Expert: Jessica - 7/16/2009

Question
We have a feral cat that we adopted who is very cat aggressive. We didn't realize this until a temporary (3 year) job position requiring regular commuting from Arizona to DC led us to leave our cat with a family member for safekeeping.

We knew our cat was aggressive -- our vet told us that in his 20 years of extensive experience, he's never seen a cat like this -- but we'd been using canned air and treats to modify her behavior. It has been very time-consuming and a slow-process, but there are small bits of progress.

The person now watching our cat has two older sickly cats, and our cat is so aggressive against them that the vet warned her that our cat would kill hers if not separated.

Our relative has been keeping our cat in the basement. She says that supervised outings with canned air/spray bottles, etc. are not regularly possible due to her home/work situation.

Now our cat has started peeing in her basement outside the litter box, something she's never done. Clearly she's bored and unhappy.

Do you have any advice for us to find her another home? We travel too much now and cannot bring her with us, but we could take her back in 3 years when the job is over. We would like to responsibly relocate her someplace where she can be happy and do not want her euthanized (which is likely what would happen if we brought her to a shelter), but no one seems to want an aggressive cat that is a challenge.

Maybe we should not have adopted her - we deserve to be looked upon harshly, but honestly did not know the job would change down the road and that these difficulties would surface. We're trying to do the best thing for our cat and are unsure of how to proceed, especially as she is no longer in our hands and the person now watching her does not have time for behavior modification.

Thank you in advance for your help....

Answer
Hi Holly.  You don’t deserve to be looked upon harshly!  I have close to 15 years of intensive experience with ferals, and I would not have expected these problems to arise.  In general, ferals are far more accepting of other cats than they are of people.  I am guessing by her behavior that she had never been part of a colony like most ferals are, and that she had a relatively large territory that she became defensive over.  This can lead to more of a “loner” personality.  But even had you known all that would unfold in the future, stepping in to save a feral is NEVER the wrong thing to do!  Her life would have been short and very difficult outdoors.  You have given her an opportunity that most ferals never receive, and I believe that regardless of how the situation pans out, she has been fortunate.

I am guessing that she has been spayed, but if not, you will want to have this done.  Hormones can cause a cat to be extremely aggressive.  Spaying alone has made a tremendous difference in a great number of aggressive females I’ve had.

I’m afraid I can’t offer any hope in the way of getting her adopted.  You’re right – there is basically no one who will adopt a feral.  No-kill shelters generally are no-kill as long as the cat is considered adoptable.  Even within the feral rescue org I work with, pretty much everyone keeps their ferals outdoors, with outdoor shelters to protect them from the elements.  These usually consist of wooden boxes lined with hey.  Your relative might consider this option as a last resort, but of course there are lots of safety concerns.

What I personally would try first is a medication to reduce aggression.  These work best when used in conjunction with behavior modification, but to be honest, I have used them when I haven’t had the time to put into behavioral exercises, either, and I’ve still found them successful.  Many vets are skeptical when aggression is so severe, and it’s true they don’t work in every situation, but when it’s your only hope, why not give it a try?  One of my friends was on the verge of euthanizing one of her 5 cats, because the cat attacked everything that moved.  The vet finally prescribed Clomicalm, and in about 4 weeks, there was improvement.  In 6 weeks, she appeared a whole new cat.  After six months, the cat was able to go off the medication, and the behavior never returned, although some cats do need continuing treatment.  My cats have had similar results with Elavil and Prozac, although Clomicalm seems to be the preferred (off-label) treatment for aggression right now.  I am guessing your kitty, as a feral, would be impossible to give a pill to, but these medications can typically be made into a transdermal gel by any pharmacy that does compounding (some local pharmacies, or online).  This is a cream that gets applied to the tip of the ear, and the medication is absorbed through the skin.  These medications should also help correct her litter box problems if they’re due to anxiety about her situation.

I hope something works out!

Jessica