Putting my aggressive kitty to sleep

[tonks]

I think I've made the tough choice to put my kitty Tonks to sleep.
She's a seven year old rescue, and is shy, but very affectionate most days. About once a week she has a "spell" that causes this normally shy, sweet kitty to become extraordinary aggressive. It is completely unpredictable. Her aggression causes her to visciously attack the person nearest to her. She stays in a completely terrified state for about a day after the attack, crying, hiding, shaking, and refusing to eat.

The attacks do not appear to be redirected aggression. There are no other pets in the home, and the attacks occur without provocation such as seeing another cat outside. She has no medical issues the vet has been able to identify. We have tried both Xanaz and Prozac and neither has helped. I tried rehoming her to my parents' house (they are cat lovers and mom was a long time vet tech and Tonks has always enjoyed visiting their house). The attacks have continued at my parents' house.

Myself and my parents have come to the decision that the least cruel option is to put Tonks to sleep. She is a very shy cat, and I don't feel rehoming her is an option. I think the attacks will continue and i fear another home might respond cruelly. I think surrendering her to an animal shelter would only prolong the inevitable and traumatize her while she was at the shelter. She's an indoor kitty, so we have thought about making her an outdoor kitty, but the few times she has escaped outside, she has quivered in fear and taken days to recover. There are also several large animals in the neighborhood that would likely injure her.

I have struggled with this decision for over a year now, and feel putting her to sleep is our only humane option left.

She rides just fine in the car, but is completely terrified of the vet. Any suggestions on how to make this trip to the vet more comfortable for her? I've read vets will provide sedatives for you to give your pet before the trip, but does that actually calm the catand make it less scared? Or do sedatives simply make them less able to move?

Any words of advice or comfort would e appreciated.

 

[Draco]

That is a tough decision.

How long have you had her for? If you've just adopted her recently, she may not have enough time to settle into her home.. if you had her for almost all of 7 years, it seems you've tried everything.

I am hoping someone comes in to offer some advice you have yet tried to help the kitty

 

[aprilprey]

I am so sorry you have to go through this.  At the risk of being obvious - did you look into any in-home euthanasia services?  The trend is fairly new, so vets that do this are few and far between, even in our area - which has very high pet ownership (Seattle-Tacoma, WA).  Or, call around different vets, explain your situation - you might find one willing to do it in home.  Since the cat is not suffering from a painful disease, and time is not crucial, maybe you could find someone?

I can tell from your post you care deeply about this cat, and animals in general.  You have clearly thought this through for a long time.  The only thing I can think of is to try a couple more vets to see if they can identify the issue - you might get lucky and find one that has seen similar behavior before.  Did you contact any of the big vet schools in your area or country (for the US, UC Davis, Cornell) to see if any of them have dealt with such a thing?

 And if putting her to sleep seems too painful, did you ever arrive at a point where you decided: OK, she might be freaked out 10% of the time, so I'll just accept the 90% of the time she is happy?  It does sound stressful for you however - I too hate seeing cats suffer, even when its a short ride to the vet for an annual well-pet checkup.

You have my sympathy.  Good luck.
 

 

[tonks]

I appreciate the kind words. I adopted Tonks as a kitten, and have had her all 7 years, with the exception of the last 9 months at my parents' house.

We've kind of been operating on the "she's fine 90% of the time" mode the last year or so. Unfortunately, her attacks are so severe and unpredictable, it's only a matter of time until she injures someone's eye or causes an infection. We all have large scars from her scratches.

We are fairly close to Texas A&M's vet school, so that is a possible option. My vet seemed to feel that she is chemically unbalanced, and is not likely to respond to any other medications. I also am to the point that I feel subjecting her to further tests and medication trial and error wouldn't be in her best interest.

We are going to give my mom's old vet office a call this week. He might have some other suggestions, and if not, I'll ask him if he knows of any in-home services.

I appreciate your nice comments. We have always been a family with cats who live to old age and have always taken excellent care of our animals. We treat them like family. To have to put a "healthy" cat to sleep is devastating.

 

[ritz]

My sympthasies.

Has Tonks had a complete neurological workup, like an MRI scan?  To see if there is some kind of tiny tumor that presses on something every once in a while.  I do believe there is some sort of chemical inbalance.  Have you tried combinations of drugs; sometimes much more effective than just one (in humans as well as animals).

And do look into home euthanasia.  My twin sister had her love of her life dog (Lovey Dovey) euthanized at home (kidney failure).  Heart breaking, but kinder to Lovey Dovey.

 

[stephanietx]

I would actually see if you could get her in at A&M.  They might be able to do some testing and have some other ideas that help.  If that doesn't work, then I'd consider the euthanasia.  I have the utmost respect for A&M as they produce some of the best vets in the state of Texas (& worldwide).  They are also one of the leaders in veterinary medicine.
 

 

[stephanietx]

Something else to consider would be trying a cat behaviorist or a cat psychic (I think that's what they're called.).

 

[aprilprey]

 I also am to the point that I feel subjecting her to further tests and medication trial and error wouldn't be in her best interest.

 

I can TOTALLY relate to this.  My 12 year old female has always been the worst, simply awful to medicate - even if its a tiny bit of anti-biotic from a syringe.   I have known all along that, should she develop a chronic disease that requires regular vet visits or any kind of regular medication, no matter how effective, I don't think we'd put her through it.  Quality over quantity.   My sister had a situation a bit like yours: one of her cats was a twitchy, shy, semi-feral that was used to HER.  The cat developed a chronic disease during a time that she simply could not deal with the financial impact, and was moving as well.  The chronic disease, plus the "tough to rehome" personality, led her to the decision to euthanize the cat.  And even if you did discover a brain tumor - what would the treatment/surgery for THAT be and the prognosis for recovery?

Its tough but you know, we should be so lucky to go so peacefully.  I euthanized my 16 year old Houdini (RIP) this year - the one bright spot is it does provide an opening in your home for a kitty living a sub-par life in a shelter cage somewhere.

Sounds like you've tried nearly everything and have done your best for your kitty.

 

[mservant]

This sounds like a heartbreaking situation and you have obviously cared for Tonks and lived with her behaviour for many years before reaching this conclusion.  

There is a strangely neurological sound to it, like seizure or something, and if you could manage to find someone to undertake more extensive tests it might give you some understanding of what is happening and whether there is any way to manage it. As with people these things can be difficult to detect without prolonged observation but it could be really worth while.  I lived in a flat where the cat started to have seizures but they were most evident due to soiling that suddenly started happening when we were all out, then one evening we observed him walking in circles and his eyes were shaking and knew immediately what was going on so rushed him to the vet. I'm sure there could be many different presentations and causes, just as there are with people.

I can see you are concerned for Tonks' well being and hope that you can find a decision you are comfortable with.  When my cats saw the vet for their final journey I couldn't get home call outs but only had a short trip to make.They were both so frail they were not distressed by being in the car, the problem was more me struggling to drive. The sedative the vet gave them just gently calmed them and they drifted away. I can still see and feel that last hold and in some ways I am relieved it wasn't at home as I would struggle to be in the place where I said goodbye.

 

[franksmom]

I am so sorry you are going through this! I was wondering if you have tried soft paws to help limit the damage she can do with her claws. 

I am also wondering about the possibility of building her an outside enclosure. For example something like this which is made from pet crates from lowes:

The other thing I can think of is spirit essences (http://store.jacksongalaxy.com/category-s/1849.htm) which were created by Jackson Galaxy. Actually contacting Jackson Galaxy may be an idea. On his show he often treats cats who attack with giving them lots of vertical spaces and he analyzes the circumstances of the attacks. You may want to watch some episodes of My Cat From Hell. Are there any patterns to the attacks at all? It could be something weird like a certain commercial on the TV or a sound from a phone. 

Any animal behaviourist would be a good last ditch option and even more out there idea would be an animal communicator. A lot of people on here have had success with them and this one is often mentioned in threads  (http://www.enlightenedanimals.com). 

 

[tonks]

These are all good suggestions. We will discuss Tonks' issues with some additional vets before we make our decision. Your words have brought me comfort, and I know no matter the outcome, we will know we have tried our best to give Tonks a peaceful, comfortable, happy existence.

 

[callista]

I've heard that it's possible for dogs to have epilepsy that causes them to randomly attack things... I wonder if it can happen to cats too.

 

[franksmom]

These are all good suggestions. We will discuss Tonks' issues with some additional vets before we make our decision. Your words have brought me comfort, and I know no matter the outcome, we will know we have tried our best to give Tonks a peaceful, comfortable, happy existence.

Yes you have done your best and hopefully there can be a good resolution.

Wishing you both the best and keep us updated. 

 

[mani]

I'm not sure, from reading your posts, how long she has been like this?  Is it all of the 7years?  And has it become more or less frequent, or about the same?

I really do feel for you. Sending you lots of

 

[tonks]

She has always been very shy and prone to hiding and even shaking when frightened by a loud noise or a situation. In the last two years though, the fear seems to have gotten worse (with no change to her environment to cause such). The unexpected aggression showed up in the last year and a half. We tried to relocate her to my parents' house about 9 months ago, in the hope there was some external trigger at my house, but the move didn't help.

 

[franksmom]

Hmm because the attacks have started in the last two years I do wonder if it is a tumour. This just made me think of my friend's dog who started attacking people and it turned out it was a tumour and the dog had to be put down. As was posted above a xray or MRI may be a good idea. 

 

[roxie]

I totally agree with Franksmom. If its not a medical issue then Jackson Galaxy is your best hope. He does wonders with cats. He had a show called "My Cat From Hell" that dealt with different behavioral problems. Best of luck.

 

[carolina]

Hi
I do respect your decision :heart3:
Reading your post though, I think there IS something medically wrong with her - it just hasn't been found.
Texas A&M is just about the best place you can take her.... I would.... And I think if you have 90% of perfect time with her, IMHO it is in her best interest to try to find out what is wrong and try to help her, instead of putting her to sleep.
Honestly, I don't think death is the most humane option for her, when these attacks are occurring once a week, and just started a year ago.

I am sorry if this goes against what you might want to hear - it is though, my honest feeling.
You might be surprised and might find that there is a way to treat and correct the problem :cross:

I have a rescue cat, called MacCreamy. Mac was aggressive to an extreme - not to a disease, but due to abuse (before he came to me).
The rescuer worked really hard with him, and has MANY battle wounds to show. It took her months. When he was somewhat ready for adoption, he came to me.
He is still aggressive to strangers- and was to me too, in the beginning, but not anymore - the attacks are long gone.
Mac has a problem though - he is terrified of my other cat, Bugsy, has NO confidence, and on the top of it, had an inflamed bladder.
Results: Not only he was spraying, but he was living on the top of the furniture. Bugsy couldn't even look at him, and he would RUN to the top of the fridge - he was one stressed out, scare, afraid kitty.
On that mood, he has gotten startled and attacked me a few times, by the way.

I took him to the vet, and he was put on Amitriptyline. It works both for the bladder inflammation and for his stress.
He is SOOOOO much more relaxed! Mac now lays on the floor feets away from Bugsy belly up! He lets me carry him on my lap..... He is Chillin'
He still has some issues with the spraying, but we are getting there - little by little.

I know you are going to say your cat doesn't have a bladder infection..... I know he doesn't. But my point is, there might be medications aside from what you tried that worked.

With my cat Bugsy's IBD, we went for over 14months of daily liquid diarrhea, trying EVERYTHING in the book before we found the answer - Raw diet.

I guess my point is this - there IS an answer.... It takes a good vet who is willing to go above an beyond the call of duty, researching and working with you to find out what the problem it - I, myself, don't accept "there is nothing medically wrong" from a vet, when clearly there is. To me, that simply means - "there is something wrong but I can't tell you what it is".
IMHO Texas A&M' vets are the best in looking for answers, they really are.

All the best for you hun, no matter what you chose, it will be alright

 

[anele]

I am so sorry.  It sounds like you have thought this through a lot.  This is not a popular opinion, but I do think there are so many cats needing a home.  Even if this is a resolvable medical issue, that doesn't mean it will be inexpensive.  If your financial situation allows it, by all means, explore.  If not, put what resources you DO have into saving another life.

It is a horrible spot to be in-- again, I am so sorry.

 

[tonks]

I just want to give you all an update. I've spoken to two other vets (one of whom has served as Tonks' vet in the past), and they both agree the right thing to do is to put her to sleep. We could put her through extensive testing, but both vets agree that would be traumatic to Tonks, and may not provide answers, or the answers would require long months or years of treatment for a kitty that breaks into an extreme panic attack whenever we try to administer medication to her. I've made an appointment for Saturday morning. It is the hardest decision I have ever made, but I feel it is the right one. The three other kitties I have had lived into their 20's and died peacefully, so this is quite difficult. I appreciate the kind words of support you all have given.