help! my cat has become violent!

[lickerish]

my cat Lickerish is 4yrs old and indoor cat only. we adopted her from SEACCA when she was 2 mos old and there are only two people in our home. as she has grown with us she has always attacked visitors ESPECIALLY children. we have to keep her locked away in our room whenever we have guests. she is fine and loving with me and my daughter most of the time but her outbursts now keep our family and friends away (screaming, howling, attacking and even chasing our guests!). yesterday for no reason at all she completely went nuts attacking and puncturing my daughters feet and legs and chased her to the couch where she would lunge if even a foot hit the floor. my daughter was completely traumatized over this behavior and is now completely scared and wants her gone. i love my cat but i cant tolerate this behavior any longer. should i return her to the pound where i adopted her or have her put down? please tell me what to do as im completely torn but no longer we can no longer keep her. i live in Norwalk, Ca.

thank you! 

 

[mycatwasthebest]

4 years and a vet never suggested PROZAC?

 

[phoenixdsp]

Sounds almost like what my cat is going through at 13 years old, the only difference is it's only me and the behavior started after a vet appointment and steroid shots.

I have to ask though, if this new behavior is only directed at your daughter, is it possible that your daughter was perhaps abusing the cat when nobody was looking? Playing with it too hard or rough, maybe inadvertently? Perhaps she hurt your cat accidentally without realizing it, and your cat now views her as an enemy.

 

[lickerish]

no my daughter is 17 and loves the cat very much. she never like to be over petted or held so my daughter never pushed the issue but the violence has now turned towards us and i just cant have my daughter scared to be home anymore. we love her dearly and i dont want her put down but i dont know what else to do. she has a tower toys always fresh food water  no allergies and playful but were losing our home social life over her.

 

[lamiatron]

when was the last time your kitty has been to the vet? i think its time for another visit, if you're able to get her in the carrier and to the vets...

in the mean time try some calming treats and maybe feliway until you get her to the vet.

maybe she's acting out because she has an underlying healthy issue??

My Jet would hiss at me for no reason, when i did nothing to provoke it. Took her to the vet and it turned out she had worms :/

the sooner you take kitty the better.

 

[lickerish]

thank you i will take her right away. i really dont want to lose her  we just cant live this way anymore.

 

[spots]

Wow... this story sounds almost exactly like mine!  What kind of cat do you have?  My daughter, who was also 17 yrs. old at the time, and I adopted a Bengal kitten from the local shelter and from day one, she attacked us.  Now over 4 years later, she has gotten much worse.  My daughter had better luck with her, as it seemed the cat liked her better.  My daughter has since gotten engaged and moved out, so I'm now living alone with this cat.  Her attacks on me are vicious to say the least.  I'm taking on injuries and bites that are so not cool.  I have been trying to find a sanctuary or some place that can take her and maybe try to change her bad behavior problems.  I'm pretty sure if I return her to the shelter, they will put her down since she is very aggressive.

I have tried all kinds of things to calm her down, but nothing is working.  She has all kinds of toys, but would rather attack me instead of them, climbing places, is fed real well.  She is spayed and uses her cat box very good.  She is very healthy and the vet has ruled out any medical problems.  She has regular visits to the vet for her vaccines, nail trimmings, etc.  The vet keeps her isolated from the other cats, as she seems to be aggressive towards them too.  Cat behaviorist say she can be retrained but I have my doubts.  It's weird because she can go from mellow to insane in a split second.  I have no idea why she is so aggressive.  We have always been loving and mellow with her.  She actually stalks me and hides waiting for her moment to attack! Very scary.  She comes over to me and purrs and rubs on my legs, so I pet her.  The next minute, she turns and bites the crap out of my foot!  What the heck?!  I am not safe in my home and really need to figure a place to take her.

My family and friends won't come over either, because they fear her too.  I have to put her in a room for some peace or to get anything done like housework, etc.  She's in a room now so I can be on my computer.  Just moving about in my home can be dangerous.  I carry a squirt gun everywhere I go, which is becoming a real pain in the caboose.  Hard to do dishes or eat or do laundry with a squirt gun in your hand.  She always checks my hands to see if I'm carrying the gun - she hates it.  But it's all I have to defend myself.  I don't want to hurt her, and never have, is why I use the squirt gun.  I have tried calming agents and cat chews that have melatonin, but they have NO effect.

She has been totally indoors.  I never have let her out.  But lately she scratches at the front door and howls like she wants out real bad.  There are no feral cats that I can see outside.  Only occasional skunk.  I know Bengals are very territorial, but there is nothing threating her territory.  She too, has never liked being petted that much, and we could never really handle her.  My daughter comes to visit, but I'm wondering if the cat misses her, even though she attacked her too.  My daughter is still susceptible to being attacked when she visits.  She doesn't come over much any more.

I really can't go on living with this aggressive cat any more and live in San Diego, CA.  If anyone has any ideas for surrender or what I should do, PLEASE HELP!  I really don't want to put her down, but don't know what to do at this point.  Thank you and Lickerish, if you have figured something out, please let me know what you have done.  It may help... thanks!

 

[shadowsmommy]

I think a trip to the vet is in order! My cat had to be put on hormones when he started exhibiting extreme aggression... after a couple weeks he finally mellowed out and became sweet again.

 

[spots]

Hi Shadows Mommy... She never has been a "sweet" cat.  She has always had an extreme aggressive behavior.  And she has been to the vet numerous times.  She sees a cat only vet, that has ruled out any medical problems.  She is very healthy.  She is just very angry with her living situation or something.  After over 4 years, I am baffled at her aggression.  I've tried all kinds of avenues... calming agents, lots of toys and play time, that has now turned into an attack on me instead of her toys, tried redirection tossing toys her way when she starts to attack.  I just don't know what to do any more.  I don't have the money to pay cat trainers and have watched Cats from Hell and read a lot of literature on these cats and their aggression.  But nothing I try works.  She is getting worse and I can't deal with being attacked every time I move in my house.  Don't know what I'm going to do...

 

[shadowsmommy]

I would ask the vet about hormones or even Prozac. It's very sad when a situation like this happens. And I completely understand not being able to afford certain things.

 

[spots]

Thanks very much for your concern and ideas... really.  And I'm glad you had a good outcome with your cat.  But I'm doing good to pay for her visits to the vet, and can't really afford to pay for medications.  I also don't know what a super aggressive cat on drugs would be like.  I still won't be able to pet her or have a loving pet, just a couch potato that will wake up angry!  And I don't trust her farther than I can see her.  I've even entertained the idea of asking the zoo if they would take her, since she is so wild, and probably needs to be caged.  I truly thought she would mellow out over time, but I was obviously wrong.  I've had a few people tell me if they start out aggressive, they get worse the older they get.  I don't know about all that.  I wish she could talk to me and tell me what the heck is making her so angry or bothering her. My house is quiet and peaceful, there's no need for all this aggression.  My mom says she wants to send someone to my house to get her and take her to be put down.  My family won't come over any more because of her.  I have to put her in a room if anyone comes over, and that's a battle.  She is very smart and knows what's up when I'm trying to get her in a room.  I hate doing that, but can't live in solitude because of her.  But that is what it's coming to.  Me alone with this crazy aggressive cat.  That's not a good life for either one of us.  I'm not trying to be secluded from family and friends because of my cat.  My grandkids aren't allowed over.  It's getting out of control with this situation.  I'm not sure any medication will help or change their minds either.  I'm at  my wits ends... over a cat!

 

[red top rescue]

OK, SPOTS, you are posting in two in two places and I just answered you in the other forum.  I will repeat the answer here.  In your case, you have a hybrid cat who is expressing her wild side as she matures, i.e. getting meaner and wilder, which is her nature as a wild cat.  Here is a video from Big Cat Rescue in Florida.  There used to be another person in Florida who took in Bengals and one Savannah that I know of.  He had 100 acres in northern Florida and let all of them run wild, but he fed them and cared for them.  They ate raw meat, as suits them, and many probably hunted on their own.  Big Cat Rescue has a sanctuary and does take hybrids, although not sure if they would take a Bengal.  They may know of places that would.  You could try contacting Bengal Rescue for information as well.

http://bigcatrescue.org/savannah-cats-and-bengal-cats-make-bad-pets/

 

[spots]

Sorry, I will stick to this forum and thread.  I did send you a reply Red Top Rescue.  I will have to contact them.  Maybe they would know of a place like theirs, but for Bengals.  Thanks so much for the great information.  I don't know how I would get her out there, but it's worth a try to figure a way.  I don't want to take her back to the shelter... that's a dead end.

Thank you all for your time and understanding.  It helps more than you know.  I've kept this in for a long time but have to make a change real soon...

 

[spots]

And yes, the vet has told me she should be eating raw meat, but feeding her that makes her even more unmanageable.  She becomes even wilder and running all over the place.  She is not fond of cat food and vomits most of the time.  The vet says their stomachs are different and don't tolerate cat food or cow's milk.  Milk makes her very sick.  We only tried it a couple times when she was a kitten, but the vet said no more, so she has not had it since.  That's another issue with these cats... trying to give them the proper diet.  She is very healthy, but apparently would be much better off with raw meat.

 

[syrena c]

I can't say enough good things about the books by Pam Johnson-Bennet, who is a cat behaviorist.  We just picked up, "Cat vs Cat", and already, we see where we weren't giving our cats the proper tools to feel they could choose their own hierarchy in the household.  We need to build some vertical places for them to go....up.  That helps their frame of mind, a lot, apparently.  And I've also seen Jackson Galaxy's shows where he suggests that, quite often.  They need high up cat walks, window perches, and places to call their own. 

We are definitely going to read her other books, too.