snowflakegirl
03-31-2007, 01:06 PM
Okay, so this is going to be a bit long, but bear with me.
About four years ago this past October DH and I (when it DFiance and I) adopted a cat from an animal shelter near where we went to school in Maine. She was just the cutest little thing. About six months old. Tortoise shell colors with a little streak of orange down her nose. I fell in love with her at first sight.
We brought her home to the apartment we shared with two of our best friends. At times Elessedil (or Lyssie) was not the friendliest cat. We tried to cat sit once or twice for friends and Lyssie did not respond well to the other cats at all. Sometimes she swatted or would nip at us or at our roommates. Sometimes she would actually draw blood. But she was also loving and sweet and cuddly.
We moved to Conn. the following August on our own. Lyssie doesn't like car rides so we had the vet give us a sedative we could give her. She did not respond well to the sedative and would alternate between being practically comatose for five/ten minutes to the point where I would have to check to see if she was still breathing, to freaking out and trying bite her way out of the carrier. At one point I (stupidly) attempted to try to move her away from the metal because her mouth had gotten caught and we hit some contruction and a bump and she bit my finger hard enough to require stopping at an emergency room.
Since we've been down here it's been the same. She'll be sweet and cuddly and cute but some times she attacks feet, hisses, swats, etc. Definitely at strangers, but even at us. Sometimes she'll be curled up in my lap, purring her little heart out and I'll be petting her and suddenly my hand is her own personal chew toy. To the point that she's drawn blood a few times. And there's no warning. She'll purr the whole time she's doing it.
About a year ago DH was washing dishes and the water got too hot and burned him. He made the noises you would expect someone to make when they get burned. Apparently, Lyssie did not like these noises and she attacked him to the point where she actually ran up him and I had to remove her. About eight months ago we had just gone to bed when she suddenly ran at the window in our bedroom (we had a large picture window) and because we're on ground level DH went to make sure there wasn't anything outside. Lyssie was apparently still spooked and she attacked him again pretty good. Some of the scratches actually bruised.
Just a little while ago I was changing the litter in the litter box and pouring in the new litter. I was knealing on the floor and Lyssie jumped on my back with claws fully extended. She did a good number on my back, the back of my arms, and because I twisted and tried to move her off of me one of her claws actually caught my cheek. Some of the scratches looked bruised before they even started to bleed.
She gives very little, if ANY, warning sometimes when this happens. I spent eight months working in an animal shelter, I spent a good portion of these eight months working with feral cats who were unsociable and unadoptable when they came to us. I had a very good success rate of socializing kittens and even some older cats. I know what kind of warning signs of attack to look for. Sometimes I'll see them in her and say okay, now is the time to move away etc. But usually not.
DH just left for work telling me that he loves her, but that it's time to think about when "enough is enough". He's worried (and so am I) that she's done this three times in a year and a half now and what if next time it's not one of us. And we're at the point where starting a family is probably in the not so distant future and what happens then.
You have to understand, Elessedil is my little girl. I absolutely love her. The very idea of not having her in my life makes me feel sick. But I don't like having to worry about her attacking someone else or attacking DH and I. I'm really torn and don't know what to do. So I guess I'm looking for some pixie dust for luck and advice from anyone who's gone through a simillar situation or has any ideas for what I can try with her.
Thanks for reading.
About four years ago this past October DH and I (when it DFiance and I) adopted a cat from an animal shelter near where we went to school in Maine. She was just the cutest little thing. About six months old. Tortoise shell colors with a little streak of orange down her nose. I fell in love with her at first sight.
We brought her home to the apartment we shared with two of our best friends. At times Elessedil (or Lyssie) was not the friendliest cat. We tried to cat sit once or twice for friends and Lyssie did not respond well to the other cats at all. Sometimes she swatted or would nip at us or at our roommates. Sometimes she would actually draw blood. But she was also loving and sweet and cuddly.
We moved to Conn. the following August on our own. Lyssie doesn't like car rides so we had the vet give us a sedative we could give her. She did not respond well to the sedative and would alternate between being practically comatose for five/ten minutes to the point where I would have to check to see if she was still breathing, to freaking out and trying bite her way out of the carrier. At one point I (stupidly) attempted to try to move her away from the metal because her mouth had gotten caught and we hit some contruction and a bump and she bit my finger hard enough to require stopping at an emergency room.
Since we've been down here it's been the same. She'll be sweet and cuddly and cute but some times she attacks feet, hisses, swats, etc. Definitely at strangers, but even at us. Sometimes she'll be curled up in my lap, purring her little heart out and I'll be petting her and suddenly my hand is her own personal chew toy. To the point that she's drawn blood a few times. And there's no warning. She'll purr the whole time she's doing it.
About a year ago DH was washing dishes and the water got too hot and burned him. He made the noises you would expect someone to make when they get burned. Apparently, Lyssie did not like these noises and she attacked him to the point where she actually ran up him and I had to remove her. About eight months ago we had just gone to bed when she suddenly ran at the window in our bedroom (we had a large picture window) and because we're on ground level DH went to make sure there wasn't anything outside. Lyssie was apparently still spooked and she attacked him again pretty good. Some of the scratches actually bruised.
Just a little while ago I was changing the litter in the litter box and pouring in the new litter. I was knealing on the floor and Lyssie jumped on my back with claws fully extended. She did a good number on my back, the back of my arms, and because I twisted and tried to move her off of me one of her claws actually caught my cheek. Some of the scratches looked bruised before they even started to bleed.
She gives very little, if ANY, warning sometimes when this happens. I spent eight months working in an animal shelter, I spent a good portion of these eight months working with feral cats who were unsociable and unadoptable when they came to us. I had a very good success rate of socializing kittens and even some older cats. I know what kind of warning signs of attack to look for. Sometimes I'll see them in her and say okay, now is the time to move away etc. But usually not.
DH just left for work telling me that he loves her, but that it's time to think about when "enough is enough". He's worried (and so am I) that she's done this three times in a year and a half now and what if next time it's not one of us. And we're at the point where starting a family is probably in the not so distant future and what happens then.
You have to understand, Elessedil is my little girl. I absolutely love her. The very idea of not having her in my life makes me feel sick. But I don't like having to worry about her attacking someone else or attacking DH and I. I'm really torn and don't know what to do. So I guess I'm looking for some pixie dust for luck and advice from anyone who's gone through a simillar situation or has any ideas for what I can try with her.
Thanks for reading.