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So I have this cat, and long story short he bites. He was my mom's baby and when she died he transferred all of his love to me an then some. He's obsessed with me and hates everyone else who I might pay attention to, including my other cat. Every time I let someone into my house I have to warn them to just ignore him because he has scratched a bunch of people, and bitten me and recently a friend of mine with little warning. When he bit me I got a horrific infection that required daily trips to the hospital for IV antibiotics. Fortunately my friend's bite healed up just fine after I dragged him to the clinic and paid the bill to have it looked at. He's 13 years old and in the early stages of kidney failure. I was mostly okay with him biting me but I really don't want to own an animal who bites other people. Logistically my life would be a lot easier without him around. On the other hand...he's my baby. He's a tangible legacy from my mom. We snuggle all the time and thinking about putting him down makes me want to cry. I don't know. I'm used to making decisions rationally but I just can't in this situation. Help. 
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Feb 23, 2016 03:59
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 08:44 |
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This is just my opinion, but no. Don't euth yet. Keep him by your side and treat him well until the day comes that the pain is too much and he has difficulties functioning normally. Then ease the pain.
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Feb 23, 2016 20:26
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Well, it's tough, but I don't think you should euth him - he's your cat!! If he is biting other people, then just lock him in another room of the house when you have company over - work around his limitations. At least try to anyway, before you kill the kitty. My mom has a cat named Lola who is maybe 17 or 18, and she has always been mean as hell to anyone but my mom - sometimes she will be nice, but then she will seriously attack you out of the blue. She's drawn blood from me and given me horrific cuts. But you just live with this stuff and work around it. At the very least, declaw the kitty before you kill it - even though I disapprove of de-clawing it's more humane than euthing a cat just for some scratching/biting incidents with people he doesn't like (anyone but you). His kidneys are also failing which means he won't be around long, so this problem is likely to take care of itself. Like the above poster says. Just chill with him, be his buddy for a while longer, and when it's clear he's in pain and doesn't seem like he's enjoying life or enthusiastic about anything, then you would euth him... I don't know, it's hard for me to think about. I have a 9-year-old cat I'm emotionally bonded to which I also got from my parents; both me and my cat were essentially kicked out of our home (the same home) because we better loved sibling(s) who were considered more important. So I feel a fairly deep kinship with her from that at least. I am very grateful she's super-gentle so I'd never have to face any sort of decision like yours. But yeah, don't euth her. I think you'd ultimately wind up feeling pretty sad and awful about yourself if you did. You made this thread, and that tells me that you're already a little unsure and you know that this probably isn't the right thing to do. So don't do it.
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Feb 24, 2016 02:28
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kaworu posted:At the very least, declaw the kitty before you kill it - even though I disapprove of de-clawing it's more humane than euthing a cat just for some scratching/biting incidents with people he doesn't like (anyone but you). Quite aside from his age and the inherent risks of fiddly surgery, declawing the cat will just make him bite more because you've taken away his alternate option of scratching. Don't declaw the cat. jfc. I reckon just love him for the violent little rear end in a top hat he is, and if you need to euth him then consider it at the point where his quality of life is considerably affected.
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Feb 24, 2016 05:16
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Kill all cats
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Feb 24, 2016 21:20
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Tamarillo posted:Quite aside from his age and the inherent risks of fiddly surgery, declawing the cat will just make him bite more because you've taken away his alternate option of scratching. Don't declaw the cat. jfc. I'm sorry; I completely agree with you, in fact, and generally speaking I would never, ever advocate declawing cats for a huge number of reasons. I was more kinda trying to make the point that euthing your cat should be the absolute last option you ought consider in a situation like this, and it frankly bewilders me that OPs mind goes straight to "I'll kill the cat" rather than exploring (and ruling out when necessary) other solutions. But yeah, I mean, that's cool if you believe that cats should be euthanized instead of declawed in these sorts of situations when they scratch people too much. You're absolutely right that declawing is totally inhumane and we should just kill them instead, jfc.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:29
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Calm down you two, jesus.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:00
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Have you tried Feliway or talked to your vet about medication that might help the behavioral issues?
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Feb 25, 2016 05:45
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Senordingdong posted:Kill all cats Get a dog to do it for you.
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Feb 29, 2016 15:08
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When my now wife adopted our cat Rodney she went to the shelter and asked for the least adoptable cat they had, and they said "well we have this biter". That was our now relatively-sweetheart Rodney, we've had him a little over 5 years now and he still uses bites to talk to you (previous owners declawed him) but they don't draw blood like they used to, he doesn't even really try to bite down he just opens his mouth and puts his teeth on you. I don't know what your situation is like, if there's any other animals, how much time you have to play with him, what kind of space he has available, was he declawed, but Rodney has come a long way with consistent socializing. I know he's 13 and his kidneys are starting their descent, but there's no reason he doesn't have another good 5 years in him at least, and he may surprise you during that time. This is Rodney on the right with his sister Blakely on the left. He used to cry when we went to bed so we got him a friend. We've got another 2 cats now (total 4) and just last week for the first time I saw him playing with another cat, one of the younger ones Tipper. They were chasing each other around the house. Maybe better days are yet to come.  Tipper 
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Feb 29, 2016 21:44
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Cats biting and scratching people can sometimes be from them being in pain too. Its something to think about, with his age and prior disease history. If you can afford a vet visit, I would definitely take him. Or at least call your vet and tell them what's going on. E: even if it's not a pain thing, discussing the idea of euthanising your pet with your vet is a good idea. Providing they're a good vet, they'll be able to talk to you about whether or not this is something that is really necessary right now, and pros/cons for your decision. They'll also have experience of other people having to make these decisions too, and will be able to provide a more subjective response for your situation instead of the inevitably emotional response you and the users of these forums will have. Roro fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Mar 1, 2016 |
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Mar 1, 2016 12:52
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Thanks for the input, guys. He's not due for his shots til summer and I'm reluctant to take him to the vet sooner than that because he has to be sedated each time but for the moment we've reached a detante where I slap the hands of anyone trying to pet him and he continues to adore me. If I can't manage to keep him from biting again we'll have to revisit the issue.
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Mar 1, 2016 20:03
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Let me tell you all the story of Elizabeth. I volunteer for a rescue that mainly does TNR for feral and community cats, but when we find tamer ones, we try to socialize them so that can get good homes instead of a short life on the streets. I've done this for over a year and Elizabeth has been there in a cage the entire time. Why? She bites and claws constantly. She will be the sweetest cat imaginable until you try to pet her sides and back. Someone really wanted to adopt her but was afraid of her biting and scratching habits. The rescue decided that, in this case, drastic measures were needed because of how much work was done and how little progress was made. Volunteers and staff went in and out of the rescue daily, trying to show Elizabeth that pets were nice, not scary, and she still attacked. A couple of weeks ago, strictly because nothing else had worked, she was front declawed and had her canines removed. The difference is night and day. She purred and licked my hand last week when I pet her side. Elizabeth is a calm kitty now and will probably be going to her permanent home soon where she can run around instead of being confined to a cage. I don't suggest this for an older animal, but for younger ones with intense behavioral problems that nothing else has managed to solve, declawing or more can prevent a cat from being euthanized. For OP's cat, medication may be the best solution until their quality of life decreases enough that their suffering needs to end. Our rescue has a cat in renal failure too; Clark gets all the love and special care he needs. He's not up for adoption since he's basically on kitty hospice care. I shared Elizabeth's story so everyone could know a case where drastic procedures saved and improved a life rather than ruined it like most tales of declawing end in.
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Mar 1, 2016 20:22
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Your cat's a bit messed up. That's not your cat's fault. It's yours and/or your mom's. Don't euthanize him unless it's because he's in too much pain. If that might be the case, take him to the vet NOW. If you kill your cat for "logistical" reasons, you're not being rational, you're being an rear end in a top hat.
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Mar 1, 2016 22:17
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Look, as much as I love my cat he's not as important as the health and safety of the humans in my life. That means I can't in good conscience let anyone take care of him if I have to travel, so I end up putting out a lot of food and water and worrying the whole time. My university is strongly encouraging me to go do fieldwork for my major but so far I''ve deferred because I'd have to borrow money to board my idiot cat and pray to God he doesn't bite anyone while I'm gone. He also gets special kidney food twice a day. So in a very real sense he's making my life more difficult, which I'm fine with, but still. Does that make me an rear end in a top hat? I don't know. I just don't want to inflict the pain and misery of a cat bite on anyone else. When he bit me I got medical attention immediately and I still got an infection that raced up my arm at terrifying speed. That sucked, but I got through it. Then when my friend was bitten--because I let my guard down--the guilt consumed me for days and only the fact that it didn't get infected consoled me. Does that make me an rear end in a top hat? I don't know. The good news is he's in reasonably good health and is a lot less crabby now that I've got him on a special diet. I think I've got a handle on what's triggering him to bite. So hopefully he'll get to live a good few more years in peace. Well, as much peace as a mouthy Siamese can have.
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Mar 2, 2016 09:00
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This is definitely a very complex and difficult situation for you to have to be in, and I wish you all the best in whatever decision you make. Just remember, whether you opt for euthanasia or not, you shouldn't let people guilt you into thinking you made the wrong choice. Whatever you do, I know (and hope) that you'll make the best choice for both your cat and yourself.
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Mar 2, 2016 12:33
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Looks like your only reason to keep the cat is because you've got a huge pile of emotions tied up in it. And that's fine. But at the same time the cat is causing you a pile of misery too: It bites, it costs money, and you can't travel a lot because no one can look after it. I don't what your major is, or if you can do fieldwork closer to home. Will the fieldwork still be there for you if you wait for the cat to die of natural causes? Because it kind of feels like you're putting your own academic career on standby to better care for the cat.
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Mar 2, 2016 13:08
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Semisponge posted:Look, as much as I love my cat he's not as important as the health and safety of the humans in my life. That means I can't in good conscience let anyone take care of him if I have to travel, so I end up putting out a lot of food and water and worrying the whole time. My university is strongly encouraging me to go do fieldwork for my major but so far I''ve deferred because I'd have to borrow money to board my idiot cat and pray to God he doesn't bite anyone while I'm gone. He also gets special kidney food twice a day. So in a very real sense he's making my life more difficult, which I'm fine with, but still. Does that make me an rear end in a top hat? I don't know. Our vet does boarding, and if yours does that too it would probably be the best place to make sure he gets the kidney food and the people that work there are probably adept at not getting bit.
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Mar 2, 2016 18:17
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I know you said you feel like you've got a good handle on it now, but in case you are finding it isn't resolving itself I'll throw my two cents in. I would also be very hesitant about declawing. As Tamarillo said it can result in them biting more because they can't defend themselves with their claws. Cats can also have long lasting pain from declaws, and adding pain to an already aggressive cat could definitely exacerbate the situation.There are also many other medical and behavioural risks to declawing. I wouldn't rule it out, but I think it should be the absolute last thing on your list. I handle cats as part of my work, some of which are aggressive. The first thing, as was suggested, is going to a vet to rule out a medical cause for aggression.Was he like this when he lived with your mum? If the answer is no, it could be a stress related thing... the vet could also talk to you about behaviour-modifying drugs (I don't have much experience with these, but I believe anxitane, trazadone, and certain benzos are possibilities). There is also 'feliway' that was mentioned. It's interesting that he only seems to be aggressive when people are interacting with him (am I reading that right?). Maybe he's just a cat that gets easily over-stimulated? Make sure you're paying attention to his body language so that you can back off before things escalate. Something else to think about is how people have played with him throughout his life... I see a lot of cats that never develop a scratch/bite inhibition because their owners play with them using their bare hands instead of toys. Cats then think that body parts are a totally cool and acceptable thing to rough house with.
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Mar 3, 2016 00:43
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My mom died almost ten years ago, he was pretty devoted to her but his relationship with me is much more intense. He stopped getting along with his sister and starting monopolizing my time about 5 years ago or so. He's always been a little grumpy with people--he scratched my dad when he was a young cat, probably cause my dad has sausage fingers and always pets way too hard. The biting comes from people who are not me trying to pet him. When he bit me two years ago it was because I had a house guest who was trying to make friends and I happened to get my hands on him at the wrong time. The second time I again had a house guest, it was the second or third day and Bodhi seemed to be chill so I let my friend pet him. I wasn't watching but I think he rolled over and my friend touching his belly triggered the biting. So he really doesn't like people invading his space and he's super touchy about being petted the wrong way, I think if I can just keep people from touching him I can prevent biting. I don't think he's in pain or stressed out. He tends to stop eating when he's really stressed out or sick and he's still chowing down on his kidney food like a pig. Like I said I'm reluctant to take him to the vet if I don't have to since he's a biter and gets REALLY riled up at the vets, he has to be sedated, then he sulks for a couple days. I trained him out of gnawing on people when he was a wee babby. His littermate has never been aggressive so I think it's just his lovely personality shining through. Fuckin cats, man.
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Mar 3, 2016 04:48
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If he only bites when people are trying to directly pet/interact with him, and you said he won't bite if not touched, would it be an option to have cat-sitters just come in to do feedings/box-cleanings/cat chores and not interact with him? If he can get by with minimal interaction and not bite, that seems like it'd be the easiest solution to the sitting issue. Also, seriously, look into cat psych meds. Some friends of ours here have a Problem Cat who has gotten so, so much more friendly and non-awful since she's been on Prozac. (They have a compounding pharmacy compound it as a cream they can rub into her ears, which sounds goofy but is apparently way more convenient than trying to pill her.) That route may be worth a try, at least.
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Mar 3, 2016 12:58
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We were giving our aggressive cat amitriptilyne (vet prescribed of course) and it seemed to calm him down a good bit. The vet said he had seen really good results with it, and we got it transdermal so we just had to rub it on the inside of his ear, no pills.
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Mar 3, 2016 16:24
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 08:44 |
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If his health starts getting real bad, don't put it off long. It's a hard decision but speaking from experience it's a lot harder to have him die in your car as you fruitlessly rush to the ER in the middle of the night.
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Mar 11, 2016 18:42
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