Cat Drama Continues

Setting the Stage

Since late last year Bubo has been … weird. Late last year she very literally went on an attacking rampage in response to a feral cat coming up to the open back screen door. I had to throw her into a bedroom and lock her in after she went after Vélo and me. She did that a couple of times. There were a couple of nights that I couldn’t sleep in my bedroom, because she was in there (the easiest room to get her in at the time, and to get her away from Vélo) and she would attack like a wild animal if I tried to get in.

After the last time I slept in my own guest room, I decided we as a fur-family weren’t going to do that again. At one point I was sobbing on the floor, thinking of giving Bubo away to someone. I couldn’t predict what might trigger her. And she was attacking to hurt. She’d corner Vélo and scratch him. And when I would try to break them up, she’d attack me. Viciously. I couldn’t trust Bubo to not attack Vélo, and the stress I felt when those attacks happened were too much.

Since then, Bubo has stayed in the guest room. She has food, water, and a litter box. There’s plenty of comfy places for her to lay and lots of sun spots. Since I work from home, I can pop in for visits, pets, and the occasional cat nap during the day. And she’s been fine. Sometimes she scratches at the door to come out. Instead, I go and visit her.

I’ve done small experiments to see if I could trust her with fully integrating the house again. I’ve taken her into the house on a leash, so if she freaked out I could grab her while keeping a distance. I also open the door a crack for supervised visits between her, Vélo, and sometimes Trinity. The leash and door visits have gone Ok. But during leash visits, there always gets to be a point where she starts to act agitated and … weird. So back in the guest room she goes.

Today

Today we were doing a door crack visit. Bubo and Vélo smelled each other, and it was Ok. But then Vélo jumped over my arm into the guest room. Bubo took off like a bat out of hell after him and attacked him. Vélo jumped up on a window sill, and Bubo continued the attack. She latched onto Vélo with her claws. I called to Vélo, holding the door partially open, hoping he’d come to me and go out into the hallway to escape. After a couple of seconds he did. Bubo was hot on his heels, so I closed the door behind him. I had to fend Bubo off so that I could get out too.

I got out and slammed the door. Upset doesn’t begin to describe how I felt. I ended up with deep scratches on my right hand, right foot, and right leg.

I went to find Vélo to see if he was Ok. Then I realized I was bleeding badly enough I was dripping. I went to get Band-Aids. Then back to check on Vélo, and also Trinity. Trinity wasn’t involved, but she was still nervous after hearing everything and seeing Vélo run out of the room. I started crying when I sat with them and petted Vélo. I gave them both some treats.

Vélo is Ok. I’ve gently petted his back, where I saw Bubo make the most contact with him. He doesn’t act like it’s tender. He’s a little skittish right now, but mostly normal. Vélo is a cool cat that way. And even thinking of Bubo. She has seriously tried to hurt him multiple times, but he still wants to try to be friends. Today curiosity and a false sense of safety with Bubo ended up hurting him. I glad he wasn’t seriously hurt.

The point (I think?)

I’m sharing this story for a couple of reasons: 1) I’ve felt a lot of shame around keeping Bubo separate. Like I’m a bad pet parent or that people will judge me. Unsure that I was doing the right thing. Today reinforced that I’m doing what’s right, and it’s the best set-up for our living situation. And 2) I know there are other pets out there with weird behaviours that we accommodate as pet owners.

As another example, Willow, my English bulldog from days past, was mostly friendly. But sometimes she would chase cats, and when on a leash she would lunge at certain humans for no obvious reason. The cats could always run and jump away, so that wasn’t the biggest deal. But for people, I had to be careful when walking her. When people came close, I had to keep her right by me. I just accommodated the behavior the best I could.

So I guess that 2nd reason for sharing is to let folks know that if you are managing a pet’s behavior to the best of your ability, you aren’t alone. And to thank you for taking care and responsibility for your pet.

I’ve thought a few times about rehoming Bubo. I want her to be happy. But I can’t in good conscience. What if she flipped out on someone else? I couldn’t imperil someone else’s safety. Not after her living with me for 6 years.

Closing Up

That was one hell of a way to start the day. I hate how these cat attacks make me feel. Hate it. It’s still early, but I feel exhausted.

Wishing everyone what they need to feel healthy and supported. And of course (revolutionary) love.