Cat driving me mad scratching...

[WeAreSix]

My boy is 12. Always been a bit of an attention seeker (but doesn't like being fussed for long), he's impatient for food but otherwise friendly.

We had new carpets laid last summer. He's destroying the stairs, scratching at the side. He's also scratched inside 2 doorways but not as bad as the stairs.

He's just decided to use the sofa as a scratch post .

A few weeks ago he bit my 5 yr old, unprovoked, and swiped my baby. He's started attacking my other cat, again unprovoked. He'll just pounce on the other cat while he's sleeping, start fighting for no obvious reason!

Anyone got any ideas why he's turned into devil-cat?! And how to stop him! He's driving me crazy.

[pigsDOfly]

How old is the baby? Could it be a new baby in the house? Or has anything else changed? Cats can be very affected by changes in the home. Could have even been the new carpet. Although I would think he would have got over that by now.

Vet I used to got to who made a study of animal behaviour told me cats can be affected by hormonal changes in the women in the household, for instance when a girl starts having her periods or a woman in the family has a hysterectomy - my female cat started peeing on the furniture shortly after I'd had a hysterectomy so the vet was probably spot on in that instance. Anyway it stopped eventually and cat went back to normal.

If the odd behaviour continues I'd certainly get him checked by the vet if I were you. Bit young to become senile, I would have thought, but certainly sounds like somethings going on.

[pigsDOfly]

Just a though. Have you tried using a Feliway diffuser. Might help to calm him down. Also you could ask your vet about 'milk protein capsules' sorry can't remember what it's called but your vet will know what you mean. I used both these things when I moved house with my elderly cats and they really helped keep them calm.

[WeAreSix]

Thanks pigs

Interesting about the hormones... DD1 is prepubescent and an absolute bag of hormones. Baby is 7mo.

Could be both, but you're right I should get him checked over at the vets.

[nothingisnothing]

Can't help on how to exorcise his demon but to put him off destroying your new carpets and furniture try covering the areas with double sided sticky tape. Worked a treat with my two.