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Need help with Steve the Cat...
So as some of you may know, Steve has adopted my IL's. Lately though he has been randomly attacking people. Mainly we're worried because he'll go up to kids, be friendly and then before anybody knows what's happening he viciously attacks them, unprovoked. How do we know it's unprovoked? Well, he bit my FIL when he was just petting him. He later bit MIL and that bite was severe enough to lead to an infection that needed meds. So here's the dilemma...MIL had Steve chipped before these behavioral problems were a problem. She no longer feels comfortable about leaving him oustide because she thinks it may be a liability issue if the parents of a child that is bit by Steve were to take the cat to get his chip read and then they come and demand that my IL's pay their medical bills. They have also taken Steve to the vet to get their input. Their verdict was to put him on ritalin or something like that. So basically he's constantly drugged. They think that he may be bipolar. So now Steve just lives in my IL's garage. I can't stand the idea that he's stuck in there but I know we can't release him back outside because we don't want him to hurt another kid. Anybody got any ideas on what to do?
Re: Need help with Steve the Cat...
My cat was on some behavior modifiers for an entirely different reason and he did seem to mellow out some, but when he got feisty, he REALLY got feisty.
I think that, first, Steve probably needs to become an indoor cat. It's safer for everyone that way. If he is friendly enough to let anyone pet him, then there's a chance that someone else could get scratched or bitten.
Second, I've noticed my cat does not like being touched on certain parts of his body. He'll tolerate me doing it to a certain extent, but when DH does it, the cat slaps and hisses. So pay very careful attention to where you're petting him. You may not think you are provoking him, but he may feel threatened.
Third, I'd give the meds a try, but still keep him indoors. I've never dealt with behavior modifiers for that purpose, but it might work.
Good luck!
We just acccepted that's how our cat was. He'd let you pet him, and when he was done, he was done. If you really knew him, you could see a few very slight indicators that he was getting tired of your attention. His eyes would glaze over and look distant, his ears would be ever so slightly pointed towards the back of his head.
For the most part, we told people he bit and they left him alone. If someone else did manage to get to pet him, we'd watch and let them know, "He's about to bite you." That was usually enough since he weighed 23 pounds
My vet makes housecalls (www.catslovehousecalls.com) and I LOVE her! Part of why she is so helpful is that she only sees cats and she is able to give better advice regarding behavioral issues since she is in the cat's environment. I really hope you will give her a try. She may also give you some info via email before even coming out. I can't say enough great things about her. She is amazing!
Yep. MIL took him to get fixed. He was attacking kids before he got fixed too. We thought the aggression issues might be because he's not adjusting well but that is not the case.
Usually fixing male cats mellows them out a bit. I like the idea of having the vet make a house call to see Steve. Good luck with him.