I'm just wondering if any of this could be related to the frontal declaw? I've read that it can cause serious behavioral problems.

Years ago I had a friend that had her two male kittens declawed and as they grew one became more and more aggressive and quirky. He hated to use litter after the declaw and she had to continue to use shredded newspaper for him or he would cry when he stepped in the litter like the sandy stuff hurt his feet. He also became very shell-shocked acting like being afraid of any noise or anything new. Everything startled him and he wasn't that way to start. Back then I hadn't heard about the problems declawing can cause but now I see the relation. Maybe this is Zel's problem too.