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Hello everyone. I have a nine year old male cat that is neutered. He is 14.5 pounds which the vet said was perfect for him and he has no other diagnosed issues other than feline asthma. He is not receiving treatment for asthma because I was told he would develop diabetes if he continued with the oral medication or steroid shots. The oral medication wasn't preferable. He still coughed, but with the steroid shot he didn't cough for 3 months. The vet really wanted me to keep him on the steroid inhaler as it wouldn't cause side effects but it was very expensive. Nearly $500 every two months. I tried it once and even that didn't work. The vet said I should keep trying it because it takes time for the medication to work but I did not have the money available. The vet convinced me to switch to the oral tablets since it was a lower dosage than the steroid shot.
This past summer I decided not to continue with the oral medication because I did not want the cat to develop diabetes which the vet was certain would happen. They didn't even seem to work that well. I instead focused on keeping the house very clean and switching his litter to a dust free brand. I also focused on him losing weight which has improved his condition. At his worst point, his gums were blue during one of his coughing fits and I was afraid he would suffocate (which led me to purchase the $500 inhaler). He coughs and wheezes throughout the day but has not come close to experiencing the blue gums I mentioned earlier. I believe his weight loss has helped with the severe coughing fits but now he has developed aggression. He has always been a little irritable but we always respected his space and so everything was fine.
He has now started actively seeking me out to lunge at me. It started with him waiting to attack me until I had my back turned and I wasn't looking. The first time he did it he was meowing for me to feed him by the kitchen but I ignored him because it wasn't meal time. That is what all the advice online says if your cat is demonstrating unwanted behavior: "Ignore him so he gets the message." Wrong. I was getting ready to leave the house in that moment when I felt my cat lunge himself at me. I had scratches that day through my clothes, no bite though. I was shocked because it hurt so badly. He used a lot of his force to make sure he hurt me. A few months has passed and he has since chased me out the front door, lunged and bitten me while I was sitting on the couch and minding my own business, and now doesn't care if I am looking straight at him, he will still lunge. Sometimes I have been able to fend him off with a pillow in between him and I, but it's still scary because he tries to come back around and get me again.
I thought the aggressive behavior was due to him wanting more food but now I don't think so. I can easily take away his food bowl and put it down with no consequence. He is lashing out at me because he is frustrated with something. He has also eaten and then come over to lunge at me and bite. Obviously his attacks have changed the relationship dynamic: I don't give him as much attention anymore because I'm afraid of him. I have had to move him into the guest bedroom because if he is free roaming the house, the behavior starts up again. Today I went into the bedroom to give him pets, and he was nothing but kind. But I know as soon as I get him outside in the general living space he will start back up again within a few days. I know he is unhappy in the guest bedroom because he cries and tries to open the door, but I can't take him out anymore because I don't want to risk getting bit while I'm pregnant.
It has gotten to the point where I have been looking to re-home him but no one I talk to wants him because of the unprovoked aggression. The last time he lunged for me was really scary because I was sitting down and he went for my stomach, not even my leg which was much closer to him, and would have been a better target. I even called the animal shelter as the last resort and when I was honest with them they said they couldn't take him because of his behavior. She suggested I take him to the vet which is what I am doing this weekend.
The cat is not a bad cat. He is absolutely fine with my husband and my mother, literally anyone else who comes in the house. He's even perfect at the vet and everyone always gushes over him. I even have a hard time believing this behavior is happening because there are times when he is nothing but friendly and wants to be near me. But the thing is, I just don't trust him anymore because in the past when I have trusted him, he's attacked me.
Aside from take him to the vet this weekend, what do I do?
This past summer I decided not to continue with the oral medication because I did not want the cat to develop diabetes which the vet was certain would happen. They didn't even seem to work that well. I instead focused on keeping the house very clean and switching his litter to a dust free brand. I also focused on him losing weight which has improved his condition. At his worst point, his gums were blue during one of his coughing fits and I was afraid he would suffocate (which led me to purchase the $500 inhaler). He coughs and wheezes throughout the day but has not come close to experiencing the blue gums I mentioned earlier. I believe his weight loss has helped with the severe coughing fits but now he has developed aggression. He has always been a little irritable but we always respected his space and so everything was fine.
He has now started actively seeking me out to lunge at me. It started with him waiting to attack me until I had my back turned and I wasn't looking. The first time he did it he was meowing for me to feed him by the kitchen but I ignored him because it wasn't meal time. That is what all the advice online says if your cat is demonstrating unwanted behavior: "Ignore him so he gets the message." Wrong. I was getting ready to leave the house in that moment when I felt my cat lunge himself at me. I had scratches that day through my clothes, no bite though. I was shocked because it hurt so badly. He used a lot of his force to make sure he hurt me. A few months has passed and he has since chased me out the front door, lunged and bitten me while I was sitting on the couch and minding my own business, and now doesn't care if I am looking straight at him, he will still lunge. Sometimes I have been able to fend him off with a pillow in between him and I, but it's still scary because he tries to come back around and get me again.
I thought the aggressive behavior was due to him wanting more food but now I don't think so. I can easily take away his food bowl and put it down with no consequence. He is lashing out at me because he is frustrated with something. He has also eaten and then come over to lunge at me and bite. Obviously his attacks have changed the relationship dynamic: I don't give him as much attention anymore because I'm afraid of him. I have had to move him into the guest bedroom because if he is free roaming the house, the behavior starts up again. Today I went into the bedroom to give him pets, and he was nothing but kind. But I know as soon as I get him outside in the general living space he will start back up again within a few days. I know he is unhappy in the guest bedroom because he cries and tries to open the door, but I can't take him out anymore because I don't want to risk getting bit while I'm pregnant.
It has gotten to the point where I have been looking to re-home him but no one I talk to wants him because of the unprovoked aggression. The last time he lunged for me was really scary because I was sitting down and he went for my stomach, not even my leg which was much closer to him, and would have been a better target. I even called the animal shelter as the last resort and when I was honest with them they said they couldn't take him because of his behavior. She suggested I take him to the vet which is what I am doing this weekend.
The cat is not a bad cat. He is absolutely fine with my husband and my mother, literally anyone else who comes in the house. He's even perfect at the vet and everyone always gushes over him. I even have a hard time believing this behavior is happening because there are times when he is nothing but friendly and wants to be near me. But the thing is, I just don't trust him anymore because in the past when I have trusted him, he's attacked me.
Aside from take him to the vet this weekend, what do I do?