The reality of rescuing abused cats and kittens is that some of them are broken to the point of no repair.
This morning, Brooklyn launched another of her attacks out of thin air. No one was around her (but me) I was on the computer and she was sleeping when suddenly she woke up and glared at me. I caught her glare thought “Uh Oh” and pushed myself away from the keyboard. She launched at me, claws outstretched making horrible yowls and screams- I threw my bathrobe over my head, she landed on my head, scrambled down my back and went on to try and attack Mike.
I took off my robe, threw it around her, grabbed her up and put her in a carrier. I then called my vet and he has agreed to put her down.
I hate that I had to do this. I can protect myself, but my husband is vulnerable at this stage of his disease and she was a danger to us and to my cats. Sometimes, what they suffer before they come to a place of peace can’t be reached, bridged or fixed. It is unfair to ask a cat to live with this type of torment coursing through their body. To have one so aggressive one minute and so passive the next speaks to neurological damage or genetic defects and makes me wonder if they were beating her with sticks not her carrier?
Brooklyn I am sorry I couldn’t get between you and the terror and offer you a place where you could grow old and be loved. At least, you had dignity in the end- something not afforded to you in the beginning of your life. I just hope when the vet gives you that peace, you don’t take a piece of him with you. Sometimes these cats are so broken, there is nothing in this world that will fix them.
It is sooo hard to make that decision, but I wish you peace and serenity in knowing that you are doing the best thing for her. Her life cannot be calm, peaceful or joyful, because of her past. It does sound like some kind of head injury happened earlier in her life. Wishing you lots of snuggles from the rest of your crew.
You had no choice. We must protect our family members first and then, if we can, we will try to help others.
I’m sure there was much more abuse than you can even imagine. Poor cat. Does that woman still have other cats? You cannot look at this as a failure of yours — she never could have fit in again anywhere. At least now she is in peace.
Love to you and your family,
My heart weeps for Brooklyn…and the cat she could have been, had she not been so harmed earlier in her life. And I weep for you, knowing how much of yourself you pour into the cats you rescue. Please know you did everything you could, and in the end you made the most loving decision to give her peace.
RIP, Brooklyn. You touched more hearts than you could imagine in your short time here.
Sad to hear about Brooklyn… it was the right call , even if it was a hard one. In the wake of this sad turn of events, I figured id share a little nice story i just found http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-holy-monastery-of-saint-nicholas-of-the-cats.html
oh MA, you did all that you could for Brooklyn, and now her horrible terror is over- and that’s a good thing.
So sad. RIP, Brooklyn.
My dear mother-in-law briefly had a kitten (Siamese) that also would become aggressive in an instant. That story ended the same way. She believed something neurological was going on, also.
There does seem to be a neurological overload that happens with handling and some cats. I’ve heard of it but don’t know what it’s called.
When the little only cat came to us, we could be petting her peacefully and suddenly she would turn upside down and attempt to destroy our arm. We began to cope with this by immediately freezing, making a pained noise, gently withdrawing, and leaving her alone. Because she does enjoy attention, she got the message that human skin is fragile.
After five years, we have either learned to sense her mood, or she has come to trust us & mellowed with age. There seems to be something mysterious in her past that made her both very water-averse and an only cat.
I am so sorry to hear this, we had a cat who was similar, She liked fuss but after sending someone to hospital we had to make the same decision. It is so upsetting knowing that they are too damaged for us to help them but maybe it is better for them.
I just stumbled on your blog when looking for information on feral cats. We rescued a cat from a shelter in 2007 that had been a street cat before he came to the shelter. He wasn’t fixed and was already around two years old. He was very friendly and loved attention and loved to be picked up. He had the same tendencies to roll over and bite and scratch. We had him for about a year before he attacked us the first time. The vets chalked in up to him being spooked by something outside. There were three additional incidents much as you describe where we were essentially mauled with him yowling, scratching and biting. We tried everything changing food, behaviorists, some medication, and even reducing outside stimulation that set him off. I was told by many that this was normal behavior and that there was something wrong with what we were doing. The final incident resulted in the same sad ending. There is nothing more you could have done. I have struggled with the same thoughts. You provided all that you could and in the end there is something in the past that causes the blind aggression to take over. We have since rescued two more feral cats. They have taken almost 4 months to come around. Last night was the first time I could pet one without food. She was wrapped around my legs purring up a storm. It was in this that I have found closure. I did all I could for one, but we continue to do our best for the others that need us as well. Sorry for the long post, and continue with the great work you are doing 🙂
Thanks to everyone who has commented on this blog post. I have only had to make this hard decision two other times in the thirty some years have been working with strays. One other, oddly enough was a calico girl about 5 years old. We called her the Queen Mother and after she recovered from her abuse (a few days with us) she decided to camp out on our upstairs stairs and attack all who ventured up the stairs.
The attacks were not comical, they were formidable with hissing, growling, launching full claws extended, eyes slit-not even our German Shepherd would take her on. Finally, my husband got the extension ladder and went and opened a small window to the roof from the outside. It took her only a matter of minutes to find this freedom and when she bolted, she ended up the carrier he was manuevering. I took her in and had her put down.
The other was an older tom about 8 a mackeral tabby I called Maverick. His aggression was so hard and fast because he was a tom. He latched on to my arm and wouldn’t let go no matter what. I won’t describe how I had to get him off. 🙁 He was put down that day and I ended up in the hospital on IV fluids.
Sometimes these cats live through the unimaginable. Some of them can overcome with help from caring humans but others become so damaged. Mike calls them serial kitties because they have chains of aggression you just can’t break through.
I am sorry for all of you who have lived this in your own homes and applaud the courage you have displayed to endure it, correct it however you did.
Keep up the good work, because among the broken there are so many who can be helped.
me and my brother were walking down our drive way,and we saw 1 kitten laying next to her mom who was dead . so we took the kitten in and cared for her .she was so sweet and she still is ,we called her kitty for a little while ,but the name just stuck to her .so now she has 3 kittens rascle,player,and last but not least white sox.she will be my friend for ever and ever up until i die!
hi Tori, that is a wonderful thing you and your brother did for that poor kitten. It isn’t easy raising a baby kitten in the absence of a mother. But, please ask your parents to get Kitty spayed so she doesn’t have any more kittens! You can go to http://www.spayusa.org and find a place near you that offers spays in your areas for a very low cost or even a discount. If she is outside right now, chances are she is pregnant again as it is Kitty Season. Thanks for doing this- I am sure if she could, she would walk up and shake your hand and tell you she is grateful.