Is it possible for a cat to have a mental disorder?

audrey

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I give up!!! Stormie was making so much progress!!! I don't know what to do!!! Today my boyfriend came over and wanted to see Stormie. He's helped me every way he can with her and has been around her alot so she is used to seeing him, he has no pet's so there was no reason for her to flip out, but when I went into my room and picked her up off my bed I noticed blood all over my comforter and her neck was torn open again. I took her into see my bf and she completely flipped out. Completely. As in clawed her way up my shoulder, left 3 deep claw marks 5 1/2 inches long straight down my arm, and flew into the other room where she proceeded to pee on my floor. I don't understand...Does she have something wrong with her? Is she schizophrenic? I mean, I'll love her and keep her anyway, but my god!!! What the hell could her problem have been? There was nothing different than any other day.
 

talon

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My bird has a mental disorder - OCD - he self mutilates. We give him .05 ml of haloperadol each morning and evening. He is still a little odd - but he doesn't hurt himself anymore.
 
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audrey

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She has been self mutilating, but I thought it was getting better. She didn't make the places on her, she just won't let them heal
 

blue_monday_88

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it's true that kitties can be neurotic...my two are the poster kitties for those types of disorders.

What your kitty -- from what it sounds like anyway -- is experiencing is fear, plain and simple. Let me ask (and please, don't get offended, no offense is meant), does your BF rough-house with her? Has he maybe inadvertently hit her to cause her to react like that?

What is your kitty's background? IS she a stray or adopted from a shelter? A feral? Give us some more details.

In the meantime, you might want to try a few things to relax her...first, play with her. I cannot stress how much play therapy has helped my kitties bond (though they still hate each other LOL) and has relaxed them enough to be around each other. Second, invest in a feliway diffuser. A little pricey at places like Petco but you can get them pretty cheap off the internet. It has worked WONDERS for my cats. Plus feliway spray...you might need that if she peed on the floor. It relaxes them.

As for my cats, Napoleon is a jumpy, skittish cat (we got him from a shelter, not sure of his background but we are convinced that he may have been a college cat) and Cassie is a shy, introverted girl, who hides the moment anyone comes over. Trust me, I know a thing or two about mental kitties. But what cats aren't???
Isn't that what makes them so great?
 
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audrey

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My bf didn't even touch her today, and no he doesn't rough house with my cats. He has been known to do that with My dog I used to have ( a big rotweiler pittbull mix) but that is only bc she is big enough to take it. I don't take offense to that, but Stormie really had absolutly no reason to flip that way. She's been in that situation ton's of times and done fine. as far as her background there is a thread in caring for Strays and Ferals that is called "Stormie's Story" and that is all aout how I got her. That tells most everythingI know.
 

miss mew

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Sorry to hear your kitty has still been spazzy..it is quite possible that she does have a mental disorder that requires medication. I would speak to the vet about it.
 

catnapt

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i am so sorry you are going thru this! a freinds cat used to self mutilate until they finally had to remove his tail, he chewed it all up! and would not leave it be to let it heal
they did TONS of tests and could find nothing physically wrong, so they put an E-collar on him, surgically removed his tail and put him on some medication

after awhile of being on the meds (sorry dont recall what it was) he was able to go off and has done ok

of course, he no longer has a tail to chew.

hope your vet can help your kitty!
 

betty ann

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I adopted my kitty Cheshire Cat from a shelter, and he's always been a little neurotic. Sometimes I have to be gone for a day or two (i'm a busy college girl!), and he used to completely freak out. He wouldn't eat, he'd throw up, and he'd somehow pull his hair out/lick it off. I came back once to find his left leg completely bare!! So I got HIM a kitten... he's been much better since then. He's still very jumpy, though...

I think the thing that crazy kitties like this need MOST is lots of gentle, gentle love and attention. I have to spend at LEAST an hour every day JUST petting Cheshire and devoting all my attention to him. The longer you have Stormie, I think she will improve more and more. Just remember, above all, to be SUPER patient with her!
 
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audrey

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Same old same old, grrrrrr, She is back on my lap purring again today, She has 2 personalities. That's the only thing I can think of. She has little miss sweet lovey dove, then out of her mind crazy cat killer. She looks pretty pitiful thou bc her neck still hasn't completely healed (it was almost, but she dug it back open when I started this thread) so she has coband around both of her back feet and her neck is gauzed, coband, and taped. I hope she heals quick, i hate seeing her all bandaged up, but when I don't put the bandages on her she hurts herself worse. Even if I skip doing the feet she digs the bandage off so she can tear at the wound.
 

aries

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I am sorry to report that some kitties are psychotic. My oldest, Peter, was diagnosed as such by a vet. But as with anyone (human or animal) that has a mental illness, time and love is essential to any treatment or recovery.

I was home alone and was working on some wiring down my desk for a new phone. Peter came in and wanted to see what I was doing. He smelled around and rubbed against me. So, I stopped and rubbed his ears and and petted him and gave him some cuddles for a few minutes. He got enough and squirmed, so, I let him go and he went on. I went back to work and the next thing I knew here Pete was. He jumped on my right arm with all four feet and teeth! I tried to relax and give him a second to release as he usually did with his attacks, but he didn't this time. He just dug in with a firmer grip and started ripping flesh with his back legs. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted his body weight up thinking that he would respond, but no luck. Then I managed to get hold of his back feet with my left hand, but I couldn't get him to release me. By this time, I had blood dripping off my arm and he was chewing on the underside of my wrist. I finally got him around the throat, exerted some pressure, and then at last, he released me. He took off all fuzzed up and was annoyed with me for about a day. My wrist took ages to stop bleeding. Thought I was gonna have to go to the emergency room that night and it took weeks and weeks for it to finally heal up. Now I look like I have tried to slash my wrist but botched the job because the scars run long ways not across.


Please, don't send the humane society to take my cats away! I love my babies and don't normally choke them. My point is don't give up on your kitty. Time and love can make a difference for a psychotic animal. I didn't have Pete put down as many people recommended after that attack. I kept him and as it turnd out, his psychosis improved dramatically when we adopted another cat! He still has bad spells but nothing like before. And the truth is we would just be heartbroken if anything ever happened to him. Hence, the weighty vet bills from his recent bout with a virus.

Peter might just be an ill tempered, psychotic, ex-feral cat but we love him and he is one of us for better or worse. Hang in there and I'll say a pray that a solution will be presented for your situation. God bless you!
 
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audrey

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Originally Posted by Aries

Please, don't send the humane society to take my cats away! I love my babies and don't normally choke them.
I don't think anyone could bame you for pulling him off you like you did, lol. I woke up this morning and that crazy cat was sleeping on my stomach. She is so out there!!! One minute she try's to claw me, the next she is a love bug, lol Impossible!!!
 
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