Expert: Dear Tabbi - 6/12/2008

Question
My addopted cat of 10 yrs has always gotten along( ok, put up with) his brothers.  He then began acting aggresively towards the youngest, then both his brothers, now...ME!  He usually his so affectionate.
He has been continuously vaccinated for rabies. I fear he will hurt the other cats of the family:(  What is wrong with Peek? What should I do for him?

Answer
Rochelle,


Anytime a cat's behavior changes noticeably you should have the cat seen by a veterinarian to check for a medical issue. Pain from an ear infection, arthritis, abscessed teeth, etc. can cause a cat to become aggressive. At 10 years old (your cat is approx. 56 years old in human years) he should also have an "elderly cat checkup" to check the function of his liver, kidneys, thyroid, etc.

What also may be happening is a behavior called Redirected Aggression. That happens when a cat sees a strange cat outside and  becomes territorial, but can't get to the strange cat to defend his territory. The cat then turns on the closest animal member of the family and fights with them as if they were the other cat. They have been known to attack other family cats, even though they may have lived and gotten along together (as yours is doing), the family dog, and even their owners. They are not attacking each other in their minds...they are attacking the strange cat. It is also common that they can begin 'spraying' and defecating outside the litterbox due to the stress of the cat outside. If that could be the problem then you need to block the window past the cat's eye level of the window that he can see another cat out of (out of sight, out of mind). If it is allowed to go on the cat may develop a permanent personality change.

I am including links to 2 good articles on Redirected Aggression that may be helpful to you: (copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression3.html

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=redirectedagr...

There is a very popular cat calming spray and plug-in you can use called Feliway (or Comfort Zone with Feliway). It is available at pet stores, vet's offices (they use it too), or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.

There is also a calming product that you can add to the cat's food or water that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

If the cat is still being very stressed, and it is not a medical issue causing his behavior, the vet can put him on "kitty Prozac". It is commonly used for stressed cats, or cats with emotional issues, to calm them. You may want to speak to your vet about it.

I am also including some good links to articles about elderly/geriatric cats that may be informative for you:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

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

I hope this helps answer your question.

Tabbi