DCat turning a bit ferral!

[copernicium]

Please help fix our 2.5yo male tabby! Over about the past 8 months, he has become increasingly wild. He goes out for days at a time and when he comes back, he hisses, scratches, attacks. We have other pets and when we feed them, he will attack the pet and the feeder. Currently sporting three deep bleeding scratches the entire width of my hand after feeding DDog (after DCat had been fed!)
He's had a vet check, wormed, flead etc so no hint that there is anything underlying. We couldn't keep him as a house cat as he is constantly scratching and crying to get out and leaps through anything open instantly.
We're a very experienced pet household and we just don't know what to do with this one!

The obvious question is has he been neutered? Assuming he has, you could try one of the plug ins that are meant to help calm stressed cats.

Yes was neutered as soon as he was old enough. We had the plug ins around bonfire night and they didn't make any difference to him. I don't understand why he's suddenly turned nasty

Where did you get him?.

Does he dislike the other pets?

He didn't originally but he started to hate them the same time as with us. He was from a rescue but we had him from a kitten.

Has anything changed in the household? Even something small that would make him agitated. Is there enough room for him to have his own space? Maybe feed your other pets when he's absent. Keep him as separate from the others as possible. I had to do this with my female cat who was a demon with my other cat. Are you 100% sure he's not in pain? Arthritis or something stuck in his paw, or dental pain? Have you got any painkiller, Loxicom, Metacam, you could give him, to see if it makes a difference? Does he have a place up high where he can retreat to? Next time he attacks, don't put your hands anywhere near him. Throw a towel or blanket over him and that should stop him & save your poor hands. Is there another cat outside bothering him? It's such a nightmare when their behaviour changes. They're real creatures of habit and don't like change. Hope you get to the bottom of it

Things have been noisier with the kids at home but they went back in Sept. So if anything it's now quieter as no visitors.
There's loads of cats in the neighbourhood so it could be that. He's had check ups with the vet so confident he's physically well.
I've gone to great lengths to give them all separate feeding areas but he just wants ALL the food (not got worms).
Totally loving the towel trick though!

Well I didn't implement that quickly enough...he just came in the room, growled at me and swiped my arm. I was just sitting in my chair!

Mine does that when she’s fed up of me. I don’t know it’s like when she comes back in she goes for the first thing she sees. It sounds like something outside to be.

It is interesting that the timing roughly fits with when Covid became an issue. Are you in more than you used to be?

I've always worked from home but the DC being here alllll the time is new. Surely she's not jealous of the DC?

This has happened to my cat too. She was always a bit fiesty and did occasionally attack me (only ever me) but not seriously.
Now she's attacked all the family and a friend came to pick up her son (I'm her childcare support bubble) and she attacked my friend out of the blue! I was so embarrassed. She's never attacked anyone other than me and these attacks seem more violent rather than just her usual annoyed/play ones.
Sorry not helpful to you op but you have my sympathy.
I did wonder if she's fed up of us being in the house so much due to covid.
I hope she calms down. She attacked dd twice last night while dd was asleep in bed, so there I was chasing dcat around at 3am to put her outside

Oh gosh!
Maybe he's just sick of the sight of us then 🤷‍♀️