# My cat went psychotic. Update Jan 24th



## KainRacure (Jan 18, 2010)

I was hanging out in the bedroom that me and my GF have made a storage room/cat room and we were rearranging our movies and the window was open and the cat was up there on the window sill and we were below working on the movies. I had just pet her and played with her a bit and she was perfectly fine, then she all of a sudden jumped off the window sill and was snarling, hissing and freaking out. She ran for the door and ran into my GF. She latched on to my GF's leg and clawed it deeply while snarling and howling. I jumped up and grabbed the cat off her and tried to pin it so I could pick it up and put it in a crate and she clawed up my arm (not as bad as my GF's leg) got loose and then she jumped up and ran for the door again scratching my GF's other leg in the process and running through several large stacks of movies.

I followed her to the living room cuz she was freaking out and hissing and howling and she went under a chair and hissed at me and attacked me. I grabbed a clothes basket and chased after her so I could catch her and let her calm down a bit without her hurting anyone again. Every time she saw me she tried to attack me. She hid under the TV stand and i went to get my heavy leather wielding gloves. She was out when I came back and then she ran under the TV stand and was sitting there howling snarling and throwing a huge fit even though she could not see me and I was not near the stand. My GF was afraid and hiding in the bathroom and I ended up prodding her out from under there into the basket and put books on top and a blanket to calm her down.

After a while she was calm and making her crying let me out noise and i went over to her and she was nice as can be rubbing the basket and wanting attention like normal. My GF said she does not want her out of the basket as she's afraid of the cat now. I left her there for a bit while we finished the movies and then I planned on putting her in her room. I grabbed the gloves and a leather jacket just in case and lifted the basket and put a hand on her and she freaked again and tried to claw me and snarled and howled at me. I threw the basket over her again and pushed it and her into the room and she snarled and lashed out each time the basket touched her.

She is in there now and I have NO CLUE what to do with her. Just this morning she was sitting on me and cuddling while watching TV like she normally does. At first I would think rabies but she hasn't been outside in 3 years except a couple 5 min runs down the walk way of our apartment area and then right back in. Also we live on the 3rd floor so I doubt she was scared by anything near the window.

Something like this happened in the winter of 2008 when she saw a cat outside. But she didn't hurt anyone or even try to run like she did before. She sat there snarling and howling and scared us. We put a basket over her and books and she calmed down within a few hours and was fine afterwards.

I don't know what is wrong with her. I also don't know what to do with her. Even getting her to the vet for ANYTHING would be impossible. I am afraid she is going to hurt us (again). Note I know conventional reasoning said she needs to be PTS but I love her A LOT and I really don't want to do that unless there is nothing else I can do.


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Short answer - something scared or threatened her, possibly another cat outside. What you experienced was misdirected aggression. The best thing to do when a cat is upset like this is allow her time to be by herself until she calms down, DO NOT chase her and try to hold onto her, it will misfire in the way you described. Holding and calming might work for a frightened dog, but does not work for cats. 

She is behaving normally now because the episode is over, you certainly don't need to put her to sleep(!) for being scared by something. Do some searching on this forum for 'misdirected aggression' and you will see that your kitty had a totally normal 'cat moment'. 

Fran


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*



KainRacure said:


> Something like this happened in the winter of 2008 when she saw a cat outside.
> Note I know conventional reasoning said she needs to be PTS...


Welcome to CatForum and I hope we can help you with your kitty. 
You don't know it, but you've answered your question about what is wrong with your kitty and I don't think the problem is severe enough to warrant having her PTS. What she experienced in 2008 by seeing the cat outside, and what you just recently experienced, is feline redirected aggression. This is a response the cat has to a sight, sound or smell that triggers this behavior. They are acting instinctually and really cannot help it, other than trying to eliminate the triggers so it doesn't happen. You can use some products like a pheromone 'calming odor' in the form of a Feliway plug-in, it looks/works like an air-freshener but the odor/pheromone tells the cat "all-is-cool, be-mellow". You can also use other natural things, like Composure Liquid or Rescue Remedy to help keep her calm.

You could take her to a vet for an exam, but short of extreme ailments like seizures and/or brain tumors, I think the problem is going to be redirected aggression. 
The cat sees, hears, smells something that activates its' instinct for survival (fight/flight), but if she cannot reach the source of this trigger, she "redirects" it onto those around her; other pets and her people. The best way to handle a cat in the throes of a redirected aggression incident is to handle it as little as possible and/or try to get it into a small room to hang out and calm down by itself.

Maybe someone else will be able to give you better advice. I've only experienced it once or twice, but neither episode was as bad as what you described. I *was* attacked by a new cat when he smelled the outdoor tomcat on my hands. He yowled and leapt at me, I turned my face and upper body and he just scratched my shoulder badly. He did that because I smelled like a rival tomcat.
Best of luck,
Heidi =^..^=

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression3.html
http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=library Redirected Aggression article from LBC: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... acasestudy


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## KainRacure (Jan 18, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Well the reason I said something bout being PTS is cuz 3 ppl have said she should be. Note that I DON'T WANT TO. which is why I am asking around for other answers.

Thank you guys for the misdirected aggression thing, it sounds about right and I will look for those products.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Are the three people who have suggested PTS persons who are saying that out of having a frightened knee-jerk reaction after having been told the story? All they are hearing is "_psycho kitty attacked_" for apparantly no reason and thinking she is dangerous. They need to hear: "_kitty was frightened by something and her instinct demanded a response, and the only response she could give affected those closest to her_".
It is sort of like when people see something that they find scary; a spider, mouse or a snake. The people who have a strong fear-reaction, will *always* have a strong fear-reaction that they will be unable to control. They will jump, maybe scream and cringe or run away. Every time. They cannot *not* BE frightened. That is what happened to your kitty: She could not *not* react.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

I agree with the misdirected aggression assessment. I've never had a cat turn on me, but I have had them turn on each other. Sometimes a cat will react strongly to another cat coming into what it considers it's territory. Many cats think that what they see out the window is theirs. It may not react to one cat, but may react to another. For example, a neutered male may not elicit a response but an intact male does. 

The best thing for you to do when your cat responds to this is get out of the way and not try to handle her. Unfortunately your girlfriend couldn't get out of the way and I sympathize with that. And your response inadvertently compounded the situation...not blaming you, you didn't know or understand, I just wanted to educate you in case something like this happens again.

In the meantime, isolating her in a quiet dim room (shades drawn, nightlight on) is the best way to calm her down. The feliway does help. Going forward, is there some way to keep stray or neighborhood cats out of your yard? 



KainRacure said:


> Well the reason I said something bout being PTS is cuz 3 ppl have said she should be.


I suspect these are people who really don't understand cats and are having a knee jerk reaction. Cats don't think or react like people or dogs. Self preservation is their only agenda and anything getting in the way of that, including their humans, is fair game. You might want to read the book "Think Like a Cat" by Pam Johnson Bennett, it will help you see things from a cat's perspective.


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## KainRacure (Jan 18, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Well an update. Cat is somewhat calmed down but sadly she is now SERIOUSLY aggressive towards my GF. I opened the door to just feed her and the cat saw her and started hissing and getting mad. She go mad at me as well after she left.

Also later I tried going in there again alone just to feed her and she was rubbing on my leg and meowing a lot and i reached down with a gloved hand to pet her and she rubs on me then attacked my hand then rubbed and attacked. She didn't give any signs of annoyance such as twitching tail or ears back she just straight up attacked then went back to being happy.

I am not sure what is going to happen if she is aggressive towards my GF. Oh note my GF lives with me so it isn't a once in a while thing. Oh and I will not be putting her to sleep so no worries bout that.


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Sounds like she thinks when she crashed with your girlfriend that your GF attacked her. This throwing a basket over her is no good, that will make her more aggressive, shes not a canary who thinks its night and will happily start snoring.


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## wEngelw (Jun 25, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

My cat had a couple episodes like that. Both happenned when a neighbors' (I think? as he had a collar) outdoor cat was staring at her from outside the window. She got all huge and puffy, hissed and growled, and bolted out of the room. I frankly wanted no part of her at that time, so I just shooed away the intruder cat and left my cat alone to let her chill out. She was completely fine in a matter of maybe 30 minutes. I really think that you confronting the cat and then confining her in a basket aggravated her situation. Also the unfortunate encounter with your girlfriend made it even worse. She probably has bad memories associated with the objects (basket, girlfriend, your gloves, etc.) from that scary time, so she still reacts aggressively to them. I have no idea how you can make her forget what happenned. I agree that some Feliway should help mellow her out. Also, maybe you should give her a little more space during this time so she can forget and re-adjust. I think it will just take time, but she should return to normal eventually. Just be patient with her (difficult.. I understand). atback


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Have your girlfriend do all the feeding, too - that will definitely help.  Cats are suckers for the food dish. 

Fran


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

I can't offer any advice from experience, but it's a very good first step to ask the experienced cat owners here. Often when people's cats 'go psycho' the first thing people do is think of putting it to sleep. Unfortunately, that's what happened for an aunt of mine too. The cat was not aggressive, but something probably set it off. My aunt said she just went psycho and directed the aggression to her. She was badly scratched up and had to call animal control. The cat was eventually put to sleep. Now that I'm reading all these posts, it seems there must have been a logical explanation.

Anyways, I've heard of and agree with trying Feliway. As well, the advice on feeding is also good. Hopefully, having your GF doing something positive will help override the aggression your cat has towards her. It might not even be her fault at all. Maybe your GF picked up a smell of something or some other animal that frightened her.

I hope things turn out for you. Good Luck!


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

I'd give her lots of room for a while, if you pat her and shes not interested, stop straight away - if you pick her up and she doesnt want to be picked up, don't etc, and slowly increase contact, always stopping when she doesnt like it - much like you might watch your words and actions very carefully with a girlfriend who's annoyed at you (lol). I'd probably keep the girlfriend very much in the background until the cat starts to seem secure again. Then let her carefully and slowly give her treats without making a big deal out of it. Also, moving slowly is always good and reassuring. A quickly extended arm is much more frightening to a cat than a casually, slowly extended arm.


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## Niki24 (Jan 4, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

I had a very similar incident happen just on Christmas Eve. My very happy, people loving, never met a stranger, cat attacked my mother and my sister in much the same way you describe. So bad they locked themselves in different rooms...terrified. It would have been funny to see two adults run from a cat like that if it wasn't so disturbing and you hadn't seen the look in her eyes. (My mom was making cookies and squirted frosting at my cat, reflex I suppose...it was EVERYWHERE. My sister had gotten her treats out, trying to get her attention, and the whole bag was thrown everywhere, needless to say my kitchen was a disaster area...I was in shock when I walked in on that). Both were scratched up pretty bad though. I just couldn't believe my cat would act this way. She had never shown this type of behavior before...ever. But anyway, we locked her up and after hours of being put in a room with food, water, and liter she calmed down. We let her out and as soon as my sister walked by she went all crazy again, and this time it was directed toward me....so we locked her up again. We kept her in a room all day and by the next evening she was skittish, but wanted attention. I must say I was nervous around her for a few days but I got over it, she just had a very bad day I suppose. I am happy to report that she is completely back to her good old loving self....and my mom and sister visited Saturday and my cat acted like nothing ever happened, rubbing up against their legs for attention. So in short, I think it will all work out for you. Just give her time, space, and try to be as affectionate and as understanding as you can. Soon you will have your normal cat back.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*



faithless said:


> I'd give her lots of room for a while, if you pat her and shes not interested, stop straight away - if you pick her up and she doesnt want to be picked up, don't etc, and slowly increase contact, always stopping when she doesnt like it - much like you might watch your words and actions very carefully with a girlfriend who's annoyed at you (lol). I'd probably keep the girlfriend very much in the background until the cat starts to seem secure again. Then let her carefully and slowly give her treats without making a big deal out of it. Also, moving slowly is always good and reassuring. A quickly extended arm is much more frightening to a cat than a casually, slowly extended arm.


Agreed!


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## inzekesmemory (Jan 17, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

my sister adopted a cat that came with a patient when she was placed in a nursing home. when the patient passed, someone had to take the "crazy cat" and he was a spaz!!! she finally figured out he was allergic to something in canned cat food!! every time he was fed the canned stuff, he went nuts!!! biting , hissing, bit right through her finger nail once before she figured this out..maybe, it's diet?? his name was psyco sid, quite fitting actually, but he lived to the ripe old age of around 12. she had him 4 or 5 years. the patient had also adopted him from an abusive home so he was justified in his crazyness somewhat but he calmed alot when she took away the canned food.


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## KainRacure (Jan 18, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

another update

Today went rather smoothly, I gradually increased contact with her and gave treats and such and eventually let her roam around the house during the day, she acted nervous and sniffed every inch of the house especially where she was scared the most (under the tv stand and under the table) but she was fine even getting cuddly with me at one point. 

I put her in the room when my GF got home until I could gauge her reaction to my GF. (also because we were having company for a little bit)
After a little bit I cracked the door and let her see my GF and she sniffed her and acted normal and begged to be let out so we let her out into the hall. She was ok for a few min and then as my gf walked to the bathroom (away from the cat slowly) the cat went to go the same way, saw her leg and haunched up hissing and snarling again. I told her to slowly back off and go out of the hall which she did and the cat stayed there hissing and in a defensive posture. I picked her up and sat her in her room and as I closed the door she rushed the door howling and swatting at my hand. (didn't connect this time) We left her alone for a while.

I just now went to feed and water her for the night. I was placating her with treats and moving slowly as to not scare her and she was happy and purring and then I put the bowl back in there and when I went to withdraw my hand (gloved this time) she attacked it hissing and scratching.

I am worried now about what is going to happen. We have had some serious problems and my GF's grandmother is dieing (docs give her 3-10 days) and we will have to leave to go 4 and a half hrs away for at least 3 days and we will need a pet sitter (the friend who came earlier) and I am afraid she will hurt the sitter.

Also I called our vet who said she will need an appointment to evaluate her but we do not currently, with this latest crisis, have time to get to the vets for about a week and I am unsure if I will even be able to get the cat in the carrier by that time as she seems to be having more psychotic episodes.


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## wEngelw (Jun 25, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Wow.. Sounds like a very bad time for your kitty to start having this problem.. I don't know though if you should be worried about the sitter. It seems like the cat's aggression is only directed towards you and your girlfriend (people she associates with the scary episode). Have you tried having other people interact with her and give her treats? Do you have any "cat-friendly" friends who would understand what she's going through and know how to react appropriately not to scare her more? It really seems like she is only scared/aggressive towards the girlfriend and your gloves (again, the things that scare her because of association with that terrifying episode). Has she tried to attack you when you didn't have the gloves, or is it them that cause this reaction? She could be totally fine with a sitter and she might even benefit from being away from you and your girlfriend for a while. Though it's really hard to predict either way what effect this will have on her state because every cat is different.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

"the window was open and the cat was up there on the window sill" 

Stung by something?


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## KainRacure (Jan 18, 2010)

*Re: My cat went psychotic, I don't know what's wrong w her.*

Well we have been gone for about 5 days dealing with my GF's grandma and we got back today and checked on the cat.

She is perfectly fine with me and lets me hold her and hug her and play with her like normal. My GF on the other hand she will tolerate for a few minutes then snarl and hiss at.

We are using Feliway both in the diffuser (has been there about a week now) and we both sprayed ourselves down with the spray when we went in there.

I am unsure how to handle this ATM besides making the cat stay in the bedroom whenever my GF is home and letting her out during the day while it is only me.

Any extra advice would help.


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## wEngelw (Jun 25, 2009)

Maybe you can try re-introducing the cat to the girlfriend (if possible). Maybe leave the cat in just one room for the next few weeks so that she has no contact with your girlfriend at all and has enough time to forget her negative experience with her. Then, after that time, start having your girfriend be the only one to feed the cat and play with it, but take it very slow. First, just have her bring the food. Then, after a few days, have her play with the cat for a few minutes, and then gradually increase the time they spend together. That's the only thing I can think of to kind of reset their bad relationship and get a fresh start on things. That's a bad situation.. Sorry you have to deal with this.


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## ChelleBelle (Sep 14, 2009)

I have to agree with Engle's advice. My cat and I went through a rough spot when she hit a year old and we brought another kitten into the house. She ended up biting my foot and making me get a really bad infection. After that we basically had to start over in our relationship. She starting attacking people and biting/scratching them at whim. I believe part of it was her reaching her "teen" years, and the other part because she was so frustrated over the new kitten in the house.

She's food motivated, so I started using treats and praise as away to show her "good" behavior. I also got good at reading her angry moods. Though, I would use an airspray can to reinforce my "No!" to her, but I only had to do that if she looked extreme (as in about to pounce and there was no outlet). I also had a routine of playing with her 3-4 times a day for about 15-20 mins. It worked wonders. She's my best friend now, and while she can still be fiesty... she has not bit or attacked a person since October. It's amazing how great our relationship has grown. I believe she had to learn to trust her family and that we had to learn to respect her boundaries. 

'Chelle


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

If your GF still afraid of the cat?

I know saying, "She should stop being afraid of the cat" is WAY WAY easier said than done.  But if her behavior has altered a lot around the cat, the cat might be responding to it. Cats can be freaked out if a person -- or for that matter, another cat -- is behaving in an unusual fashion. So there could also be an "You're acting weird and it's scaring me! Stop it!" element there, too.


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

yeah, this would confuse me too. I think I would not let the cat meet or see the girlfriend at all for a couple of weeks, then very slowly acquaint them by letting her feed him for a week or more or depending on progress, but nothing more than just laying out the food and leaving. After a while, laying out dinner and a stroke and then leaving. Keep it really pressure free. Could it be a perfume or something? Does rubbing people with the cat scented towel trick thing work?


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## inzekesmemory (Jan 17, 2010)

i don't have any tips to help but i'm guessing she had to get stung by something, ran into your girlfriend and now thinks she did it!!!! i had a cat (RIP my sweet Heshe!! 83-97) he got stepped on by a horse and lost a front leg. before this you could literally use a shop vac on this cat and he loved it!!!! well i went in his "recovery room" shortly after his surgery to vacuum, and it must have startled him awake, he jumped, which hurt his incision site. that cat was petrified of vacuums and also would flip out if he walked by my 6 ft red tail boas cage and she moved, forever after that. he equated that pain with the vacuum and the snake looked too much like a vacuum hose!!!
not sure how you can "desensitize" a cat. be careful if the vet offers "kitty downers" though..my vet told me all the dog ones are really bad for the dogs liver i would guess it would be the same for cats. wish i could be more helpful  i think i already mentioned in a different post, my sister with the cat allergic to something in canned cat food who used to go psyco but that doesn't sound like the case here...


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

That was sort of my thought when I asked whether the GF is still afraid of the cat. I don't think cats quite get the idea that predators as big as us might be afraid of them... if we're acting "funny", they'll think they need to be afraid of US (and maybe defend themselves against us) instead.


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## igloe (Mar 1, 2010)

I agree with Engel. And to add to the re-introduction, maybe leave the cat in the room for a few days WITH some of your gf's clothes so he can associate her scent with comfort and calmness. Would it be possible for you to distract your cat just before feeding? Maybe head into the room with a toy on a stick (one of those ticklers) play a bit and set the food down?


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## chelousy (Mar 8, 2010)

How is your cat doing now?

My cat has a very similar problem. She only likes being around me and no one else. I put her on Prozac because it got really bad where she was attacking me as well..

the Prozac worked to a point but didn't stop her from attacking randomly.

While taking her off Prozac slowly and waiting for her new medicine to arrive she went INSANE I mean i had to keep her in my extra room. It was very stressful. 

Oh I did try feliway and it didn't work. 

Anyway, she started Buspar (Buspirone) 4 weeks ago, she started being nice 2 weeks ago, and after a week of being nice she stopped eating for about 4 days, then started eating but only wet food. 

Buspirone is working though, so I am pretty sure she has some neurological imbalance. Could this be your cats problem too? 

Oh and I HIGHLY recommend getting soft paws, they are just little plastic tips you put on their nails so they cannot hurt you as badly! Comes in handy when you are constantly being attacked. 

Goodluck!


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