Does This Cat Need to be Put Down?

When my brother and I lived together we got a cat and named her Tilley. She has never been super affectionate or anything (I think it has something to do with her breed) but she never attacked people outside of the usual cat playing kind of stuff.

Well, a couple years ago my brother and I went our separate ways and he kept Tilley. My brother moved into a small one bedroom apartment and slowly Tilley seemed to get more and more aggressive. It was mostly when he would have a girl over, Tilley would attack her and generally not be very nice. After over a year or this it got to the point where she didn't like being petted, she only let myself or my brother pick her up and she got more aggressive. I should also mention that she developed strange eating habits, she would gorge on any food put down for her. If you gave her a bowl of dry food she would eat it all without even really chewing it and eventually toss it up again. Once that started happening my brother started feeding her wet food twice a day instead.

Well, things have come to a head recently. About a month ago my brother moved into a house with a couple other people and Tilley has gone nuts. She is attacking his room mates, blocking their way down hall ways and so far she has done some serious damage to their arms. My bro took her to the vet and she checked out fine so we don't think she is ill in that sense. After consulting with the vet the members of the house has tried things like making noise when she attacked people (a pepsi bottle full of pennies or whatever) but that hasn't helped at all. About a week ago they put Tilley on some anti-depressants for cats that were supposed to mellow her out and make the training a bit easier. Instead, she sleeps more but she continues to attack people. In fact, just today my brother picked her up to put her outside (they have a small fenced in back yard) and she tore his arms up pretty good.

He is running out of options. She doesn't do well with other animals and she isn't an outdoor cat at all. I doubt she would be very welcome at a farm somewhere because of that. Trying to curb her behaviour isn't working so far and they are running out of ideas.

Tilley is four years old, we would both hate to have her put down but we're afraid there may not be any other option. What do you guys think?

IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/images/upload/crazykitty.jpg)

I generally like animals. My roommates had a cat that was unkempt. The claws were untrimmed, gnarly and would hurt when they did the kneading the stomach thing cats do. So I didnt much care for this cat but it was an animal and I like animals.

Suffice to say, our landlord cut down the tree that all the kittens of the house everday rested in the shade of. Not one day latter... SCREEECH! OMG!

The cat had decided to sleep under our neighbors car. My roommate wrapped the cat up in a cloth and put him in a box. When my other roommate came home it was our job get a shovel and find a resting spot for the cat.

The moral of the story is: I dont envy you that must put an animal to sleep. Beloved or not, it is a VERY emotional experience. It is a sometimes necessary thing to do. Be prepared. It is extremely difficult. Even if you are completely blase'' about the animal, there is something about the finality of death that really throws everyone involved for a loop.

The moral of the story is: I dont envy you that must put an animal to sleep. Beloved or not, it is a VERY emotional experience. It is a sometimes necessary thing to do. Be prepared. It is extremely difficult. Even if you are completely blase'' about the animal, there is something about the finality of death that really throws everyone involved for a loop.

It''s tough but it wouldn''t be the first time I''m sad to say. I held my 10 year old family dog down while the vet put her to sleep.

Not a fun experience.

Don''t give up on Tilley just yet. You need to consult an animal behaviorist, rather than your usual vet. Ask your vet to recommend one, or call the nearest veterinary university for recommendations. Most veterinary universities have animal behavior specialists on staff who can help you.

Most feline aggression can be controlled with medication, along with some behavior modification therapy. If the antidepressant they put Tilley on doesn''t seem to be working, they may need to switch her to something else, or up the dosage.

I worked as a veterinary technician for several years, and we saw our fair share of hyper-aggressive cats. Prozac or Anafranil can do wonders with these cats, changing them back into the cats they used to be. (A side note - Valium is not usually a good solution for this problem, and it can be rough on a cat to take it long-term.)

I''ve tried to keep up with the trends in animal behavior therapy since leaving this line of work, because I plan to go back to school (once Elysium completes his training in the caffeinated beverage field) and get a degree in veterinary medicine. I''m particularly interested in specializing in feline behavior.

Tilley''s only four years old - it''s certainly worth exhausting every avenue before you arrive at euthanasia as the only way out. If you can get her on a medication that could control the aggression, you could have another decade or more of good times with her.

Over the last few years I have started to think of pets like dogs and cats a nuisance. I don''t know why people bother to tell you the truth. It also doesn''t help that I have over the last few years become alergic to cats and dogs (cats more).

I am sure there are animals out there I could get along with. In fact in my life time I have had several pets, only 3 of which I miss now that they are gone. The first being a Budgie who was smarter than most cats, a Pomeranian dog who was show trained and given to us after the trainer felt she wasn''t show worthy anymore, and a cat who was the only cat I have ever liked! So I am not the heartless bastard my comments I am about to make might portray me as.

Put the cat down! I know this cat, I have crossed paths with it many times, fortunately for both of us not recently. It is a terrible thing to have a pet die, especially when it is you who has decided it is time, but this cat is not right. It hasn''t been for years, and now it is really starting to hurt people. Do the right thing and put the cat down before you have pet services come knocking at your door to do it for you and a lawsuit that you can''t afford to pay. That''s just the breaks. It is a tough choice, but no one ever said life was easy.

I just want to say, I havent had a pet since I was young, but I really like animals, just very very allergic. I want to get a yard and a hypo-allergenic dog when I move, because I really miss having pets. But anyway, take it with a grain of salt.

Id put it down. Its probably in alot of pain, at least its probably very unhappy. Personally, I have major problems with prescribing medication like Prozac to humans, so I wouldn''t do it to my cat. (Not knocking anybody, just a personal thing). If it were mine, I''d put it down, so that it wouldn''t be in pain anymore.

I wish I could say I can sympathize, but all my pets when I was young died or ran away, we never had to put anything down.

Obviously, I''m with my wife on this one. Legitimate medications may be available - I can''t imagine why there''s a stigma against prozac, it treats a medical condition with medication; this may sound harsh, but to reject it on some social stigma feels a bit uninformed - and those avenues should be explored. I think trying a behaviorist before taking drastic measures is the only logical or humane thing to do.

I''m surprised at how disappointed I am with the Kill It consensus. It''s one thing when an animal is in physical pain that can''t be alleviated, and I''m all for euthenasia in that case, but this just sounds like fatalism. I''m really pretty disturbed by it.

Over the last few years I have started to think of pets like dogs and cats a nuisance.

Damn, Gaald. I didn''t expect this from you. That was just chilling.

Try another med. If it was my cat I would try to do everything I could and talk to multiple vets.

I''m more of a dog guy my self.

Well, maybe we`re afraid to feed our pets all this medication because we dont want them to be as chemicalized as we are. After all, pets (especially cats) are somethin semi-savage.

Until now it was damn hard for me to take my cat to vet for sterilisation (but now its too hard, after our relocation, cat`s bio-clock has gone mad and she feels like being laid ALL the time, Jesus!)

Well it is. I don''t know what changed my mind about pets. I loved them as a kid, but I really can''t see myself getting one anytime soon myself. I know I would be a terrible pet owner, so I don''t own one. I think that is a good thing, there is nothing worse than someone getting a pet and not being responsible enough to care for it.

Likewise, I agree with Elysia. There are other options that should be explored - putting the cat to sleep should be considered a final, no alternative decision

Similarly, a close friend of mine has a cat that almost fits your brother''s cat''s profile to a T. I''ve known this friend and her cat for years and I was able to deal with the cat quite well (i.e. she wouldn''t try to rip my throat out like she would try with others.) Similarly, the cat would always attack members of the opposite sex whenever they came over to my friend''s apartment. Said friend ended up going to the UK for grad school for while. She didn''t want to bring the cat over due to the awful quarantine periods that they used to require, so as a result I decided to take care of her cat myself, and hoped to hell that her cat would be able to deal with my two cats. The beginning was pretty ugly, but she became really tame after a few months and shortly after that she was a sweet pea. My friend came back from grad school and took the cat back and now she seems to have regressed back to her previous self.

I don''t blame my friend for the cat''s condition, as I know my friend treats the cat well. But sometimes, I think it''s just the person and/or environment that causes the cat to feel uncomfortable and always feel ''under attack.'' In my opinion, if your friend is unable to actually live with the cat, I would suggest trying to find a different home for the cat rather than putting it down (after medicinal and other alternatives are attempted.) Perhaps another person will mesh with the cat better than your brother (likewise, I''m not blaming your brother for the cat''s condition. I would just like to see the cat live out the rest of it''s natural life happily.)

Your post doesn''t surprise me Gaald, hell I''m surprised you didn''t show up at Jason''s (my brother) door with a hammer, a sack and a big grin on your face. Ok, maybe not but it''s a fun (and scary) mental picture to have.

You need to consult an animal behaviorist, rather than your usual vet.

That''s what I told him too. He has tried but so far the behaviorist has refused to talk to him, he will only talk to the vet about the cat. Of course, the vet my brother used never called the guy. We''ll be pursuing different avenues I think.

I appreciate the feedback so far and believe me, putting the cat down is the absolute last thing (obviously) I would ever do to an animal. I grew up with well-trained, loving dogs and friendly cats so and I know it takes hard work to get these things sorted out sometimes. The tough part is that ultimatly it''s my brother who has to live with her and I think it''s starting to wear him down a bit. He won''t do anything without consulting me first so hopefully we can find the right answer be it different medication or some sort of treatment for the cat.

I would never get a pet if I wasn''t willing to take the best possible care of it. It just ain''t the way I wuz raised.

I''m on the ""try everything!"" bandwagon, but I don''t have to live with Tilley, and to be honest, I would not offer to take her into our house as an alternative to killing her.

Let''s be honest, and not use euphamisms, shall we?

Then again, Tilley is not my cat. If my cat suddenly went wacko, I would bend over backward to avoid the death sentence. More than once she has been a comfort, a friend, and a detoxifier when I''ve come home from work or school angry and stressed out, not to mention being highly amusing entertainment. I''m pretty much convinced that I''m at least a little allergic to her, but I would sneeze for the rest of my life rather than get rid of her. I love her.

Animals have been proven to reduce stress, and are often used in nursing homes and children''s hospitals to aid in patient''s recovery or to supplement palliative care. There are a hundred and one reasons why pets are ""worth the trouble.""

I''m surprised at how disappointed I am with the Kill It consensus.

I wouldn''t be so shocked. Each of us has their limits. This is not an attack. I''m just going to mention your statement that you would be part of the Kill It consensus it the animal were in irreversable agony.

I love animals and I myself don''t know the answers to these questions:

How much money would I spend to save a pet?

Could I put to sleep a pet with a correctable ailment that I could barely afford but shouldn''t?

Does my stance change based on the type of pet? A goldfish? A dog? A rare bird species? A common wild snake?

How many methods would I try to fix the problem before giving up?

I would choose differently than other people but I wont be upset that others have a different threshold. Unless of course its blatantly malicious. Can I really be upset that some people equate a dog or a cat with a goldfish and could not justify major surgery?

"Elysium" wrote:

I can''t imagine why there''s a stigma against prozac, it treats a medical condition with medication; this may sound harsh, but to reject it on some social stigma feels a bit uninformed

Ok, thread hijack. I just want to clarify my Prozac statement. I said it was a personal thing, and it was. I could never take Prozac. Me, personally, never could. Likewise, I couldn''t give it to my cat. I didn''t say he shouldn''t to his cat. Just that if it were mine, and I''d tried everything, and it started getting dangerous, I''d put it down. The thing is probably in alot of pain, and I hate to see pets in a condition like that. I also personally believe theyll go to a better place when they die, so that may have something to do with it.

Also, I''m not saying all of my feelings on Prozac stem from this, but there are a hell of alot of people who take Prozac just because they don''t want to deal with the consequences of what they do. I know plenty of people on that stuff who are ""Depressed"" who are really just like everyone else, but they don''t want to have to deal with it. So they get a doctor to write them a prescription for a very safe and sterile version of alcohol or pot, and walk around high all the time. I don''t think that amounts to social stigma, I think thats a serious problem that should be avoided at all costs. To try to remove the consequences, i.e. safe and sterile, from the act of doing that to yourself is very dangerous.

Nothing to do with his cat, but I just wanted to explain myself. Prozac is like any other mind altering drug, i.e. Ritalin, in this country it gets abused as much as it gets used properly.

So thats why I said that, if it were my cat. Thats all I can say, because I have never met this cat, or Certis, and I have no advice for him at all.

I''ve got to stop posting right before I go to bed. Sorry, Pyro, if that sounded like an attack. It wasn''t meant to be.

In a very general, non-specific sense: No question there are people who abuse mood altering medications, but there are as many more people who need them and won''t take them because there is a ''just get over it'' mentality in the culture that frowns on it. I''ve very nearly lost someone important to me because people convinced her she should be able to just get over it, so I get a little worked up on the issue.

I have 6 cats, 2 kittens and 4 adults, I used to have a cat like Tilley, VERY territorial (most cats already are but some are hyper sensitive to people intruding on their percieved territory)
and hated strangers trying to touch her.

Cats tend to form really strong bonds withtheir owners and if new people or animals come along, the cat can feel threatened and may feel like it''s owners paying more attention to the strangers and less to it than it''s used to!

Cats are animals of routine as well and don''t take well to moving or other big upheavals in their routines, our adult cats had a hard time when the 2 new kittens were introduced, we couldn''t leave them alone with the adult cats lest they be killed! but over about 6 months they''ve adapted to having the kittens around.

I think Tilleys been upset about moving and believe it or not jealous of your brothers female friends (female cats can be like girlfriends sometimes, jealous of your other female friends!)

I would agree with Elysia and go see an animal behavioural expert, Only as a VERY last resort would I ever contemplatae having a cat put to sleep.

Well, here''s my two cents. Big, tough Army guy that I am
I''m a total sucker for furry animals. I tend to form pretty strong emotional bonds with my pets and I really don''t like to kill them but sometimes it can be necessary.
The thing that bugs me the most is that Tilley has started to attack her owners, honestly if it were just her reacting negatively to other people (people like Gaald!!! ) I would say she''s pretty normal.
However there can be other factor not normally checked on in a check up that can be missed.
My beloved little kitty, Kitty became really super sick last fall. She stopped eating and when she would, she vomit up some pretty nasty bile. Before the serious sickness set in, she had started to act really wierd. A lot of symptoms, but no real clear indicator. We had her checked twice and nothing was found. As luck would have it, an RN that we know said it might be serious lead poisoning. She''d seen it in her own dog before and knew some of the symptoms. We had a special check up this time, looking for elevated metal counts in here blood stream and sure as sh*t the lead count was four times above normal. We got her on medication and saline injections and she was back to normal body weight and behavior in about a month.

Point of the story? It might not be just regular ol'' disease. They''re could be enviromental factors as well.

A few observations and my personal experience:
* The cat appears to have a history of not adapting well to new living situations. This is pretty normal behavior. It takes time and attention.

* The attitudes in the house toward this cat already sound pretty hostile. That''s probably not going to help the cat calm down. Try to be patient.

* Prozac doesn''t cause a high. It simply tries to correct a chemical deficiency to allow a person to react naturally. Think of it like insulin only not necessary for physical health. However, I agree with Pyro that it may be overprescribed.

* I hate to think anyone might have contemplated putting me to sleep when I was going through a rough time in my life and was moody. Again...patience.

And now perhaps the saddest story you have ever heard.
A little less than a year ago my wife and I bought a little, energetic, black kitten and named him Sambuca. He was affectionate to the point of comical. We always joked that he was a puppy trapped inside a kitten''s body. A few months ago my wife asked me if I thought he slept too much. Now I have another cat, Guinness, who I believe has an advanced degree in sleeping with a minor in napping. I had never noticed a cat that slept ""too much"", but I began to keep an eye on Sam...Sammy...Samwise...Buca...etc. Sure enough, he did seem like he was sleeping an awful lot, especially for the level of enthusiasm in everything he originally exhibited. So we had pretty much made up our minds to take him to the vet and began to work the visit into our schedules.

Then in the middle of the night I was startled awake by Guinness hissing at Sam as he darted around the bed. Guinness occasionally hissed at Sambuca when she ""wasn''t in the mood"" for Sam''s playfulness. I assumed this was what had happened and scolded Guinness while my wife found Sam in the bathroom. She said he was all covered in drool and snot and didn''t seem right. I turned on the lights and found he had peed all over the bed. I couldn''t imagine what had happened, but we cleaned up and decided to move the vet appointment up on the priority list. It was Saturday night and the vet wasn''t open until Monday.

Wife goes to work the next morning and Sam is on my lap while I''m playing Zelda. Suddenly he starts shaking and freaking out. Snot bubbles out of his nose and he starts drooling. He looks like he''s trying to run, but can''t move. I look into his eyes and I see absolute terror mixed with absolute vacancy. Everything about last night suddenly becomes clear as I realize he''s having a siezure. He recovers after about 30 of the most gut-wrenching seconds of my life. I struggle with reassuring him while trying to call my wife while looking up what to do in the cat manual. ""Take to vet immediately"" it advises.

The recorded message at my vet has a number of a hospital. I pack up Sam and his medical history and race there. They take him in back and I wait and wait. The doctor says the kitten looks jaundice like liver or kidney problems. This also might explain the siezures since those organs remove toxins from the body and if that wasn''t happening, they could build up and cause reactions like that. He wants to take blood work and x-rays. More waiting. Doctor pulls me in for my first ""I''ve got bad news"" lecture ever. The x-rays indicate my baby kitten has kidneys larger than any adult cat he''s ever seen. They''re also hard so it''s not fluid build-up. There also appears to be a giant tumor pushing all of his organs and intestines back and to his other side. He went into the options, most of which were only so that I would know for sure what was killing him. I asked for his honest opinion and he said he would support our decision to euthanize if we wanted to go that route. Breath gone...head swimming, I said I needed to call my wife. While I fumbled for words, the doctor gave me the advice I thought of as I read Tilley''s predicament. He said that when considering euthenasia you needed to consider whether that animal could have a quality of life it deserved. I''m still not positive I know what he meant, but I knew then how this was all going to end.

Wife got off work to join me at the hospital. The doctor was kind enough to go through the details again for her. Now you must remember that this all happened in the span of one day. We decided to take Sam home since the hospital was open all night if anything else happened. We spent the next hours apologizing to him, praising him, crying for him, and spoiling him. I was exhausted and had just drifted off into a nap next to him when he had his final siezure. I made the call to the hospital that we were on our way back in. I knew I''d never be able to go in with him and make it out in one piece. My wife wouldn''t let him die alone so she went in back while I sat in the waiting room watching other people come in and leave with their pets who had cut their foot or eaten some flowers. I have never seen my wife look as devastated as she did coming out of that room. I paid the bill and we helped each other back to the car and home.

Sambuca would have been a year old this month. I had never had a pet die and always wondered why people reacted the way they did. After all, it was only an animal, right? Now I know better. I''d probably give Tilley another chance, but, as you can see, I''m a little biased right now.

I can understand why you''re biased Sway, Last year 2 of my cats had to be put to sleep due to an extremly rare form of feline skin cancer and it really is traumatising to be there with them. they''re not just pets to me they''re 4 legged people with their own personalities and quirks.

I''m with the ""have patience""-fraction there. My current cat is more than 15 years old now, she''s been around more than half of my life and I don''t want to imagine what it''s going to be like once she''s not here anymore. I''ve had a rabbit which died in my arms (9 years old) and I still can remember almost every single second of that day. I can only guess that it''s going to be a lot worse if you''re the one to decide to let an animal be put to sleep.

Reminds me of another story: The dog of some relatives was seriously sick, couldn''t barely move anymore. The vet recommended putting the dog to sleep to end her suffering. Said relatives decided to follow his advice (incredibly difficult decision since they loved that one). Interestingly enough the dog kinda felt what was going on and right before the injection - as she was sitting on the desk - she took all her strength, jumped off the desk and tried to crawl away. That picture was so devastating that they decided to not end her life. I''m not kidding you, the dog actually recovered in the following months and is pretty much alright now again.

I''d go with Kegboy here. A close friend of mine moved houses recently and had to take his cat with him. That was about 4 months ago. The cat still has not fully adopted to the new environment.
In the beginning whenever there was an unusual sound he ran under the couch and did not come out for another 15 minutes. He was that frightened. Today this just happens very seldom if at all my friend says. So I would say your brother''s cat just needs more time to adopt to the situation.

The thing that bugs me the most is that Tilley has started to attack her owners, honestly if it were just her reacting negatively to other people (people like Gaald!!! ) I would say she''s pretty normal.

LOL.

Actually pets love me, and I can put up with pets that my friends have to a certain point. In fact all my closests friends have cats (which I find unbelievable). Two of those cats are great. One of them pretty much stays to itself and so I barely even notice it is there. The other one is this big old cat that likes to be around people but not in a bothersome way.

Than there are the others. One of them I haven''t met yet and I can already tell it will probably be trouble. There are 2 of them at one friends place who love to scratch the window sills, which is a no no but refuse to stop no matter what the owners try. Another friends cat is soo needy it is beyond belief. This cat is in no way starved for attention but no matter how much you give, it wants more. The last time I heard it not getting the attention it wanted it ripped the cord out of a set of headphones while they were on it''s owners head. (some of you already know that story) The list goes on.

I guess I just have a lower threshold for misbehaving pets and it doesn''t help that I know so many who do misbehave. Tilley has always been a mean cat, now however it is crazy mean. Once a pet starts to attack it''s owners I think euthanisia is an option worth considering. We are talking about personal safety. How long will it take before she actually does permanent damage to one of the roomates, scratch an eye for example. Were talking about a cat who goes out of her way to attack people, not just attack people who happen upon her.

I am not saying it isn''t a tough choice but I think one that has to be made soon before something bad really does happen.

Fire! And lots of it!

"Rat Boy" wrote:

Fire! And lots of it! :lol:

Hey, thats my line!

Seriously, thanks for reminding me that theres always room for fire. Im gonna go start one right now.

Two of those cats are great. One of them pretty much stays to itself and so I barely even notice it is there. The other one is this big old cat that likes to be around people but not in a bothersome way.

LOL. So basically, if you don''t even know that a pet is there, that makes it a great pet? What''s the point of even having a pet if you never see it? Why would anyone pay for food, vet bills, litter, a collar, or all the rest of it to simply have a furry phantom in the house?

Another friends cat is soo needy it is beyond belief. This cat is in no way starved for attention but no matter how much you give, it wants more. The last time I heard it not getting the attention it wanted it ripped the cord out of a set of headphones while they were on it''s owners head. (some of you already know that story)

*resists leaping to cat''s defence in way that Gaald is no doubt expecting - so hard!* There''s not much I can say to this. People have different tastes. My cat suits me. And the cord ripping thing was accidental, not a deliberate bid for attention.

In some ways, your attitude reminds me of how I felt about kids a couple years ago. Why would anyone keep such a screaming, stinking, annoying, demanding thing around if they didn''t have to? If you don''t understand, there is no way to explain it to you.

I know I would be a terrible pet owner, so I don''t own one. I think that is a good thing, there is nothing worse than someone getting a pet and not being responsible enough to care for it.

I''m glad that you have honestly assessed yourself on this one, Gaald, and made that decision. You are absolutely right - there is nothing worse than taking on the responsibility of a living thing, and failing to meet your obligations. Nothing makes me crazier than people who feel like it''s their god-given right to have a dog or cat, but never bother with vaccines, neutering, basic behavior training, grooming, etc. If you think you must have a pet, you are also responsible to take care of that pet for life. Its life is literally in your hands, and tossing it aside or ignoring it because it is inconvenient or annoying is not responsible, humane behavior. It''s good that you recognize in yourself that you might not be capable of providing for a pet. (Although, the very fact that you have the humanity to want people to provide for their pets makes me wonder if you might be more of a pet person than you think you are!)

I guess I just have a lower threshold for misbehaving pets and it doesn''t help that I know so many who do misbehave.

The problem is, what exactly constitutes misbehaving? And what does that ""misbehavior"" signify? In a lot of cases, sudden escalation of aggression can reflect an underlying medical problem, a sudden change in environment, or a traumatic experience which the pet caregiver/owner/provider may not even be aware of. Things that are terrifying to a pet may not even show up on our radar.

The cat of an acquaintance of mine, Kara, recently had a frightening experience, with an unusual outcome. Kara was having a new deck built on her house (this is relevant later, I promise).A friend of Kara''s came over to her house and left his car windows open. Her cat (Teddy) loves to ride in the car, and immediately investigated this new place with the nice open windows. The friend came out, saw Teddy in his car, and went berzerk, screaming at Teddy and chasing him through the car, finally catching him and hauling him roughly out by the tail, and throwing him away from the car. Teddy, terrified beyond reason, fled the scene, and was gone for three days. When he returned, he wouldn''t go near Kara''s new deck - he''s terrified of it. He still won''t approach the deck at all. He''s transferred his fear of Kara''s friend to the change in his environment - the deck. Strange, but true.

The thing is, a cat''s perception of what is happening and what a person sees happening to the cat are not the same thing. It is very possible that Tilley is reacting to something that happened to her or something that she saw that frightened her, and is transferring her fear and antagonism to an innocent target. I think a good animal behaviorist would be able to help Certis'' brother get to the bottom of the problem. Note to Certis here - a good behaviorist will talk directly to the pet owner. Find someone else. And possibly another vet, if yours isn''t willing to put you directly in touch with the behaviorist.

Before I sign off of this rant, one other topic: mood-altering drugs such as Prozac/Zoloft/Anafranil/BuSpar, etc. Yes, like every other drug these get abused and misused. But they also save lives. The social stigma about mental illness and depression being something you ""get over"" or ""snap out of"" must be abolished. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, etc. have been a tremendous breakthrough for people with severe depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, etc. One example - a dear, dear friend of ours is bipolar. She has tried on several occasions to end her own life. These medications have enabled her to live a normal life again. Sway is right - you should think of it like insulin. In some cases, it is as vital to physical health as insulin is. Without these meds, my friend would be dead, by her own hand. Pretty vital, wouldn''t you say?

Sorry I got off on a rant/diatribe/editorial/lecture. Next week''s topic: Human Directed Aggression in the Miniature Pig vs. the Domesticated Llama: a Comparison.

Guys, it''s a little scary when you''re married to someone this much smarter than you. But, at least you know that someone in the family always knows the answer to Final Jeopardy!

Oh good. I need me a Final Jeopardier myself. I fly through Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy but fail miserable in Final Jeopardy.

I recommend brut force... ...it worked for me, when I had to live away from my family. When I was younger I had to live with some relatives, who had this extremely vicious cat, and I mean one mean kitty. There would be occasions were I would walk down the hallway, and this cat would attack me for no reason. Until one day I started to fight back, which of cores left few scars. ...Just to clarify a bit, I never hit or kicked the cat, basically no physical abuse, I mean as much that cat was weird I still liked it... So basically, every time it tried to attack me I would restrain the cat; it would start making the sound like it''s getting even madder. However after 5min it would stop... I would release it and it would walk away peacefully. So I had to do this for about 2 years, but it worked... by the end the only person the cat would get along with was me. Which in turn was a bad thing because I had to leave a half-year later, and I could not take the cat with me.

So to conclude... I''m not going to say anything because everyone pretty much said everything I would, but just putting a pet to sleep is he last, dead last thing to do.
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