times. The vet looked so relieved when I brought up euthanizing her.

OP here. I'm so sorry. Those extra long oven mitts is exactly what we're dealing with, too.

That is exactly what I am afraid of her heading. She used to be fine with guests. But recently lost her marbles when the plumber was here. And hissed at our alarm repair guy.

It's like she's a caged lion. She paces and stomps her feet, like the big cats at the zoo. I've never had a restless house cat before this. Playing with her to burn energy doesn't help most of the time, just amps her up.