certified nut job cat

[slippednfell]

I am sorry to hear about your experiences with this cat.

I had a cat that occasionally, for no reason, run and jump and try to attack my face... The last time it happened, I only fed, watered and changed his litter for 6 months, ignoring him other than that. He never did it again.

It is hell being afraid of a pet. I wish you much luck and agree with the other posters that a squirt bottle is way to go.

 

[chicknmania]

yes, she ( it's a female cat) seems to start to get cranky when she senses we are getting ready to leave, and she will persist in running from door to door as if she wants to go with us. She also doesn't like to be told what to do.

1. I am glad to hear your daughter-in-law is seeking the treatment she needs. (I'm a therapist, what can I say)?
2. I agree that it is a stress reaction to being without consistent human interaction. Did he attack you as you were trying to leave? I may have overlooked that part. I know cats can become a bit overzealous if they are overstimulated and I'm wondering if the alone time was just too much for him.
3. We once had to put a cat on "Kitty Prozac" as well because he was neurotic and would rip out his fur if left on his own.
4. The vet may be able to prescribe a light sedative so he doesn't continue to stress himself out.
5. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. The last thing you need on your plate is a cranky kitty.

 

[chicknmania]

OK, so today my daughter and I went to take care of the animals. When we went in, I could tell crazy Sassy was a bit tense but basically ok. Still, I was a little careful. So we let her outside for a little bit, fed and watered everybody. Played with Sassy. Then my daughter dared to play with and pet the other cat. Sassy violently attacked the other cat, and when my daughter shouted "no"...Sassy turned on her. She climbed up my daughter's legs and then jumped at her face! My daughter (who is an adult) had scratches all over her. Fortunately , she didn't suffer as much damage as I did, maybe because I was throwing everything I could find at the cat. Then Sassy turned on me, but I was able to fend her off with a laundry basket and screaming at her. I locked my self in the laundry room and my daughter locked herself in the bathroom. The cat had both of us trapped in there, she sat outside the doors (which adjoin) yowling and growling. Neither one of us had a phone. Finally she calmed a bit and my daughter took the opportunity to open the door, talked to her a little, and managed to coax her into the bathroom and locked her in there. Later, my husband went back and let her out, and the cat was acting normal again. So we surmised that a: The cat cannot handle jealousy b: the cat has some problem with women c: the cat doesn't like legs on people d: the cat definitely has a screw loose. e: She has had enough of being alone and confined. tomorrow my daughter in law's father says he is coming to get both cats and take them to his house. I think the other cat could use a break from Sassy, but that's my son's call, I suppose. Personally, I think that at this point we might be thinking about euthanasia....

 

[cassie]

I am truly sorry. This cat could probably be rehabilitated with the proper therapy and reconditioning, but that is a long term project and would take a lot of commitment. Personally, I don't think any cat is worth a trip to the ER but that's me. I have also never been in this situation.

This cat probably needs a controlled environment where she is fed at the same time and by the same person every day and where there are no surprises and she knows exactly what to expect and when to expect it.

I just remembered something else you might try. There is a phremone available for cats. It comes in a spray bottle and it calms and soothes cats and goes a long way toward reducing stress. The breeder where I got my Ragdoll told me about it and I have seen it advertised in cat magazines. It is called felaway or something. Go on the website for chewy.com and you can find it. If nothing else you can call them and they can tell you what it is called. Their customer service is excellent.

 

[chicknmania]

I am truly sorry. This cat could probably be rehabilitated with the proper therapy and reconditioning, but that is a long term project and would take a lot of commitment. Personally, I don't think any cat is worth a trip to the ER but that's me. I have also never been in this situation.

This cat probably needs a controlled environment where she is fed at the same time and by the same person every day and where there are no surprises and she knows exactly what to expect and when to expect it.

I just remembered something else you might try. There is a phremone available for cats. It comes in a spray bottle and it calms and soothes cats and goes a long way toward reducing stress. The breeder where I got my Ragdoll told me about it and I have seen it advertised in cat magazines. It is called felaway or something. Go on the website for chewy.com and you can find it. If nothing else you can call them and they can tell you what it is called. Their customer service is excellent.

If you look at my posts above you'll see that's exactly what we did try..the pheromone stuff. It made no difference.

 

[cassie]

If you look at my posts above you'll see that's exactly what we did try..the pheromone stuff. It made no difference.

I didn't read your posts as carefully as I should have. Sorry. I was just throwing stuff at the wall hoping something might help. It sounds like you are doing the best you can in a difficult situation. I do not envy you. I also don't know what I would do in your shoes either. I thought about catnip but that might make a bad situation even worse. Sometimes it calms and sometimes it makes an aggressive cat even more so.

 

[Willowspirit]

Since the DIL isn’t there couldn’t it be true that the cat is triggering off of YOU? For cat behavior problems check out Jackson Galaxy at Jacksongalaxy.com. He works miracles with cats.

And I’d like to give you something to think about. Your dil isn’t mentally ill on purpose and isn’t sick to do something to you. Anyone who is hospitalized frequently and for a duration needs to be there. Most people get two days. This is the woman your son chose to marry. That’s the way it is. If you need to, imagine she has a broken leg and can’t come home yet. If you continue to have problems with the cat, you might consider boarding it.

 

[ValerieJ]

She has had enough of being alone and confined. tomorrow my daughter in law's father says he is coming to get both cats and take them to his house. I think the other cat could use a break from Sassy, but that's my son's call, I suppose. Personally, I think that at this point we might be thinking about euthanasia....

I will be interested to know how the cats do in a new environment. I hope a good solution is found for you and the cat. Such a tough situation.

 

[MRichmond]

We have a cat who was once just like this. He belonged to my grandmother and aunt. When my grandmother passed, Jin was alone for long periods of time because my aunt traveled a lot. My parents lived in an in law suite downstairs and and would feed him, but he was scary so they mostly left him alone. He became flat out nasty, inflicting terrible wounds on both my mom and aunt. They were going to have him put down because he was unpredictable and dangerous. I knew he was just terribly lonely. Loneliness does terrible things to both people and animals. I wanted to give him a shot.

We talked them into sending him to us. I work from home, so spent a lot of time with him. He also had other cats and dogs to be around. When he got aggressive, I put him in room by himself. Eventually, he seemed to realize that he’d get a lot more attention when he wasn’t nasty. It took about 6 months of consistent behavior modification to “fix” him. I think we were lucky since I could be home with him, but my aunt thinks I’m a cat whisperer. We’ve had him for 10 years now with no other behavioral issues.

 

[McBriec]

I am a crazy cat lady who rescues feral cats. We have had very rare instances of overstimulation biting when my husband didn't know when to stop petting. Cat bites, even teeny tiny ones that are almost invisible, are extremely dangerous and can cause blood poisoning--as my husband discovered. So I would continue to armor yourself. And frankly, if this is the cat's stress reaction, I think it would be safer to euthanize than to risk such grave harm, especially since it appears that its future in terms of life stressors, does not look bright given the wife's mental health situation and your son's job. There are too many lovely cats needing homes to risk life and limb with this cat.