Hello all,

I've posted a few times on this forum for advice on my crazy and
unpredictable cat, Panguitch. Sorry I'm not a better forum member -
it's hard to keep up with all of the posts!

Panguitch has a history of sporadically attacking me if he has pent up
energy or if I try to make him do something he doesn't want to do. (ex:
brushing his teeth, trimming his claws, bringing him inside) Panguitch
is a 1 year 9mos old neutered domestic short hair. He spends a few
hours outside each day after I get home from work. During the day, he
has his littermate, Elfie-Welfie, to play with. Also, he has more toys
than a cat could dream of. Also, I play with both him and his sister
every night. I make every effort to see that he gets plenty of
excercise.

Panguitch's last checkup was completely normal. I mentioned his
occasional agressive behavior to the vet and he recommended that I give
him extra outdoor time, leave him extra toys, etc. About a week after I
implemented the extra time outside and extra toys, Panguitch decided to
attack me while I was sitting at my computer. He jumped at my face and
I ended up with a black eye. (luckily there were no scratches.) It was
like getting hit with an 11 pound furry rock!!!

After this event, my vet referred me to a behaviorist and did not
suggest drugging Panguitch.

Fast forward to yesterday - Panguitch had hours and hours of playtime
yesterday. It was getting dark and I wanted him to come inside. So, I
picked him up and he reached out and clawed my face. It was terrifying!
Luckily, the scratches aren't too bad. He did slash my upper lip. As I
am a professional flutist, this is going to make playing a bit
difficult this week.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone used a behaviorist on their cat before? I'm not sure I
believe it could help, so I haven't consulted the behaviorist
recommended by my vet. It would be horribly expensive and I have doubts
that a cat would respond to a behaviorist.

2) How dangerous is it to drug cats? Are there any websites with
information/studies on this? I can't risk this happening again and I'm
not willing to declaw my cat. I'm not sure if soft paws caps would help
much either... he might become enraged if he can't climb trees.