This Cat Is A Monster! Help!

Well, I solved the issue surrounding my cats & housing, as I now have a new house, but I have an ongoing problem that I am at my wits end over.

The majority my other cats are loving, well socialized, well behaved, and absolutely adore myself & each other. Even the temperamental ones (my eldest female and one of my youngest females) are tolerable of each other, and are still loving and well behaved on their own. I have no problem approaching them, I have no problem grooming them, no problem with them being together, most are gentle and easy to care for, they respond well to me.

Quite some time ago, when I was at the vet with one of my other cats and her kitten for a check up, a lady came in with a beautiful kitten, and the vet refused to take it as they were "full", being a multi cat household, I offered to take it until I could find it a new home, and she arranged a time the next day for me to pick him up.

Now my friends wanted the kitten, so I went to pick him up. When I got there, she sprung on me a beautiful ginger kitten as well, so I thought, well I'll take them both as they're brothers. The first kitten, a tabby was so quite and withdrawn, curled in a corner, shied from touch, basically introverted, which from the start I could tell was weird. However, when I went to grab the second one to place in my pet carrier, it jumped, started, and ran a mile with us in pursuit, before banging head-first into a glass door, bleeding from it's nose, hissing, and it bit me. HARD.

Now I thought it was scared, I took them both home. Treyzon the Tabby was beautiful but my friends brought him home after 1 night as she was allergic. You could tell that he was a scared cat but harmless. However, the other one, seriously, it's eyes were schizo and I had no choice but to keep him - Serryn.

So I ended up keeping them both, and this is where the problem sets in. I can only speculate that before I got them, Treyzon and Serryn were abused as tiny babies because that is the only way to explain the behavior. Treyzon has one side of Autistic Behavior (he is lovely and easy to handle but quiet and too docile) and Serryn has VERY aggressive behavior.

Serryn's behavior is at the point, I have to keep him in a cat carrier, and even after dealing with kittens that scratch accidentally, I am scared to touch him. He bites me. HARD, He makes me bleed, he literally tears skin from bone. He scratches to bleeding point. He doesn't just growl when you go near him, he yowls, as if a huge dog is coming to tear him apart. When you go to touch him, it isn't protectiveness, his aim is to kill and maim anything that will touch him.

Usually I stay away from him, I care for my other cats, and I just give him what he wants - a roof over his head, attention if he wants it (he never does) and food. He loves the other cats - he just hates me and anyone else of the human species. I've just flea bathed all my cats, and I want to bath and clip his nails too - but there is no way I can get near him, let alone hold him and wash and clip him.

I don't know what to do. I can't handle him anymore. I don't want him euthanizesed due to him being a danger - I couldn't even give him to anyone, he would NOT pass the re homing tests they have at shelters as if he were a big dog - the behavior he shows could kill a small child, that would be so cruel, but is there truly anything I can do for him? I've tried to make up for what was obviously done to him before I got him by whoever had him before me, but although it worked with Treyzon, this cat is too strong and defies me at every turn.

Any advice?

Wow, that's a really tough spot. I have one suggestion. Perhaps the kittens weren't abused as you've suggested. Perhaps it's a mental illness that he suffers from. I don't know of any but maybe you could find a specialist vet who might give you some insight or even someone who's worked extensively with ferals might have a thought. Information is often the best "weapon." Other than that I agree with your assessment that he can't (or very probably anyway) be re-homed. Sadly, euthanasia might be the only course left once all others are exhausted.

I'm not an advocate of medicating an animal but in his case maybe its the best way to go?

Thankyou for the advice. Yes, I'm going to have to take him to a vet to find out what's wrong, and yes perhaps it is a mental illness of some kind. I don't think I could have him euthanized, because as much hassle that he may be when it comes to moving him, grooming him ect, he gets along fine with my other cats, and doesn't cause them any stress or harm, thus, as long as I feed him and keep him sheltered and don't go near him, he could very well lead a peaceful life that he is happy with. He isn't a depressed cat, he just doesn't like humans, or perhaps it's me. The problem with taking him to the vet, is that the vet is going to need to wear safety equipment, the bite on my hand is nasty and the bite on my finger joint is healing but was severely bruised and I couldn't move my hand for a while - I wouldn't want the vet taking chances. I've heard of Feliway, which apparently calms them down and I'll be getting him the chop soon enough if they can get him calm enough to put a needle anywhere near him to sedate him lol, so hopefully I can sort it out, because it's distressing that I can't do anything with him when all of my other cats are fine.

I had brought in a feral cat that they called the wild one on his chart. They used what looked like falconer's gloves on their hands when interacting with him. If they know what they are dealing with then it should be alright. I did socialize Patch, he too was alright with the other cats it was all humans he didn't trust or like. I never really went near him I put his food down and water but I never tried to touch him. I would sit on the floor with a dangling string on a stick with a rubber spider on it I did that every day. The others played he watched after a long time he started to join it. It took a lot of time but he is so much better. He still won't let me pick him up or rub his head on me like the others, but he doesn't run away if I pass him either. I wish you good luck with him and you are a very kind hearted person to not want to euthanize him. Please keep us updated.

Just reading the behavior, this sounds very much like these were feral kittens.

My friends and I take the ferals brought into the shelter and work to socialize those we can and find a suitable place for the others to live. I have seen many that act exactly as you described. One can be easier to socialize than another even being brothers.

Feral cats do not like to be looked at directly but if you can see his eyes and tell if the pupils are dilated. You will see mostly the black center. This is a sign of fear (from what I have learned).

Search some threads for feral behavior and see if that parallels what you are experiencing. If so then some small changes in how you treat him could help.

I have a cat like that living with me now. I just give her space and she has great companions of the four-legged type.

Maybe when you go to the vet explain that he may have a feral background and they can treat him safely.

I didn't know cats could have a mental illness. They can have neurological changes caused by a tumor/disease/injury that will result in a behavior or motor function change, among other things.

I hope he gets better.