Uncontrolled rages.

[farthing]

Does anybody know of anything that could cause uncontrolled rages in a cat- not all the time but when it happens he will attack any cat near him.
Donald has had another of these fits today- and he will go for anybody ( not me but the other cats) he just assaults anybody who happens to be near him. I put him in the bathroom to chill out and he was panting after it.

I do intend to get his blood pressure checked but nothing mentions this being a symptom of it, I can't really think of what else it could be. The rest of the time he is fine, and is generally a lovely boy, everybody else gives him a wide berth so its not like they are baiting him?

[angieh]

I have no experience I'm afraid farthing, although your post did make me look up seizures in cats. Does Donald have any facial twitching or salivation associated with his uncontrolled rage - have you been able to note anything like that?

[farthing]

I've not noticed anything like that, just rage. He will seek out the cats and then attack anybody within his range!
I also wondered about seizures, I'll get him into the vet tomorrow and see what they say, maybe try for a blood pressure test too.
I've never seen anything like it before, Candy will get really grumpy if anybody comes near her sometimes and lash out, but he goes and looks for trouble when in that mood and if you remove him from that cat he will just go for the next cat beside him.

[Velvet]

ThE cat that comes to me for feeding is generally so sweet & mild mannered & over affectionate. However yesterday he shocked me. Did his usual rubbing up against the dogs legs & faces, walking in & out of their legs in the garden, then all of a sudden for no reason - i was watching, he yowled & lashed out at Harvey's face. Harvey lept back & obviously thought cat was playing & went into play mode, front end down, bottom in air & reached out his nose & cat really went for his face Harvey lept away & Katie went to investigate, did all the rubbing etc round her & suddenly turned & lashed out at her i couldnt believe it!!

The cat that lives with him appeared to sit on the wall & he went up to it & started to box its face, biting its neck etc. It retaliated but looked very taken aback

Only thing we can think is that he is jealous of the dogs & the other cat. When i let the dogs out at 2 am, he was doing his very best to get into the house. I would be wary now though of ours who are only half grown & he is a big cat

I think this is a cat who lives in a multi pet household who would prefer to be an only pet & would spend all day every day on someones knee being an only cat with no other animals or competition about & finds his life at present pretty frustrating

Im wary also now because Boxers having short muzzles, when the cat lashes out the Boxer eyes would be very vunerable. It would take very little for a eye ulcer to occur & they can be notoriously difficult to treat. I dont really want to stop feeding him as i suspect he gets little at home but it has made me "think".*

Maybe a Vet check-up for your wee man?

[angieh]

Velvet, your post has made me think of Harley - the stray cat who came to us last June. He acted like that, but maybe not so all-embracingly. He had to go to a rescue before Christmas because he was bullying poor Kizzy and Pip. I saw his behaviour as definitely jealousy-based. Farthing's case seems more extreme somehow.

I agree, vet advise needed. Do let us know the outcome.

[wilbar]

Please get a vet check ~ this is not normal behaviour & could have many different causes, including medical ones, so these need to be investigated first.

If there are no medical causes for this apparently unprovoked agression, then please come back & I'll see if I can help. Sometimes it can be redirected aggression, sometimes it just because attention/stroking goes on too long ~ but in my experience, this sort of aggression is not caused by jealousy. It's probably too anthropomorphic to say that cats feel jealous in the same way that people do anyway.

This sort of aggression needs to be carefully managed, particularly when directed at other pets, as it can cause nastry injuries, let alone ruin the relationship betweeen the pets.

[farthing]

Donald is vet checked and blood tested every 3 months to monitor his renal failure/ hyperthyroidism.
The aggression seems completely unprovoked, we are not touching him or near him, he seeks out the cats, they are not bothering him. He is well in himself, thyroid levels were normal in december, kidney function was better thanks to a renal diet. He looks fantastic.

I have had lots of cats, lots of introductions but this is not normal, he is completely out of control- he can't do any real damage because he has only 3 teeth, but I know there is something underlying- whether I'll ever find out what it is, is another matter.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by farthing

Donald is vet checked and blood tested every 3 months to monitor his renal failure/ hyperthyroidism.
The aggression seems completely unprovoked, we are not touching him or near him, he seeks out the cats, they are not bothering him. He is well in himself, thyroid levels were normal in december, kidney function was better thanks to a renal diet. He looks fantastic.

Get his thyroid levels re-checked. Out of character anger is a symptom

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by wilbar

Please get a vet check ~ this is not normal behaviour & could have many different causes, including medical ones, so these need to be investigated first.

If there are no medical causes for this apparently unprovoked agression, then please come back & I'll see if I can help. Sometimes it can be redirected aggression, sometimes it just because attention/stroking goes on too long ~ but in my experience, this sort of aggression is not caused by jealousy. It's probably too anthropomorphic to say that cats feel jealous in the same way that people do anyway.

This sort of aggression needs to be carefully managed, particularly when directed at other pets, as it can cause nastry injuries, let alone ruin the relationship betweeen the pets.

Wilbur - what about the wee man i feed do you think like Angie & i suspect, it coukd be jealousy?

[angieh]

I appreciate "jealousy" may not be the right word to use for a cat, wilbar, but it does seem to describe the behaviour, at least that I saw in Harley.