# Instant behavior change in my 2 year old?



## manentia (Nov 26, 2004)

We've had two black cats since they were kittens; both came from the same litter and are sisters. They've been inseparable, eating, sleeping, and playing together. It's charming that they're so close, and they often serve as guards for each other, letting us know when the other one is doing something bad.

Yesterday the kitties (Paxil and Scrat) were going crazy as usual, but Scrat started to hiss at Paxil. They fight occasionally, usually when one wants to play and the other doesn't. The hissing was strange and we though something may be wrong. So, we followed them downstairs to our unfinished basement and the floor was covered with water. I overfilled my fish tank...

We cleaned up the mess and thought that's why Scrat was being so moody. Her hissing continued though, throughout the night, and she is even hissing at her two people parents, myself included. I can pet her and she'll respond the normal way, butting her head against me and flopping down on her side... but after a while she'll hiss and puff up her tail. Then she'll butt her head against me again, wanting more attention as if nothing had happened!

I don't think I'm hitting sore spots or petting her the wrong way, and Paxil hasn't been treating her any differently. It's like a switch was flipped, and it's really strange. She's not acting like she's in pain.

Right before we moved in August, Scrat started to pee on towels. No where else, and she had never peed outside the litter box before. She stopped after we moved and hasn't done it since. The vet mentioned Prozac, which I think is really absurd. Is there anyone else out here that has put their cat on anti-depressants? Maybe Scrat is just crazy, though I don't like to anthropomorphize them.

To sum it all up, she's a sweet cat that started acting out of character almost instantly. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated. Thanks for listening.


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## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

This is not uncommon. It sounds like a mild case of re-directed aggression. There are a couple of articles in our library (http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library) about aggression, and one in the newsletter about a severe re-directed aggression case that took a lot of time and effort to resolve (http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... olume2no07).

Since this is so mild, a day or two of Rescue Remedy in the water might be all that's needed. Play therapy is always a good idea to help relieve stress and increase confidence. http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... w&item=012

Cheers,
Dr. Jean


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