Unprovoked,random attacks <long post>

[Catty1]

WOW. I hope things stay well! I can see how the coddling would happen - if Neo was attacking unprovoked, and he is a cat you love, you would naturally spend more time and attention on him like "what is WRONG, baby boy?" sort of thing. Then he may find that a bit suffocating.

Lara is right - I am the person that uses a stretchy collar on my tabby Oscar, and squirts a bit of Feliway into it (shake bottle first). That way it is with him all the time, and I don't have to figure out square footage, diffuser placement, etc.

Please keep us posted. Oh - and we like pics on PT!

[greendoor678]

Exactly where would I find a stretchy collar. Do you mean the break-away collars? How often do you spray it with Feliway?
Thanks!

[jazzcat]

Neo sounds a lot like my Ripley. One of my vets said he thinks Ripley suffered from Feline Rage. All I know is he would stalk and attack me out of the blue. I was terrified of him for years. He started it at about 3-4 months old and the last true attack I saw from him was when he was 10 years old. He's 16 now and has been pretty mellow for the past 6 years but it sure was a rough ride the first 10. I have many scars to prove it.

BTW, Ripley was neutered at 5 months and the vet hoped it would calm him down - it didn't so the vet suggested female hormones as an option but I refused them. One vet even suggested declawing him since I was getting so scratched up but only as a last result. I refused that also but boy there were days... There weren't a lot of options back then.

One other odd think with Ripley, since he's gotten older he developed OCD. Maybe it's all related somehow.

Good luck with Neo. I sure hope the Feliway helps.

[Catty1]

I first used a breakaway collar - but stopped that! One day Oscar was grooming his chest...his lower jaw got caught in the collar, and it did NOT break away! Thank GOD I was there, as he quickly started to panic.

I just got a collar from a pet store - adjustable, stretchy and reflective. I can adjust it so it is snug - but if he and his furbrother get into a fight, it stretches enough to pull right off and no one suffers!

Oscar's dosage was decided by the vet - 2 to 3 times a day. I did it twice a day for a long time; now it's once in the morning.

You might want to try that dosage schedule - or give your vet a call and see what s/he recommends.

[greendoor678]

Thanks for sharing your story about Ripley, Jazzcat. We had a good weekend and I kept my distance from Neo. I have noticed a big change in his behavior simply because I leave him alone.

Catty1, Thanks for the info about the stretchy collar. I will look for one next time I'm in a pet store. I don't know how Neo will react to a collar since he's never had to wear one (he's exclusively an indoor kitty).
Will post updates as they occur.

Thanks again to all for your support!