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Cat attacks

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Kitties have the cuuuutest faces!
  yes!
  hmmm not ALL of them XD
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hoshikogen

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PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:09 pm


So I have an issue with some cats I am living with. I've been reading other topics and people's replies and you guys seem knowledgeable and helpful so here's my question:

I recently moved in with my boyfriend (okay about 5 months ago) and he has 2 cats. I have one and he's super sweet and hates to fight. One of my bf's cats has this real problem with my Mouse- he always attacks him. The weird thing is, before I moved in I would periodically bring Mouse over because I was on vacation or he was crapping & peeing all over my grandma's. During those random visits my bf's cat Scampers (a male just like my cat) had NO problem with Mouse. The female, Princess occasionally harassed him but that was it. Since moving in, Scampers has been harassing and attacking Mouse. He's pulled out clumps of fur and even put a hole in his back that I had to pay over $300 to get cleaned out, surgery on, etc. We have a baby gate on the stairs to separate the cats (oddly enough, the female gives no problems now) but it's a real hassle and I can tell Mouse is lonely and wants to be friends.
I can't figure out how to get Scampers to leave Mouse alone and I'm so afraid of him attacking Mouse again I have him locked up whenever we're not at home. We were thinking of getting him declawed but since reading the thread on that, I've changed my mind (I had no idea they took a joint off the foot! eek ).

Anyone have this issue and have any help to offer/ recommendations? Mouse doesn't fight back so it's not like he can knock some fear into Scampers (unfortunately!) so it seems kind of hopeless.
Also, this winter we're planning on moving into an apartment so there won't be the option of the baby gate- I'm hoping to have this issue resolved by then so we can keep both kitties.

Thanks! heart
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:38 pm


First, are all the cats spayed or neutered? Intact cats are more likely to be territorial and aggressive.

Also, make sure that the cats have their own litterboxes and their own dishes and separate areas to eat, so that there is less reason to get territorial. Give them their own space - keep the cats in separate rooms if need be, and let them out for supervised introductions.

I haven't tried any of these myself, as my girls get along just fine, but here's a few things you might try:

Feliway
http://www.feliway.uk.com/
It's a synthetic cat facial pheromone that is supposed to provide a calming and destressing effect. It helps with inappropriate urine marking, stress and aggression.

Flower essences
Just a couple of random pages:
http://www.catfaeries.com/essences.html
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/floweran.html
They're supposed to provide a calming effect that restores emotional balance. There's difference essences for different situations.

Clicker training
http://www.clickertraining.com/
Clicker training can be effective in resolving a wide range of undesirable behaviour and can help calm down cats that are aggressive. By marking and rewarding good behaviour the cat learns what is desirable and undesirable behaviours are reduced because they are not rewarding.

Anti-anxiety medication
If there is a very high level of stress in the household and they're not integrating you might consider talking to your vet about getting some anti-anxiety medications for the cats. Your vet would be the best to advise you on what would be most appropriate.

Anlina
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hoshikogen

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PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 7:25 am


Anlina
First, are all the cats spayed or neutered? Intact cats are more likely to be territorial and aggressive.

Also, make sure that the cats have their own litterboxes and their own dishes and separate areas to eat, so that there is less reason to get territorial. Give them their own space - keep the cats in separate rooms if need be, and let them out for supervised introductions.


Yeah all 3 cats are fixed. All 3 cats have their own boxes and my bf's cats share food and Mouse's is separate.

Thanks for the links! I'm definitely going to try some of that out 3nodding
PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:40 am


Personally, I would never again give my cat any sort of anti deppresent medication, I have in the past (because he is at times very aggressive) but I found it changed his personality greatly. He was no longer the cat I fell in love with. I took him off and he was back to normal. Mine was neutered and still very aggressive towards my other female cat, she would fight back but then they both got hurt. So Here was my solution, it worked for me and it's dirt cheep, you might want to try it. I got it from the book "The Psychology of Cats".

#1) Buy yourself a cheep little water gun, you know the kind kids play with.
#2) Always keep it filled with water. And nearby.
#3) Anytime You see the aggressive cat even attempting to make a move on the less dominant one shoot him in the nose with the water gun. (it has to be on the nose as the water gun will not penetrate his fur on the first shot and it will have no effect)
#4)If you want them to be friends than just do the above steps when they are about to get aggressive or are fighting. if you do it everytime they get near each other they will end up avoiding each other.

This method is similar to turning a hose on 2 dogs that are fighting, it distracts them from each other. Be warned though you will not see an improvement overnight, this must be repeated over and over again. It may take several months before you see a result. Although I do think it's better than giving your cat mind altering drugs. Some things should not be given a quick fix, drugs should really be a last resort, not to mention it could get very expensive and also the tables might turn. Your docile cat may see that the aggressor is no longer "large and in charge" and the docile one may turn on his former aggressor.

You may want to choose something other than a water gun so the basic psychology is just to distract the aggressive cat, you can use loud noises like pots and pans banging together, really anything to distract them. Over time they will learn that the act of aggression towards each other will result in something unpleasant to them (like a shot of water on the nose).

Capricornus_Equus

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An abnormal love of cats

 
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