Extremely aggressive cat

Hi, just looking for some advice. 

My boyfriend has had his cat since he was a kitten - the cat is now 14 years old. He is very aggressive towards people in general (loves my boyfriend though!) which started when he was neutered as a young cat. As his mum is a childminder she has children in and out of the house during the day. He's gone for toddlers that are being cared for by his mum and has scratched at least two of them. He'll sit at the top of the stairs and attack anyone who walks past and if you're in the kitchen he tries to trip you up... Boyfriend would describe him as 'grumpy' rather than aggressive but the fact is he does use his claws and teeth at seemingly random triggers. 

His mum has phoned up today saying that she wants to put him down because of this aggression. 

Is there anything we can get her to try that could help? My main concern is that he's been this way so long that he's just never going to change. 

I don't have a lot of advice, but if their house is large enough maybe they could set up a special "cat room" and keep the cat confined during the times children are in the home.  This room would have to have everything the cat needs:  litter box, food, water, plenty of toys, and a bed.  Then when the children aren't around the cat can have the run of the house.

Lorie D. said:

 
I don't have a lot of advice, but if their house is large enough maybe they could set up a special "cat room" and keep the cat confined during the times children are in the home.  This room would have to have everything the cat needs:  litter box, food, water, plenty of toys, and a bed.  Then when the children aren't around the cat can have the run of the house.

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My suggestion was to put him outside during the day when kids are there but the trouble is getting him wherever you want to keep him, and he'd be out almost all the time because his sister brings her son (4 years old) round every other night or so. Plus his mum is now fed up of being attacked every time she walks through her house :/ 

Does your boyfriend still live with his mom? If not, is there a reason that he can't take the cat? Usually I would not be in favor of rehoming a cat at such an advanced age, but given what looks to be the alternative, this seems like a good option to me. 

tulosai said:

 
Does your boyfriend still live with his mom? If not, is there a reason that he can't take the cat? Usually I would not be in favor of rehoming a cat at such an advanced age, but given what looks to be the alternative, this seems like a good option to me. 

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Nope, he lives with me 300 miles away, we have a tiny one bed flat that's on the 3rd floor. My first instinct was to say 'Well we'll have him then' but he'd hate it here, and plus he hates me more than his mum so I don't think it'd work out.