Sudden cat aggression: Why is my friendly cat attacking my husband?

I hate to hear that. This situation can very very stressful and it's hard to know why this is happening. It's possible Kyo is sick and his odor has changed. It may be worthwhile to have him examined by the veterinarian to make sure everything is ok. It's also possible the cats are seeing or smelling another cats outside and this is causing stress and bullying behavior. Wipe down doorways and windows to eliminate odors. Here are a couple articles to help with cat aggression and stress: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-handle-an-aggressive-cat/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/causes-of-stress-in-cats/ You can help relieve stress by setting aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play for each aggressive cat, provide climbing opportunities with cat shelves and cats treats, use a pheromone diffuser and provide separate litterbox and feeding stations. Lastly, your veterinarian can provide medications or a special diet called Calm which may help the cats. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

A sudden change in behavior may have, at its root, injury or infection. Ideally, Rostom should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose and treat any medical causes for his sudden aggression. Neutering him should be strongly considered as testosterone can be a driving force behind aggressive behaviors. Once medical causes have been ruled out, you can address behavioral concerns such as stress or anxiety. A pheromone product, such as Feliway Spray or plug in diffusers, may help decrease any aggression or anxiety. A gradual desensitization to loud noises can also be done to lessen Rostom's response to them.

That must have been very scary for you! Yes, I would be very concerned about Boo Bear attacking you viciously, especially if this is out of character for him. I'm not sure what his vaccination status is, but (not to scare you but to put the fact out there), sudden aggressiveness can be a sign of rabies. If he isn't vaccinated against rabies and is allowed to go outdoors, then I would be concerned rabies is a possibility. I would take him into a vet immediately if he isn't vaccinated and allowed outdoors, and you should see a doctor as well as soon as possible. Cats have a lot of nasty bacteria in their mouth, and you can get a terrible infection from the bite. You need to be on antibiotics now to prevent this. Other causes of his sudden aggression could be hormone related (I see he isn't neutered and he could be acting territorially), or a medical illness such as pain, an injury, or systemic illness. If he is up to date on his rabies and isn't allowed outside, then I would take him to the vet first thing in the morning. He should be examined by a vet to make sure there isn't a medical cause behind this sudden aggressive behavior. If it is hormone related, then I would have him neutered to help with that.

Oh my, that is strange that Stan has suddenly become aggressive! A sudden change in behavior from the normal can signal a medial problem. Cats who are sick or are in pain can become aggressive to other animals and their humans. I would have Stan seen by a vet today or first thing tomorrow. The vet can give him a physical exam, blood tests, a urinalysis, and possibly other tests such as an x-ray to diagnose if there is a medical illness causing his aggression. If one is found, the vet can discuss treatment with you. If one is ruled out, I will give you a method to help them get along again. I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take Stan, and put his in his own room with his own food, water, and litter box. Keep the door closed, and for a few days, feed them both treats on other side of door so they associate each other's smell with a good experience. Then let the other cat into Stan's room while he is in a cat carrier. They can smell each other, but not be in contact. If either becomes upset or show signs of aggression, remove the second cat from the room, and try again later. Praise them when they interact appropriately. When they are interacting well with each other through the carrier, you can let Stan out of his room, and see how he interacts with the other cat. Praise them when they interact appropriately, and separate them with any sign of aggression or upset. I would get a cat tree with lots of shelves to give the cats vertical space to get away from each other. I would keep Stan in his room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other.

The first thing I would do for now is put Attila in a room by herself with a litter box, food and water bowls, comfortable resting places, etc. and leave her alone for the next few days apart from coming in briefly to refill her food and water and change her litter. When cats become upset and aggressive like this, for whatever reason, it can take up to a week for them to fully calm down and return to normal - until then, it's best to leave her completely alone and give her plenty of space. Some cats can have serious aggression issues that are triggered by a strange or scary noise, an unusual smell, or anything else that startles them. It's possible that Attila may have had a scary dream that frightened her, or she could be painful due to a pinched nerve, arthritis, or some other issue that may have been aggravated by petting. If she calms down over the next few days and things return to normal with no further problems, you may not need to do anything else. If she is still acting aggressive a week from now, or if this becomes a recurring problem for her in the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist - he/she can evaluate Attila in person and help you determine what may be triggering these episodes, and will also give you some specific suggestions for managing her when this happens. Prescription medication is helpful for some cats with aggression issues, so this is something that could be discussed also. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Carlos. Sounds like you have tried a lot of things with no results. I think it's time to take Carlos to your veterinarian. They can collect a history, perform an examination and advise you on any diagnostics or treatment based on their findings. It's possible a medical problem is driving this aggression. Blood/urine/fecal tests and maybe some x-rays could help rule out a medical reason. If no medical problem is identified, a behavioral problem can be addressed. With cats, this will involve some form of medication and maybe some behavior modification. There are some medications we use for aggression in cats. Prozac, Buspar, Xanax, are among some of them. Again, I would advise taking Carlos to your vet to try to get a handle on this behavior. Good luck

Hello. The biggest problem is trying to identify or understand what set Daisy off. Perhaps an odor or sound, or she may have sensed another cat outdoors that frightened her. Since it can be difficult to know, the best thing to do is be proactive. I would immediately purchase a couple of Feliway room diffusers & put them in the room the incident occurred, & any other rooms Daisy frequents. Feliway emits a cat appeasing pheromone which can calm a nervous kitty. You can buy these online or at most pet retailers. Start with this along with a good physical exam by your veterinarian. It is possible that she could have an underlying condition like arthritis or even a urinary tract infection that caused her significant pain. Hopefully, this will never happen again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.