I inherited a cat many years ago. He's always been aggressive and hard to live with but his behavior has gotten more and more out of control. I just don't know what else to do.
When Teddy first came to live with me I was single and it was just me and him. He doesn't like people very much. I used to work a lot and wasn't home much and he seems to like that. I fed him and he had free reign of the place. I hardly ever had guests so he didn't have to be around people which he despised. I tried early on to socialize him and it always ended badly.
My mom would come over occasionally and he would scratch her for seemingly no reason. After a while I would just tell people to ignore him because I did not want him to attack. That didn't even seem to work.
It was like that for about 2 years, it wasn't that hard to make it work because it was just the two of us. I gave him his space and he seemed happy. Then I got married. Over the past 7 years things have gotten worse and worse. My husband had a very sweet cat who I was able to get Teddy to accept by separating them and introducing slowly and giving him lots and lots of treats. Fortunately his cat is very docile and would just stay away from Teddy all together. Now It's anything but peaceful. Teddy is always trying to attack him just for walking near him and sometimes it just seems like there is no reason at all. He is very territorial, even with me, he's always been that way, but it used to be just a few areas that he wanted for himself now it's most of the house. He hisses and growls if you go near his stuff. He absolutely hates people and has attacked almost everyone who has been to my home. In the past I would just chalk it up to whatever life he had before being rescued and I would just give in to his demands.
He destroys the house. Rips up the carpet. (Which we just had replaced two years ago.) He scratches EVERYTHING. The furniture, the walls, the moldings, you name it. He scratches people, including me if I try and stop him from doing whatever he wants. Just last night he attacked me for going near the chair in my room that he has deemed his.
I've been married now for years and my hopes that he would get used to this are slowing fading. I have brought him to the vet more times than I can count. An animal behaviorist and the best I can get is Xanax. I've tried Feliway, calming sprays, calming treats, giving him his own space. Cat condos, separate litter boxes. I'm at my wits end. I love him but I do not get any enjoyment from him. I'm tired of having to revolve my life around him and his demands.
If anyone has any advice, I mean anything, I would appreciate it. I really need to find a way to make this work.
When Teddy first came to live with me I was single and it was just me and him. He doesn't like people very much. I used to work a lot and wasn't home much and he seems to like that. I fed him and he had free reign of the place. I hardly ever had guests so he didn't have to be around people which he despised. I tried early on to socialize him and it always ended badly.
My mom would come over occasionally and he would scratch her for seemingly no reason. After a while I would just tell people to ignore him because I did not want him to attack. That didn't even seem to work.
It was like that for about 2 years, it wasn't that hard to make it work because it was just the two of us. I gave him his space and he seemed happy. Then I got married. Over the past 7 years things have gotten worse and worse. My husband had a very sweet cat who I was able to get Teddy to accept by separating them and introducing slowly and giving him lots and lots of treats. Fortunately his cat is very docile and would just stay away from Teddy all together. Now It's anything but peaceful. Teddy is always trying to attack him just for walking near him and sometimes it just seems like there is no reason at all. He is very territorial, even with me, he's always been that way, but it used to be just a few areas that he wanted for himself now it's most of the house. He hisses and growls if you go near his stuff. He absolutely hates people and has attacked almost everyone who has been to my home. In the past I would just chalk it up to whatever life he had before being rescued and I would just give in to his demands.
He destroys the house. Rips up the carpet. (Which we just had replaced two years ago.) He scratches EVERYTHING. The furniture, the walls, the moldings, you name it. He scratches people, including me if I try and stop him from doing whatever he wants. Just last night he attacked me for going near the chair in my room that he has deemed his.
I've been married now for years and my hopes that he would get used to this are slowing fading. I have brought him to the vet more times than I can count. An animal behaviorist and the best I can get is Xanax. I've tried Feliway, calming sprays, calming treats, giving him his own space. Cat condos, separate litter boxes. I'm at my wits end. I love him but I do not get any enjoyment from him. I'm tired of having to revolve my life around him and his demands.
If anyone has any advice, I mean anything, I would appreciate it. I really need to find a way to make this work.
