[Stephie]

Poor Toby had to go to the vets today after he got into a fight with the cat next door. I have my garden cat proofed to stop Willow and Toby getting out but somehow this boy next door got in and then couldn't get out again and he and Toby got into a big scrap.

Toby is generally an indoor pampered cat and got a complete duffing from the other one before I could separate them. One of his claws was completely ripped off and he also has a deep cut just above his paw which required two stiches. i couldn't beleive how much blood there was, thank goodness it wasn't worse - I thought it was when I saw the blood.

My poor boy, he was so shaken up. He is home now and has had an antibiotic and anti inflammatory injection as well and has slept for the past few hours, I hope he won't be too traumatised by this. I certainly am.

 

[melysion]

Oh no!!! Poor Tobe!!!

I hope he feels better soon. Give him lots of petting from me.

 

[Leazie]

The poor boy! Hugs and love to both of you.

 

[Jeanie]

Poor baby! His sister would probably have knocked that neighbor cat to kingdom come!
Give him lots of hugs and kisses from Aunt Jeanie. ((Toby))

 

[Huge2]

Sounds nasty, glad it wasn't as serious as you feared.
Peggy has absolutely no problem standing on her own four paws, but I do worry occasionally. Especially as there are a couple of new cats in the road.

 

[Stephie]

Thanks everyone - he is sleeping lots and getting a lot of cuddles but still seems a bit out of sorts

Poor baby! His sister would probably have knocked that neighbor cat to kingdom come!
Give him lots of hugs and kisses from Aunt Jeanie. ((Toby))

Funnily enough Jeanie, Willow ran right inside and hid, This was a big cat and I think Toby was protecting her .

 

[gunterkat]

Poor Toby! Give him lots of warm cuddles and treats for me.
I hope he's not too traumatized, and feels better soon. atback

 

[Jeanie]

What a little gentleman he was, to try to protect his sister. Poor baby.

And hugs for Meowmie Stephie too. (((Stephie))) atback

 

[DesnBaby]

I hope Toby will be alright.

 

[Xanti]

Poor kitty, I hope he feels better soon.

That reminds me of when I was a kid, my parents had 2 cats. One was a very timid cat and was always getting verbally bullied by the next door's terrier...it would scare the life out of him when he started barking at him.

The second cat my mum took in as a stray and was very streetwise and not scared of anything.

One day it seemed he had enough of the terrier and while it was standing against our fence barking, he went up to it and through the holes in the fence slapped him around. That sopped the lil thing from barking at them!

 

[RachandNito]

Poor Toby! Good thing you took him to the vet. My Elfie got bit on the head once, and it was just a little cut so no one noticed it until it got infected and formed a huge nasty abcess that popped and oozed everywhere. Ew, it was nasty. He had to get a tube put under his skin, and his whole head shaved bald. He looked pretty funky for a while there!

Now, Lil'Fella, he's the big boy who beats up other cats. Most of the time he just poofs up, arches his back, and turns so his side is facing the opponent and they can see just how big he is. They usually go running after that.

 

[Lisa 216]

Aww, poor Toby That rascal was probably jealous of Toby's good looks :wink: I hope the poor boy is feeling like himself again soon. And poor Stephie, you must be awfully upset, too. Hugs to both of you.

 

[Stephie]

Things have been a bit off with Toby since his duffing from the cat next door. Physically, he is all better. Had his stiches removed and is all ok but personality wise he is completely out of sorts. He keeps attacking Willow and has become really growly with her. I think it might be some redirected aggression and I am not really sure how to deal with it - any suggestions?

 

[gunterkat]

Do you have some toys that he can take his aggression out on? Just to let him play 'till he's all tuckered out might help him. And you could try a Feliway spray or diffuser.

 

[Jeanie]

The poor boy has lost faith in other cats. It's redirected aggression, I imagine. I hope this helps:

The following three points are common factors in redirected aggression.

1. It can take a long period, even a few months, to recover its composure. The stronger the trigger for a level of arousal or stimulus, the longer it takes to recover.

2. If a cat keeps living in the same environment as the location of the event, the tension stays at the same level and the threshold for fear and arousal will be lowered. As a result, the trigger may be likely to be generalized to anything in the environment.

3. Repeated exposure to the stimulus, which provokes the emotional response, consciously or unconsciously, reinforces the panic response and its prognosis becomes poor.

Considering these points, the treatment will be to:

1. First of all, ensure enough security for family members by confining or isolating the cat, because its threshold for fear and aggression is low.

2. Provide consistent desensitization and counter conditioning to the original trigger (if it can be identified) and to the environment of the event and or the triggers of the secondary fear response.

3. Use antianxiety drugs (e.g., Clomipramne, Amitriptyline, Buspirone, Fluoxetine) if it is possible to medicate the cat. However, it is generally more difficult to medicate an aggressive nervous cat.(5)

Treatment of redirected aggression is difficult because the stimulus for the aggression is unavailable and most owners do not have appropriate information about feline normal behavior. To prevent disruption of the cat and owner bond, it is important for veterinarians to advise the owners about normal feline behavior and how to deal with redirected aggression.

REFERENCES ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

The rest of the article:

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Pr ... R00030.htm

 

[gunterkat]

That article is good, and I'd add lots of bonding activities, like interactive play, and snuggling with Toby while he's sleeping, if the area he's sleeping in allows it. Strengthening your bond with Toby will help him win back his self confidence, which will go a long way toward defusing his redirected aggression.
Lots and lots of cuddles and treats, too!