My cat snapped

My eight month old cat has never liked kids. He usually hisses and growls at them as soon as they come in sight and he hits them if they get too close. He usually calms down after they leave and he goes back to being himself. Last night however after two visiting kids had left he did not calm down. He continued to hiss at me and my girlfriend all night. He has not stopped growling and it has been nearly a day. Also he shows this same behavior toward our other cat who has done nothing to provoke it. Has he gone crazy? Will this ever stop? What can I do?

Has he gone crazy? Probably not, but he is telling you something isn't right! Were the children supervised while around your cat? Not trying to say they hurt him or anything, but if they were chasing him or such, it can really tramatize a scared kitty. If he doesn't calm down by tomorrow, you may want to have him checked out by your vet. An unknown injury or illness can cause the same reactions!

Calming being sent for him! Keep us updated!

Try putting him in a quiet room of his own so he can calm down. He obviously finds children frightening, and a frightened cat will look for targets to discharge their anxiety.

Being left alone, without much input, will allow him to reorganize his thoughts by letting him get off "red alert."

In future, I would isolate him so this doesn't come up again. He doesn't need to have to deal with children, and you don't want to worry about him lashing out at them either. It's not important how he got that way; children's sudden movements and disconcerting size can throw a lot of animals.

What's important is that this is TOO MUCH for him. With this deep a reaction it's not likely to change, and I'm sure there aren't many children you could borrow to conduct desensitization therapy with.

Has he been seen by a vet for a physical exam? Sometimes internal changes (UTI or something else) can trigger unusual behavior. They may be in pain and are lashing out at people and other animals. I'd take him in and have him checked out.