Darwin - something’s up.

Tasha & Darwin

Tasha & Darwin

Member Since 2017
Hi guys! Just posting here because I’m so upset, and know you guys will understand.

Something’s going on with Darwin. Last night he attacked me, unprovoked. My mom is staying with us over the weekend, but he was fine on Friday and Saturday morning - slept with her, acting normally. He likes people, and doesn’t get nervous or stressed with people staying over.

He started seeming a bit aggitated yesterday evening - hissed at me and my mom at one point, so we let him be. I walked by him later on his tower later on, and he hissed, lunged, and scratched me, and then took of running and growling. I got him into our kitty room to de-stress overnight, but this morning he is hissing and growling, and won’t let me near him.

I just gave him food, and he’s eating fine! He was going up and down his tower no problem - no limping or obvious pain. I can’t help but feel something is horribly wrong. He’s never acted like this!

I’m going to grab some new Feliway diffusers today, and see if I can coax him down. I’m thinking he needs a vet visit now, but I’m not sure how I’ll get him there :(:(
 
Bailey did that a few weeks ago. Biting and hissing at me. She was acting like a completely different cat. Lasted maybe two days?
Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started.

I hope Darwin is ok and settles down all on his own.
 
Hmmm.....

My first thought was Feliway, too. Does your mom wear any perfume or scented products? Have you changed any products that might contain scent or used anything (e.g., those salt diffusers that are popular, holistic essences) that might be a stimulus?

Does your mom have cats?

Is there any chance Darwin saw other cats outside and is behaving in a territorial way?

Are there any other symptoms? Is litter box behavior normal especially no yowling when he pees? Is he eating normally and is his activity level normal? Sometimes cats that develop hyperthyroid can get aggressive. Unfortunately, it sounds like you can't get near enough to him to check for things like a torn toenail. Remember, they are masters at hiding pain.
 
(((((Tasha))))
I'm sorry Darwin is not himself, my guy got like that when his teeth were bad, he was in so much pain I couldn't get near him, he would lash out and ran away from me as well.

Sienne asks some good questions, perhaps they'll ring some bells, I hope the feliway helps and you can figure it out.
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
My first thought was Feliway, too. Does your mom wear any perfume or scented products? Have you changed any products that might contain scent or used anything (e.g., those salt diffusers that are popular, holistic essences) that might be a stimulus?
Click to expand...
She doesn't wear anything scented. This DID spark something because I did diffuse a new essential oil Friday afternoon. I use veterinary essential oils, and funny enough, Darwin is the biggest fan of them. This one is supposed to be great for helping animal's deal with stress and emotional support, but perhaps he doesn't care for it? Though, he seemed calm and relaxed when it was diffusing ON Friday.

Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Does your mom have cats?


Is there any chance Darwin saw other cats outside and is behaving in a territorial way?
Click to expand...
She does not. She does have a dog, though. No outside cats in this area. He's never had a reaction like that to other animals, though. He is typically REALLY comfortable with new cats and dogs RIGHT away - he's an unusual cat in that way.

Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Are there any other symptoms? Is litter box behavior normal especially no yowling when he pees? Is he eating normally and is his activity level normal? Sometimes cats that develop hyperthyroid can get aggressive. Unfortunately, it sounds like you can't get near enough to him to check for things like a torn toenail. Remember, they are masters at hiding pain.
Click to expand...
No signs of urinary blockage - he's going just fine, and eating well. I actually JUST had his thyroid checked, however, because I was a little concerned that he was showing some beginning (subtle) signs of hypothyroidism. He HAS been more hyperactive lately, and has had an even more ravenous appetite/demanding his meals at 5:30am, and very vocal with us until the food is in his bowl, on the ground. I weighed him recently too, and he had not lost weight - of course one of the key symptoms of hyperthyroidism. His T-4 level was well within normal limits. BUT, after this outburst, I am curious if he might have emerging Hyperthyroidism, and this is just early? We see it often in cats at the clinic I'm a tech at, but haven't had any clients describe such extreme behavior change.

All that being said, we've just let him back out the kitty room, and he came up purring and rubbing at my legs. He seems completely normal! :rolleyes: No limping, nails seems fine. He has no teeth, so it's not dental pain. I may just let him calm down, and discuss checking a full thyroid panel with my doctor. Hmmm....

Thanks everyone for the kind words - it's been a REALLY upsetting 24 hours :blackeye:
 
Tasha Darwin & Ben said:
he came up purring and rubbing at my legs. He seems completely normal!
Click to expand...
Whew! :):bighug::cat:

Felix did something like that once. He's usually a very gentle, shy momma's baby, but one day he was yowling and hissing at me and lunging, trying to bite me. I was afraid something awful had happened in his brain and he wouldn't be ok. I managed to get him to the vet, where he was less frantic, but we noticed slight limping, although it seemed to change legs. The vet's best guess was a pinched nerve in his back.

Maybe it was something like that, or some kind of cramp? (Like if I get a cramp in my foot, it'll cramp several times for a couple days.) Anyway, vines for Darwin to continue to be his cheerful self.
 
Wow that was challenging. I'm glad to hear he reverted back to a sweet kitteh. Maybe he just got scared of something and stayed scared for awhile. If only our kittehs could talk.:bighug:
 
Gosh, Tasha, how scary! I'm so glad Darwin is back to his usual self. I also wonder if it was some kind of pain that has since gone away, or if it could have been something like a mini stroke. I'm sure you're going to discuss the incident with your vet, so hopefully he/she will have some insights. Please let us know if you find out anything!
 
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