Unprovoked,random attacks <long post>

[greendoor678]

Yes, I was a little shocked to hear that my behavior and attitude was affecting Neo so much. But you know, the past few days I've backed off of my usual behavior with him and he seems to be doing great!

[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!