Cat became pyscho... help

Hello and thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer... This is my 1st cat so I'm not sure what to think

To give everyone a little background on my cat Merlin... I am the 3rd owner of this cat.  The 1st owner (who I never met) was apparently a drunken jerk that would abuse him.  I guess he went to jail and asked his sister (The wife of a friend of mine) if she would take him till he got out of jail.   When they first took Merlin, he was completely freaked out and wouldn't let anyone near him for the longest time.  They had a couple other cats so they just sort of ignored him and let him do his own thing.  When the brother/original owner got out of jail, he never asked for Merlin back but did go visit his sister and her family once.  From what my friend told me, as soon as Merlin saw his original owner he completely freaked out and hid for a week.  

As I would go over there with some frequency I would just sort of ignore Merlin but I would play with the other cats.  Eventually, I assume, Merlin got jealous of a lack of attention from me and would come around me.  After my friends had this cat for a few years, they were amazed because I was the only person he'd let pick him up.   Although he never wanted to be picked up for very long.  At one point in time my friend got pissed that all his furniture was getting ruined from all the cats and wanted to get rid of them all.  I felt bad at the thought Merlin might not wind up in a good home so I took him from them.

When I first got him things were pretty good with him for the 1st six months or so.  I made a point to pick him him and pet him often... Although whenever he'd show any signs of wanting down I'd let him freely jump down.  Over a couple months he started becoming a rather affectionate cat... I could pick him up and he would contently purr as I petted him for extended periods of time before he'd want down... He would come and sit on my chest and purr as i petted him... and occasionally he would even crawl on top of me and fall asleep. My friends were surprised at the picture I sent them of him asleep on my chest.   So I was rather pleased with the way he was turning out.

The problem with Merlin started about  a month ago when my condo building did some mandatory city inspection of all the units.  A city inspector and my condo association management had to go thru my place.  I was here at the time, and they spent less than 5 minutes here.. For some reason Merlin hasn't been the same since though.  The first thing I noticed was he hid in the closet for 2 days after the inspection and didn't even come out to eat.  I eventually coaxed him out with food.  Then I noticed he developed some weird fear of my ceiling fans for a couple weeks.  He started watching them like he was scared of them and would "slink" passed them like he was trying to not be noticed.  I picked him up one day and walked into my bedroom, and as soon as he spotted the ceiling fan, he completely freaked out and clawed his way out of my arms and ran away.  

He has also stopped being affectionate at all and has become very aggressive towards me.  Where as before it seemed like he was very content and enjoyed to be petted, now anytime I go to touch him he either bites or claws at me.  He doesn't hiss or anything, he just bites or claws.  If I pick him up, he immediately wants down.  Many times he goes into a "predator" mode and as I walk out of a room, he waits till my back is turned then he'll pounce on my leg and attack me.  Sometimes viciously. 

I'm rather disappointed, and even sad, that he isn't as affectionate as he was a month ago.  Can anyone offer me any suggestions on how to "win him over" again? 

How good of you to take in this mistreated boy.  It's a sad story.  Perhaps the building inspector reminded him in some way of his first owner.  

It sounds like redirected aggression.  Have you tried any calming agents--a Feliway diffuser, or calming treats or collar?  Here's a thread about different things people have used with success:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292533/what-is-your-favorite-calming-liquid

I can think of two possible triggers for Merlin's change in behaviour, and both come down to one thing - stress.

The first possibility is that the city inspection spooked him - maybe one of the men reminded him of his first, abusive owner and triggered a flashback type reaction. Being worried by the ceiling fans absolutely fits with this scenario. I had an ex racehorse who was impossible to box. Once in the box she'd try to drop to the floor every time a shadow passed overhead - she'd been beaten over the head in starting stalls to stop her rearing in panic (a practice that was sadly all too common). If Merlin was beaten or had things thrown at him in the past, the shadow of the moving fan combined with his traumatic memories could easily be the reason for his sudden fear. If he is in flashback mode (possibly even PTSD), then that absolutely accounts for his character change.

The second possibility is also related to his traumatic past, but comes from a different place. The horse I mentioned above (who had clearly been abused, and sometimes neglected, for most of her life) was pretty 'shut down' when I first met her - kind of like Merlin sounds when you first met him. For the first part of time I had her, she just came out of her shell and formed a close bond. We had a real connection, but then her behaviour became increasingly unpredictable, and issue after issue became apparent. It was simply a sign of the strength of our bond - once she was fully able to trust me, she began 'telling' me about her past experiences in the only way she could - with her behaviour. It's possible that Merlin is trying to tell you what he's been through and asking for your help to work through his trauma.

Neither scenario offers a quick fix. It's possible that Merlin may even need medication to help him live with his fears. Much as I don't like medicating cats in this way, it is sometimes necessary. When it is needed, it can make a huge difference.

I think I'd start with the usual round of stress busting options - Feliway, Composure, Spirit Essences/Bach Flower Remedies, plenty of interactive play and creating a predictable, comforting routine.

Alongside this, I'd consider seeing a vet or cat behaviourist to assess whether Merlin is in need of medication.

Don't be downhearted. Underneath all the neurosis he's still the same cat who's bonded to you. He's just asking (or screaming) for help. Stay positive. He can get through this, and so can you

Thanks for the reply.  I read through that thread and looked a couple of the items up, but they weren't completely clear to me what they were.  Are they drugs?  How do they work?  Is there any side affects with them?  Have you ever tried them?  You also mention something about a collar.  All I saw was it releases some sort of Pheromone, but that's it.  Could you share more about this please?  Once again thanks

Zylkene and Composure are both natural calmers based on amino acids and other naturally occurring compounds that promote calm. Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences range and Bach's Rescue Remedy are flower essences. I've used flower essences with great success, as have other members Composure and Zylkene have good track records too, and many vets sell and recommend one or the other, if not both.

The collars release similar pheromones to the ones in Feliway. The advantage of the collars is that the cat can carry the calming influence wherever they go.

Yeah, the most obvious possibility to me was the inspector somehow reminded Merlin of his 1st owner.  I never met him so I'm not sure.  I've tried to maintain a steady emotional reaction towards Merlin as he's been acting out with his level of aggression.  At times he's bitten or scratched me and gotten aggressive, I'll tell him "No" sternly and might wag my finger at him.  That doesn't seem to do much except cause him to cringe like he's expecting me to wack him and raise his level of aggression.  

Lately, my reaction has been to just leave him alone and try to let him come to me.  Of the times he has come to me, once I go to pet him he'll bite me.  At other times he'll come by me, like when I'm laying in bed, and he'll just randomly attack me without me even going to touch him.  At times like that as soon as he bites me, he'll instinctively pull back and cringe like he thinks a wack is coming.

Another poster listed a threat that mentioned some of the items you did.  Could you tell me your own perspective on them?  I really don't like the idea of doping him up just to make him more pleasant.

Which one, in your opinion, works best?

The calming collar worked for one of my cats--I just had a tough time keeping her in it.  She hadn't worn one before we adopted her and she kept figuring out a way of getting out of it.  Zylkene didn't work for my cat but I know others have used it with success.  None of them have side effects that I know of.  

Pheromones are chemicals that cats release.  The collars and plug-ins are supposed to mimic those chemicals in a cat's cheeks they produce which signal 'safe' or 'friendly'.  

All cats are different--what works for one may not work for another.  

bodisha said:

 
Which one, in your opinion, works best?

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That's tough to say.  Everyone has their own opinion because cats react in different ways.  Starting with a collar might be easiest and not as expensive as some of the other options.  

Using medication doesn't necessarily dope them up.  I used acepromazine on one cat whose aggression was really out of control.  It definitely calmed him down but it didn't change his personality or anything.  He was on it a few days, just long enough to break the cycle of aggression he was in.  That would be something to ask your vet about.

Maybe you can also try freezing without any noise when your cat is aggressive and bites you? These both work for me with my cat. I don't think she was ever abused, but her nipples look like she had at least one litter of kittens while living out in the wild/streets. She's bitten me many times, but I used to freeze in place and she would then stop and relax and then I'd relax. It completely de-escalates the situation. I mention the kittens because in my cat's case, she seems to bite my hand like she's an annoyed momma cat and I'm a kitten she is teaching. I'm just petting her, but if she doesn't want it, she'll bite. She is spoiled and gets her way, which keeps the peace. Now I freeze, then withdraw my hand and fake cry sometimes and this works well. Sometimes she seems to feel badly when I'm fake crying and appears to try to make it up to me.

I mean, try this along with the other suggested things.

I've never had to cope with the level of aggression you're experiencing. In general, though, I've found Feliway diffusers very helpful, and have also had good results with making up my own Bach Flower blends (I'd never heard of the Spirit Essences range before joining TCS, but have a friend who's trained in Bach Flower Remedies).

I agree that medication is a last resort. I wouldn't put Zylkene and Composure in that category though. They are natural and safe to use. Food or herb based calmers don't dope in the way that meds can - they just help to reduce heightened stress levels.

Just wanted to post a quicky follow up.  I went to PetCo and got Merlin some calming treats and a calming collar.  He enjoyed the treat and ate them down right away.  When I took the collar our of the bag he sort of freaked out a little.  It was like he recognized the smell but wasn't sure what to think of it.  Instead of slapping it on him, I've left it on my couch near me for him to check out.  He's seem equally interested and confused by it and keeps cautiously pawing at it like he's trying to make his mind up about it.  I'll let him get use to the smell of it over the next day or so and then try to slip it on him. 

Oh I'm glad he liked the treats.  Let us know how it goes with the collar.  

I'd like to thank you and everyone else that offered their advice about the issue's Merlin was having.  It's only been a couple of days but I can already see a big difference in his behavior.  He seemed to relax a bit once I started giving him the treats, but I wasn't sure if that was my imagination or not.  Because he had an obvious reaction to the collar, I wasn't sure if I wanted to use it on him or not.  After letting him get use to it after a couple days I slipped it on him.  He almost immediately became a lot calmer and less aggressive.  I've been able to pet him without him mauling me... And I've been able to pick him up and he'll stay put for a bit.... The thing I'm most happy about is I can put him on my chest and he'll go back to laying down while I pet him.  He's not 100% where he was before the inspection, but it certainly looks like it's a step in the right direction.  I think with a lot of patience and playing with him he'll come around again 

That's fantastic news. I'm sure that, in time, he'll settle back into how he was before the inspection.

bodisha said:

 
I'd like to thank you and everyone else that offered their advice about the issue's Merlin was having.  It's only been a couple of days but I can already see a big difference in his behavior.  He seemed to relax a bit once I started giving him the treats, but I wasn't sure if that was my imagination or not.  Because he had an obvious reaction to the collar, I wasn't sure if I wanted to use it on him or not.  After letting him get use to it after a couple days I slipped it on him.  He almost immediately became a lot calmer and less aggressive.  I've been able to pet him without him mauling me... And I've been able to pick him up and he'll stay put for a bit.... The thing I'm most happy about is I can put him on my chest and he'll go back to laying down while I pet him.  He's not 100% where he was before the inspection, but it certainly looks like it's a step in the right direction.  I think with a lot of patience and playing with him he'll come around again 

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I'm very happy to hear about the good progress!