My cat literally slashed my mother - Please Help :(

siamiam2

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Id say it depends upon the cat but yes, it is effective. Especially cat to humannto make a point. Mines a companion cat.
 

Sarthur2

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It works for me! I have three male kittens, and when I hiss they know I mean business!
 
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grizzlysapien

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Try some serious hissing now when he misbehaves. He should get that in no uncertain terms!
It works for me! I have three male kittens, and when I hiss they know I mean business!
I still don't know what holiday it was but its creepy scary that markets would be closed til Mon. Yikes![emoji]128552[/emoji] Annabel wants her turkey back but they demand I do the work for them. That goes for my wheat t9o and I'm in agony without it. Bar code? As I said...do I work there? They have an order book. It's written in there what it is I'm sure. I keep hoping they'll surprise me for her and just stock it but they don't. No salt rice cakes isn't as urgent as the puffed wheat for me and Special Kitty turkey for her. She eats 3 different kinds of food? That one would be in the middle. Also won't stock coypuntry dinner to alternate with mixed grill for more variation. She needs it for variation like I need as much variation as possible. They have no heart no soul nothing of humanity. How's your mother feeling? Glad to see you're getting the situation with Grizzly under control.
@siamiam2  on the 15th of August, we celebrate the mother of Christ who was ascented to the Heavens (in Orthodox Chrisitan Belief, Virgin Mary never "died".. She was just "ascented"). So, it's a big holiday for the country and it is celebrated everywhere. According to tradition we treat everyone as our own family with feasts, music etc... It is the best day for a tourist to be in Greece, cause they get to eat, drink, sing, dance and generally have fun with Greeks opening their houses and offering their goods to neighboors, strangers, travellers etc.. There are also feasts taking place in central squares of each region, so that more people can come and become one with everybody.. 

There were some tourists waiting for the sight seeing tour bus, at the entrance of my building and we went over to them and offered them water, wine, fruits and mini sandwitches with feta-tomato-olives.. They had a blast 
  It was fun for us, as well to see their faces all excited and surprised LOL


My mom is feeling better. Thanks for asking 
 She was called in to work, and her shift starts at night.. Hopefully she'll get through it without much trouble 

 
I hope the hissing works better on grizzly then it does on my little teenage kitten. If I hiss at her about something she is doing, she will hiss right back at me. A lot of people say the hissing works though.
@NewYork1303  Grizzly hissing back at me won't be the strangest thing! LOL With the behaviour he's demonstrating, I won't be surprised.. But it won't hurt to try, cause it used to work when he was little.. We'll see.. 
 

kskatt

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I am glad your time gave you a little leeway to work on giving pills without any stress.  Too often we are not given that option and meds have to be started quickly. When I have had to be "forceful" the cat got over any issues pretty quickly.

When you hiss, you need to raise your head and sound serious. Look him in the eyes, he has to believe you.

It sounds like things are moving in the right direction!
 

nansiludie

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Such good updates about him taking his pill and not being too aggressive. I do suggest if he gets that halloween type cat body/face with arched back, ears flattened out and eyes very large, making meow,meow meow noises do not hiss at him, that is pretty much an aggressive kitty body language that the cat will attack,and is calling like a duel. it helps to leave them alone and back away slowly if that happens.

I am very glad your mother is feeling well enough to sit with Grizzly again and to be able to go back to work. I do hope that the behaviorist can help you both. There is one thing though, that I thought rather strange, cats do not have alpha leaders, cats are not really pack animals like dogs, with cats there is a system ferals have in place but usually the males go their separate ways, and start their own colonies or just roam.
 
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grizzlysapien

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I really really hope it works for you! You need something to keep the biting down.
 
I am glad your time gave you a little leeway to work on giving pills without any stress.  Too often we are not given that option and meds have to be started quickly. When I have had to be "forceful" the cat got over any issues pretty quickly.

When you hiss, you need to raise your head and sound serious. Look him in the eyes, he has to believe you.

It sounds like things are moving in the right direction!
 
Such good updates about him taking his pill and not being too aggressive. I do suggest if he gets that halloween type cat body/face with arched back, ears flattened out and eyes very large, making meow,meow meow noises do not hiss at him, that is pretty much an aggressive kitty body language that the cat will attack,and is calling like a duel. it helps to leave them alone and back away slowly if that happens.

I am very glad your mother is feeling well enough to sit with Grizzly again and to be able to go back to work. I do hope that the behaviorist can help you both. There is one thing though, that I thought rather strange, cats do not have alpha leaders, cats are not really pack animals like dogs, with cats there is a system ferals have in place but usually the males go their separate ways, and start their own colonies or just roam.
I will reply to you all at once 


Things have been up and down.. Like OK, he takes his pill, but demonstrates a mildly aggressive behaviour.. Or he makes it difficult for me to give him his pill but he is calm for some reason.. 

Anyway, today I didn't manage to give him his pill.. I prepared him the same "delicacy" he devoured last night, but he wasn't interested at all.. I put a crushed pill inside some other wet-food and he ate *some*.. not half, not all of it.. In spite of that, the 3 of us sat out at the balcony (my mother, me and Grizzly) and all was going "swell". My mother fed him some turkey.. It was fine.. Afterwards she got ready for work and had some time left before she was about to leave, so she sat with us again.. But Grizzly HAD to start a "play" with her and pounced on her arm and bit her (a very mild bite - not serious or "vicious") so, my mother told me to get him to another room.. She got scared but she controlled it enough.. I took Grizzly to another room, my mother left.. And now, I have no idea where he is at.. Probably somewhere in the appartment sleeping, cause there's a whole lot of silence.. (maybe he is quietly planning my murder, I don't know 
)..


If he doesn't eat the meal I prepared with the pill inside (he has eaten less than the half, so far), I'm gonna feed him like I normally do and just skip this day.. 

What I've noticed though is that whenever he eats a meal with a pill, the next day he ain't so crazy about it, or he doesn't eat it at all.. Maybe the pill gives him something like nausea? Or something, so maybe he's like "Oh, I'm not gonna eat this now.. Yesterday it made me sick" ... I'm suspecting something like that..

Regarding the hissing issue: I was not going to use it in an extreme situation. But thanks for pointing it out, @nansiludie  - I could've done it like that and end up in the hospital, myself


Regarding the "Alpha" issue: Maybe I didn't phrase it properly.. I was talking about dominance.. For some reason he seems like he is trying to be dominant towards us.. I have to show him that I am the "boss".. That's why, everytime he "fouls" I drive him away.. I not only, stop hanging with him.. I just take him elsewhere.. If he tries again, to pull something on me tonight, I'll try to dominate him for a change.. But I'll be careful and prepared.. I'm sick of all the scratces on my arms and legs 
 
 

margd

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That's great news that three of you sat together on the balcony together. And also great news that your mother is able to go back to work. Grizzly WOULD have to decide that it was time to play bite though!

When does the behaviorist come?

Meant to tell you that the holiday sounds delightful. What a friendly, loving way to celebrate by reaching out to everyone around you. I bet those tourists you treated will remember their happy holiday a long time!
 

Columbine

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I don't think the pill is making Grizzly nauseous - far more likely is that he's getting wise to your tricks, and won't be taken the same way twice! Some cats are just too clever for their own good....

I'm glad to hear things are moving in such a positive direction - even if Grizzly did overstep the mark a little. ..probably just got a little over stimulated.

:cross: that things continue to improve, and that you all continue to heal (physically, mentally and emotionally) :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 

misterwhiskers

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Ah, cat and pills. I think the devil invented THAT duo.

I'm wondering if it can safely be crushed into powder and mixed with chicken broth and syringed.

You might also try smearing it in butter, and popping in his mouth...

Last but not least try a little behavior modification. "Pill" Grizzly, but not with a pill, but with a tasty morsel. Ha!!! Try that a few times, then give him the actual pill. Keep mixing it up, and I can also guarantee he won't fight you as much. It's a trick my vet taught me.
 

kskatt

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Oh my, I'm really sorry but you might want to show that last video t the behaviorist. As I watched my mouth dropped open and my eyes got very wide. Do you see the words you wrote? What do you expect to happen? Hands feed, stroke, rub and do pleasurable things. Poking, over and over, doing your best to aggravate him? What do you think he is going to believe hands are for?

I was thinking about the pilling, and honestly, I have never had a cat get issues. Those happen with ear medication.


When done correctly, as in the video, it is done calmly and firmly and is done. Did the cat in the video look traumatized? No. Scruffing is not a man made torture, it is what mama cats do to move or keep a kitten still. You would be doing what the mama does to show her authority. As in Alpha.

You are haphazardly dosing with the pills, how do you expect them to do any good?  It's not surprising you are not getting consistent results. You are not giving the meds a chance. A piece of a pill here and there, and you can't even be sure how much of that piece he is getting.

As for the Alpha discussion; cats do not have Alphas in the sense that other animals do. They do not have one Alpha over the entire group, no. They very much do have dominate cats though. They may no lead like in a pride of lions, but there are cats who are above others. As when Mr Man approaches and offers his forehead, just looking that can appear submissive, until you study the dynamics. When he walks through a group, most give way to him. I have (neutered) ex ferals and throwaways that spent enough time out to learn how to fight. I have to get after some of them occasionally for growling at each other and have broke up a fight or two. Nobody ever threatens Mr Man. If Rocky gets too close to Sunny, Sunny will usually snarl. Mr Man can brush up against him with no issue.

Those are examples of what I have seen with clowders of cats from ver the last 30 years.
 

nansiludie

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Grizzly maybe biting your arms as you sleep because he sees them as a toy, it's often best to use string toys than hands to play with cats.
Why are you poking him?He doesn't look happy about it. He doesn't like it or he wouldn't keep kicking. I know if I tried it with mine, I would be bitten.  Agreed with KSKatt. It may be good if you could get him toys to play with instead of fingers, I learned the hard way with one of mine when he was a kitten. A bottle kitten, he never really learned to quit attacking ankles and hands. I had made him that way, so I kept him. I still think of him. 
 

siamiam2

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Crouch pose is fear. Very different than arched back. If he crouches he's upset (cry like upset)or scared of something or food is unfamiliar or new and he's not sure. But crouching is always fear.
 

chipmunk-kim

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Grizzly sounds like he's easily overstimulated to the point of major and sudden mood changes. The Xanax doesn't seem to be doing much long term, because it wears off so quickly, but I have no experience with it.

Perhaps the vet can give you a suspension (powder-liquid mix?) form of Prozac which will build up slowly and stabilize him? A liquid may be easy enough to mix with food or even just syringe into his cheek pouch while he's relaxed.

I can tell if I forget my Fluoxetine for a couple days just by the way I view the world. I feel like my head is filled with fog or I'm exceptionally paranoid or aggressive when I forget it. It's a huge difference.

Just something to think about if it comes to it.
 

margd

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Grizzly sounds like he's easily overstimulated to the point of major and sudden mood changes. The Xanax doesn't seem to be doing much long term, because it wears off so quickly, but I have no experience with it.

Perhaps the vet can give you a suspension (powder-liquid mix?) form of Prozac which will build up slowly and stabilize him? A liquid may be easy enough to mix with food or even just syringe into his cheek pouch while he's relaxed.

I can tell if I forget my Fluoxetine for a couple days just by the way I view the world. I feel like my head is filled with fog or I'm exceptionally paranoid or aggressive when I forget it. It's a huge difference.

Just something to think about if it comes to it.
I wondered about Prozac too for two reasons.

1. It lasts longer than Xanax
2. I read in another thread here about someone who gave it to their cats and said it was available in transdermal form. No more trying to pill!

Prozac takes a few weeks to take maximum effect though and I don't know if it's prescribed for aggressiveness in cats.

Another idea is using Valium instead of Xanax - read earlier today that it's tasteless so sprinkling on top of meals works.

I wish I could remember the threads where I found them. Anyway, those are just a couple of ideas for the future in case Grizzly continues to give you a hard time with the Xanax. It seems early to switch though since it's only been a few days.

How is Grizzly doing, by the way? And your Mom? I hope you've had a good holiday weekend!
 
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Columbine

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While I agree that ultimately Grizzly may well benefit from some kind of long term anti anxiety medication, I'm certainly not making judgements as to which one. The drugs in question all work subtly differently, and the behaviourist and vet are best placed to make a judgement as to which to use.

Speaking as someone who takes Valium, it is most definitely NOT tasteless (don't believe it unless you've tasted it yourself ;) ). The different benzodiazepines vary slightly in function. In Grizzly's case, I suspect Xanax was chosen because it stays in the bloodstream for around 11hrs, as opposed to Valium's 20hrs (even though they both have therapeutic effects for around 4-6 hrs). Not knowing how Grizzly would react to the drug, it makes perfect sense to have prescribed the one with the shortest half life.
 
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margd

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While I agree that ultimately Grizzly may well benefit from some kind of long term anti anxiety medication, I'm certainly not making judgements as to which one. The drugs in question all work subtly differently, and the behaviourist and vet are best placed to make a judgement as to which to use.

Speaking as someone who takes Valium, it is most definitely NOT tasteless (don't believe it unless you've tasted it yourself ;) ). The different benzodiazepines vary slightly in function. In Grizzly's case, I suspect Xanax was chosen because it stays in the bloodstream for around 11hrs, as opposed to Valium's 20hrs (even though they both have therapeutic effects for around 4-6 hrs). Not knowing how Grizzly would react to the drug, it makes perfect sense to have prescribed the one with the shortest half life.
Well, scrap the Valium idea then. [emoji]128512[/emoji]

Didn't mean to second guess the Xanax and agree the behaviorist and vet know best!
 
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