Hi all,

I’m looking for insight because this situation has gotten really intense and I don’t know what else to do.

My cat is 12 years old and has been incredibly sweet her entire life — very social, confident, even used to go on walks and tolerate public transport. About 6 months ago, she started having sudden episodes of severe, targeted aggression, and they’ve escalated to the point where we currently have to keep her isolated in a separate room for safety.

She is currently on 300 mg gabapentin + fluoxetine (kitty Prozac), and we are actively working with our vet (and seeking another opinion), but they are honestly a bit perplexed.

What happens:

Episodes seem to trigger during normal, calm interactions

Example: she was calmly cuddling on my lap while we watched a movie, my partner stood up, and she immediately lunged at him

She then escalated into hissing, growling, chasing, and repeatedly attacking us

It’s not defensive — it’s active pursuit, like she’s trying to drive us out or fight us

Current episode:

Started suddenly at ~7 AM while we were in bed

She attacked my partner, and we had to use a blanket to safely leave the room

This has now lasted 7 days, which is the longest yet

Medical info:

Full bloodwork + urine: normal

Full physical exam: normal except mild stiffness in back leg (not painful)

No signs of infection or injury

X-rays are planned

Environment:

No new stressors, same home for years

No exposure to other cats

Quiet living situation

She grew up around dogs and is not reacting to them

Other concerning behavior:

Sometimes seems confused or disoriented

Occasionally vocalizes/yells and then “snaps out of it”

Sometimes appears to track or react to things that aren’t there (this is really unsettling)

Our vet thinks this may be behavioral or neurological, possibly age-related, but nothing is clearly pointing to a cause yet.

I’ve read about things like redirected aggression, cognitive dysfunction, or even neurological issues, but this feels extreme — especially the prolonged attacks and chasing behavior.

At this point, we’re:

Keeping her in a calm, separate room

Only interacting on her terms

Using treats/positive reinforcement

Trying to keep everything as low-stress as possible

But we’re honestly scared of her hurting us, herself, or this becoming permanent.

Has anyone experienced anything like this with an older cat? Especially aggression that seems triggered by a person moving or appearing suddenly, or episodes where the cat seems like they’re reacting to something invisible?

Any insight (behavioral, neurological, or otherwise) would really mean a lot.