Cat That Is Terrorizing Me.

[mommytobuck]

My cat is 12 years old. And when we are alone in the house... he is a good boy. But he is terrified of the vet and or anything and it can get dangerous. The last time I took him to the vet he was insanely out of control. I did get him in the plastic container but he was literally attacking my hands on the outside of it. I was afraid he was going to hurt himself.

Ok that was terrible.

But this winter I thought I would take him down stairs in the basement... on a leash. Something I never do. He was learning a step at a time but.. he slipped on the stairs and just lost his mind. He was bouncing around like a hot tamale and in the fracas... I got bit like 4 times on my hands.

When he gets scared he just lashes out like this... increasingly as he gets older.

At this point I am wondering what I can do. I don't think I can take him to the vet any longer. It is too dangerous.

I know you will say get some drugs to tranquilize him but, it doesn't work. Every time I have asked for the drugs it really didn't knock him out entirely. The moment he saw the carrier come out... he freaked as if he didn't have drugs.

Please don't say, have a vet come out.. that hasn't worked either and he just terrorizes them until they leave.

I am considering taking him in to be put down. I love him but the chances of a medical issue (teeth) cropping up are increasing and if I think he is bad to get in the carrier when he isn't sick.. imagine when he is in pain.

Would a drug like Prozac or something work? is there a drug that would lessen his anxiety? I have tried natural things -- rescue remedy etc; food -- doesn't work.

 

[silkenpaw]

I don’t know about Prozac specifically but I think there are medications you can use. My Samson is on Paxil (very similar to Prozac) because of aggression. He was beating up the other cats, was never aggressive with humans.

I know about sedatives not working, we tried that with my “indoor feral,” Hebe. Half a pill didn’t touch her and she hid under the bed and wouldn’t touch the food with the other half

Good luck with your cat. I hope something works for him. Sending you comforting vibes.

 

[mommytobuck]

I know about sedatives not working, we tried that with my “indoor feral,” Hebe. Half a pill didn’t touch her and she hid under the bed and wouldn’t touch the food with the other half

And what did you do about it? My cat isn't aggressive with me.. when he recognizes me. But the moment he gets scared it is like I am not longer there and there is some strange person he is free to attack. I would say it is kind of a blind rage. I must have something that legitimately works. It is dangerous for the cat and myself.

 

[silkenpaw]

We gave Hebe the sedative to make a vet visit easier on everyone. Finally, we just had to catch her and pack her into the carrier. She’s pretty good at the vet’s, actually.

I don’t know what to tell you about your cat. With his age, he might have dementia and there’s nothing that works well for humans, much less animals . There are things, like Prozac or Paxil that might help, but nothing is guaranteed to work all the time.

 

[mommytobuck]

I don’t know what to tell you about your cat. With his age, he might have dementia and there’s nothing that works well for humans, much less animals . There are things, like Prozac or Paxil that might help, but nothing is guaranteed to work all the time.

Dementia at 12? That seems a bit early. I will call an at home vet and see if they have any ideas.

 

[foxden]

@atwitzend
Can you pill your kitty since he gets aggressive so easily?
Prozac (fluoxetine) can be formulated into a transdermal gel you can apply to the cat's ear. This is not as effective as oral dosing, but is easier to apply.
Leaving the carrier out all the time can help the kitty to get used to it. Take the door off, and put a towel or blanket inside so they think about the carrier as a hiding spot. Some cats like this more if you cover the carrier with a towel.
Some senior cats start to lose eyesight and hearing as early as age 10. That usually causes the cat to be jumpy. I had one cat who developed seizures, and her personality changed significantly when the seizures were not controlled.

 

[mommytobuck]

Take the door off, and put a towel or blanket inside so they think about the carrier as a hiding spot. Some cats like this more if you cover the carrier with a towel.
Some senior cats start to lose eyesight and hearing as early as age 10. That usually causes the cat to be jumpy. I had one cat who developed seizures, and her personality changed significantly when the seizures were not controlled.

I only wish that it was as simple as taking the carrier out. He knows what that carrier is and he aint going near it. He gets nervous when I just move it. In fact, he is smart enough to know that no box of any kind is a good thing. I got him a large box and made a hole in it like a little house for him and he won't use it. I have seen him look like he wanted to use it but he doesn't trust it not to be a trap.

The only way I have ever gotten him into the "plastic box" that I use, is by hiding it around a corner... and picking up my cat like he is going to get a treat and then dumping him in quickly and that is getting more and more dangerous because he will smack at it the entire time he is in it. And I mean HARD smacks.

Of course it is hard to tell if he has lost hearing or eye sight but it doesn't appear that way. He sure knows when I have the nail clippers out.

 

[silkenpaw]

Oooops, you are right. A bit young for dementia, though I’m sure it can happen.

Have you tried calming products like Feliway?

 

[mommytobuck]

Have you tried calming products like Feliway?

Yes. Doesn't do anything. Catnip does but he has to keep smelling it and once he gets in that carrier he loses all concentration on anything else.

 

[maggiedemi]

I was going to say the same thing, I leave the carrier out at all times and they don't associate it with going to the vet. Do you wear gloves and have the vet wear gloves? That's what we do with our former ferals.

 

[mommytobuck]

So I had a vet come out to my home.. it didn't do great because my cat wouldn't come out from under the bed. I talked to them though and they seemed pretty cool.
1. they said that they can give me a script for Gabapentin. I tried it once before but they think it wasn't a strong enough dose. They said that Gabapentin can be given more freely because it is not as dangerous as other sedatives. They will give me a dose and I can try it and see what works.
2. they said that if I find a dose that works they can come pick up the cat and take him in.. or I can. They said they can give a regular sedation with that pill as they don't work on the same systems.
3. they assured me that if my cat did get sick and I had to put him down they have the ability with an injection to a muscle to knock him out. But if he was sick he might not be in the mood to fight.
4. They said that most cat places knock the cat out via putting him in a fish bowl but they said they don't do that. They do it via injection.. they only have to get a muscle.

They seemed pretty blaze about taking him to the vet. They said if he isn't sick and he doesn't want to go perhaps I should just let it be. So we will try the Gabapentin.

 

[CaturdayNightsAllRight]

Have you tried a large cage? Think something for a medium-sized dog. I had a cat that lost her nonsense when I tried to put her in a carrier, so I tried a large cage. I had to bait it with treats and a comfy blanket, but it worked. It was less confining and she had a good view from all angles, which I think was the main issue with the carrier--poor visibility. Not sure if this will work for your kitty, but it is worth a shot.

I would agree that if your kitty gets stressed by the vet, maybe save the trips for true emergencies. If your kitty is a fully indoor animal, then you don't have to worry as much about some of the health issues that outdoor cats face. If your kitty is outdoors (even part of the time), maybe consider bringing him in permanently to avoid the stresses of being outside.

Good luck and I hope everything works out!

 

[mommytobuck]

I will give that a try but he does seem to know at this point that any confinement is not good. He won't go into such things on his own.

 

[mommytobuck]

I decided to buy a new carrier and since almost everything my cat allows is related to food.. I have decided to only provide food in the carrier.. so he will have to get in to eat.

 

[adventureme]

I have been dealing with this same issue for 6 years now with my cat. I have tried several different medications (Prozac, Prednisolone and Gabapentin) and the only thing that has worked is Alprazalam (Xanax). It relaxes my cat and allows her to still be her normal self and play with her toys. It's the absolute best thing for cat's that are aggressive.

 

[mommytobuck]

So I picked up the Gabapentin. The dose is 200 mg. Not sure if that it too much. My cat is 18 lbs. The docs said that in cats that are larger and have a lot of anxiety you need to give them more. Anyone know?

 

[adventureme]

200mg is a high dose. The only time you would give that dose is if you have a very aggressive or anxious cat that does not like to be handled and may bite or scratch - like if you were taking it to the vet's office to be examined. This is what I was told by a vet I was talking with a few weeks ago. It's always to start off with a smaller does say 0.25 mg either once or twice a day (50mgs total a day) and give it a few weeks until it works up in their system. You can always increase it to 50mgs twice a day if needed after that.

 

[mommytobuck]

It's always to start off with a smaller does say 0.25 mg either once or twice a day (50mgs total a day) and give it a few weeks until it works up in their system. You can always increase it to 50mgs twice a day if needed after that.

My cat is crazy aggressive. It has gotten to the point I can't get him to the vet because he bashes the carrier with his arms wildly and doesn't stop so he can hurt himself.

This weekend I am giving 50 mg just to see how he handles it. If I can get him into the carrier without trouble.. we will go with the 100 mg does for the vet.