# 8 year old cat suddenly attacking other cats



## reptileszz (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi there, I am new here but not new to cats. I have had cats all my life and currently have a 21 year old female, 13 year old male, 8 year old female and a 6 month old male kitten.

This problem seems to have arisen in about September I think. We realized that our 13 year old male was spending a great deal of time in the basement. At some point we realized that he was TERRIFIED of the 8 year old female (both cats have been here their entire lives). We very very rarely saw the aggression and a vet friend of mine blamed "night aggression". We would bring the 13 yr old out of the basement and he would look around with huge eyes and if he spotted the 8 year old he would struggle to get down and run back into the basement. (She leaves the 21 year old female alone completely.)

For some reason in November I decided that getting another cat might help. LOL it didnt. The 8 year old just started chasing both of them. This time we saw the aggression taken out on the 5 month old kitten. Sooooo, I took the 8 year old to the vet to see if something was wrong with her and they suggested putting her on Paxil. So we did (the low dose). AND we got the Feliway diffuser thing to plug into the wall (moreso for the 13 year old scaredy cat since I was afraid he would never come out of the basement on his own). This arrangement appeared to work just fine for approximately 6 weeks. (as an extra added bonus the stress lowering paxil seems to have had a great effect on the 8 year old's herpes/mouth issues but that is another story).

This past week the 8 year old has started the terrorizing again... It is spectacular. She will corner one of the other two cats and beat the crap out of them if they try and get away. She will move from one end of the house to the other to go after the others. The 13 year old is once again hiding in the cellar. The kitten has tryed to fight back a couple of times but the aggressor outweighs him by about 2 pounds at this point. The kitten has two marks on the back of his head from claws or teeth. I called the vet and told them I wanted to up the dosage of paxil and they agreed. So now she is on the high dose. I asked them if it would help and they just dont know because every cat is different and they also dont have any cats on the high dose down there.

The feliway diffuser did run out about 2 weeks ago and I didnt replace it as I thought that it had done its job by making the 13 year old more comfortable. This new issue is about a week old so not sure if that has anything to do with it.

She has been on the high dosage only 3 days thus far but I just caught her cornering the kitten once again and stalking him. I dont know what to do if the high dose doesnt work. She cant continue to do this. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you,
Carole


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Wow -- sorry you're having to deal with this!! 

I would refill the diffuser and ALSO get the spray. IMO the spray is better -- you can spritz it on all vertical objects (table legs, door jambs, etc.) from floor to 1 foot up, thereby keeping the pheremones where they do the most good - where a kitty would actually rub. More effective IMO.

One other thing to discuss w/ the vet is depo-provera. That's progestin -- female hormone. Estrogen is another possibility but depo is more often used. 

While neutering males often reduces aggression (by reducing testosterone, which has an "aggressifying" effect (yeah, I know that's not a word ), spaying females can occasionally increase aggression b/c it reduces estrogen/progestin, which has a pacifying effect. Depo-provera is even sometimes used in males who are aggressive b/c of its pacifying effect.

It might not help, but it might, and it might be less potentially dangerous than the paxil. Worth discussing w/ your vet.

Beyond that, IMO you need a real veterinary behaviorist. There is a very complex science of veterinary pharmaceuticals and behavior modification, NONE of which the average veterinary GP is trained in. Do you have a vet school w/in shouting distance? I would ask for a referral from your vet and see a board certified veterinary behaviorist.

Best of luck! Hang in there!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

My vet hesitates to give paxil. Only as a last resort. One of my fosters was agressive beyond belief after surgery. My vet wanted me to use Composure Liquid by Vetri Science, first, combined with the Feliway plug in with the feliway spray on it rugs, bed, blankets first. 

I didnt beleive it would work but did it anyway. It turn her around immediately and she hasnt reverted back. If she did I would dose her with Composure for a couple day again. Composure Liquid is a natural product not a pharmaceutical. Its alway best to try natural first then proceed with the pharmaceuticals if not working.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Just a warning: If you do go off the paxil, the kitty must be WEANED off. Going off cold turkey is EXTREMELY dangerous. Wean off gradually over the course of a week.


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## reptileszz (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I just ordered 3 diffuser refills from Amazon and will go buy some spray locally today. I wish I knew if it was the feliway that worked. I would just wean her off the paxil and go with that. But for the safety and sanity of the other cats I'm afraid to take her down off the paxil when maybe the diffuser wasnt doing it. I would have to wait heaven knows how long for the paxil to get out of her system before using something else. I hate to put my other cats thru that. I am going to hope for the moment that upping the dose plus the feliway helps. If not we will have to wean her off the paxil as there is no reason to have her on it if she is as evil to the others as before. sigh... If that time comes I think I will have to follow the advice of finding a vet that specializes in behavior. Tufts is about an hour away I think...

Thank you so much for your advice.
Carole


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

You're VERY lucky to be so near Tufts--really great vet school. IMO you should go on and get a referral there. You don't want to keep the kitty on paxil forever and you have an awesome resource so close to you!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Where are you located? If you're near the Nashua area, you can look into Dr. Michelle Posage, she's a veterinary behaviorist.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

That is such a fabulous resource right near you~ Tufts! How wonderful. I drive 45 minutes to my favorite vet when there are vets 10 minutes from me but I have such confidence and get the information and help from the vet 45 minutes away. Im so pleased for you.


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