I got a call early in the morning before I’d woken up, from Dave. He was saying that Max was attacking him again and he hoped that I would be able to come to calm him down and get him in a carrier so Dave could get ready for work. I agreed, and got up and ready to go over there.
I guess what happened was that Max and Stormy were fighting in the middle of the night while Dave was trying to sleep. Dave went to tell them to settle down, and Max just started attacking him. Dave was eventually able to get Max locked in his bathroom, and get some more sleep. When Dave first let Max out of the bathroom so he could shower, all was well. But then Dave walked out into the kitchen and Max started trying to attack him again. That was when he called me.
When I got there, Max was laying on the living room floor, wide-eyed. He was calm for me, though. I went downstairs and got the carrier out, and Max went in. I was down there watching him a bit when Dave went down to get his uniform, and Max was growling viciously again. When Dave had gotten everything he needed, I let Max out of the carrier with the basement door closed so he couldn’t get back upstairs. He was calm for me, but I was scared he would attack me.
Dave said he wants to get Max put down. Technically, Max isn’t my cat anymore, and I won’t take him because I am scared of this behavior. So, if that’s what Dave wants to do, and I can’t offer an alternative, then what choice is there? The only other option would be to rehome him to someone who has the time and money to invest in finding out the cause and a solution to this. But who’s going to take in a 10-year-old cat who has behavior problems??
Later in the day, I called the Vet and explained the situation to them. I didn’t mention that Dave wanted to have Max put down, though. The lady I spoke with said the Vets were talking about it and that someone would call me back later. When they did, they actually suggested that Max get put down.
They said we could either wait 10 days and do it then, or if we didn’t want to wait we’d have to pay for them to send his head in for rabies testing because his shot had expired in September. I called Dave to tell him what they said, and he agreed we’d just wait the 10 days. I called the Vet back and made an appointment.
Apparently, a few months ago, this had happened. There’ve been at least 4-5 incidents now of Max acting feral with no explanation. This is not a decision that was made lightly. We love Max and don’t want to put him down, but we don’t know what else we can do. We’d rather have him put to sleep and keep his ashes than to rehome him to God knows what kind of living environment. Especially given that it’s not likely anyone would adopt him if that’s how he’s known to behave. And not to mention that if there are bite reports submitted, the state would probably say he had to get put down anyway. That would just depend on who he bites and what the circumstances are. Idk, I don’t want to do this, but I don’t see another solution to the problem.
