Puzzling aggressive cat behavior

[cassie]

Are there any cat vets or behaviorists on here? I have a neutered male Ragdoll cat that is about five years old. He is active, eats well and is showing no signs of illness. However, as I walked by him this morning he sunk his claws into my leg. The other day I accidentally pulled his hair. He responded by attacking my arm with teeth and claws. A few weeks ago, as I was getting out of bed, out of the blue, he attacked my leg. It was serious enough I ended up going to the ER. There was so much blood the house looked like CSI should have been called. My sister-in-law was visiting last week. When she gently touched Max to move him out of her walker, he bit her. I have no idea what is causing this behavior. I also don't know what to do about it. Most of time he is friendly and affectionate. He has never been hit or abused in any way. My sister says he may be in pain. If so, he sure doesn't act like it. Any ideas?

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

Are there any cat vets or behaviorists on here? I have a neutered male Ragdoll cat that is about five years old. He is active, eats well and is showing no signs of illness. However, as I walked by him this morning he sunk his claws into my leg. The other day I accidentally pulled his hair. He responded by attacking my arm with teeth and claws. A few weeks ago, as I was getting out of bed, out of the blue, he attacked my leg. It was serious enough I ended up going to the ER. There was so much blood the house looked like CSI should have been called. My sister-in-law was visiting last week. When she gently touched Max to move him out of her walker, he bit her. I have no idea what is causing this behavior. I also don't know what to do about it. Most of time he is friendly and affectionate. He has never been hit or abused in any way. My sister says he may be in pain. If so, he sure doesn't act like it. Any ideas?

I am neither, but I would take him to a vet to rule out any infections etc. Maybe try a diffuser like Feliway also.. He seems very stimulated and needs more play time to get that energy out. A red dot laser is always a hit in my house. If none of the above work a vet can prescribe you Lorazepam which will chill him out- hope things turn around soon for him and also for you! Cat bites and or scratches can be serious, so glad you got medical care.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

I'd take him to his Vet since he's acted out more than once. He most likely has something going on & so he's acting out for help. Another thought - have you changed his food, bowls, water, litterbox, litter or location of any of those items? Hecould be simply telling you he doesn't like it if you've changed anything. Even a change in schedule or routine could be upsetting him. No changes? Then definitely a Vet visit to rule out anything physical. Good Luck!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yeah. Arthritis is very painful and could be causing this behavior. Also if he is losing his vision or hearing and your movements are startling him. Good luck, hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[cassie]

Nothing has been changed. He has had the same litter in the same place for months. There has been no change in his elimination. He is not constipated, and he has no problem with urination. In the morning, I fill his food dishes. He gets dry food free choice. It is Royal Canin Ragdoll food. He also gets some wet Fancy Feast pate. He eats with relish. There is nothing wrong with his appetite. The food dishes are in the same place they have always been since I moved here. The food dishes haven't been changed either.

 

[cassie]

Yeah. Arthritis is very painful and could be causing this behavior. Also if he is losing his vision or hearing and your movements are startling him. Good luck, hope you get to the bottom of it.

If he has arthritis, it sure isn't slowing him down. The cat is only five years old. He responds quickly when I call his name so obviously, he can hear. His eyes are clear and bright with no signs of cataracts or infection. When he has attacked me, it has not been in response to my touching him. The exception was when I accidently pulled his hair.

 

[Folly's place]

Do that vet visit, something may turn up with an exam and lab workup. This is unacceptable behavior, and dangerous, and friends and family absolutely shouldn't be involved with him.
He is up to date on his vaccines, right? Rabies vaccine especially. Does he go outside? Eating raw meat? Testing a fecal, and lab testing for toxoplasmosis, at least, would be good.
Having a biting cat is not a good thing!
Mary

 

[SourRoses]

How is his water intake?
My female cat gets very cranky when she is not drinking enough, normally she is a snugglebug.
But she doesn't love water, like a lot of cats, and she must experience discomfort from her dehydration because I can tell by the look on her face.
I give her more "soups" which must be a little salty because they drive her to drink more water... and that fixes her mood.

Kidney issues caused by low water intake are the number one medical cause of death for cats.

It might not be his issue, of course, but something to consider...

 

[cassie]

Do that vet visit, something may turn up with an exam and lab workup. This is unacceptable behavior, and dangerous, and friends and family absolutely shouldn't be involved with him.
He is up to date on his vaccines, right? Rabies vaccine especially. Does he go outside? Eating raw meat? Testing a fecal, and lab testing for toxoplasmosis, at least, would be good.
Having a biting cat is not a good thing!
Mary

He is up to date on his vaccines except for rabies. He does not go outside. He does not eat raw meat. In fact, he doesn't even like raw meat. He gets Royal Canin Ragdoll dry cat food free choice and half a small can of Fancy Feast pate once a day. He has never been outside for more than a few minutes in his life or been exposed to rats, so I think the risk of toxoplasmosis is minimal. I will get him checked out. This behavior is recent and unprovoked.

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

He is up to date on his vaccines except for rabies. He does not go outside. He does not eat raw meat. In fact, he doesn't even like raw meat. He gets Royal Canin Ragdoll dry cat food free choice and half a small can of Fancy Feast pate once a day. He has never been outside for more than a few minutes in his life or been exposed to rats, so I think the risk of toxoplasmosis is minimal. I will get him checked out. This behavior is recent and unprovoked.

I had some issues with fostering feral kittens. I tried everything under the sun and nothing was working .I utubed Jackson Galaxy's channel and he had a solution..it took a couple of months but I stuck to it and it solved the entire problem.. I know he has other stuff on there for aggressive cat behaviors. Just throwing this out there in case nothing else has worked. Would definitely still take him to the vet but maybe look into this also.