My 2 year old tabby cat has suddenly become very aggressive towards my brother when he comes over to feed him (my brother has taken care of both our cats for 2 years and my last cat for 21 years).  This aggression started after Wally received his FVRCP booster a month ago.

The first time it happened (and we are not at home when this occurs) my brother came over to feed my 2 cats Saturday night at 5 p.m..  He bent over to pick up the food bowls and Wally started hissing and growling at him, showing his fangs, stood on his hind legs (my brother said he was like a mad animal).  Now Wally has never shown any sign of a temper before, no hissing, no biting – I can turn him inside out and there is no reaction.  And my brother has taken care of my cats a lot in the past 2 years – he actually stays at my house when we are vacationing.  My brother went into our porch and closed the door to let Wally calm down.  Wally dove through the open window to go after him.  So, my brother thought it was best to leave so he had to go through the house again – backwards – because he was afraid that Wally would attack him.  An hour later, my brother went back – got half way up the stairs and Wally started all over again with the hissing and the growling and the showing of his teeth – so my brother left.

The next day I had my brother over with me there and Wally was as sweet as ever – a couple of days later, I had my brother come over while we were their to feed them – and Wally was as sweet as ever.  He rolls on his back and lets my brother rub his belly.

This past Saturday my brother came over to feed the cats while we were out and Wally started again with the crouching and the hissing and the growling.

I got both my kittens from a shelter – I believe their moms were found in the streets – I had Wally since he was 12 weeks old (I got Eddie at the same time – he is a month younger).  They are both fixed males.  I called my vet and they indicated that it has nothing to do with the shot – he is just protecting our house – but this really isn’t acceptable.

Any help would be appreciated.
Linda

Dear Linda

I turned to two of the smartest cat loves I know to help me solve the distressing mystery of Wally the Attack Cat. I could tell you that the vaccination had nothing to do with his aggression, but neither is a cat a home protection monitor as your vet suggested – cats are territorial but not wired that way. I figured it has something to do with either a past experience with your brother or your absence. Here’s what my two experts said:

From Lynette at www.FelineOutreach.com:

"If the vet sees nothing medically wrong with the cat, it is possible (in my opinion) it's severe separation anxiety since it only happens when Linda is not there. I've seen one other case like that - and they have to medicate the cat if they're going to be out of town. Not ideal, but I don't have any other answers. Perhaps 'Dear Sally' does."

...and from Cat Chat’s own behavior consultant, Dear Sally:

"Wally obviously has some negative association only when he's ALONE with the brother. Maybe the brother should try to come over and feed Wally when Linda is around as a way of desensitizing Wally, maybe change the feeding time? Try some interactive play with Wally before feeding, tossing some toys. (Might diffuse some of the hostilities...)

"I don't think its vaccine-related since it's only when the brother is around. Maybe he saw something outside just before the brother arrived that time that triggered a redirected aggression episode."

Hope this helps shed some light on the situation.
Tracie