Euthanize Aggressive Cat?

[Kieka]

There is a lot of information to process and I think your vet is probably on the right track. If it isn't pain, it is brain. Hopefully you can get to the root of it and help her feel more level. I would guess some sort of regular mood stabilizer will end up doing the trick from what you have said. Maybe prozac isn't the right one. It sounds more like she would need something similar to what they use for people with PTSD. Maybe not anti-depressant but anti-anxiety? Sounds like your vet is fully on board to figure out something.

To the crying if outside and toy specifically, I have three normal (or what passes for normal) cats. Every night I call them in for dinner and curfew. If they don't all come in right away, which honestly 95% of the time they are within 5 feet of the door waiting for me to call or yelling at me if I was late calling, I hang out outside calling while I read a book or take the tracker and look. Rocket and Fury will follow me from inside the house; I think because they don't get dinner until all three are in. Link though will do the same piling of toys at doorways. Link also piles toys at doors or windows during the night. The whole point is that the toy at the doorway may be less of an offering and more of a teddy bear/security blanket/comfort thing. Maybe that mindset will help some; also if she likes to hold a specific toy get multiples of it so she can have security blankets in different places.

More of a random thought, when she seems to be in attack mode. Instead of diffusing her maybe try to roll with it and safely redirect her? Valerian root and catnip toys can trigger an energy release and decompression with my guys. I know when Link is in a mood and nothing else is working I can toss a catnip toy and he will kick it a few times then go mellow. Rocket does better with the mix of the two because she doesn't react as strongly to just catnip. I personally love this one Purple Haze Tickle Pickle because it is well made, has held up to my cats for a year and still smells strong.

 

[kdono15]

Thanks everyone, we've been keeping an eye on her while she's on the Metacam this week to see if pain is an issue. I don't remember if I mentioned we'd already tried Prozac? She was on it for 6 months after a professional behaviorist said she was probably one of the more extreme cases he'd seen and there was possibly a brain chemistry issue going on, not just bad habits or fear etc. Unfortunately it didn't really work...well it did, but it didn't. Basically she didn't attack people as much as before but that was only because she was always asleep. It made her really lethargic and it was not a proper life. She got fatter too - energy in and no energy out equals a plump kitty lol. When we started weaning her off it she just went back to her old ways.
We have tried play therapy too. I've got the whole shebang as far as toys go, and she loves her feather wand (da bird). She loses interest quickly but thoroughly enjoys herself. No difference in general behaviour, but she's distracted for a while.
She also has high places to escape to - we have a very tall cat tree where she can climb to the top and walk over the pantry and fridge, and she has always had access to this. Even before kitten and baby. We also have dining chairs, a desk, washing machine, windowsill behind bed - all of these places she has easy access to. And she uses them, but they don't seem to make her happy. I even have an extra, smaller cat tree at the front door with a hidey-hole box on top so she can hide and observe visitors as they come in - instead of guarding the door and feeling defensive. She doesn't use it though. She prefers confrontation. I have done a lot of research on catification over the years too, as well as looked into Jackson Galaxy's spirit essences (and watched hundreds of hours of My Cat From Hell - but none of them were quite like Allie!). I haven't used the spirit essences, but I have used Bach Flower Remedy and Feliway, which seem to work quite well for keeping her calm---er. For a while. It's not a long term solution though.
She also has dark spaces to hide, but like I said, she's confrontational. The vet remarked on this actually and said he was extremely perplexed, as most aggression is fear-based, but she wasn't trying to hide or cower at the back of the cage, but rather she was standing her ground and growling fiercely at him. He said it was extremely unusual and not something he'd seen before.
As far as her eye goes - I can't see how cabin pressure could have affected it since it was removed and healed before flying, but we have wondered if there was residual pain from the removal itself. Perhaps there is still an issue going on further up inside the socket?? Not sure though. She never rubs or paws at the area or anything...

Sorry to say this but I have seen enough in my life... I wouldn't believe anyone something "turned maniac, we did nothing" that's been said with all due respect, my mother can fail to tell the stories as they are (too?).

Sorry I had trouble fully understanding what you were saying, but I think you might have been suggesting my mother/family could have done something to her?? Not sure if that's what you meant. But if so, I can assure you that she did not. My mum adores cats, and we have owned several as a family over the years - and we skyped with her the same night she collected Allie from the airport. We saw with our own eyes the aggressive way she was carrying on in the house, but we all thought - including my mum - that she was just afraid in unfamiliar territory and she would settle. She made a lot of efforts with her to try and bond, and said it didn't take long for Allie to come running to her when mum would yell out her name. She could never touch or pet her, but it was something. She's actually one of the main people who tries to help with suggestions and even offered for Dad to build a little catio for her so she could be outside, but Body Corporate (we are renting) would never allow it. Despite her aggression, my mum thinks she's a little cutie pie and is very fond of her, and would hate to see her euthanized.
Unfortunately, the fact that we are renting also means our 'catification' is limited. But I think we've done pretty well despite that. The problem is she just doesn't receive benefit from them the way you would hope - her aggression just doesn't seem to have a direct cause, like fear = aggression. Or irritation = aggression. Sometimes they do, but most often she's just aggressive without these causes. She's.....unhinged.
Anyway - there is one thing I've noticed with the Metacam. She doesn't cry when we pick her up anymore. We thought she was doing this out of irritation toward us when we picked her up, but maybe she as abdominal pain? They didn't report anything strange to us when she was desexed last year, but then again they weren't looking for anything. She still cries in that anxious way at times during the day, but not when we pick her up....I wonder if she's just generally feeling 'good' though, physically in her body, because of the meds. As opposed to having been in pain and now being pain free. Just an example - I had some codeine in the cupboard after my c-section which I didn't need, and my husband had a little twinge in his head and thought, 'what the hey, I'll take some codeine'. Half an hour later he exclaimed 'I feel awesome!'. Haha. Obviously it wasn't as though he was in chronic pain and was now pain-free, but it was just that the day-to-day twinges you get just disappear, and you feel pretty fantastic for a while. So it could be that??? We'll keep an eye on her and report to the vet next week though.

Thank you all once again!! I know my responses are long, but you all give me some good food for thought!
mio-nozawa - let me know how you go with your poor kitty! It takes an emotional toll unfortunately.

 

[kdono15]

There is a lot of information to process and I think your vet is probably on the right track. If it isn't pain, it is brain. Hopefully you can get to the root of it and help her feel more level. I would guess some sort of regular mood stabilizer will end up doing the trick from what you have said. Maybe prozac isn't the right one. It sounds more like she would need something similar to what they use for people with PTSD. Maybe not anti-depressant but anti-anxiety? Sounds like your vet is fully on board to figure out something.

To the crying if outside and toy specifically, I have three normal (or what passes for normal) cats. Every night I call them in for dinner and curfew. If they don't all come in right away, which honestly 95% of the time they are within 5 feet of the door waiting for me to call or yelling at me if I was late calling, I hang out outside calling while I read a book or take the tracker and look. Rocket and Fury will follow me from inside the house; I think because they don't get dinner until all three are in. Link though will do the same piling of toys at doorways. Link also piles toys at doors or windows during the night. The whole point is that the toy at the doorway may be less of an offering and more of a teddy bear/security blanket/comfort thing. Maybe that mindset will help some; also if she likes to hold a specific toy get multiples of it so she can have security blankets in different places.

More of a random thought, when she seems to be in attack mode. Instead of diffusing her maybe try to roll with it and safely redirect her? Valerian root and catnip toys can trigger an energy release and decompression with my guys. I know when Link is in a mood and nothing else is working I can toss a catnip toy and he will kick it a few times then go mellow. Rocket does better with the mix of the two because she doesn't react as strongly to just catnip. I personally love this one Purple Haze Tickle Pickle because it is well made, has held up to my cats for a year and still smells strong.

Oh thank you, I just read your reply! Hmm I will keep that in mind, I've been wondering if I should get her some stuffed toys (she steals our daughter's). And yes the vet has suggested that - if there is no physical pain - we could try hormone injections which act as mood-stabilizers. I'll keep you posted and let you know how we go. Thank you though - some really good considerations!

 

[kittens mom]

I will say you've stumbled into one of the biggest collective cat brains on TheCatSite. @Anne can you send in all the experts.

 

[sabian]

Something else just to think about. My Maine Coon passed away in Feb. and about 8 months before that I had taken him in for his annual shaving at the beginning of summer. He had been scratching a lot on his neck and actually had some scabs. I didn't think much about it and just figured he had a few fleas. He was an indoor outdoor cat. I knew I was taking him in and he would be getting a flea bath. When the groomer brought him out she said they didn't find a single flea on him. She said it could be a sign of a deeper issue. She said they watched him while they were grooming him and he showed no signs of his balance being off but he could be scratching because of something internal. Around eight months later he was diagnosed with cancer. He would wail from time to time like you say your cat is doing but he done that even when he was younger and never seemed to be in pain. I'm not saying your cat may have cancer but just because she isn't scratching or pawing the eye socket itself doesn't mean there isn't something going on behind it possibly going to the brain or something internal. By what your saying in your last post it kinda sounds like there is some pain involved with the behavior. Just throwing it out there.

 

[kdono15]

Something else just to think about. My Maine Coon passed away in Feb. and about 8 months before that I had taken him in for his annual shaving at the beginning of summer. He had been scratching a lot on his neck and actually had some scabs. I didn't think much about it and just figured he had a few fleas. He was an indoor outdoor cat. I knew I was taking him in and he would be getting a flea bath. When the groomer brought him out she said they didn't find a single flea on him. She said it could be a sign of a deeper issue. She said they watched him while they were grooming him and he showed no signs of his balance being off but he could be scratching because of something internal. Around eight months later he was diagnosed with cancer. He would wail from time to time like you say your cat is doing but he done that even when he was younger and never seemed to be in pain. I'm not saying your cat may have cancer but just because she isn't scratching or pawing the eye socket itself doesn't mean there isn't something going on behind it possibly going to the brain or something internal. By what your saying in your last post it kinda sounds like there is some pain involved with the behavior. Just throwing it out there.

Hmm yes definitely something to think about. My mind has jumped to all sorts of conclusions over the past couple of years, but I hadn't thought of that...I think you could be right though about the pain issue. You saying your cat had scratching issues and you thought he had fleas - I've done the same thing with Allie. She's been scratching like mad (progressively getting worse) over the last 6-8 months and I always thought it was fleas. Granted - one time it actually was, our new kitten brought in some crawly goodies when we adopted him - but I treated the house and both the cats and have never seen another single flea. But she still scratches. Interesting...

 

[kdono15]

I will say you've stumbled into one of the biggest collective cat brains on TheCatSite. @Anne can you send in all the experts.

Yes I think I have! What a blessing this has been - so much helpful information and so many insightful suggestions. I am actually extremely grateful for everyone's help.

 

[kdono15]

So here's an update:
Took Allie to the vet after giving her a dose of Metacam every day for about 8 days, then kept her off it for a few days. I noticed something - she was a little bit more "chill" in general, and didn't yowl in annoyance when I picked her up, but that could have been a coincidence. She does have good periods after all. Although even during good periods she hates when I pick her up... It was a very subtle thing though, only something I noticed because I was watching her like a hawk. I relayed all of this to the vet, and he said that while Metacam is a painkiller, it's not a sedative, so the fact that she was more chilled out could mean there is some pain involved, but the fact that the difference in her overall demeanor was so mild meant that he didn't want to outright say "Let's sedate her and do a full physical", since that would have been very costly - and chances are he wouldn't find much. So he suggested we could first try the hormone injection - Depo Provera - and see how she goes with that. He said it might also help with her excessive grooming and hair-pulling. She had that injection about 5 days ago and as yet I haven't seen a difference, but he said it could take a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, she's been her usual Jekyl and Hyde self. Cute one minute (and by cute I mean just minding her business) and a little savage the next. Overall, I've been finding her quite tolerable of late, interspersed with periods when I want to wring her neck (not literally fyi) when she has her crazy biting fits, but I wonder if that's because I'm just used to her.
So here's my dilemma: Our feelings have cooled toward her somewhat as we've deliberated how to handle her....'situation', BUT, just as feelings of affection start to creep back, Allie strikes again! I left my daughter for a total of about 10 seconds while I took something to the bin, and I hear a sudden scream, so I come running back, naturally. At first I thought she just got a fright because she couldn't find me, but then I see a big bite mark on her cheek and scratches on her head. Allie was sitting next to her like an innocent...
She probably bent down to give Allie a kiss (she's only 18 months old and does this frequently to our other cat, so doesn't understand she can't 'touch' Allie) and Allie went for her. This has happened before. In fact I have to be constantly vigilant when they are in the same room together because Allie can't stand for Emma to be even near her face - even when Emma is not doing anything, just playing and minding her business. It's a constant cause of stress for me as I have to make sure she's not even near the cat, let alone trying to touch her. Honestly - she doesn't hurt her or anything like that, so it's not like Allie's reaction is out of a retrospective fear. She just intolerant.
So now to the dilemma: How long can this go on? At what point do we need to say 'enough is enough'? She's been bitten on the face several times before, and a couple of times it was dangerously close to her eye. Please don't think I'm not watching my child either, I honestly make an effort to see that they're not in each other's way, but it often happens in front of my eyes before I can intervene because Allie snaps at such unpredictable moments. I want to give the Depo Provera a chance, but it might not even work...My husband and I have discussed this multiple times before, that it's just not acceptable for our daughter to be unsafe in the house with our deranged cat. We really want Allie better, we really, truly do. But are we dreaming? I'm sick of our daughter being harmed, and NOTHING seems to be working.
Has anyone else had to put a cat down for behaviour issues? I don't want it to come to that, truly.

 

[Elenya Rose]

I can't advise you on this but I wanted to say that I can see that you have truly tried to help Allie. You must be emotionally, mentally and possibly financially exhausted from this situation with her. I can totally understand your fear of having her with your daughter. Cats like kids move so fast, I don't think for a second that you don't watch your daughter with her.

My thoughts are with you whatever you decide to do. You have truly tried and worked hard to give Allie what she needs, its one of those times where you wish they could tell you what is wrong!

 

[sabian]

I can't advise you on this but I wanted to say that I can see that you have truly tried to help Allie. You must be emotionally, mentally and possibly financially exhausted from this situation with her. I can totally understand your fear of having her with your daughter. Cats like kids move so fast, I don't think for a second that you don't watch your daughter with her.

My thoughts are with you whatever you decide to do. You have truly tried and worked hard to give Allie what she needs, its one of those times where you wish they could tell you what is wrong!

I agree with Elenya. Maybe give rehoming a thought. She may do well with someone who is single and a quiet environment. Just a thought. I would warn them about the issues you've had though.

 

[kdono15]

Thanks so much to both of you - I suppose I'm venting, but it's nice to be heard. We've considered rehoming but can't see how it could possibly work. She hates everyone except us, and is visibly distressed when someone comes near her Not intentionally either, like to pet her or anything - it's often without realising, they're just standing close by. Even my husband's coworker said he'd try and connect with her as he's had immense success in the past with troubled cats and considers himself a bit of a 'cat whisperer' haha. She tore up his hand though So it would be a cruelty to her to give her away I think, she is very attached to us and wouldn't understand why we'd abandoned her. Ugh this whole thing makes me so sad... My husband is ready to put her down and would have done so a long time ago if it weren't for me, so if I share these grievances with him I know what he'll say. He's not being cold, he loves her too, but maybe is just more of a realist than me...so it's nice to share my thoughts and have people affirm that I'm not crazy! haha I just love her, although goodness knows why. You're both right though, we have pretty much exhausted all options and we're going to have to have a long hard talk. I admit one of the reasons I want to keep her around right now is because I think the other cat would be lonely, although she doesn't give him much love anymore. The honeymoon period has well and truly worn off for her.
Thanks again, even just for listening x

 

[BKennedy]

Thanks so much to both of you - I suppose I'm venting, but it's nice to be heard. We've considered rehoming but can't see how it could possibly work. She hates everyone except us, and is visibly distressed when someone comes near her Not intentionally either, like to pet her or anything - it's often without realising, they're just standing close by. Even my husband's coworker said he'd try and connect with her as he's had immense success in the past with troubled cats and considers himself a bit of a 'cat whisperer' haha. She tore up his hand though So it would be a cruelty to her to give her away I think, she is very attached to us and wouldn't understand why we'd abandoned her. Ugh this whole thing makes me so sad... My husband is ready to put her down and would have done so a long time ago if it weren't for me, so if I share these grievances with him I know what he'll say. He's not being cold, he loves her too, but maybe is just more of a realist than me...so it's nice to share my thoughts and have people affirm that I'm not crazy! haha I just love her, although goodness knows why. You're both right though, we have pretty much exhausted all options and we're going to have to have a long hard talk. I admit one of the reasons I want to keep her around right now is because I think the other cat would be lonely, although she doesn't give him much love anymore. The honeymoon period has well and truly worn off for her.
Thanks again, even just for listening x

I just read your thread and found it when I googled "euthanize agressive cat." I am going through this difficult decision and will most likely take our female cat, Mitzi, tomorrow to be euthanized. She became prone to aggression about 5 years ago when she was about 3. It started with not letting me trim her nails and progressed to being wild, spitting and hissing at the vets. She bit the vet and drew blood. After that, we had her anesthetized at her annual visit and nails trimmed and had her groomed each year and teeth cleaned one year. Our two male cats manage to avoid her and are both loving and easy going. This August, we adopted our Granddaughter's cat, a 1.4 year old female. An easy going friendly cat. She has had to live in my bedroom because of Mitzi's aggression towards her. Mitzi has attacked the new cat and violently created a screaming, fur flying, situation by the time I broke it up. She knows we are at the end of our rope. We had her on an antidepressant, but she quit taking the pill in the pill pockets and would spit it out. I gave up on that. Tomorrow we have an appointment at the vet office and probably won't come home with her. It's been an emotional roller coaster because she has been close to us, but only on her terms. I have done some soul searching and appreciated your posts. Our vet said female cats are more likely than male cats to have problems getting along with other cats.

 

[Geoffrey]

View attachment 198539 View attachment 198540 View attachment 198537
My husband and I were living in South Korea in 2014 and found an abandoned kitten outside our apartment in about May of that year. She was skin and bone and had a bad eye. We took her to the vet and he said she was probably about 6 weeks old, and we could leave her with him or keep her. We kept her and called her Allie. We treated her eye with two separate medications four times a day for the entire year we were living there, then when she was old enough to handle it, we organised for her eye to be removed (her eyeball kept filling with fluid and had to be constantly drained. We decided we'd bring her back home to Australia with us QUOTE]

It certainly sounds as if her behaviour relates to the dreadful trauma that she has suffered. She also would have had three months quarantine after coming from Republic of S. Korea to Australia and her problems appear to have started in Australia. The quarantine may be a factor, although the Australian quarantine services are very caring and I have nothing but praise about them when we brought our cats to Australia.

I can only advise Googling "Cat psychologist in Australia" there are a number of possibly relevant results which you can discuss with your vet.

I would NOT advise euthanasia; Give her time to change. We adopted our last cat at 6 weeks and she had severe behaviour problems. By the time she was two and a half they were definitely resolving - but she was then tragically killed by a car.

I am a human doctor, not a vet, but I must advise you not to try and treat her with anti-depressants like Prozac. Discuss these with your vet.
With all best wishes,
Geoffrey

 

[dragonlady2]

I thought I would give our experience with a temperamental cat. I have posted about our torti before. As a result of her issues with other cats in our home, we made the decision to take her to the humane society and hopefully she could be adopted into a home with no other cats. In the interim we asked my son to keep her until the humane society had an opening. My son is the "animal whisperer" , all animals gravitate to him. Our torti went into complete shutdown with him....no eating unless he fed her by hand, hiding in the bathroom etc. I took her back and have been keeping her in a separate bedroom with her chair and cat tree. She is able to visit with us when my one cat is put away for an hour in the morning and two hours in the late afternoon. What we have found is that she is much happier and friendlier. When it is time for her to return to her room, she goes upstairs on her own and appears to be quite happy to be in "her" area.
Is there a way to give your cat her own room? Barring that, what about a pen in the living area of your home where she is still able to be with you but is contained. I put two large dog crates on top of each other and cut a hole so my one cat could go from the bottom crate to the top crate. She is fed her afternoon meal in there while my torti is out and she quite likes it there. She will sleep in there at other times, as I leave the door open when not in use.
I have found that my cats respond really well to routines so I ensure that the pen times and room times are built into a schedule that they all seem to respond to. It's a better option for me than gambling on rehoming and hoping it works out. Just some other ideas.

 

[terestrife]

Thanks so much to both of you - I suppose I'm venting, but it's nice to be heard. We've considered rehoming but can't see how it could possibly work. She hates everyone except us, and is visibly distressed when someone comes near her Not intentionally either, like to pet her or anything - it's often without realising, they're just standing close by. Even my husband's coworker said he'd try and connect with her as he's had immense success in the past with troubled cats and considers himself a bit of a 'cat whisperer' haha. She tore up his hand though So it would be a cruelty to her to give her away I think, she is very attached to us and wouldn't understand why we'd abandoned her. Ugh this whole thing makes me so sad... My husband is ready to put her down and would have done so a long time ago if it weren't for me, so if I share these grievances with him I know what he'll say. He's not being cold, he loves her too, but maybe is just more of a realist than me...so it's nice to share my thoughts and have people affirm that I'm not crazy! haha I just love her, although goodness knows why. You're both right though, we have pretty much exhausted all options and we're going to have to have a long hard talk. I admit one of the reasons I want to keep her around right now is because I think the other cat would be lonely, although she doesn't give him much love anymore. The honeymoon period has well and truly worn off for her.
Thanks again, even just for listening x

until you figure out what you want to do, do you have space in your home to separate your home with a door? its what my brother is planning to keep one side of his home cleaner, for his new baby. and the cats and dog will hang out in the other side of the house. where the adults will go by and spend time with the pets.

you can even enclose a patio to create a catio, or build a cheap catio for them. removing the stress of a new baby from the cats as well.

this is just a quick fix to allow you to clear your mind on what you want to do.

you can install a barn door, or an accordion door on a passaway that does not have a door. with big openings you can put sliding doors, sliding farm doors.

let me show you where we are installing a barn door. we still havent put it up, we are renovating and will be putting it up soon. we got a 50$ hardware kit on amazon, and my brother found a 30$ door at homedepot i believe.

 

[kdono15]

I thought I would give our experience with a temperamental cat. I have posted about our torti before. As a result of her issues with other cats in our home, we made the decision to take her to the humane society and hopefully she could be adopted into a home with no other cats. In the interim we asked my son to keep her until the humane society had an opening. My son is the "animal whisperer" , all animals gravitate to him. Our torti went into complete shutdown with him....no eating unless he fed her by hand, hiding in the bathroom etc. I took her back and have been keeping her in a separate bedroom with her chair and cat tree. She is able to visit with us when my one cat is put away for an hour in the morning and two hours in the late afternoon. What we have found is that she is much happier and friendlier. When it is time for her to return to her room, she goes upstairs on her own and appears to be quite happy to be in "her" area.
Is there a way to give your cat her own room? Barring that, what about a pen in the living area of your home where she is still able to be with you but is contained. I put two large dog crates on top of each other and cut a hole so my one cat could go from the bottom crate to the top crate. She is fed her afternoon meal in there while my torti is out and she quite likes it there. She will sleep in there at other times, as I leave the door open when not in use.
I have found that my cats respond really well to routines so I ensure that the pen times and room times are built into a schedule that they all seem to respond to. It's a better option for me than gambling on rehoming and hoping it works out. Just some other ideas.

It sounds like you've got this all figured out, I really admire the routine you've got! We do keep her secluded intentionally when visitors come over because she is very confrontational and doesn't run and hide, just attacks! She is ok with this and when I've peeked on her in the bathroom she seems quite content to be in there and away from the 'scary visitors'. She also has days where she secludes herself, and spends most of her time in our room looking out the window. Then other days she'll basically spend the whole day in my daughter's room, doing the same. I think she's just keeping out of everyone's way to have some downtime. But this is only on her terms - if we were to keep her locked up to a schedule she would cry and cry and cry - she's done it many times before. Even times when she's been in attack mode and I've put her away to decompress, she just yowls for company. The thing is I don't really 'get' her, sometimes she wants space and other times she doesn't - even when she really NEEDS it. There is no way to make her own room really, we live in a 2 bedroom apartment, but we've established places that are just hers, unfortunately she prefers to stalk us on the ground :/ she's got me at a loss.

 

[kdono15]

until you figure out what you want to do, do you have space in your home to separate your home with a door? its what my brother is planning to keep one side of his home cleaner, for his new baby. and the cats and dog will hang out in the other side of the house. where the adults will go by and spend time with the pets.

you can even enclose a patio to create a catio, or build a cheap catio for them. removing the stress of a new baby from the cats as well.

this is just a quick fix to allow you to clear your mind on what you want to do.

you can install a barn door, or an accordion door on a passaway that does not have a door. with big openings you can put sliding doors, sliding farm doors.

let me show you where we are installing a barn door. we still havent put it up, we are renovating and will be putting it up soon. we got a 50$ hardware kit on amazon, and my brother found a 30$ door at homedepot i believe.

View attachment 203721

Thanks for your suggestion! Unfortunately we live in a rental property and alterations are not possible. Even if we owned the place and were allowed to make changes, the apartment is so small that there would be nowhere to strategically place a door, we would have to build a wall around the kitchen or something and keep them in there haha. Thank you though for going to all that effort to send me a picture! I really appreciate it. It would be an excellent idea - especially the catio as we have a small balcony - if we were allowed to make alterations.

 

[kdono15]

I just read your thread and found it when I googled "euthanize agressive cat." I am going through this difficult decision and will most likely take our female cat, Mitzi, tomorrow to be euthanized. She became prone to aggression about 5 years ago when she was about 3. It started with not letting me trim her nails and progressed to being wild, spitting and hissing at the vets. She bit the vet and drew blood. After that, we had her anesthetized at her annual visit and nails trimmed and had her groomed each year and teeth cleaned one year. Our two male cats manage to avoid her and are both loving and easy going. This August, we adopted our Granddaughter's cat, a 1.4 year old female. An easy going friendly cat. She has had to live in my bedroom because of Mitzi's aggression towards her. Mitzi has attacked the new cat and violently created a screaming, fur flying, situation by the time I broke it up. She knows we are at the end of our rope. We had her on an antidepressant, but she quit taking the pill in the pill pockets and would spit it out. I gave up on that. Tomorrow we have an appointment at the vet office and probably won't come home with her. It's been an emotional roller coaster because she has been close to us, but only on her terms. I have done some soul searching and appreciated your posts. Our vet said female cats are more likely than male cats to have problems getting along with other cats.

My heart really goes out to you, I know that would have been such a difficult decision. We feel the same with Allie, that we maintain something of a closeness with her, but only on her terms. For example a week ago she was snuggling on my lap on the couch, then two days ago I held my hand out for her to sniff it so I could give her a pat (so as not to alarm her), and she regarded me for a second then swiped viciously. Took a fair chunk out of my hand The nail trimming is a problem for her too, we took her to the vet one time and it sounded like they were trying to cut her throat, the way she screamed and carried on. They ended up spraying some feliway on her to quiet her down and the poor assistant walked out clutching a bleeding hand. Our other cat is easy-going too but being an energetic kitten is a bit much for her, and she will often lash out at him. I know exactly what you mean about an emotional roller coaster. We've basically run out of 'management' solutions for her, and our vet knows, but makes appointments for me to come in and discuss where we're at with her. It's like going to see a shrink, honestly. He says a lot of 'hmmm, yes it's difficult isn't it' (not in a patronizing way, he's very compassionate), and then goes through everything we've tried so far which hasn't worked, and then stops, waiting for me to make a decision... He hasn't suggested euthanazia, but knows I have brought it up several times. He won't say yay or nay basically, because it's up to me. Then I shrug my shoulders and say I need to go home and think about it. I've done this three times. It's like Allie knows I'm going to take her in and she's on her very best, smoochy, cute behaviour, then I feel so sorry for her and bring her home. Then she turns back into the villain that she is. So far this week I've been attacked no less than four times. I appreciate you posting on my thread, as awful as handling this situation is, it's a kind of comfort to know I'm not the only one.

 

[terestrife]

Thanks for your suggestion! Unfortunately we live in a rental property and alterations are not possible. Even if we owned the place and were allowed to make changes, the apartment is so small that there would be nowhere to strategically place a door, we would have to build a wall around the kitchen or something and keep them in there haha. Thank you though for going to all that effort to send me a picture! I really appreciate it. It would be an excellent idea - especially the catio as we have a small balcony - if we were allowed to make alterations.

really sorry about that. hope you find some clarity on what you want to do. =(