Please Help

[yoko]

I'm not really a cat person so I don't know too much about them.

But could you go over and help put some soft paws on him? It won't help with the biting but it would definitely help with the scratching.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by sassafras

When cats attack "at random" I almost always think of displaced aggression first. That is, something else is making him pissed off but your grandma happens to be in his way. It may be impossible to figure out exactly what's setting him off as it could be a sound, a sight out the windows, or god only knows what going on.

For short term emergency management, I would get him a "sanitary" clip - just shave off all his butt/pantaloon hair so at least he's not crusty. And get a Feliway diffuser to help him chill out a little bit. Those things should at least help a little until you can get a more permanent solution figured out with the rescue/vet situation.

I never even considered that, so thank you. Have you heard good things about the diffusers? I know they are quite expensive as we used to sell them in my store but I always sort of doubted their effectiveness. If you have heard they work though I would definitely be willing to try that.

Originally Posted by yoko

I'm not really a cat person so I don't know too much about them.

But could you go over and help put some soft paws on him? It won't help with the biting but it would definitely help with the scratching.

Soft paws, good idea. I think he bit her last time but she definitely has scratches too so if that improves things we are willing to try it. Even a few things so at least he quits attacking (and doing damage) would make a world of difference.

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by ~Tucker&Me~

I never even considered that, so thank you. Have you heard good things about the diffusers? I know they are quite expensive as we used to sell them in my store but I always sort of doubted their effectiveness. If you have heard they work though I would definitely be willing to try that.

They don't always work, but IME they work more often than not. Often enough to make it worth trying.

[BigDogBuford]

Can bites can be quite dangerous so make sure your gran is looking after herself. What a horrid situation for all involved. It does sound like a poor fit for everyone.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by BigDogBuford

Can bites can be quite dangerous so make sure your gran is looking after herself. What a horrid situation for all involved. It does sound like a poor fit for everyone.

When she called crying after the last one I went over and cleaned up the marks with hydrogen peroxide and polysporin. I have heard they can be dangerous so I did the best I could to prevent infection and it seems to be healing ok without signs of anything going awry. We will keep an eye on it though, thanks for the heads up. Hopefully we can figure something out so she doesn't have to worry about it happening again.

[BigDogBuford]

I'm no doctor but a good dead sea salt soak can work really well for animal bites. As hot of water as is tolerable and a good pinch of dead sea salts (or Epsom salt) for 15-20 minutes is good at drawing out the nasty stuff. Any red streaks, fever etc should mean a prompt trip to the doc though.

[Kilter]

I would certainly contact the agency and let them know your concerns first of all. Sounds like a bad matchup if the cat is aggressive, and the fecal matter is not a good thing for the bed etc...

They may also be able to put you in contact with a diffuser and a groomer at a reduced cost too.

[Fran27]

I'd contact the rescue right away. My mom got bitten by a cat once and it got very infected and she couldn't use her hand for a few months. You really don't want to take the risk at her age (and I'd definitely keep an eye on her wounds and be ready to go to the doctor to get her some antibiotics).

[Romy]

Just a heads up, if your grandma is diabetic she shouldn't use epsom salts. Otherwise they are great for cat bites.

It sounds like her cat is a relative of mine.

Inappropriate vomiting and bathroom habits... We finally had no choice but to make her an outside cat. She'd pee in my lap, poop on my shoes while I was wearing them, once she decided to puke on Samuel's stomach. Of ALL the surfaces in the house to puke on, whhhyyy did it have to be the baby?!?

It was so unhygienic, and unfortunately we never did figure out why or how to stop the behavior. So she's outside and it's so much better not having to deal with gross excremental stuff from the cat inside our house. I'm sorry this isn't that helpful to your gran, but it was the only solution we found.

Our cat also randomly attacks me. She's mellowed out a lot, but it was really bad for the first three years and she inflicted some really nasty injuries. She's fine with the kids though. I think her being outside really helped, because it was almost like she felt trapped indoors and when she got nervous she'd just freak out, fly out behind something and bit me. Ever since she's been an outdoor cat if I'm nearby and she has a weird episode she just ends up fleeing, and later is fine.

She also has horrible hygiene. It's been that way since she was a kitten. Her tail is crusty and eww. I won't go into more details but it grossed me out when she'd lay on the bed or other furniture. We never figured out how to help her be cleaner. And she's even a short hair.

This is really hard, but I think Fran is right. The rescue needs to take responsibility for making such a poor placement. It's putting your grandma's health at risk.

She probably would benefit from having a more balanced, normal cat. To prevent it from happening again, you could maybe find one for her and you or someone in your family could foster it for her in your home for a while to make sure there are no weird medical issues, dangerous behavioral issues, and that the cat has normal cat hygiene.