Stacey needs our help with Horace!

Home The Daily Kitten Cat Chat Forum Cats & Kittens Stacey needs our help with Horace!

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  • #17435
    debsterwiz
    Participant

    Oh boy, here we go again. No, it’s not that, he is still with Stacey but there is a big problem. Horace finally came home from the vets office last week. No, he had no problems and his work ups came back excelent. He is a very healthy boy. It was a while till she could get him fixed so they fostered him at the vets office till he could be taken care of. When she got him home all was great. He is extreemly affectionate and wants attention all the time. When the one time came that she couldn’t give him pettings when he wanted it, he ATTACKED her! He did a number on her leg and she needed to be treated at the emergency room! She shooed him outside but when he wanted back in he cried and cried at the door. She crated him up and took him back to the vets office because now she is scared to death of him and doesn’t know what to do. She loves him dearly but can’t deal with the aggression. What do others think? Any suggestions? She is desperate and just wants her boy back as he was. Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks everyone for all of your help.

    #226179
    miu
    Participant

    http://www.2ndchance.info/aggressivecat.htm

    Was he play fighting too aggressively or was it pure aggression? Anyway I think she should get her confidence back to be able to deal with his aggression and the problems behind it.

    #226180
    2bpurring
    Participant

    Blackbeard pounces when not getting the affection he wants…so he gets the affection when asking for it..but maybe for now she could get him some soft paws..that will help with the scratches

    #226181
    NNGM
    Participant

    Could she have startled him in some way? I got Gibbie back and took him in for good after he had been living on the streets for over 3 months (long story) and he was very aggressive for awhile whenever he was startled. I had scratches and bites all over my arms from coming up behind him too quietly. He was affectionate as long as he wasn’t startled. He was just very traumatized from his outdoor life. After a few months he calmed down and was fine.

    #226182
    anncetera2
    Participant

    If I were Stacey, I’d look to distract Horace when he wants attention, and she’s indisposed to give it to him. It could be as simple as keeping several crumpled up balls of paper in her pocket, to toss past him when he seeks attention and she’s unable to accommodate him.

    #226183
    Cato1730
    Participant

    Cato was very aggressive when he was little (it has improved over the years). He would attack me out of no where with complete conviction. I did not have to go to the ER, but I was bloodied and scratched to pieces. I wound up, whether smart or not” grabbing him and tossing him outside for a time out. This worked with him. I do believe, since he started out feral, that he was taken from his mother and siblings too soon. I had him neutered as soon as was possible, because of this behavior. Elizabeth

    #226184

    I don’t have any other suggestions for Stacey. What a disappointment for her. Her little buddy has gone from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde. I read the article Miu linked to above. It has some good ideas including products like Feliway and kitty prozac until he settles back into the family.

    Good luck to Stacey and Horace!

    #226185
    Buttercup
    Participant

    Poor Stacey and Horace,it might have been too much too soon or he might have gotten overstimulated. I had a male cat who if I petted him he would start thrashing his tale back and forth then he’d flatten his ears,if I didn’t distract him then I’d get bit. I had to get control of the situation by putting him in his own room and going in there for controlled amounts of time petting him only as long as he was calm. When he started to get agitated,I’d dump him off my lap by moving my legs and get up and leave. Cats(this one was a rescue also) just want your attention terribly.If you show them that they will not get your attention(it takes a while) by stopping the interaction and leaving they realize that they can’t do that anymore. The cat that did this to me was Bud,he actually reared up when I was holding him in my arms and bit my nasal septum(OUCH!). I had never had anything like that happen to me. After a while I could show him affection and he realized that I was coming back and he got more secure and relaxed. I eventually let Bud out and he was fine with all of us.Feliway is probably a good idea as is limited interaction. I can understand why she’d fear him,he’s probably very scared too.This is a difficult but workable situation. I wish her the best.

    #226186
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Buttercup has some good ideas. Poor Horace hasn’t had the best year – no doubt he’s still very skittish from his time on the streets.

    The same thing happens to kids. If a child has been mistreated, or starved, it doesn’t matter how much they understand intellectually – their emotional urge is to hid, hit first, and squirrel away food.

    It takes a very patient person to raise a previously abused child and it will take the same kind of patience to bring Horace back to his former loving self.

    #226187
    Tigerlilly
    Participant

    This is too sad. This kitty has been through a great deal. Likely he had to be somewaht aggressive to survive the outdoors for all this time.

    All have given great wisdom, I don’t have much to add, with the exception of also trying Bach’s rescue remedy. A few drops in his water as directed on the bottle, many rescue groups use this with success. It is available at most health food stores including whole foods. Best wishes.

    #226188
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    Maybe the vet can give him a mild dose of some sort of anti-anxiety medication. Like Valium but for a kitty. I know that do that for pets that have to travel.

    That might relax Horace enough so that he didn’t get aggressive for a little while. Then Stacey would get over her fear that Horace would attack again.

    It just seems like such a shame that everyone worked so hard to get him back, and he obviously wants to be back, but he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

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