Aggressive Behavior After Diet Change

[djewoods]

I changed my 6 year old male cat to an all wet food diet after a urinary tract obstruction.

He is doing fine with the health issues from that but he has developed extreme and increasing aggressive behavior since the diet change.

He is attacking other cats he formerly was friendly with. Attacking and hurting my other cat, a female he has grown up with since he was a kitten, and now attacking me. I'm at a loss of what to do, he is hurting the other cats and I'm concerned one will be seriously injured as his aggression is escalating.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ritz]

Sorry your cat is acting  up/out.

It is possible he is having a reaction to some additive in the wet food.  Did you notice the change almost immediately after putting your cat on wet food (good, by the way).  What was he eating?

Did he at any time spend the night in the hospital?  (Smells?)

Equally possible he is reacting to something he sees outside; even if the other cats are seeing the same thing (cat?  squirrell? fox?), different cats have different reactions.  (Displaced agression)

It is also possible he is in pain and agression is the only way he knows how to show it.

Have you called the vet for his opinion?

 

[vball91]

Why do you think it's the diet change? When did he have the urinary blockage? When did the diet change happen? Was he hospitalized for any length of time.

How many cats do you have total? Is he an indoor only cat or indoor/outdoor? Do you feed your cats together or separately?

I would be surprised if it's the diet change alone causing his extreme behavior. I suppose he could be protecting his food if the attacks are happening at meal times. Are there any other non-normal behaviors?

 

[djewoods]

He had the urinary blockage on March 19 this year, was hospitalized for 3 days. He had the diet change at that time, 1st Purina UR an Rx food for urinary blockage now Wellness no-grain and/or Evo no-grain wet food. He was getting Wellness dry food prior. which was the only thing he would it (he's a picky eater.) Transitioning him from dry to wet food took a long time, he didn't like it and wouldn't eat much. But this has improved. 

I 'm thinking it is related to the diet change because this behavior change started after the diet switch and has been escalating since.

When he 1st came home he was still recovering, he was weak and not aggressive. The aggression came on as he got better.

He has recovered from the blockage and looks and acts fine except for all of the aggression. No other non-normal behaviors. He had a checkup after the hospitalization and all was well health wise. He doesn't seem to be in any pain.

The attacks are throughout the day and night, not just at mealtimes.  The vet didn't have any real opinion on this. 

There a 2 cats in the household, himself and a 9 year old female he is very attached too. He is an indoor/outdoor cat. I feed them at the same times but from separate dishes.

He is a very slow eater and not at all protective of his food. He will let her eat his. I monitor it to make sure she doesn't eat all his and he eats enough. It does seem to be displaced aggression.

 

[vball91]

I think it is redirected aggression, but it's difficult to know what's causing it. It may be something he encountered outside. It may be that he is feeling vulnerable from his blockage/hospital stay. He may still be feeling some residual pain or discomfort.

Can you try keeping him indoor only for a while to see if his aggression gets better?

 

[djewoods]

Tried that but he gets worse. Pent up energy causes he to get worse.

 

[catspaw66]

Is he neutered?

 

[djewoods]

Yes, he is, but is acting like he isn't these days.

 

[furmonster mom]

I would actually try separating them at meal time.  Different rooms entirely.

Even though the aggression doesn't present at meal time, the fact that the other cat butts in on his meals may actually be one of those little things that just builds up over time.

That's just my first impression, barring any other health issues, of course (have you checked his teeth?).

 

[djewoods]

I'll try this. His teeth have been checked and they and the gums are quite good.

 

[djewoods]

Not sure why but a new thread has been combined with my OP confusing the question and replies.

 

[catspaw66]

Not sure why but a new thread has been combined with my OP confusing the question and replies.

I asked a moderator to split it off.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

All fixed. 

 

[catspaw66]

When he was hospitalized, were there unfixed male cats around him? Did they have to use a catheter? Are there unfixed males outdoors that he interacts with? Did you let him out before he was fully recovered?

 

[djewoods]

He was hospitalized March 19  and come home the March 23rd. Not sure if there were unfixed around him at the hospital or not. They did use a catheter. There might be unfixed cats outdoors that come into the yard but most around are fixed. No I didn't let him out before he was recovered and the vet said he could go out.

 

[catspaw66]

Excellent, that narrows things down some. So, either there is something in the food you are giving him, or something at the hospital triggered the aggression. When they knocked him out at the hospital, did he have any adverse reaction to the anesthesia? You would have to ask the vet to look in the records to find out, and may have to wait for a while to get them to look.

Since he had the diet change during hospitalization, he may equate the new diet with the experiences he went through, and is re-directing his attitude onto the other cats and you.

Try a Feliway diffuser. That may start to calm him down. Also, there Jackson Galaxy flower essences that other people on here use with good results.  Keep helping us narrow down the causes, and hopefully, we can come up with a solution together.