mental illness in a cat

[judylee]

my friend has a cat which she got at a shelter as a kitten.  she's a girl and her name is dash.  the shelter advised her not to take dash as she was "crazy".  i saw dash now and then as a kitten and she was very "playful".  well i just saw her again yesterday  (she is now full grown)...and she let me pat her for a minute then swatted me.  well, i didnt get the message so i started patting her again...well she hissed horribly and went to bite me. my friend told me not to move and dash went after her....like a dog....dash grabbed a hold of her leg with her claws and wouldnt let go....my friend hobbled to a counter to get her a treat, which i know she shouldnt have (awarding bad behavior) but at that point dash withdrew her claws from my friends leg and started purring and rubbing against her.  it was absolutely the weirdest thing i've ever seen.  she kinda stares at you with a blank look in her eyes too.  could she be mentally ill?  my friend is scared to death of her...but she says dash will cuddle with her at night. any suggestions?

[Piparskeggr]

Teia was presented to us, and did act at first, as a standoffish, feral cat who hated other kitties and did not particularly like people.  She had been taken in as a 6-month old, abused street cat.  Her previous people gave her a safe place to stay and good food, but no real affection or discipline.

We got her at age 10 1/2, when her previous people lost their home to foreclosure.  She bite both Anita and I, scratched us, charged the other cats when they got too close (before disappearing into her hiding spot), came out only at night, did not eat wet food, did not know how to play...

I was unwilling to accept that she was unreachable.

A couple of days ago, for the 4th time in the last month or so, Teia let me pick her up and cuddle her.  She eats all of her meals just a foot or so from Hildie (our previous "middle-child"), she loves being caressed, not too crazy about being brushed just yet, and is out and about (in 'her" room) at all hours of the day...even breaks the barrier and comes into the hall a little bit now.  My wife or I will sleep in "Teia's Room" once every 4 days or so and she likes to lay on my chest or by my wife's side.

Teia loves a length of suede I dangle for her to grab and bite.  She'll go for 10 - 15 minutes, clumsily, playing.  She likes catnip, but not so much the laser pointer.  We also found that she dislikes "people" tuna, but really likes "cat" tuna.

No animal is unreachable: patience, persistence, prudence, consistency, kindness...

[PrettyKitty1]

This cat is not mentally ill. This is a cat that has not been properly trained. Tell your friend to grab a training maual or watch videos on youtube on how to train a cat. It is not rocket science but requires a lot of patience. Dash should have been trained as a kitten but I'm sure it isn't too late to turn her into a good girl.

[opus88]

I don't believe this is a mental illness, IMO your friend just has a very aggressive cat who has like you say been rewarded for her bad behavior and now thinks its acceptable, if your friend wants to continue keeping this cat it will need some extensive retraining, this will take time and patience.
I don't advocate medicating an animal for behavioral issues but there are times when it is called for and IMO this is one such instance.
this cat is dangerous and out of control, please insist that your friend takes this cat to a Vet and gets some guidance and options to try.
please keep us posted. and I wish your friend the best of luck.