Borderline Personality Disorder in cats possible?

Meet Mouku:


He is now around 1.5 years old male, that is fixed about a year ago.

He has born wild, lived around 6 months of free life with his brother and mother outdoors, I slowly gained their trust with feeding them and about year ago took them inside without outdoor access.

His brother is Miuku and both of them learned to trust me, came to ask pets and everytime I came inside they did run to greet me.

Mouku has always been shy one of two brothers, but at last summer he did play with me and it was no problem to go next to him and pet him, he hardly ever got enough from petting.

Then more rescues came, tiny little kittens, no more than few months old, he was happy with them, shared sleeping place and what I could tell he did like playing with them.

Things however did change, now it has been maybe around 2 months, can't really remember so well how long ago, but around that time ago it was that I needed to give them medicine to cure earmites new ones were infested with, that did mean that I needed to treat them all, everyone else were quite ok to deal with, but with Mouku it was not too easy, I had to hold him on place quite a lot as he was trying very much to escape from treatment, it was liquid to neck.

That made him bit shy, but when I tried to treat his mother Mauku, she did not approve, right when I got to hold her she furiously turned around and started biting my arm really hard and deep, I still bear scars from that event, there was then bit of struggle, hissing, growling, running, jumping and groaning, she was furious, ears and tongue turned very purple indeed, I got her trapped and thought of taking her to vet where they might put medicine to her. Now this episode was so that Mouku did not see it unless he did peaked under the door, however this episode did result something to go off in his mind.

Mauku managed to escape when I was taking her to car, nowdays we are ok with Mauku, she is outdoor cat, I think she was too old and her genes too feral to be really tamed, but she is fine with me when I bring her food, others can see her outside from window too.

Things with Mouku however have not improved a much, he hides every time I come to room or maybe I should say most of the times, there are times when he stays where he is and looks me with half closed eyes, however if I ever approach him, he does hide, sometimes there are however rare exceptions, mostly when he has stayed same space with me some time.

Then there is time when I get to bed, maybe use laptop at bed, Mouku might come to sleep next to me, loving pets and being close to normal, but if I do as much as get to sit his eyes widens, he goes to panic and hides.

It is not only me though, when other kittens play and make loud noise he drops low looks around him in panic and flees at full speed if there is second loud noise or fast moving kitten.

He still at times plays with them at fast pace and still shares his sleeping place with them.

At some times he just hisses to everyone and claws anyone coming near, but this is quite rare.

I had feliway, one that is put to electrical socket for around a month, it did not do much of anything to situation, he is so random that sometimes I thought feliway is helping, but no, other moment and he is at his worse.

Now I know some basics about human psychology as I did study it for awhile at school, but I don't know if any of it is applicable to cats. However for me it looks like that he is having now some sort of mental issue, my very limited understanding would place him to somewhere around bipolar disorder, he is so random and changes to complete different 'person' that it is troublesome.

I have worked with this now almost full day, but even at times he is playing with me, even at times he likes to receive petting, I'm not just getting trough his scared side, there has been no any change than that of variance and swings from one end to another.

Playing, spending time with him, him seeing as I play with others, petting others, etc. nothing seem to have any effect at all, treats he ignores if put to next to him, but then again he may come on lap and pick one from hand, there is no telling.

He is gorgeous cat, always have been gentle and very nice, but I can see how he is now suffering and I really have not much ideas left how to make him better, it does not help that I can read his bodylanguage and even I can signal him that I like him and such and even if he does responds to that with signs of affection there is no improvement, it is his spooked side that I can't make connection and there is no way to actually talk him with it like with human it would be possible.

Should I perhaps try to seek some medication that would be calming effects?

He is immune to catnip, but then again, cat nip would probably just make things worse. He seems to be immune to Feliway too, so I think whatever it is, it should have bases at medical science.

My vet was completely clueless about what could be done, seems to be that as cat has feral roots it is then automatically hopeless case, however I have read that there is lot more than that which science knows about animals, also I think I once saw a pet shop at the net where they had all kinds of medicine to calm etc. cats, but I think only vet could order those and I don't think my vet or any vet in this country will buy something for me from the internet.

Now is there any sites that have feline psychology stuff or any of such information available? Me poor, can't buy much, so that also limits bit of options

It saddens me a bit as we were working on being picked up stuff and it was going quite great already, but now 6 feet can be too close at the times.

Here is one more pic of him before he got indoors, he is now quite big cat, not as much fur though, but he is huge and but he acts like he would be tiny little mouse

Thank you, this is really good to know.

Mother cat was kind that literally climbed to walls of warehouse when I first encountered her from there, never ever she would tolerate touching, but I managed to get into point where I could sit right next to her and playing with string so that my hand was only inches away, this took more than 6 months, at the beginning she was truly terrified and did run away if she saw me opposite side of yard and that is good 50 meters away, so I consider her quite feral, but extreme cold winter with temperature dropping close to -40C did make her come around as she got food and warm shelter from me.

What you tell me is probably true, it is maturity and his genes, tom cat that is most likely father is full feral, nobody has seen him around here, I have seen few times during years, but my surveillance system catches him almost every night, so Mouku has genes from two quite feral parents. Also I think that event with Mauku probably has made Mouku to leave kitten world behind, he probably had ok before as Mauku was something that he could find safety and support from, even it was mostly clawing to top of Mouku's head, he is probably now maturing then.

When I'm at bed he does many checkups on me, every day, some days he jumps to bed and sleeps soundly.

I think it might have something to do with genetic memory too, tame animals probably can figure out better human communication and ways, where for very feral human ways are perhaps so alien that it might take years for them to figure out all of it.

My little helper Miuku is surely doing lot of work in trying to get Mouku understand, but as Mouku has literally thick skull, it might indeed take just more time.

It just saddens me to see him afraid of things not need to be afraid of.

He has his own room, other cats mostly sleep and partly play at room where I'm in, so he has whole lot of space there, also window to outside to see silly humans in their silly tasks, I know tractors on road are his favorite as he jumps to window when he hears one, so he don't need to be so alone or isolated, but his room is lot bigger than mine really, too much space for that kitty perhaps?
There are really lot of small confined spaces and stalking areas with curtains to provide privacy too, so enviroment should be quite good as it can be for him now.