[Bordercollie]

Kwenamani, I understand how your mom feels, but for everybody's sake, especially Fuzzy's I hope you guys get chosen for the "my cat from hell" casting. I've seen Jackson work some miracles. He's taken people who were mortally scared of their cats and by the end of the two weeks they were petting and cuddling the cat!
Found this online, sounded quite interesting. Dealing With Aggressive Behavior In Your Cat or Why Cats Bite Their Owners
This was also very good: Ask Amy - Cat Attacks - How Can I Stop My Cat From Attacking Me
I really hope you guys find solutions, soon.

 

[kmes]

Sorry to be jumping in late here!

I do hope your mom is chosen for My Cat from Hell.

Just wanted to say that should your mom be willing to change up some things it sounds like this could perhaps be a manageable situation! And bringing in a pro could very well help make some major improvements. Find Dog, Cat, Parrot and Horse Behavior Consultants | IAABC

Though I certainly understand why euthanasia is being discussed. Only she can make the decision as to what would be best! I wish her a speedy recovery!

Should she decide to keep and work with her cat...
You said that this cat redirects when he sees another cat outside?
The easiest solution would be to put up some window cling to block his view. It's relatively cheap, removable, still allows light in, but blocks the view. Works really well for reactive dogs (as long as they are not also reactive to noises). Should help with cats as well. If your mom goes this route, she would likely want to add other types of mental stimulation (food puzzles, more play, etc.) to make up for what was lost.

Here's just one example. Window cling comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. And can be found at many different stores (Walmart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) both in actual stores and online.
Get the Artscape Window Film at an always low price from Walmart.com. Save money. Live better.

Also, really take a look around the yard to see what could be attracting strays. If there's anything attracting them (perhaps a garden they are using as a litterbox or a food source - could even be along the lines of a wood pile housing a bunch of chipmonks) remove it or make a change to make it less appealing. And the motion censored sprinklers really can work well! Just make sure that your mom has enough!

And no more holding/petting at windows! Will take a conscious effort to break the habit, but will greatly reduce the chances of him redirecting onto a person at the sight of another cat.

As for the fear based behavior with your mom's BF, BF's kid, and other guests...
I may have missed it, but has this cat ever really done damage to a visitor? Or has it been hissing and running away?
Your mom can easily put the cat away when she has guests. Keeps everyone safe and honestly it would be less stressful for the cat to be tucked away in your mom bedroom rather than pestered by guests.

Assuming she does bring in a pro (something I highly recommend should she choose to keep this cat), then she's likely to be doing a lot of counter conditioning (very similar to what you would be doing with a dog). As she is working with this cat and people, your mom would likely want to make sure there are plenty of high places and multiple escape routes (look at each space trying to think like a cat). Also managing guests by making sure no one does anything inappropriate. Basically they should just leave the cat alone. They could gently toss or drop treats should the cat show interest but I would make sure no one reaches out to touch him even if he approaches for a sniff. Guests should leave him be unless he actually seeks out attention (hopping into a lap, rubbing on legs and mewing, etc.) I would even go so far as to let people know how they should and should not pet him if he seeks out attention. If people cannot follow rules/direction then your mom should just get the cat and put him away. I wouldn't allow anyone to undo progress. It's better to just remove the cat entirely.

 

[Kwenami]

The problem is that it's being managed most of the time, and then she forgets and picks him up or something. I think it could be managed, hence a re-home would work with the right person, but the probability of her finding a home is slim and she just isn't the right home for him. It's too easy for her to make a mistake and forget, even when his body language is screaming 'don't come near me'. She just doesn't see it. Likewise with everyone else-they really don't see he's uncomfortable unless he's squirming to get away or hissing with his ears back and really demanding to be left alone. And there are kids around (not hers) and whatnot to worry about...

He's mostly hissing and running away at visitors but he's clawed at her bf too (though her bf doesn't exactly leave him alone, if he's being hissed at he tends to react vocally in a yelling or screaming manner whether he means to or not). He normally stays in her room or away when people come over on his own, and the one time I came over with Koda she was careful he was in there before I would even come in the house (ie he had no idea why he was locked up until after we left). We were also outside most of the time so he would mostly have been stressed about smells from lots of people rather than just her too

I think it IS a manageable situation but my mom forgets things like no tomorrow-I mean in this case she picked up her whining cat as it was looking outside and he was making a very distinct sound. She knows he has problems with this and STILL forgets that she can't pick him up when he's acting up a bit and in general his body language just isn't read correctly by my brother either. She can't trust him to not attack at 'random' moments, and she can't trust herself to watch carefully enough. Unfortunately it's looking near impossible to rehome him because of his past when there are so many cats in shelters too-an aggressive cat here is normally a death warrant pretty immediately because it's so easy to go get another and there are a million pregnant strays around (not saying this is the best solution it's just what people do).

 

[kmes]

I agree that he's not really a good candidate for re-homing. You're not likely to find a shelter or rescue willing to take him on. And chances of finding an appropriate home (one with a person experienced in dealing with feline behavior problems) is going to slim to none. Not with his history.

So your mom likely really only has a few options...
-Step up with management/prevention.
-Step up management/prevention AND hire a cat behaviorist to teach her how to work with and better read her cat.
-Unfortunately PTS.

It really does not sound like much management is going on nor do these attacks sound random...

Honestly there's not much sense in even applying for My Cat from Hell or hiring a cat behaviorist if your mom cannot or will not better manage and put in the work needed. Pro's can help but ultimately your mom has to do the work and make the necessary changes...

 

[Kwenami]

Yea, I know. She tries but she just doesn't pay enough attention-the first cat we had was mine, and I did all the training so he didn't really care no matter what you did to him. His mom was a stray and she gave birth in my closet, and let us handle the kittens at two days old (I was 12 at the time). I don't think this current cat got the same attention since we only had him after he was weaned.

I think my mom found him a home-I'm going with her to visit the lady. I'm not sure it's a suitable home but they're likely to manage him better than she does right now-or so I hope. My mom said she would pay for his food, litter, vet bills, etc 2 years but she needs to not be attached forever...so that she could find him a home...it also means she would see him again and take him back, though she didn't think to make a contract so I'm giving her a bunch of info now and making one for her. I'll be going with her so that counts for something I guess.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Kwenami]

That was rough Better than putting him down but rehoming is hard. I don't even live with him anymore...

The lady seemed nice and knew to not touch him etc. and what would work for management. She doesn't have anyone else living with her though she does have a surgery soon so her older daughter is going to be taking care of them a bit...

 

[Rain]

(((HUGS))) I learned how hard it is to give them up with Cat, the stray I rescued. He stayed with me for 2 weeks before I could get to the vet to have him scanned for a chip. He had a chip and it was so hard to leave him at the vet to await his owners coming. Knowing he was going to be safe and loved didn't make it much better, and I know it must be 10x harder for you with Fuzzy.

Will she keep y'all updated on how he's doing and maybe send pictures?

 

[Kwenami]

I asked her to, but I think she's a bit worried my mom will want her back because she started crying Plus my mom has to go again after a month to bring the rest of his food and litter etc for the year...and then again next year too....It's a weird agreement, but he'd have had zero chance of being adopted otherwise. I'm hoping she keeps us updated but I think it would never be enough-kind of how I keep Koda's old owners updated with her progress at some of the big milestones but try to not remind her too much of what she had to give up

I'm not even sure the lady knows entirely what she's getting herself into...she said she's had lots of cats before, but Fuzz is special in how scared he gets and how he copes. He HATES bathtubs and never jumps on the counters so of course the first thing he does when exploring is jumps on her counters and hide in the tub. I'm going to miss him...he was with us for 7 years...but my mom can't home him and there's no way I could help him out with how hyper Koda is. I hope it works out for him either way, and that my mom starts feeling better soon...she's never had to give up a pet before the same way or for reasons like this.

 

[harleyboysmom]

How bout adopting a kitty from rescue and giving to Mom. It may help.

 

[Kwenami]

She managed to take him back from the lady since she was having troubles with him adjusting. I'm not sure what's going on anymore. She wants to get him declawed to be safer (this is one of the few cases where I think it might actually be a good thing-he's never outside except on a leash and even that can change right now but the way he grabs onto people then bites them over and over wouldn't be possible anymore without claws).

SO. My mom seems to be trying really hard and has started seeing the positives to some of the nicer sides of training. He's old, and a cat, and it's going to be hard. I want to help her out and make her a list of things to do with regards to management and training and would LOVE your inputs on this one. I find I have an easier time training because I read body language a lot more easily-my mom doesn't She understands hissing, hiding under the couch. She doesn't understand different tones of meowing, calming signals (I'm actually not sure what the cat equivalent is for some of these though I noticed him doing lip-licks and his nose normally gets really wet when he's nervous and way over threshold..). She doesn't remember to not pick him up when he's acting funny (I'm seriously working on coming up with ways to help her change this one). A lot of it is habit and her being old, and her memory is very foggy about EVERYTHING not just this, so I need to help her retrain herself first to get into a few habits. I think she's willing to make the effort and she's been trying VERY hard lately to look into other options.

My mom likes reading articles, even if they're not very well backed (though obviously this is a preference for me). I'm looking for good ones on cat calming signals. Also anything relating to territorial anxiety and calming techniques-I'm guessing a lot will be similar to the dog stuff we're used to, but I'm not sure where to start looking for cat articles that are relevant (besides google).

The other thing I want to add to her list is management. Fuzz is locked in my old room now (my room has been taken over by a cat! LOL) all the time, but I think it's only necessary when there's visitors. Which is often enough, but not always. I want her to paper the windows so that Fuzz can't see the other cats, and I think this will make the biggest difference for him. I'll get her to do it with something other than paper because he'll kill paper but out front door has a homemade frosted and flowery design, she can use the same stuff likely. So 3 high windows and one glass sliding door.

As far as training goes..this is the hardest part. I need to train my mom, and my brother, and Fuzz, all from afar :S It's hard to do counter conditioning when you're not there. He doesn't typically get fed treats though she gives him treats from the kitchen table (maybe I can convince her to do this at other times?). To me he shows he's uncomfortable way sooner than he does anything, I think the main thing here is making sure they give him space and leave him alone when he's uncomfortable. So cat body language needs to be decoded better for them, and I'm not sure how to do so since it comes more naturally to me to just see how he's feeling. Also if I'm uncertain, I just leave him alone whereas they keep bugging him....so that needs to change the most.

Also, his meals are few to him twice daily in a bowl (with water) or else he doesn't drink, though I think both my mom and brother are feeding him so he's gotten pudgy since I've left...any ideas for this? I'm thinking of buying them a calendar for Christmas from the humane society and having them mark X's for when he was fed so they don't feed him twice. We'll see if they actually do this, though-he whines for food because he gets away with it. Koda is actually a good thing for fuzz too-instead of him getting a full liver from thanksgiving dinner etc, Koda gets most and he gets smaller portions.

Anything else I'm missing?