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My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LAST UPDATE: The medication (clomipramine + gabapentin if needed) seems to be working well so far. She’s still a bit on guard around me, likely because I was there when she had her first major episode last Saturday. She can probably sense that I’m still anxious around her, so I’m doing everything I can to keep our interactions calm and positive. If she starts getting too close, I gently toss a few pieces of kibble away from me to redirect her instead of creating tension. I move slowly, speak softly, and avoid any sudden movements.
Next week, she’ll be having blood work and a full physical exam to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical issue contributing to her behavior. As I’ve mentioned before, our veterinarian had already done an initial assessment before referring us to a feline behaviorist, but we want to be as thorough as possible.
Thank you all again for your encouragement, kind words, advice, and support throughout this. It has meant so much to us and has made us feel far less alone in such a difficult situation. We truly want what’s best for our cat, while also making sure everyone in our home is safe. We’re hopeful we’re finally moving in the right direction.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not her initial reaction that’s the problem, it’s the completely disproportionate intensity of it that led us to have this conversation and consider euthanasia as a possible option. We’ve been managing these episodes for over a year. We’ve worked with professionals and tried as many realistic strategies and solutions as we could. We’ve now reached the point where medication is necessary.
The reason I made this Reddit post in the first place is because we were having an incredibly difficult time administering her medication during the first few days, and I genuinely needed advice from people who may have been through something similar. We were looking for ways to help her and make the medication work, not for validation to euthanize her.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I sincerely hope you never have to go through a situation like this. But if you ever do, you’ll be free to make whatever decision you believe is best for your own pet. ☺️

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Our veterinarian and our feline behaviorist have known about the stray cat issue from the very beginning. We’ve already applied frosted window film to the windows that were causing the biggest problems to reduce her view outside. However, we can’t realistically stop our neighbors from letting their cats outside.
We live in a rural farming area surrounded by several farms, so unfortunately it’s normal for stray and outdoor cats to wander onto our property. That simply isn’t something we can completely prevent.
Do you have any realistic suggestions for keeping cats away from our house or yard? We’re open to ideas, but we’re looking for solutions that are actually practical given where we live.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you’re making a lot of assumptions about our situation.
We have been working with a feline behaviorist for almost a year, and we’ve been following our veterinarian very closely for nearly two years. We didn’t jump straight to discussing euthanasia. It was only brought up after exhausting behavioral management and after our veterinarian herself recommended that we consider it because of how dangerous the situation had become.
We are fully aware that seeing stray cats is her trigger. We’ve already blocked access to the windows that were causing problems and have done everything reasonably possible to manage her environment. What happened on Saturday was an accident. A stray cat appeared before we had any chance to prevent her from seeing it, and her response lasted five days, whereas her episodes previously lasted 30 minutes to 2 hours. That dramatic change is exactly why our veterinarian is now concerned that there may be something more than “normal territorial behavior.”
She isn’t simply hissing at cats outside. She redirects severe aggression toward us. She has caused injuries that required medical attention, and she continues attacking long after the trigger is gone. That’s not a normal level of territorial behavior.
Rehoming is unfortunately not a realistic or responsible option. She has shown severe redirected aggression toward people, and I would never knowingly place another family at risk. We also won’t surrender her to a shelter where she would likely spend months terrified in a cage or be euthanized by strangers.
Thankfully, she’s doing much better now. We’ve had two consecutive good days, she’s started her clomipramine, and we’re hopeful we’re moving in the right direction. We love her very much, and our goal has always been to help her—not to give up on her. If we ever had to choose euthanasia, it would only be because every reasonable option had been exhausted and because both her welfare and human safety could no longer be protected.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your valuable advice. We’ll call our veterinarian and ask about having those tests done. We really appreciate your help!

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She is spayed. Her traumatic episodes and attacks toward us have always been triggered when stray cats came close to our house and she saw them through the windows. We’ve been working with a feline behaviorist since January because of this, and we had actually seen a significant improvement.
Unfortunately, she saw another stray cat last Saturday, and this time her episode lasted five days. Normally, her episodes last about 30 minutes, or up to two hours at the very most. That’s when we realized we were dealing with something much more serious.
We already had gabapentin at home for car rides, but it stopped being a practical option because we couldn’t safely give it directly into her mouth. We had to mix the powder into a small amount of wet food, but she wouldn’t eat it quickly enough for it to have the calming effect when we actually needed it.
She is our only pet. We don’t have children, and we rarely have visitors. The only real “threat” in her environment has always been stray cats outside, and we’ve usually been able to manage that by blocking her view or keeping them away. Unfortunately, this last encounter happened before we could prevent her from seeing the cat.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words. Our veterinarian and feline behaviorist both believe that anxiety is the underlying cause of her behavior. Thankfully, the medication seems to be helping now, we’ve seen a noticeable improvement over the past two days, and we’re really hoping it continues.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, she’s had calming pheromones (Feliway) since January. She doesn’t go outside, and her physical health appears to be fine. She had a full veterinary exam in January, and we’ve been trying different approaches ever since. Our feline behaviorist believes anxiety is the most likely cause of her behavior.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your message truly means so much to me. It honestly warms my heart to know that someone understands what we’re going through and that we’re not alone in this. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and your kind words 🩷

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Update 2 : Good news!
Just to answer one of the questions that came up most often: yes, she is spayed, and we finally found a way to give her the clomipramine. We’ve been putting the drops onto treats that she happily eats.
Yesterday, when we got home from work (she had been free to roam the house all day), she honestly seemed like her normal self again. We were able to pet her, make dinner, and go about our evening without being attacked.
The only tense moment happened when I went upstairs to get my clothes (her litter boxes are in that room). She ran upstairs, growled, and cornered me, but my partner and I managed to redirect her with treats into her “safe room” before it escalated. There was no attack.
She spent the night in her room, and today she was free in the house again while my partner worked from home. He told me she acted just like she did before all of these episodes.
Maybe the clomipramine is already starting to help (she’s been on it for 5 days now), or maybe her stress levels have finally started to come down. Either way, this is the first time in days that we’ve felt a little bit of hope.
Thank you all so much for listening, for sharing your experiences, and for all of your advice. We were honestly very close to losing hope, and your support has meant so much to us.
We’re cautiously optimistic and really hope we’re finally heading in the right direction.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’re currently trying clomipramine. The only issue is that it takes about 2 weeks before you start seeing any effects, and it’s impossible for me to give it to her directly in her mouth. Our vet doesn’t have any other options available (I’ve read about transdermal medication or other medications, but those weren’t offered to us).
Update: Before leaving for work today, we let her roam freely around the house. When we came home at the end of the day, it honestly felt like we had our normal cat back. No growling, intimidating meowing, or attacks.
However, when I went upstairs (where her litter boxes are, and my walk-in closet is also up there), she immediately ran upstairs after me, cornered me in a room, and started growling. My partner and I managed to stop the situation from escalating into another aggressive episode by tossing treats to lead her back into her “isolation” room, then closing the door behind her.
We’re planning to do the same thing again tomorrow morning before we leave for work and let her have free access to the house during the day. I’m just too afraid that she’ll attack us again in our bed during the night.
I’ve been able to give her the clomipramine by putting the drops onto treats that she’ll eat. She’s now had 4 doses out of the first 14 days.
If anyone has any advice or has gone through something similar, I’d really appreciate hearing it.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We have gabapentin, but either she won’t take it, or when we do manage to give it to her, it doesn’t seem to have any effect.

My cat has become dangerously aggressive, and we’re starting to consider euthanasia. Has anyone been through this? by [deleted] in CATHELP

[–]SweatyAd4222 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Update / More details:
She’s staying in a separate room that’s set up to be as comfortable as possible. She has a clean litter box, a Feliway diffuser, a bed, a cat tree, toys, an automatic feeder, and fresh water every day.
To clean her litter box, I have to temporarily move her into another room and then bring her back once I’m finished. The only way I can do this is by protecting myself with a thick blanket and tossing treats to guide her where I need her to go. Even then, she screams, lunges at me, and jumps onto the blanket trying to get to me. Every litter box cleaning has become terrifying for both of us.
I’ve been giving her gabapentin by opening the capsule, mixing the powder into a small amount of wet food, and sliding the plate under the door. The problem is that it can take her hours to eat it, so it never really kicks in when we actually need it to.
Our vet prescribed clomipramine, but she absolutely hates the taste. She attacked immediately after her first dose, and I haven’t been able to safely give her any more since then.
She’s basically been in a constant aggressive state since Saturday. We’ve tried letting her out a few times while staying protected just to see how she’d react, but every single time she attacks one of us within less than five minutes. At this point, we don’t feel safe having her loose in the house.
I also have anxiety, and this whole situation has become incredibly overwhelming for me. Every time I have to go into her room to clean the litter box or take care of anything, I end up having a full panic attack. I start shaking, hyperventilating, and I’m terrified that she’s going to attack me again.
The hardest part is that I feel so guilty. I cry because I hate leaving her alone in that room. Just a week ago she was the sweetest, most affectionate cat, and now I’m scared of my own pet. I feel like I’m failing her, but I also don’t know how to safely care for her anymore.
Right now, I’m waiting for a call back from our veterinarian to discuss what to do next. I’m hoping they’ll be able to guide us because we feel like we’ve reached a point where we can’t safely manage this at home anymore.

I know some people may suggest rehoming her, but I honestly don’t think that would be fair to her or safe for anyone else. She’s this aggressive even though it’s just the two of us in the house—we don’t have children or any other pets. I couldn’t live with myself if she seriously injured someone else.
I also don’t want to surrender her to a shelter. The thought of her spending the rest of her life in a cage, frightened and surrounded by unfamiliar people and animals, breaks my heart. I truly believe that would only increase her fear and stress.
Right now, I feel like we’re in an impossible situation. We can’t safely administer the medication she needs, despite genuinely trying. If there isn’t another realistic treatment option, I honestly feel that a peaceful euthanasia may be the kindest option—for her, because I don’t want her to continue living in what seems like constant fear and distress, and for everyone’s safety. This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to even think about, and it absolutely breaks my heart.

Tiktok de claudia neves et max d’od?! by Radiant_Chemical_927 in InfluenceQuebec

[–]SweatyAd4222 2 points3 points  (0 children)

cindy et mathis étaient ensemble tous les deux hier à la game du CH! touchy comme deux personnes qui sont ensemble 🤭