My cat ATTACKED me

I have had a male cat named CupCake for 5 years and me and him have always been best friends. I also have a girl cat named McLoving and they don't get along. McLoving has been spayed for years and CupCake is still attached. They fight for obvious reasons but I love both of them that I could never get rid of one. But one random day CupCake viciously attacked me and bit and chewed on the entire back part of my left leg and arm. I have no idea why he did that but I do realize that male cats become aggressive when they aren't neutered. I made him a home in the garage until I could figure out what to do with him because I developed seriously ptsd after that and he wasn't exactly friendly anymore. Somehow he escaped and has been living outside for the past 5 months. Whenever I see him he will growl and hiss at me, but he also tries to get back inside of the house. I want to help him because I love him so much, so I figured if I got him neutered, declawed, and possibly got his canines filed down that I could live with him again. CupCake is an indoor cat, he has never been outside until 5 months ago. I don't want to see him suffer any longer and the vet said they will euthanize him if I brought him in. Can someone please lend me some helpful advice? Thank you.

An intact male can be *extremely* aggressive and it sounds as if CupCake's attack may be a case of redirected aggression.  If he saw a stray/feral outside and wanted to attack the cat, being unable to get to it would have caused immense frustration.  The next step would be to vent that pent-up aggression/frustration on the first available target.  That desire to defend territory at all costs is very powerful in intact males.  CupCake essentially "snapped".  

You have to realize that this never would've happened if he'd been neutered.  He doesn't need declawed (illegal in most countries and recognized as an inhumane mutilation that can lead to myriad physical and psychological problems), or his teeth "filed down" (I don't even think this is a thing), he needs neutered.  Neutered and sequestered in a comfortable room without access to an outside view- if on the first floor.  A vet can prescribe a mood stabilizer such as Valium, a benzodiazepine, to keep him calm and relatively sedate until the testosterone leaves his system.  He would have to be off of pain meds before he could start a medication with a tranquilizing effect.  

What you need to do is find a vet who works with feral cats.  Vets in rural areas are your best bet.  You will have to use a humane trap to catch him and transport him to the vet and you can either rent or borrow one from a local rescue/TNR organization (Trap Neuter Release).  In my area you can borrow one, if available, for up to a month with a $50 penalty fee if it's not returned.  Your local Department of Animal Control will also lease, or let you borrow for free, a humane trap.  

You're going to have a bit of work on your hands, and you'll most likely have to "reintroduce" CupCake and McLoving when the time comes, but being a responsible adult means cleaning up your messes and this is one pretty big mess.  I wish you all the best and I hope you'll keep us updated and respond with any questions you might have.  The Caring for Strays and Ferals forum can help you determine the best way to trap CupCake: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/9/caring-for-strays-and-ferals

Just curious, why would the vet say that they would euthanize him? Wouldn't it be your decision on how to handle the situation and not theirs?

Thank you the3rdname, that was very helpful.

Crazy4Strays they were suggesting euthanization if I were to give him up, which I don't want to do

catfiend69 said:

Thank you the3rdname, that was very helpful.

Click to expand...

No problem    I'm eager to see CupCake get the care he needs.  He sounds like a very stressed out kitty at this point and the sooner he's fixed and recuperating, the better.

Forgot to mention that TNR/rescue groups, and maybe even the local chapter of the Humane Society, can point you in the direction of vets who work with ferals.  I don't think CupCake is technically "feral", but I don't know if your vet is willing to handle a potentially aggressive cat.  A trapped cat should ideally be shuttled directly to the vet because, trust me on this, it's no fun trying to get them back into the trap.  He's shuttled directly to the vet, they sedate him while he's in the trap, and everything from there on out gets much easier.

If he hasn't had FIV/FeLV vaccinations, he'll need tested.  It is crucial that you stress to them that CupCake is an indoor (usually!) house cat.  Some vets have a policy that FIV/FeLV+ feral cats must be euthanized.  As a precautionary measure, I would get McLoving vaccinated for FIV/FeLV (terrible diseases, and you don't want  to have to deal with two infected cats).  She would need two shots a few weeks apart.  The protection would have time to kick in while CupCake is isolated and recovering.  

Good luck!