I'm sorry to hear that Neo is causing so much havoc and stress in your home. I hope that you will be able to get to the bottom of it for your family and for him.

Quote Originally Posted by greendoor678 View Post
When he was a kitten, the vet had so much trouble controlling him for regular examination that he would literally cause his blood readings to indicate that he had an infection. We brought him to a specialist who did an ultrasound and found that there was no infection but concluded that he would actually alter his blood levels when he became so upset during examination.
Because he has been 'difficult' starting when he was a kitten makes me think this may not be a behavioral issue and more of a physical nature of some sort.

We are very concerned because he has randomly attacked other people as well as myself. Attacks occur when the person is walking and Neo will lunge forward with no warning, no growling, no hissing, no raised hair and jump up and bite. Usually his target is the leg of the person walking.
This really made me think of a cat that belongs to some folks we know. I actually helped them find this kitten when they said they were looking to adopt. She was 7 weeks when they brought her home and she has had a very aggressive nature since day 1. She too randomly attacks people and there is no warning and the next thing you know she is shredding your leg or attacking your hand usually bad enough that it leaves people bleeding. Mandy (the cat) is good with her family but mostly just the husband. The wife gets attacked for no reason on occasion.
I used to think that perhaps it was because this cat may have been the result of 'inbreeding' but over the past year one of her eyes started changing colour with a rusty marbling. I posted a thread on here about it: Have You Ever Seen This Happen in a Cat??
I really think that Mandy has a tumor or growth of somesort in or behind her eye that might be causing her discomfort and results in aggressive behavior.
Sadly her family has not taken her to the vet because her eye seems to be going back to it's original colour a bit. This has lead them to believe that she is fine but I don't think she is as she is losing some weight and the aggressiveness is continuing.
Anyway, I'm wondering if your cat may have a physical issue that causes discomfort and results in this behavior. It's as if he is 'hyper-sensitive' and lashes out when there is loudness or movement which may not startle a normal healthy cat but for some reason is distressing for your cat.

The friend was loud and had a boisterous personality
Neo felt threatened and insecure due to not being used to having a toddler around him.
Not being used to a child, their movements (arms moving about and legs kicking the way toddlers do) could be startling for Neo.

Our neighbor was pet-sitting and Neo lunged forward and bit her leg.
Hard to know what happened on that day but even if your pet sitter set something down loudly like a plate or a dish it might have been the trigger.

One evening something frightened Maggie and she squeeled. Neo attacked my leg. I don't know if this was to defend Maggie or what, but he bit me and broke the skin. Anytime Maggie makes an unusual noise, Neo defensively comes running toward in order to protect her. This is acceptable behavior.
As you said, this may fall under 'acceptable' as it is not that uncommon. My cat George and my RB cat Charlie would go after anything that is near them if another cat fight broke out. If my neighbour's cat was screeching and in a fight and I was in the room with George or Charlie and the closest thing to them, they'd attack me. Otherwise, Charlie was a complete love bug. George is semi-feral so each day is a surprise with him. lol

I got out of bed in the middle of the night. Somehow this triggered Neo to lunge at me and bite my leg and arm, breaking the skin.
If Neo was sleeping or in a super relaxed state and didn't expect you to get up, he could have been startled.

Occurred just recently within the past week. I was walking in my bedroom, turned back around and Neo lunged forward and bit my leg, breaking the skin.
It does seem like all the things you posted would be normally tolerated by a cat but in Neo's case they aren't. I'm guessing that he is suffering from something physical in nature that is making him hyper sensitive to simple things like sounds and movement. A battery of tests might a good idea to see if there is a reason for the aggressiveness. Maybe they could put him under and do some xrays and an ultrasound and some bloodwork. It may not be in the budget though, especially with a baby on the way.

I would also suggest that you purchase some Feliway. It is a product that mimics the pheromones of cats and helps to calm them. It comes in a spray and in a plug-in (kind of like a Glade air freshener but with pheromones instead). You can get Feliway online or at your vet clinic and PetSmart and stores like that have similar products available under different names and are a bit cheaper too. I know that Catty1 has suggested spraying a bit of the spray on a collar and putting it on the 'offending' cat and it has been successful. (I think it was catty1??)

And Medusa has had great success with Clomicalm, a kind of kitty prozac that is available from you vet. It helps to calm aggressive and inappropriate behaviour.

The last idea I have may seem kind of nutty but it might help you. You may want to consider seeking out a 'pet communicator' to see if they can communicate with Neo directly to see if he can shed some light on what is going on with him and why he acts out like this. I have used Dr. Monica Deidrich a few times and she has written quite a few books and is well known. She can do it by email or by phone and it is about 60.00 for one reading. Her website is here: Pet Communicator.
There are a ton of people on this site that have consulted a woman named Nancy. I don't know how to get ahold of her but alot of PT'rs could give you that info if you wanted it.
As well, Brodysmom (another PT'r) is now an animal communicator.

Even if a communicator could give you a small amount of information, like a specific area of his body that is causing discomfort, it could narrow your search when at the vets and help you to focus on a particular spot.

I hope things will improve for you and Neo.