"Phil P." wrote in message
...

"Paul M. Cook" wrote in message
...
About 10 days ago a skinny little tabby kitten came running up to me like
he
knew me his whole life (8 months or so). He wanted to be friends so I
took
him in and he took to my place very quickly. My other 3 cats were pretty
cool with it though my 2 year old female cat put him in his place often.
He
seemed to take it as well as could be expected.

So last Saturday my big adult male cat Jack got all worked up seeing a
stray
cat in the yard. He huffed and puffed trying to push through the window
glass then assaulted the youngster and beat him up pretty badly.


That's called redirected aggression. It happens when a cat gets worked up
from seeing another cat that he can't get at- so he attacks a cat or even
human that is close to him.


Tonight I
called the vet because he was not coming around. He is depressed. He
doesn't want to socialize or play - not even the squeaky mouse toy which
he
could hardly put down before this happened.


That's not unusual after an attack- especially if the attack was traumatic
for the victim. There's also a possibility the victim will develop a fear
of
the attacker and become defensively aggressive towards him whenever he
sees
him. So, be on the lookout for future fights and try to head them off
before
they start. If you see a fight brewing, don't try to touch either cat.
Instead, try to break their concentration with a loud noise. If you
absolutely must separate them, use blanket or towel. In this state of
arousal, either cat can inflict serious injuries to each other and you.
Remember, if one of them bites you and the wound requires medical
attention,
the doctor or hospital is required by law report the incident to the
health
department. If you don't don't have current rabies certificates, the cat
could (probably) be quarantined- usually in the municipal or county
shelter
for 10 days. Whenever I get bit, I always say the cat was a stray I never
saw before or after.


They found a small abscess and
drained it and treated him for ear mites. Also took blood for his tests.
But now his personality is completely gone and has been for 3 days now.

Well things have gone from bad to worse. He wants nothing to do with me
and
tosses a fit when I try to pet him. He growls and hisses fiercely at me
when I pick him up. He truly hates me. He is seeing me as a threat and
an
enemy. He took the vet visit fairly well, though. They had no trouble
handling him and he was quiet the whole time. But now here at home, he
wants nothing to do with me at all. I just gave him his Amoxy drops and
he
tolerated it but the howling and hissing was breaking my heart.

I suppose he must be a sensitive little guy. He is not as resilient as
most
other cats I have known and kept. Is there hope for a reconciliation?
Do
these things become permanent and they hate you for life? He just is so
depressed and miserable and now so am I. For now he has a comfy room all
to
himself with food and a litterbox and soft places to sleep. I've just
never
known them to be this way for this long, a few hours sure, but not 3
days.
Granted we have not bonded and he's only been with me for less than 2
weeks.

Give him some time. Don't force yourself on him or try to pet or hold him
for awhile. When you go into feed him, just hang out with him for awhile.
Sit or lie down on the floor and read a book or take a nap or something.
Just don't make any moves towards him. Don't stare at him or make direct
eye contact for more a second or two. When you look at him, take long
blinks
and turn your head away. Give him a lot of treats. He'll come around when
he ready.

How's the situation between him and the attacker?

Jack is a really good cat, but he does have this thing about redirected
aggression. He is cool with the little guy and gives him no other trouble.
Salvador, the kitten, is pretty scared of him. He recognizes his aggressor.

We're doing better tonight. He is slowly coming around. His personality is
showing signs of coming back. He's not his exuberant and joyful self yet,
but this is good progress. I guess I have a sensitive kitty on my hands.
I'll just have to be very careful to supervise them for the time being. For
now, Sal goes in the bedroom when I have to go out. He doesn't seem to
mind, in fact I think he likes the feeling of safety. I'm thinking that
abscess must have hurt a lot so now that it's on the mend perhaps his
spirits will improve and surely getting rid of those ear mites is bound to
be helping. At least he's easy to get the medicine into.

He's being more social tonight. No play but he's here with me watching TV
and keeping a cautious eye on the others.

Paul


Phil