Hi Janine.
I am hoping you can give some advise about our friend, Boris
the cat.
He is a great cat, but he is a bully.
We have the two older cats. He is ok with Etta, the
oldest, and Etta holds her own. Unfortunately, Rosebud is the victim.
Boris terrorizes Rosebud. Chases her, picks fights
with her. She has taken to a few "safe places" though the house
- on top of tables and furniture - to escape him. This AM, he tried to
jump up on the kitchen table, scared the life out of her, and she went flying,
as did all the stuff on the table.
We are placing Boris in time out (every AM he is in time
out, mornings seem to be his "on" time.) We've tried water
guns, and we yell at him. He comes back for more mayhem as soon as his
discipline is over. He is relentless in his pestering of Rosebud. Was he
like this when he was in foster care? I am worried about Rosebud.
To be fair, they seem to be fine at other times. When
Boris is not all wound up, they are fine together . . . they sit/sleep in the
same room, walk past each other quietly. But Rose is always (to me
anyway) on guard against him.
We are going on a week long vacation in early June and am
worried about what will happen when we are not here to referee. (My
sister is cat sitting, but she is not going to be here during the worst hours
-- sunrise.)
Any other ideas for keeping all of us sane? I suspect
this is due in part to Boris' youngness (I suspect and hope he is outgrow this)
, and Rosebud's not being assertive enough. Regardless of the reason, it
is a problem right now.
Thanks in advance.
Can't suggest a long term solution, but for the ladys's week long vacation, I would keep Boris in the bathroom away from the other 2 kitties during the vacation. We kept our second cat in the bathroom for a week awaiting to get a vet appointment before she could be near our other kitty. She was fine in there. We left the light on in the bathroom during the day and used a night light at night.
ReplyDeleteMaybe putting Boris in the bathroom overnight until after sunrise and his "kitty crazy time" , might work also long term. Who knows, Might be worth a try.Guess it depends on the kitty and the family.
I have tried the water spray, it did not work.What did work was water and white vinegar spray, every single time he goes near the attacked cat, seemingly friendly or not, it sends the message, that other cat tasts and smells bad ! And please don't get all over Janine's blog if any one thinks it will harm the cats eyes, I used a 70 water/30 white vinegar. Just one short squirt was enough and I aimed for the aggressors shoulder. You can keep this cat if you are committed to spraying him every time he goes near, he will instantly smell the vinegar, they catch on quick.
ReplyDeleteThis scenario seems to describe my 2 cats- I monitor them as much as I can and distract the aggressor with toys or put her in a different room when its really bad, but they still fight and scratch each other. The next minute they are friends and lay next to each other. The fighting has seemed to lighten up and they seemed to each have learned to hold their own! My suggestion is to make sure each cat has "their" own space with a bed and their favorite toys.
ReplyDeletePheromone diffusers or maybe even better, collars, might help. Worth a try.
ReplyDeleteThe Comfort Zone/Feliway pheromone difffusers worked wonders for my boy after we moved. Calmed his aggression right down. It also comes in a spray, but I recommend the diffuser for best results. You can't smell it and 1 diffuser lasts about a month.
ReplyDelete~Mary
May I suggest a rigorous play session with Boris each morning. Wipe him out with interactive toys, bird feathers on a wand, balls, bells, etc. Get that pent-up energy out on toys and not on Rosebud. Yelling isn't the best because you don't want any of your kitties scared of your voice or you. And when he's calm around Rosebud, give him extra loving and positive reinforcement. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteRescue Remedy for Pets offers natural stress relief . You can buy at Wegmans .Place 4 drops on a treat or add 4 drops to drinking water. Repeat as required. Be sure to get the one for pets as the human one has alcohol. Recommended by veterinarians to help calm pets in all kinds of stressful situations. But while gone , I'd still keep Boris in a closed off bedroom.
ReplyDelete