Cat help

hlm184

Okay, I'm really upset.

Background:  We've had this cat since 2008.  Adopted him from the shelter when he was about a year old.  There was a little food aggression at the beginning, to be expected.  He attacked a dog once when the dog was in his house and blocked him upstairs.  One other incident, he clawed a child when he thought he was trapped.  It was clearly fear, not aggression.

Since 2010, zero issues.  Nothing.  He's been perfectly calm, has never even swatted the dog, even when she tries to play with him.  He snuggles with the baby, lets the baby chew on his tail (I stop that immediately, for the record).  I guess he swatted DH once when DH accidentally shut his tail in the door.  Again, totally provoked.

Tonight, he got out.  Not particularly unusual, he got out three times Sunday evening alone.  Usually it's just a matter of scooping him up and walking back inside.  DH went out to get him; I was nursing the baby.

Next thing I hear is DH freaking out.in a scared/painful way. The cat had been in the bushes and when DH went to pick him up, the cat attacked.  Like, seriously attacked.  Chased DH around the yard and back into the house, DH locked himself in the nursery.  He clawed DH good a few times, legs and arms.  He was even aggressive with me and I had to lock myself and baby into the bedroom and finished nursing and bathtime to let cat calm down.

Cat has since calmed down somewhat but is clearly on edge.  The dog is outside right now, since the cat was laying ears back at her.

I plan on getting the cat to the vet no later than Saturday (sooner, if possible, I will be calling as soon as they open tomorrow) so that the doctors can take a look and check in on any physical issues that may be involved, but beyond that I don't know what to do.  I am seriously considering locking him in a room tonight - I have to go back and forth from my room to the baby's room several times and I don't want to risk him freaking out again while I'm half asleep.  Obviously I can't let him around the baby any more... for now?  Ever?

I'm really upset about this, guys.

hordol

I'm sorry. it must be stressful and I hope things work out with your kitty. I think it's a good idea to lock the cat in a room with his food and water and his bed if he has one. The cat is obviously disturbed over something and you shouldn't have to worry about it as you're trying to care for LO. Hopefully someone else has some better advice and your vet has some insight!

cd92007

I'm sorry I second the pp. If our cat did the same thing I would keep him in a room for everyone's safety and then take him to the vet like you said to rule out any health issues.

hlm184

Thanks... he's calmed down a lot in the last ten minutes.  I talked to my vet tech friend and she said it sounds territorial, like a feral cat peed in "his" bushes or something.  

chichi589

My childhood cat that my mom has gets like that when he is outside too. He doesn't have claws though so we just pick him up and hold him so he can't bite us. His tail gets huge. He growls and does that yowl weird noise its strange because he never was an outdoor cat but acts feral. Once he's inside and calms down he's perfectly fine. I hope this is the case for you as well. Thinking about you

UnofficiallyLO

Agreed that it sounds territorial, is he fixed? Curious since he keeps wanting out. Even if so, other cats marking "his" area could have set him off. I would definitely put him in a room to cool down so everyone feels safe, even the cat. Hope it's a one time thing, good luck!

lokimau

Agree with pps. Sounds like a territory thing. He was already upset and your DH was probably intimidating (in his mind). But take to the vet, he could also be injured which causes them to be more aggressive.

hlm184

Thanks guys.  He is fixed but not, obviously, declawed.  Will definitely be seeing the vet to see if they have any advice.  If it is territorial, hopefully all that's necessary is to really really keep him from getting out.

He's back to normal now, hopefully this was a one-off.

allyandmike24

Oh man, I'm sorry this happened. I agree with PP, it sounds like you're doing everything you can to check into other issues before jumping the gun. We have two cats and despite the fact that they're super mellow and sweet around the baby, I'm always on guard. I hope that things calm down for him and you won't have to think about the next step. 

ladygali

No advice, but I'm sorry that happened. Probably best to do what others have said and put kitty in a safe room for the night with his favorite bed/toys. That way you don't have to worry.

Nik102

I agree with what everyone else has been saying. It's most likely a territorial thing or maybe he's sick/injured. Cats are great at masking illness or injury. Seeing as he is a male they are more prone to urinary/bladder issues he may just have a UTI. It could also be due to stress or anxiety(prob from another cat on his turf)feliway makes a diffuser that is supposed to calm cats.

hlm184

Got a vet appointment this morning, hopefully they'll have some advice.

nicole mackenzie

Hope you get some answers today.

It definitely won't hurt him to get locked up for a bit to calm down.

He's had a lot of changes in his life and cats don't always handle stress well. I second trying the Feliway diffuser, although its not a gaurentee to help this cat in these circumstances. It emits a pheromone that imitates the cat facial pheremone. It marks things as theirs and can have a calming effect. I've heard good success with stress induced inappropriate urination and reducing cat fights in multiple cat homes.

The cat was probably scared last night when yh tried to catch him.

And of course if he's sick or in pain he may attack because he doesn't want to be hurt.

Let us know what the vet finds!

bacorrea

Obviously the attacking is an issue, however if you are worried about being scratched, you can take your cat to Petsmart and for $12 they will clip his nails. My cat is pretty tame so I clip her nails myself with fingernail clippers. I know this isn't a solution, just thought I would throw it out there though. I hope everything gets better!

hlm184

Thanks everyone for your comments!

The vet said today that he seems sensitive about his hind legs.  There's a disorder that's common amongst cats, but it's a diagnosis of elimination, so she can't say for sure that he has it right now.  She recommended the stuff I'd already planned on doing, plus being extra careful about his rear legs, plus a collar that does the pheramone stuff like feliway, but that way it's not just in one room it's with him all the time.

If this continues to be an issue we'll be doing xrays to rule out anything else, and depending on the results of that have three treatment options - medication, herbal therapy, and behavioral intervention.  Hopefully we don't get to that point!

He's been chill all day, even let the vet take his temperature!  Now he's snoozing in the dog crate.