Change in behaviour

[feetlkeblocksofice]

My lovely 8yr old ginger tom (neutered) has gone from a lazy food driven lovely to a feral/ninja. He's taken to attacking the dog and other dogs, stalking my 10yr old DD and pouncing out from the unlikeliest places. Visual checks and a quick feel over shows no pain, bumps or cuts. Using the litter to pee (seems normal), appetite as good as ever.
Any ideas? Am i looking at a visit to the vets?

How is his weight doing? And is he an outdoor cat? If so, do you have a cat flap and what kind? (I'm wondering whether there could be another cat who is getting into or close by the house who is making him anxious.)

He's a little overweight and always has been, probably due to him supplementing his meals with birds, rats eww and the odd rabbit including the neighbours poor bunny.
He was always an outdoor cat, rarely in unless the weather was foul until the last 6 months, when he started getting beaten up by the new cat on the street now he only goes out to poo, refusing to use the lit for this and makes a hell of a racket until he's out.
No cat flap as we are here most of the time.

It almost sounds as if he's going stir crazy. Wants to be out and doing but is scared of the new cat on the street. (Who may, incidentally, be spraying around the place and making even his brief forays out to poo unpleasant experiences.)

Do you play with him - or does he have toys to play with on his own?

Yes loads of toys and fuss until he started attacking us, bit wary letting him out for too long, he was getting so badly attacked, always in the vets with Antibiotics, his ear was ripped, and he just looked so so sad He stays out about an hour at most then he's on the windowsil waiting to come in.

Oh Dear. I don't know what to suggest. An outdoor-going cat who is being beaten up by a tougher one and is anxious enough to stay inside mostly. All that energy going nowhere.

Maybe another poster will have some ideas.

Think I'll just keep an eye on him for now, poor baby, luckily DD isn't afraid of him just thinks he's being a pita.
Maybe he's just discovered his inner tiger