My Cats Mean Streak

Question
Dear Jessica,

I have a very bad behavioral problem with my 10 month old tabby cat Remy. I have had him since he was a kitten and he is a very independent cat. My boyfriend Jordan raised him for the first month or so of his life, because his cat Tigger birthed a litter of kittens, of which he was a part of. Jordan kept the runt of the litter while the other two were killed by neighborhood dogs not a week after they were born, and Jordan saved Remy and the other kitten before they were hurt, but Remy doesn't seem to remember it, probably because his eyes weren't open yet. I took him home with me maybe 3 months after he was born. At first, Remy acted normally around Jordan, and once Jordan went back to college in the fall and was coming to my house less frequently, Remy began to act very hostile toward him, hissing, batting, and growling violently at him. Jordan did once hiss back at him, to be funny, but I think that Remy may have taken it as a threat and has never forgotten it (I jumped on to Jordan for it, by the way). Since then however, Jordan has been very nice to Remy, and has tried to bond with him by playing with him, feeding him, and talking to him, but Remy still hates him. Jordan has even started coming over to spend weekends back from college with me, so that's even more bonding time. When Jordan's not here, Remy is fine with everyone, but when he is, Remy is hostile to everyone in the family, including me. I don't know what else to do. I've tried everything to make him less stressed. He's been neutered, and I've even placed a hormone relaxing sensor in the house to help him be less stressed. What should I do?

Answer
Hi Breanna.  I think you should have Remy see a veterinary behaviorist.  I'm not entirely sure why he's so aggressive, but a behaviorist should be able to help you pinpoint the source of the problem and help you develop exercises that will help resolve the issue.  

Many cats with aggression issues this severe need a little extra help in the form of an antidepressant, which helps to reduce anxiety.  A veterinary behaviorist can prescribe this for you.  There are several to choose from, and one that is receiving a lot of praise for its positive results in aggression cases is Clomicalm.  One of my friends was in a similar situation to yours, and she nearly had to put her cat to sleep because the aggression got too out of hand.  After the cat was on Clomicalm for six months, she was able to discontinue the treatment, and the continued use of the pheromone diffuser was enough to keep the cat's aggression under control.  Other antidepressants that may be beneficial include Prozac, Elavil and Buspar.

You may also want to try a flower essence with him.  I like a line called Spirit Essences because they were formulated by a holistic veterinarian (www.spiritessences.com).  I can't say I'm sure which formula would be best to use in such an extreme case of aggression, but Dr. Hofve has always gotten back to me promptly and has been very helpful, so if you're interested, feel free to send her an email asking which formula would best fit your situation.

Best of luck!

Jessica