I greatly appreciate everyone's helpful and encouraging words, it means a lot to me.
First of all all cats are not mentally retarded. They all have different mannerisms that branch off of their natural ones that all cats have. That's one of the reason I know that my cat is different that way.
@thehig1 said:
@Jaysonguy: it sounds like he already has that.
the behavoiur could also be age related, it's not impossible an older cat could have a type of dementia
I've done a lot of research on dementia in cats and thankfully he doesn't show those signs. His behavior is the same today as when he was 2 years old. I'm always on the lookout that his problems may make it easier for him to develop dementia so I'm always on the lookout for him. I appreciate your input, it was a good lead.
@mark1974 said:
I think it's great you are caring for this poor guy. And you are a cat behaviorist! Crazy! I wish the best for the little guy. It's a pretty sad story.
Yeah, I'm more than just a jerk on a message board which is shocking to most people lol It's not even my thing. I do PR for companies and artists, the cat stuff is just out of love.
@calway55 said:
It's beautiful how you care for your cats. Ask your Vet. for some advice since this is surely a unique situation. Keep up the good work and hopefully the attacked brother can handle it. Some cat owners separate cats once in awhile to give the cats a little space from each other.
Thank you for the kind words. I have asked my vet. I'm currently saving for a full workup of both brothers. The hope is that maybe there's some sort of deficiency during the times that he has episodes. The brain is a tricky thing though so it's one step at a time.
@pimphand_gamer said:
I thought all cats were retarded? Both of mine are for sure. For example, I'll walk along and they keep getting right under my feet so I end up stepping or tripping over them. They scream bloody murder then they'll literally do it again...and again...and again. Talk about slow.
I tell people that's a kitty parade. They've accepted you as one of them and you're all going along together. It's a very big compliment from your cat. Some cats do it better than others. What you should do is learn about their cadence and hopefully that will stop you from stepping on them.
@Ovirew said:
@Jaysonguy: I don't have experience with disabled cats, but it sounds like you're doing a lot to help your cat deal with his problems.
One thing I might suggest, if the cat gets kinda dangerous with his claws when he has those moments of forgetfulness, is to buy a nice, sturdy scratching post. Or there are these rubber things you can buy and put over his claws also, if he doesn't mind them too much. Anything to keep the cat from accidently tearing up your arm or his brother cat might be worth buying and trying out.
My cat is a little goofball, he wasn't properly weened off of his mother cat's milk. As a result, he still will come up to me and push on my arm or chest with his paws, and suck on my shirt and bedsheets in an attempt to extract non-existent milk. Sometimes it's annoying, especially when I'm trying to sleep, but I just put up with it or don't mind it sometimes.
Thank you for the advice. We've given both brothers the computer room as their bedroom. They are able to have people in and out sitting as a desk but not always involved with them. It helps a great deal with both of them being inside now. The room has 4 beds, 2 covered ones that allow them to sleep tucked in either as a pair or single, 1 huge bed in case they want to sleep out in the open, and one open bed under a desk in case they want something in between.
I have one cat tower in here that has 4 legs for scratching plus another scratching post, It's a hardwood floor but I have an area rug that they play on, and for toys it's some tennis balls, some bell balls, and a natural grass fishing pole toy. I also have one of those cube storage things where you can keep smaller cubes fill of things inside it? I have some empty cubes that are pulled out a little so they can jump in and out and I found some lawn furniture cushions and I put one on top, since it's in front of the window they can look outside whenever they feel like it.
For their claws I clip them regularly but even then I still worry. He's never aggressive, all the damage comes from him trying to escape everyone he doesn't know during an episode.
@MrGeezer said:
Be careful posting about pets here. This is sure to end up as an argument about how you shouldn't have the pet or you should give the pet away or how you should have it put down.
Thank you and I appreciate you trying to save me from being attacked. If you're familiar with my posting in other areas I'm pretty used to speaking loudly and taking whatever consequences come my way. lol
@Motokid6 said:
What is the full extent of the strange behavior? Just random attacks? Cats are highly territorial and most of their perception is smell. Is there anything surrounding your home that could cause agitation? Dogs, other cats, loud noises/construction. Even you yourself or whoever else you live with. Cats like predictability and if they don't see that in humans is when they lash out.
I own two unrelated cats and they are highly susceptible to all of the above.
The only behavior I'm worried about is the spells he has where he doesn't know anyone, not even his brother. During those times it's like introducing yourself to a completely new cat who has never seen you before. It's not all the time and even at their worst they last for no more than 2 days. I'm just seeing if there's something someone has done to either help or diagnose what was causing them. I'm not sure it's just pure brain and I'm looking for some way to care for him during those times or if it's something that's causing it that I can do something with so I can prevent them.
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