I Got My Unruly Cat a Kitten!

I posted here last year because I had a cat that had to be euthanized due to a vaccine-associated sarcoma. He was only 5, and the sweetest, most loving cat I ever knew. This was the most painful experience of my life.

I soon adopted another kitten that I named Murphy from a shelter who was 4 months old at the time. He turned out to be a biter. He bit me and I developed a severe case of cellulitis, which landed me in the hospital for three days. A few days after I got out of the hospital, he bit my mom and she wound up in the ER! 

I was beside myself about what to do. So I took him to my (holistic) vet, to rule out any medical issues. He had none. The vet told me that he has an acute case of play aggression and said I had three options: I could re-home him, which would be very difficult under the circumstances; I could put him down, the thoughts of which broke my heart; or get him a kitten.

I decided on the latter, and I am happy to report that they love each other! Murphy and Lily play together all of the time, and he washes her. Yay!  

There you go! Love it. That was my solution to a similar (play aggressive kitten) situation. Isn't it great when it works out (match personalities)?

Alissa, that is a wonderful happy ending for Murphy! So happy he now has a playmate that he can chase around, play, and snuggle with! Your story is the perfect reason why shelters in my area always highly recommend folks to adopt kittens by the pair! I know when I looked around for my two, some shelters absolutely refused to allow one kitten to go home no matter how great they seemed! Of course these folks were always so upset and wrote bad reviews and such, but it really is for the benefit of the kitten, too! Anyway, my kittens are now almost a year old, and though it's been a pretty hectic ride, I'd never trade my two for anything!

Just curious if Murphy's no longer an agressive biter with you or anyone else? This thread should be taken more seriously by folks looking for help with aggression issues! I hope you can contribute from your experience by sharing your stories in detail about them!

Thank you for your post;  I hope others read up and reconsider before adopting their own (especially if they only want one cat) now that it's peak kitten season! Best wishes to you, Murphy and Lily!   

Thanks, EmandJee. Interestingly, Murphy no longer bites me. But he does bite my parents when they come to visit. Ironically, Lily bit Murphy not long after I got her, and he got a really severe infection that required a vet visit. Perhaps he's learned his lesson.

I am glad it worked out well.. But, your vets "advice" really shocked me.  He must not be a cat loving vet.  Holistic or not, I would be looking for a vet that enjoys and likes cats more.  Just my opinion.  Your vet doesn't seem to like them much?  Not all vets do.  I'm of the opinion that if you're going into the field anyway, you should like all types of animals... However, a lot do not.

He loves cats. In fact, he has five of his own. Plus, he is a great vet. Initially, he advised me to put Murphy on flower essences and change his diet per the Chinese medicine model, which I did. But if that didn't work, he felt that a cat that bites to the extent that my mom and I wound up in the hospital is very dangerous, regardless of the reasons for his biting. If I didn't receive medical help when I did, I could have lost my leg! 

Alissa said:

 
He loves cats. In fact, he has five of his own. Plus, he is a great vet. Initially, he advised me to put Murphy on flower essences and change his diet per the Chinese medicine model, which I did. But if that didn't work, he felt that a cat that bites to the extent that my mom and I wound up in the hospital is very dangerous, regardless of the reasons for his biting. If I didn't receive medical help when I did, I could have lost my leg!

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Oh OK.  It was just that the suggestion to put down a perfectly healthy cat scared me for a moment!  I understand.