Cat attacks wife for no reason?
Sorry about the length of this post -
We have a cat that we adopted when he was a kitten, about 5 years ago - he was rescued from drowning, and may have been traumatized by that incident. He has always been extremely aggressive around strangers - we have to put him in the other room when people come over. His first time to the vet he scratched the nurse from elbow to wrist - she ended up needing stitches.
Anyway, within the last six months or so, he has started randomly attacking my wife for no apparent reason. Sometimes it is because she startles him, but the last attack was while she was sleeping. And this isn't just aggressive play - he attacks very aggressively, screeching and clawing, leaving bruises and deep cuts up the side of her leg or down her arm.
After the attack he will go back to normal, and act like a normal, affectionate cat. The attacks are relatively rare, and have occured maybe three times over the last six months.
As far as know, there have been no changes to his environment, no new scents, no new shampoo brands, and no changes to the daily routine around the house. He only attacks my wife, and has never attacked me or our daughter. My wife has never hit him or anything like that, and when he isn't trying to put her in the hospital, he is affectionate with her.
Many sites recommend spray bottles and what not, but when he attacks, a spray bottle isn't going to phase him. It is an all-out, vicious attack - not play. The wife has had to physically run out of the room or hold him at bay with a blanket.
We don't want to get rid of him, so is there anything we can do about this?
Tina - Thanks for the advice. I have suspected that there might be something wrong with him. We have taken him to the vet a couple of times since he started this, but we have not yet addressed this specific problem.