PLEASE help ... difficult to diagnose behavioral issue ...

Hello,

I'm really, REALLY hoping somebody can help me. I recently got married and I inherited two (2) cats through the marriage. The cats belong to my wife, and they are brother and sister (both a little over 7 years old).

My wife got the cats when they were just 10 weeks old. I joined this forum today to try to get help and advice regarding the male cat. We are desperately in need of direction.

The cat's name is Kozo, he is skittish, but all-in-all a pretty good cat. However, about 2.5 years ago something spooked him during the middle of the night and he attacked my wife's leg. She was going to take him to the pound at that time because the wounds were pretty extensive, but she decided not to.

However, this past weekend (5 years since the last incident) a similar attack occurred and I had to take my wife to the hospital emergency room, where she received an antibiotic drip on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I feel very bad for my wife, because I know she loves Kozo like her own child. But, the problem is this - we have our own baby on the way in mid-November. I cannot run the risk of an incident like this happening with a baby in the house.

Between my wife and I we have probably spoken to over 30 shelters and sanctuaries, but finding a new home for Kozo has been a seemingly fruitless cause. My wife took Kozo to a veterinarian here in Orlando yesterday who has a reputation for being VERY good with cats. He said Kozo had one of the sweetest dispositions of any cat he'd seen, but obviously something triggers something and he could be spiked again given the right circumstances.

Again, this is Kozo's second incident in more than seven years.

We would have tried to figure out a solution here at home were it not for the fact that we have a baby arriving soon.

I think he would be a good cat in an environment where he is the sole pet. Again, he has a lovable side which is what we see most often.

I'm hoping somebody here might be able to direct us in finding a suitable home for Kozo. He is really a sweet cat but we don't know if a sanctuary is the best place for him.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance for any help and advice you might be able to give. This is really testing us and neither of us want to put Kozo down. We think there's a home out there for him but we don't know where to turn.

Sincerely,

Brian

P.S. I have attached a couple of pictures of Kozo

Thank you for the reply.

Given the fact that we are expecting a baby in November and living in a smaller home, I feel that the only option for us is to find a new home for Kozo.

We weren't sure which option would be best - Cat Sanctuary, SPCA, or finding a person with the right temperament to take Kozo as their pet. I think he would be a great pet if he were the only pet in the home.

What makes it most difficult is that Kozo is a sweet cat when he's on his own. And he's a sweet cat 99% of the time, in general. It appears that his episodes are somehow connected to actions by his sister. And his sister has never had any issues such as this. When she is attacked by Kozo, she is always on the defensive. She rarely instigates and although the attacks sound pretty vicious, she typically escapes completely unscathed.

I hope someone might have some suggestions for new home opportunities for Kozo.

Thanks again!

Thank you for the input, Jennifer.

I know my wife took Kozo to several behavior specialists in Los Angeles when he had his first incident 2.5 years ago, and they could not diagnosis the problem. They prescribed Phenobarbital, but it just made Kozo very lethargic and he wasn't even the same animal, according to my wife.

We took Kozo to a vet in the area (we recently moved to Orlando, FL) who is supposed to be extremely good with cats. He looked at Kozo and said that he (Kozo) was one of the most docile cats he'd seen. But, obviously something is slightly amiss between Kozo's ears or he wouldn't have these rare episodes.

Something obviously frightens him enough to want to go after his sister. And both incidents have involved her. We just can't take a chance with a baby on the way.

You've been very helpful and I really appreciate your input. We'll try to find a good place for him but if it comes down to it I'm sure we will have a very difficult decision to make within the next 25 days.

Have a good holiday weekend and thanks again!

Brian