Please before reading this, know that I absolutely love animals. I don’t think lightly of euthanasia or rehoming.
I have a 9mo old kitten. I don’t know anything about his life before me. I got him at 8 weeks old.
He’s gorgeous, one of the smartest cats I have ever had and I love him.
However, he has aggression issues. Bad issues. My mother currently has an infected swollen leg that she is on antibiotics for from a prior attack.
Tonight on the same leg, while she was standing at the counter making coffee he attacked her again.
Drawing so much blood it ended in a hospital visit that required liquid stitches. She bled through a folded dish towel I tied around the wound.
He attacks my company, made my friend bleed through her sweatshirt. My other friend was sleeping on the couch and he bit her face and attacked her she was hiding under the blanket yelling for help. He’s bit mine and my moms face as well.
These attacks are often random. I know there could be movements that we don’t think are anything but a cat stalking his pray could very well think “it’s on!”
When you talk firmly to him saying “no!” he growls and puts his ears back, back twitches, fur stands up and his aggression gets full blown. Claws out, teeth, you’re about to bleed.
In these times I will try to redirect with a toy or sometimes I have to try my best to restrain him and put him in the basement.
He responds better to a soft voice but that doesn’t always work. He will often continue to try and attack when you talk soothingly but not with the ears back or growling.
He was nurtured around 6 months, he has had all his shots. We took him to the vet this week and he is starting Prozac.
We have tried so many behavior modification techniques. He has more toys than a toddler and gets them rotated regularly.
He can also be so sweet and I love him to death. He is my first cat in adulthood. I waited till I was financially stable to take on a pet. People pick on me for how well I take care of and “spoil” him.
Along with the attacking he also is off the wall which I know is typical in kittens. But it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He smashed out my living room window for one and a multitude of other crazy things that would make this post even longer than it is.
Now I’m really against declawing, I’ve seen the horror stories on it, I also really don’t like the idea of rehoming or euthanasia but I’m at a loss of what to do.
If we rehome him, he will continue these behaviors and probably be bounced around or potentially abused. I think if I could find someone in a rural area maybe he would do well outside. I live in the city he can’t be outdoors here.
I always believe “keep a pet at all costs unless you’re homeless or ill” but maybe someone has more expand resources than I do?
He’s really young to jump to euthanasia and I think it would destroy me.
Then declawing, I just cringe at the thought, and he of course still has teeth.
My biggest concern is my mother. She lives with me because she is disabled. She has a very weakened immune system. I can shake off a scratch like it’s nothing but it’s left her with antibiotics and a hospital visit.
She walks with a cane and his attacks have also almost caused her to fall. She fell but caught herself on the stove a few days ago because she was trying to get him unwrapped from her leg.
I can’t lose my mom for a cat as much as I love him.
Has anyone been in my shoes? What is advice you have. So you think he is re-homable to the right person? What is the best way to re-home a pet?
He is very scared of men. He hides from them if they come in the house. We had cable installed two weeks ago and he hid under the couch the entire time. I wonder if he was abused by a man. Typically he’s the type to follow you all around the house, so being unseen for hours isn’t normal for him.
I’m thinking maybe we keep him and try the Prozac, see what it does I just hope there are no more infections or hospital visits in the mean time. Vet said it’ll be 4-6 weeks before we see improvement.
Any advice is helpful. Even words of encouragement.
[link] [comments]
from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/b1bdny/aggressive_cat_attack_ending_in_hospital_visit/
No comments:
Post a Comment