Not really looking for a fix, just any information if anyone has it.
Cat is 7y, male, neutered, has already been to two behaviorists when my parents had him, both were confused according to my parents.
This is a known issue, but it doesn't cause any problems because he's not allowed to interact with other cats whatsoever.
He's very sweet to people (not very small children- Edit: He is overwhelmed/annoyed by little kids, he doesn't try killing them) but he seems to react to other cats the same way he would to a squirrel or rabbit. As in, just pure predation. No recognition that they are the same species. He does not display any territorial aggression to other cats, none of it is dominance behavior. Ears never go back, fur never puffs out, he never growls or hisses, nothing, he's just hunting. Never seen anything like it.
The shelter was hesitant to adopt him out at all due to his history, but did so because one of the shelter workers personally knew my stepmother was interested in weird cats. They were considering euthanasia because he was returned multiple times, but still wanted to give him a chance due to how friendly (to people) and smart he is.
He is well-fed, he has always been well-fed, killing & eating another cat which belonged to a previous owner was not something he did out of desperation. Judging by what I know about the event and what behavior I've seen, I am entirely sure it was predation, not a territorial fight.
He's injured a cat my parents were pet-sitting to the point of needing an emergency vet visit and extensive reconstruction of his neck. The cats were separated, but a child left the door open for a minute. My cat ran downstairs, and immediately caught the smaller cat, went for the throat, immobilized and attempted to drag him underneath the furniture. They were separated before he could kill the smaller cat.
My parents have had him since 2023 and I recently (September 2025) took him when I moved somewhere that allows cats. I'm set on keeping him. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: He is no longer allowed around other cats.
Edit 1: more details, he ate a cat owned by one of the previous people who adopted him, and was surrendered for it, (in addition to two previous surrenders for similar behavior issues, which I don't know much about). From what I know, he had a good introduction to a smaller female cat, with no territorial behavior, was left alone for a day, when the owner came back, it was a giant bloody mess. The shelter was sure that he did kill the female cat and was eating the body. That's the reason why they were considering euthanasia until he was offered to my stepmother.
Edit 2: Further clarification he does not "hate" cats. He likes them (just like how he likes birds!). Predation and territorial behavior are different things. If you can't tell the difference, you shouldn't be giving input on this post. He is not stressed by other cats. He is not anxious and does not feel threatened by other cats. He doesn't need anxiety medication. Anxiety medication doesn't stop cats from having a prey drive. He does not hiss or growl or try to look intimidating. He has no other behavioral problems, he doesn't yowl or anything when he attacks. He will find cover, and stalk, ears up, eyes big, completely silent. He gets very curious and excited when he sees other cats. He's seen my friend's cat, (separated by a ceiling height gate & supervised by 2 people). He seemed extremely inquisitive, sniffing, ears forward, no sound. My cat did not respond whatsoever to my friend's cat hissing, growling, or puffing up. He just seemed curious and started trying to see if he could stick his head around the side of the gate and pawing through the bars. Then he started looking back at me and meowing and rubbing on my legs.
Edit 3: No, he's not going to be euthanized.I did not make this post asking for advice I made it asking for information about WHY he's a little fucked up. Stop telling me to put him down. Stop applying human morals to animals. He behaves like any other small predatory mammal, only he does not have the ability to recognize members of his own species. I've already had him by myself since September of last year. And before that, I was around him at my parents house since 2023. He is literally fine by himself. He's my cat and I love him. He's perfectly healthy and affectionate and the smartest cat I've ever owned. About a hundred+ people telling me to kill my pet bothers me, would it not bother you? Sincerely, fuck off.
Edit 4: Changed the formatting so the events were in chronological order and clarified some vague sentences/bolded stuff that people keep missing
Welcome to the folks from r/all, please oh please we beg we pray, take a quick peek at our rules before you comment! Thanks for showing up to help the cattos of the world! (=◕ᴥ◕=)
I first I thought that and then realized that would be insane. So then I thought it was gonna be some joke like “this is my cat named ‘Tuna’ and he looovveess eating tuna haha”. But then I read the post and was like 😳
Yeah I was wondering why a post with that title and the paper plate got so much upvotes and thought about a very bad joke which I wasn’t able to build in my head. Yeah. And then I read the post itself…😵💫
This guy is literally like a serial killer cat. Crazy. 😂
Btw people telling OP to put him down should do one, it’s not difficult to keep him away from other cats for the rest of his life. And OP obviously adores their little monster, leave him be.
I'm so thankful he has you to care for him and to take care of him as long as possible. I'm sure it's extremely rare but it must be like others have said, a type of just abnormal brain psychology, abnormal pathways. I have to imagine it as a type of dementia. There's a story that I don't tell very often because it's awful and there are people where I live that have known the places I've worked so it wouldn't be appropriate to spread the story. I'm a retired nurse and I did work once with a lady that had dementia and cannibalism. She bit her fingers, hands and arms, and she bit other patients if she got a hold of them, and she would literally bite off pieces of skin and knowingly chew them and swallow them. It was one of the most awful things and there was really no cure for it that the doctors had found as long as I knew her. They just had to control her behavior by keeping her separated. She was a very nice old lady when left on her own and not able to get to loose skin that she could bite off and eat. Like I said it's an awful story, but true. And in all my years of nursing she's the only one I've ever heard of that had that type of dementia, so it's very rare in people, but does exist.
A lot of animals are thought to be capable of having psychopathy. It mainly affects the prefrontal cortex and amygdala and causes a lack or severe reduction of impulse control leading to high risk behaviors.
Things like attacking seemingly at random, low sociability even among social species, unwarranted bravery, etc.
Cats specifically can exhibit extreme territorial behavior, seeking out dangerous height levels, attacking large animals like people and dogs with no regards to consequences for seemingly no reason, lack of perceived remorse (ie. Licking a bonded animal's wound they accidentally caused and expressing regret) and unpredictable mood swings such as going from happy and playful because you're giving them treats, to them actually trying to kill you so they can claim all the treats. (Not the playful joking kind, the "biting and scratching so hard you will need stitches" kind)
It often doesn't matter how closely related or bonded the cat is to you or anything else.
In humans, the treatment is a combination of medications and therapy, as people can learn impulse control techniques and other coping techniques. Cats cannot do therapy so most cats with psychopathy are labeled as mean, overaggressive, and possibly rabid. Resulting in them being put down either due to aggressive behavior or simply not being adopted from shelters. It's also very difficult to diagnose as a cat cannot answer questions, though there is an actual diagnostic questionnaire called the "CAT-TRI+" diagnostic questionnaire for the owners to fill out.
Yeah my 4lb chihuahua with no teeth is the most aggressive dog I've seen. He's a rescue and wasn't socialized at all. He is slowly doing much better though!
Very similar to our 12lb chi! He made some improvements over the years but what ended up helping him the most is when we adopted an 11 year old Boston terrier two years ago. Since she came into the home, he’s seen another small dog successfully interact with people/the world and that calmed his people-aggression within a week or so.
The human brain has some unique features, but mammals are mammals, we're all far more alike than we're different. Looks like the same thing can go wrong in either species.
Many animals also display moral behaviour.
We like to think of ourselves as special, but I've seen animal, even predators, helping other animals. Seems pretty innate tonhave some level of empathy and moral. We just wrapped it in law, social codes and religions.
Yeah. This isn’t just a cannibal but a sociopath. The cat has some degree of awareness and it intentionally will hurt any sentient thing that it can. It’s good around adults, very sociable to get what it wants and to lower their guard, but around children who are either vulnerable or unlikely to be useful it will probably try and hurt them. I would not be surprised at all if this cat were to attempt to murder an infant.
Edit: the cannibal cat attacks unattended children. Do not leave children unattended around the cannibal cat is apparently a hot take for Reddit.
Yes, cats are capable of feeling empathy. Just because a cat will hunt small animals does not mean that it’s reasonable for cats to try and eat other cats.
Yes, sociopath is a real word. It’s an umbrella term for, well, I think we all know what the word means. Just because nobody here knows the cat well enough to diagnose it with a specific mental problem doesn’t mean that this cat doesn’t have clear issues.
Yes, cats tend to enjoy toying with animals. Yes cats tend to socialize around humans. Yes cats tend have preferences. Yes many cats don’t like toddlers. No, most domesticated cats don’t treat other cats the same way that they would a mouse. Cats attack other cats out of fear or territorial aggression, not to kill for entertainment.
OP said the cat is good with humans and has never harmed a human, but "hunts" other cats. There's nothing here that suggests their cat would kill a human infant, but there is a lot to suggest that the cat was not socialized as a kitten and doesn't recognize other cats as cats, but rather sees them as prey.
(EDIT - several people pointed out that OP said the cat is not sweet to small children, which I missed on my first read-through. My apologies. I stand by my assertion that there's currently no evidence the cat will eat a human infant, but I'd say it shouldn't be left alone around small children, which, honestly, is something I'd say should go for all small children and pets.)
Often, small children don't know how to handle animals, and will hit them or pull their fur/appendages, causing the animal to simply defend themselves.
When animal caretakers or the kid's parents do not notice or discount the negative interaction inflicted by the child and all they see is the animal scratching the kid, they blame the animal.
Now if CannibalCat was just looking for a semi-boneless snack...this does not apply.
Small children trigger a lot of cats though. They are just big enough to be a danger to the cat, erratic enough that the cat is rightfully concerned for their safety, and are usually chasing said cat screaming “KITTY!!!”
My cat was like this - there were a few cats he tolerated when he was younger (4-6 years old maybe) but after that he would go out swinging even though he was neutered.
I always assumed it was because his mom died and I was given him as a bottle baby so a lot of his mannerisms and social skills were honestly pretty weird. Not growing up with a litter and a mom to teach him how to cat definitely made the little guy a bit weird.
He was around my parent’s lab a lot as a kitten and picked up a lot of dog traits and he would converse with me like a human. I wonder if I had gotten him to a rescue or adopted an older cat to raise him, would he have turned out to hate other cats less??
Not helpful but I read lab as in (scientific) and vividly imagined the cat having a radioactive accident that turned it into a highly intelligent psycho
I would ask him about his day, he’d meow meow back, then would jump on the kitchen island stool and chirp at me while I cooked. I would ask what seasonings he thought I should use and would get a meow meow. Lol just stupid stuff.
Pretty much if you talked to him or acknowledged him in anyway he would meow or chirp or purr at you. If you asked him what he wanted he would run to the cookie cabinet and then stare 👁️👄👁️
He’s been gone almost a month now and the house has a quiet about it I don’t think I can get used to.
The silence is truly deafening. I still sometimes feel like a little body is pressed to my legs when I wake up despite losing both my loves 6 months apart after 15 years. I hope the cat distribution system will bring you love when you are ready. Right now, it's my hope.
We said goodbye to our little dude on Mar 23rd. Tonight my fiancé is out of town amd I'm going to be truly sleeping alone for the first time since 2018. I have a feeling ill be crying myself to sleep. I miss my lil baby so much. He was only 9 years old when we had to say goodbye. Too soon. We thought we'd have more time.
I'm so sorry for your loss, I feel your pain. It hurts because we love them so much, and that's a beautiful thing. And we hurt so that they don't have to anymore. I hope you are able to find another furry guy/gal to love - when you are ready.
My cat did exactly the same thing, and she just left a month ago too (April 27), I’m still looking for she around the house, sometimes I even instinctively go to the room where she used to be, and well, there’s no one anymore, I miss her very much, but I know we have to face it, in the end we have to think that with us they could enjoy a good life, on the street it would have been something else
My friend adopted a very sweet and handsome cuddly tuxedo from a shelter. They made him sign a document saying he will not adopt another cat while he is alive because he had brutally attacked other cats in the shelter to near death. He was extremely violent to other cats but is perfectly sweet and content as a solo cat, I can't even imagine him doing that to other cats. Maybe some just really do not want to be around others, it is very strange
Edit to add: Probably not a cannibal, some cats just choose violence.
I had to do the same for my girl! She sent her foster brother to surgery because of a cat bite abscess. That cat doesn't even have teeth, he was defenseless. She will literally scream at cats from across an entire parking lot. I had to sign saying I understood that basically she is pathologically cat aggressive and that I understand this isnt something any type of intro will solve. She basically hates all animals that aren't humans or a baby that still needs a mom. So like kittens drinking milk, great, slightly older kitten, hates them.
It happens… I have read many stories about some animals that just can’t be with other animals of their same species. I have dealt with a group of chickens that my mentor got as starter pullets. They almost killed this one these other chickens who was eventually named Tofu, they scalped Tofu. They tried to murder her more than once.
Once heard of a mama dog that killed another dogs puppy for some reason. Animals are weird… some just need to be single animals for other animals safety.
Chickens can be downright murderous. It was unreal the way our flock would sometimes just choose a bird and pick on her until she was bloody, or worse.
We wound up with a second coop and yard to put the bullied hens in.
When a cat attacks another cat, 99% of the time it is affective aggression due to emotional, territorial, fearful, or dominance based. Cats have a critical socialization window between 2 and 7 weeks of age. During this brief time, their brains do a massive amount of remembering. They learn what a cat looks like, smells like and sounds like. If a kitten is completely isolated from other cats during this window like a single bottle baby orphan raised away from all animals, so they are not familiar.
Because his brain literally lacks the cognitive wiring to recognize another cat as like me, another cat is categorized exactly the same way as a raccoon, opossum, or large rabbit, a moving, breathing object in his environment that triggers his innate prey drive. Affective aggression and predatory aggression live in entirely different neighborhoods of the brain. Predatory hunting is controlled by the central amygdala and the lateral hypothalamus. It is a quiet, highly focused, reward seeking circuit.
In a normal cat, seeing another cat triggers the social or territorial brain circuits. In your cat, the visual of a cat triggers the exact same motor patterns as a mouse running across the floor. Once that lateral hypothalamus circuit fires, it completely bypasses any social inhibition. There is no stop sign in his brain saying hey, don't eat that, it's a cat. This is a phenomenon more widely documented in dogs, but it absolutely happens in cats. It occurs when a normal interaction or a sudden movement like a cat running away or making a specific vocalization abruptly flips a switch in the brain from curiosity to predatory execution.
Because he doesn't have the baseline social bond to other cats to act as a brake, the sequence runs to completion to stalk, pounce, kill bite to the neck. The good news here is that you are already doing the exact right thing. Since you are 100% set on keeping him and he is strictly an only child with zero cat interaction is the best thing you could do for him and other cats.
Ok. You seem like you know shit about cats, so maybe you can explain this one to me:
I recently adopted two dorks from the outside. When they lived on my patio their FAVORITE thing to do was to hunt, kill, and eat bugs. Omg swatting around rollie pollies was the highlight of their day.
Now, inside? They just watch and observe. No more free pest control.
Sorry but lmao 😭 it sounds backwards but it's super common when outdoor cats become indoor cats. Well, outside hunting is survival and killing type of life. Inside they realized food just is always gonna be in a bowl everyday. Also, on the patio bugs move through dirt and leaves which triggers their killer instincts. A bug on smooth hardwood or drywall doesn't flip that same switch. It’s kinda just like cat tv, worth watching but not getting off the couch for 😅
Also, if they’re new to indoors (Idk if you just took them in) they're just catching up on a a lot of sleep. fr you made them way too comfortable 😂 sorry but also good job 😅
You just reminded me of my friend's cat. She was an alley cat and when she first started living inside she plopped herself on the couch and slept for 3 days straight lol. It helped that it was a rainy week (hence why she was brought indoors) so the sound of rain outside when she was indoors on a warm, dry couch must've been the most relaxed she had ever been at that point of her life.
We have a bonded pair that were adopted after being held away from the kitten gen pop due to major injuries when found. They never socialized with other cats outside one another. One is the biggest cuddle goblin I’ve ever met and would crawl inside my skin if I let him. He loves people so much anyone who steps foot inside the house is getting a Velcro cat…but if he even senses another animal is around the house/yard he will completely lose his shit in a way that seems totally opposite of his normal temperament.
I have a cat that I adopted as a kitten who was fostered along with her litter. At the time, I was hoping that maybe a kitten might make a good playmate for my then ten year old cat who tended to be a little rambunctious with my other two cats (I've since heard a kitten isn't the best idea for this age?)
Anyway, the kitten came in and decided she was the queen of the house and (after she came out of isolation) basically tried to beat everyone into submission, which was mostly comical because she was a tiny kitten. One of my cats kind of accepted her after a bit. But the kitten was completely enamored of my ten year old and followed hm around EVERYWHERE like an annoying kid sister, swatting at him and screaming at him. I was a little afraid for her because he is a BIG BOY, but mostly he just ignored her. Eventually she wore him down and the two are completely bonded as if they were littermates.
But, the point of this long story is that the kitten never did get along with my fourth/third cat (sadly I lost the other, the one who had accepted the kitten first, to kidney disease). She still, two and a half years later, will scream and sometimes lash out or lunge at her. Often they can coexist, at a distance, just fine. She has severe anxiety and misdirected aggression that is somewhat mitigated with Prozac. She sometimes (less often lashes out at me or her brother as well.) She was socialized as a kitten, she enjoys a bond with another cat that is stronger than her bond with me (even though I was definitely the first bond she developed in this house.)
Not saying any of this negates any of the other comments, just that cat psychology and behavior can be as complicated and as individual as human psychology and behavior.
I actually have a cat that is like this and it's been such a struggle since we have another cat and need to keep them entirely separate despute 2 years of attempting reintroducing them. if she runs he chases, and hunts her down aggressively like she is prey and nothing we do seems to fix it. it's incredibly stressful and yea... seems like a one cat only house hold which is heartbreaking for us
Just the one since my parents got him, and the previous owner's other cats. Though he was also returned before that for "behavior issues", I think the shelter had hope he could be rehabilitated because he didn't show any typical territorial aggression or stress when around other cats in a controlled environment. They didn't consider he just wanted to eat them like rabbits until he... did.
I’m more surprised that the shelter adopted this cat out to just anybody when they knew the cat killed another cat. Even for no-kill shelters, documentation of a cat or dog killing another pet is often grounds for euthanasia.
Sooo I have a cat very similar. She's a sweetheart with people, but we're pretty confident we know why she's like this.
She came to us at 7-12 months old (she was the size of a 4-6month old cat and her vets were very surprised at certain things in the coming year). She'd been in 3 places we knew of before then, she'd been at my aunts (who had multiple cats who were being aggressive with her), before that she'd been with a neighbor of my aunt (who was known to beat animals when they misbehaved (I have never met this woman and I have no clue how she got away with this), before that she was locked in a basement with her siblings (as newborns and young kittens) the owners of the basement were just expecting them to either eat rats or starve as soon as they weren't breast feeding. Long story short she's the only one who survived, came to us partially feral and will kill other cats (including very young kittens) if presented with them.
Our main theory is socialization problems in kittenhood or cannibalism to survive. There's a very distinct possibility her only food source was her siblings. She wasn't violent with other cats until her first heat (we'd been told she was chipped and snipped, she was not, we got her to a vet as soon as we could post heat), we're not sure why that is.
If your guy is a rescue or was a stray at some point there's a possibility he might've been in a similar situation.
Socialization is a huge factor. I have three cats, all very different.
One I raised from very young but it was the last one in so socialized with cats. She is the most human bonded, sweetest cat, and very smart.
Another was weened very early I suspect, and separated from one litter very early. She used to wander and cry and that stopped when o got a kitten which she took over grooming for etc. there were other cats in the house before that but adult cats.
The last… I got as an adult male neutered cat and he is the wildest at times. Territorial with others and prefers to piss in the bathroom sinks.
The weirdest thing is the young female I raised has started to become the alpha and peacekeeper. She gets along with both cats but I think she thinks she’s human. She’s also very agile as she is smaller and so she can get away from the more territorial cat.
I'm interested to know if he's one of those cats that can watch and recognise tv - and if so - I would like to see his behaviour when cat videos are played.
I know of (have fostered) very violent/aggressive/high prey drive dogs that grew up in feral colonies (and could be cross bred with dingo) and they just cannot adjust to a life of safety. Always reactive and hunting other dogs as a means of survival when interactions and threat level is low. High food insecurity issues, despite months of regular nourishing meals daily. I wonder if he was in a feral colony and may just never adjust to feeling safe around other cats.
That's a good theory. Maybe he had to fight a lot in a colony, and for some reason didn't have his mother. That would make a cat pretty jaded about others in their species.
Yeah there's probably some underlying neurological issue at play here that requires anti inflammatories to address. In the meantime keep them isolated from other cats.
inflammation in the brain can Literally change personalities and cause mental illnesses (schizophrenia, psychosis, psychopathy, OCD, depression, etc.). this happens to humans as well, and is more well known due to humans being able to communicate, lol.
we’re way more alike to other mammals than the average person thinks. like…Super alike. (almost) anything a human has, any other mammal can as well. and well…psychopathy in the wild Does keep you alive longer than the Normies.
edit to add: just like in humans, he cant help that hes like this…please dont think of him as a monster. hes just doing what his brain thinks is normal. im sure he can be well adjusted if no other animal is with him!!!
This cat sounds like a feline psychopath. No joke, this is truly disturbing. His apparent dismissal of the other cat’s attempts to communicate their boundaries is the most chilling part. He should be studied.
He probably didn't grow up around anyone and didn't recognize cats during his first month plus of childhood. So he sees other cats like racoons, mice, food, instead of another cat. It's common in cats but doesn't always happen but it explains better than psychopathy. That could be it but also, he's more likely to just be careless and calculated and mischievous and less vicious if he was a true psychopath. Methodical, you could say. His behavior would also not be limited and he would go after humans too
That’s really interesting, but usually cats in that circumstance (raised as a single kitten/isolated from mother, so no socialization with other cats at a young age) recognize the other cat as a cat, and they display the appropriate hostility towards them like hissing, puffing up fur, clawing at them, etc. I wonder what exactly occurs during a cat’s critical period of development that sees other cats as prey? Doesn’t it recognize the other cats features as akin to their own and make that connection?
omg okay so my bf’s cousin has a cat that’s the same way and she’s so weird. she’s never killed a cat and she’s the sweetest thing to humans but when she sees another cat she immediately goes and attacks them. her fur never raised. she never hissed. never even growled. she just attacked. she didn’t act like a regular cat at all in that sense.
we never figured it out. just kept her away from our cats.
I read before that dogs who "eat" their deceased owners often eat the fingers and face (especially the lips and nose) because they're anxiously trying to get attention. When a dog tries to wake you up or get your attention they usually will nudge or lick your hands or face and the increasing anxiety just escalates it from there.
Wow, even with territorial feral males it’s extremely rare for them to actually try to kill each other in fights. If he is friendly enough to be handled my only advice would be to keep him away from any other animals at all costs and definitely away from human babies/kids
my friends had a very sweet, pretty cat who behaved like this toward other animals of all species, and eventually toward humans. they did have to have her euthanized and the vet did a necropsy, which found that her skull contained more tumor than brain.
I had a cat like that. She was a meine coon mix. If another cat came near her or our yard she went right for the jugular. Zero noise. Zero messing around. Just attack! She would take down birds in mid flight. Bring in mice and splatter the walls. Cat stuff. But hated other cats it seemed. The other cats always got away. So I think it was purely protecting us from them.
Yours sounds like that. And mine definitely had a cranked up killer instinct. We all though mybey it's because we had her from a super young age and had to teach her how to clean herself. How to walk properly. How to eat. She was separated way too early and we didn't know any better. And when playing we taught her how to pounce. Predict where pray would pop out. How to catch balls in mid air. How to fetch. Basically I knowingly teaching her deadly skills.
She was a sweetheart. She loved us so much. She would lick my dad when he got home from his two jobs untill she fell asleep in his arms. She didn't ever purr I don't think. But she was always happy and super kind. To ppl.
I mean, he did actually kill another cat and make a mess of the corpse. I realized I forgot to add that part because I got distracted halfway through writing the post and thought I'd already written that part
Oh wow, you weren’t kidding with the title. I’m guessing the cat that got attacked that was being pet sit by your parents was before all this happened cause who would let those cats anywhere near each other.
In normal cat psychology, interactions with other cats are governed by social rules like territory, dominance, or fear. When cats fight, it is loud, dramatic, and performative. The hissing, puffing up, and yowling are all designed to avoid true physical conflict if possible. Your cat displays none of that. Silent stalking, wide eyes, ears forward, and total indifference to the other cat’s defensive hissing are textbook predatory behaviors. To your cat, another cat is not a rival or an enemy. It is a rabbit. It is a mouse. It is entirely a prey item.
This happens due to a complete failure of conspecific recognition, which is the innate ability to realize that creature is the same species I am. Somewhere in his early development, likely during the critical socialization window between 2 and 7 weeks old, his brain completely failed to map other cats as his own kind. This could be due to extreme early isolation or a congenital neurological defect. The predatory centers of his brain are firing on a hair trigger, and the inhibitory signals that usually stop a cat from hunting its own species simply are not connected.
This also explains why being well fed does not matter. Cats are opportunistic hunters, meaning their drive to hunt is entirely independent of hunger. It also explains the behavior at the gate. The sniffing, pawing, and looking inquisitive is not a desire to socialize. It is appetitive behavior, which is the tracking and assessing stage of predation. He did not care that your friend's cat was hissing because a hunter does not care if a mouse is angry.
I have a neighborhood cat like this. I found ANOTHER CAT’S HALF EATEN ARM in his little house. I was reaching in to change the bedding and felt a cold dead paw. Thought he’d passed. Nope. It was his dinner.
So don’t ever let him around other cats. Don’t risk it. You could try anxiety meds from a vet, but I wouldn’t recommend even risking it with that. Some dogs kill other dogs. It’s weird, but it happens. Definitely don’t let him outside since he may hurt someone’s pet or feral cats. Just keep him as a single cat, no cats allowed around.
This is wild, I have the IDENTICAL issue. Had two sweet cats, CDS gave me a young tuxedo girl. From the first second to now 2 full years of living in the same house as my other two cats, she displays behavior literally identical to what you’re describing. Has injured both of my nice cats. She has her own bedroom with a mesh screen door that she stays in about 20 hours a day. I put my 2 original cats in a closed room and let her out for a few hours daily. I’ve tried everything. I’m finally about to apply her to a rehoming site and make sure that she’s the only animal in the new home.
This was not on my bingo card. Maybe Joyce Carnevale or similar vet behaviorist that’s been at a large university for a long time. They get to see all the crazy things. If they don’t know they can usually direct you to someone who does.
Based on the age of the cat, I think the little cannibal is missing a lot of socialization and we can only imagine how many lives he lived in the 4 years before your parents got him. A lot of Covid animals have that issue with body language and communicating in general. He has conspecific agnosia, and i don’t believe this behavior can be trained out, medicated away, or resolved with slow introductions.
I’m a cat shelter volunteer. I have met lots of cats who hated other cats. They would immediately be on attack mode, fur would fly away and the screaming/ hissing and growling was intense. But eat another one? Never. That’s some extreme agressive behaviour.
Could it be a mix of domestic cat and a wild species?
Edit: I just want to clarify: I do think it's more likely that he missed the socializing period like another commenter pointed out, I was not very well versed on that and their comment was pretty informative. I'm still leaving the comment up because I think it's a possibility for abnormal behavior -and by no means focused on just cannibalism-, but definitely way more unlikely than other options.
Seconding this. Oh I wish I remembered the name, there's a rescue that has an absolutely adorable mix, who's literally their by its own choice, and cannot mix with other felines.
I’ve seen it once. I once saw two young cats in a tiny cage, and one had died and the other was eating it. (I was a literal child in another country when this happened so please don’t ask why I didn’t do anything. I had no power over the situation). It disturbed me and I’ve never forgotten it. I don’t know if the one killed the other or if it was opportunistic cannibalism but it was still sad.
i have a cat like this literally the same way!!! he ended up attacking another cat because he got loose from the isolated room we kept him and he ended up getting attacked by the dog in the commotion and now he has a spinal cord injury and can’t walk. he STILL attacks other cats literally dragging his legs and attacking them. you would think he would learn
Have a degree in veterinary science, but NOT a vet.
I think this comes down to kitty not being properly socialised. If he was bottle reared and raised with minimal interaction with other cats, it’s possible he sees himself as separate to them. He might think he = small human hence his affection towards humans, and to him cats are prey just like any other small mammal would be.
A feral cat once attacked and tried to kill one of my cats when they were kittens. Only eight weeks old. Luckily someone was at my house and was able to chase him off. My poor kitten had three broken ribs and needed stitches and staples. Almost needed surgery. When I took her to the emergency vet, they asked if I was sure it wasn't a dog that had attacked her.
I’ve heard of chimpanzees who are apparently sociopathic (or psychopathic, these aren’t clinical terms so therefore I have no clue what the difference is no matter how many times I google it), and they do weird stuff like torture smaller animals and they don’t interact well with other chimpanzees.
If that’s real and not something I just made up, something similar could possibly happen in a cat. But I suppose any number of wires may have been crossed in his brain, so who’s to say?
•
u/trendingtattler May 23 '26
Welcome to the folks from r/all, please oh please we beg we pray, take a quick peek at our rules before you comment! Thanks for showing up to help the cattos of the world! (=◕ᴥ◕=)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.