My wife and I have a 2 year old spayed female Abyssinian which has been the sweetest most loving cat until two weeks ago. Two weeks ago she attacked my wife as she was getting something out of the closet where we kept her food. Not a hiss and a swat but jumping on her face and gouging her - unprovoked, lightning fast and terrifying.
Of course we thought this was somehow related to food or perhaps startling her. Normaly she loves hiding in closets, playing hide and seek, or playing tag but never in two years has she used her claws - ever. Later that day as my wife was washing dishes at the sink the cat jumped from the table onto her back and bit her in the head. The cat would be fine minutes later and act as if nothing happened. She'd purr, rub against you and be "normal". The next thing you know she would growl and charge you. More often she would attack my wife but occasionally she would attack me too. These aren't play attacks either. I've had cats for over 30 years and I'd like to think I know them well but I'm baffled and scared.
We thought perhaps it was some sort of brain tumor or something that gave her sporadic pain and made her lash out but the vet checked out as fine and recommended and animal behaviorist whom we met with. He thought that since she showed episodes of being nice that it was "repressed preditor behavior" and that we needed to play with her more often with toys that allowed her to "hunt" such as a laser pointer.
My wife, who loved this cat more than anything, is completely terrified of her now. She's been attacked, in the face, four times now. Sometimes she will trill or speak in a voice that we know to be her affectionate attention voice and then, before you have time to blink, she's traveled 4-6 feet and grabbed you and scratched you.
To me there seems to be a distinct personality change. There seems to be two cats and the vicious one seems to just take over sometimes and when it does the "nice" cat seems embarrased and confused afterwards. Attacks have taken place in almost every room, at any time, and with no provocation. I wish I could convey how sweet this cat was for two years - she could be held in any position and would purr and purr. She slept under the covers between us every night (until this week) and took turns "kissing" us on our noses. She would follow us around our apartment and sit with us or between us and whatever we were doing. She was a perfect cat and now her behavior is unpredictable - sometimes she'll growl before she attacks but other times there's nothing (no flattening of the ears, hissing or growling - only dialation of the pupils being the only warning).
The only change in her enviroment is that my father has come to live with us for a month but this didn't start until after a week of him being with us. She hasn't attacked him but has growled at him once. We've had guests before though many times and she's always loved the activity and attention. She's traveled with us and loves to go to new places, she loves car rides and even likes going to the vet. We've been in our new house for four months and she's been an indoors only cat since then. Before we had a secure yard with no street access and she was allowed outside during the day which she loved. Before we left she'd discovered how to kill birds and we curtailed her outside time. Since we've been in the new house she obviously watches birds a lot from the windows. Our downstairs neighbors have two cats but there is no contact between them.
I know this is a long post but I'm hoping someone might be able to shed some light on this and offer advice or hope. We want to keep her but we want our "old" affectionate cat back but before we lose one of our eyes. We now avoid her even when she seems affectionate as she's also attacked us during those times. And let me be clear that this isn't some sort of "don't-pet-me-anymore" warning hiss - this is vicious, ferocious attacks that have draw a lot of blood.
So, any advice?
G
Terrifying cat attack questions
Re: Terrifying cat attack questions
it's quite possible your father's presence has caused this (not that he or anyone else meant to of course). it could of taken a week of whatever changes your father's presence has caused for your cat to respond this way.
some questions :
whether this behavior has been caused by something you did or by a triggered rememberance, it can be dealt with. of course, if its a direct reaction to something you have done (less time with cat to be with father) then you really cant get around dealing with that in particular.
im not so sure her personality has changed, i think perhaps this is her reaction to something and she is really the same cat but now under different conditions.
i'd like to tell you im right, but im only offerring my best thoughts on this. sounds like your family has been through quite a trial already...keep the patience and love, and keep us updated.
some questions :
- does your wife tend to your father?
- has your wife possibly backed off a bit in terms of attention given to your cat since your father has arrived?
- have you changed or moved the litter?
- have you tried quick and lengthy time-outs?
how i define time-outs :
- after an offense is made, very quickly place your cat in a room with a door, like a small office or small bedroom
be sure to provide litter and clean water in this room
leave your cat there for a min of 20 minutes and as much as 1-2 hours
be sure to not repeat time-outs more than 3-4 times in a day, it can be quite stressfull...however, at only 2 years and with what sounds like a fun loving cat...you might be ok with one or two more...just be carefull to not overload the stress.
- after an offense is made, very quickly place your cat in a room with a door, like a small office or small bedroom
whether this behavior has been caused by something you did or by a triggered rememberance, it can be dealt with. of course, if its a direct reaction to something you have done (less time with cat to be with father) then you really cant get around dealing with that in particular.
im not so sure her personality has changed, i think perhaps this is her reaction to something and she is really the same cat but now under different conditions.
i'd like to tell you im right, but im only offerring my best thoughts on this. sounds like your family has been through quite a trial already...keep the patience and love, and keep us updated.
Re: Terrifying cat attack questions
I did not mean to ignore this terribly sad post; saw it earlier today and have been thinking about it. I fear my advice/answer is not good, and thus it requires going into detail. I cannot take time for such detail right now, but promise to come back late this evening... Sorry 
Dot B
New Orleans
Dot B
New Orleans
Re: Terrifying cat attack questions
I agree with Jason on part of this.....cats don't always show their stress or reserve directly after a change in their environment (such as your father moving in), some cats will slowly adjust, while others may not show a noticeable change in behavior until weeks after the event.
Next, the day your wife was getting food out of the closet, unbeknownst to her, your Abby could have been very startled and reacted by attacking. Your Abby may view that closet in particular as her safe haven or her retreat (to nap, to hide, to withdraw, whatever)
Another thing worth considering, you said you moved into your new home 4 months ago. Moving and relocating is the number one cause of stress in kitties, and again, she may now just be exhibiting changes in behavior as a result of that stress.
So, you do actually have at least three recent events that could be contributing to the behavior, all of which your Abby would consider stressful, and to her, time doesn't mean the same as it would to you and me....to her, these events have been in succession, and she could be reacting to them.
For this reason, you can try Jason's tips on time-outs, and you can also try making her environment as peaceful and calm and quiet as possible, yet doing whatever you can to assure her your attention, bonding and affection. It will be a slow process, but the stress needs to be minimized at all costs. Remember that when you, your wife, your father show your own stress, she will react to it as well.
Next, the day your wife was getting food out of the closet, unbeknownst to her, your Abby could have been very startled and reacted by attacking. Your Abby may view that closet in particular as her safe haven or her retreat (to nap, to hide, to withdraw, whatever)
Another thing worth considering, you said you moved into your new home 4 months ago. Moving and relocating is the number one cause of stress in kitties, and again, she may now just be exhibiting changes in behavior as a result of that stress.
So, you do actually have at least three recent events that could be contributing to the behavior, all of which your Abby would consider stressful, and to her, time doesn't mean the same as it would to you and me....to her, these events have been in succession, and she could be reacting to them.
For this reason, you can try Jason's tips on time-outs, and you can also try making her environment as peaceful and calm and quiet as possible, yet doing whatever you can to assure her your attention, bonding and affection. It will be a slow process, but the stress needs to be minimized at all costs. Remember that when you, your wife, your father show your own stress, she will react to it as well.
..........Traci
Re: Terrifying cat attack questions
The advice of the animal behavioralist was that she needed more "predatory play" so that we didn't become the object of her aggression and we're doing that although play puts her in a very unaffectionate mood - to be expected. We also tried the timeout after the last attack and when she was in her room she would hiss anytime you entered - this went on for hours and we left her there overnight as we were worried to have her with us when we slept.
We've also withheld affection until she asks for it and then only pet her briefly hoping to leaver her hungry for more attention but she seems to have gone from being an attention needy cat to being rather aloof. Last night I couldn't sleep so I got up and found her sitting on a chair in the living room and I stroked her head a few times and went to another room to read. Eventually she came in and head butted me a few times and licked my nose and I petted her for maybe 5 minutes and she seemed very normal and happy. I went back to bed and when I woke I fed her and thought I'd invite her into the bedroom to see my wife but when I called her she wouldn't come. When I went into the kitchen she hissed and growled at me and then followed me into the TV room all the while hissing and growling. I gave her a stern no and she disappeared under the couch but continued growling.
My father is only with us for another couple of weeks so perhaps we'll see a change but she has done this before he came to visit. Never an attack but she has hissed and growled if she ran out of our apartment and we went to retreive her. It's never consistent and that's what's troubling. Sometimes she'd sneak out of the apartment when we would bring in groceries and scamper around like a little kid and come running back on her own - other times she'd hiss and growl.
What are the chances it's neurological? The behavioralist seems to think it's not since she doesn't attack all the time and that a "NO!" seems to get her to retreat. The trouble is when the attack has no warning which is what my wife is the victim of. As she says, "When will we ever be able to trust her again?"
Thanks so much for the responses and advice - it helps us find some hope in an otherwise bleak situation. We'll try anything so feel free to offer more suggestions and I'll continue to post our progress...
G
We've also withheld affection until she asks for it and then only pet her briefly hoping to leaver her hungry for more attention but she seems to have gone from being an attention needy cat to being rather aloof. Last night I couldn't sleep so I got up and found her sitting on a chair in the living room and I stroked her head a few times and went to another room to read. Eventually she came in and head butted me a few times and licked my nose and I petted her for maybe 5 minutes and she seemed very normal and happy. I went back to bed and when I woke I fed her and thought I'd invite her into the bedroom to see my wife but when I called her she wouldn't come. When I went into the kitchen she hissed and growled at me and then followed me into the TV room all the while hissing and growling. I gave her a stern no and she disappeared under the couch but continued growling.
My father is only with us for another couple of weeks so perhaps we'll see a change but she has done this before he came to visit. Never an attack but she has hissed and growled if she ran out of our apartment and we went to retreive her. It's never consistent and that's what's troubling. Sometimes she'd sneak out of the apartment when we would bring in groceries and scamper around like a little kid and come running back on her own - other times she'd hiss and growl.
What are the chances it's neurological? The behavioralist seems to think it's not since she doesn't attack all the time and that a "NO!" seems to get her to retreat. The trouble is when the attack has no warning which is what my wife is the victim of. As she says, "When will we ever be able to trust her again?"
Thanks so much for the responses and advice - it helps us find some hope in an otherwise bleak situation. We'll try anything so feel free to offer more suggestions and I'll continue to post our progress...
G
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saku1234
Re: Terrifying cat attack questions
Thank you all for your responses. It feels so good to hear other people's opinions and advice on this situation. We have tried the time outs and it does calm her down. Although, we do have a catch-22 situation here. I am now terrified of her and I stay away from her even when it seems like she may want affection. For example, if I'm at the kitchen sink and she jumps onto the counter, I slowly back away from her because I don't want to be at eye level with her since she has become very adept at attacking my head. She simply can not be trusted anymore. Sometimes I'll just extend my hand and she'll rub up against it. I never move my hand or activley pet her. I let her "pet" me in this way. She'll do it a couple of times and then growl or hiss at me. Mind you, I never budge while she's petting me.
The closet situation continues to bother her for some reason. We keep our recycling and her food in there. In the past whenever I went in there to change the recycling she would jump up on the shelves and jump into and out of the bags while I was changing them. She also would pull down her bag of dry food. I have since removed her bag of food from the closet and put it next to her food bowl, hoping this would eliminate what may be her attempt to protect her food.
We lock ourselves up in our room at night and allow her the rest of the apartment free for her to roam, so that she won't perceive it as a time out. I get the impression that she misses cuddling with us in the mornings, but I simply can not trust her to jump onto the bed while I am in a vulnerable, supine position. She'll scratch and whine at the door. The other morning I let her in and she trilled, jumped onto the bed and seemed affectionate.
I sat next to her and was about to pet her when she jumped onto my head, scratching and biting me. As my husband explained, she often does not give us any warning.
As far as my father-in-law situation, no, I don't spend more time with him then her. He is the only one she allows to pet her. She has never attacked him. She hissed at him only once right after she attacked me and he was close by. This morning as soon as I walked out of the bedroom and went into the hall she charged me jumping up my leg, growling. Later she jumped onto the kitchen counter so I couldn't make my toast. My father-in -law gave her a gentle tap to get her out of the way. She jumped down without the slightist hint of hostility.
I played with her for a while with a piece of crinkled up paper. One of her favorite games. She was herself again for a little while.
That's the latest news.
Valerie
The closet situation continues to bother her for some reason. We keep our recycling and her food in there. In the past whenever I went in there to change the recycling she would jump up on the shelves and jump into and out of the bags while I was changing them. She also would pull down her bag of dry food. I have since removed her bag of food from the closet and put it next to her food bowl, hoping this would eliminate what may be her attempt to protect her food.
We lock ourselves up in our room at night and allow her the rest of the apartment free for her to roam, so that she won't perceive it as a time out. I get the impression that she misses cuddling with us in the mornings, but I simply can not trust her to jump onto the bed while I am in a vulnerable, supine position. She'll scratch and whine at the door. The other morning I let her in and she trilled, jumped onto the bed and seemed affectionate.
I sat next to her and was about to pet her when she jumped onto my head, scratching and biting me. As my husband explained, she often does not give us any warning.
As far as my father-in-law situation, no, I don't spend more time with him then her. He is the only one she allows to pet her. She has never attacked him. She hissed at him only once right after she attacked me and he was close by. This morning as soon as I walked out of the bedroom and went into the hall she charged me jumping up my leg, growling. Later she jumped onto the kitchen counter so I couldn't make my toast. My father-in -law gave her a gentle tap to get her out of the way. She jumped down without the slightist hint of hostility.
I played with her for a while with a piece of crinkled up paper. One of her favorite games. She was herself again for a little while.
That's the latest news.
Valerie