Hello. I have three cats, 1-2 year old siamese, Artemis, 11 year old, Cat, and a 1 year old, Morgyn. After getting Cat back, I got feliway to deal with the issues between Cat and Artemis. I didn't get a refill before it ran out and I've noticed that Artemis is being mean to every cat. She is fighting every cat off and she used to love/lick Morgyn. Morgyn has started to use the tub as her litter box because of this. Cat hasn't been able to go to the kitchen since Artemis stays there in a huff. What should we do? I don't want to get rid of any of our cats. I hooked up a new feliway.
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Cats Dominance Issues
- Thread starter daimere
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- Jul 28, 2009
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I have heard that sometimes a drop of vanilla (yes, the kind you bake with) rubbed on the back of all cats coats can help them get along, as they'll all smell the same to eachother. I have no scientific evidence to offer of this working, sorry, but before you decide to surrender any of your cats, I'd give this a shot. a drop of vanilla will not harm your cats.
feliway can only do so much, IMO.
if you don't already follow this rule, consider it: 1 litterbox per cat + 1 = so they all have plenty of places to go. maybe that will stop your other cat from going in the tub.
also, have you tried separating the cats into different rooms? do they have plenty of space, and places to go to hide and get away from one another? they need places to go to get away from the others if there's problems. otherwise the stress of having to be around a confrontational cat will make them even more stressed and prone to fighting, etc.
the cat I adopted was surrendered to the shelter by a previous owner claiming that he didn't get along with the owner's other cats. what a shame. I observed him at the shelter, and other cats seemed to beat up on *him*, so I'm not sure what was really the issue - whether he was provoking the attacks in silent ways I didn't understand, or whether he was just getting picked on a lot.... either way, he was the odd-ball of the cats at the shelter, acting more like a dog than a cat...
in any case, he is a wonderful cat and I don't have any other pets so it's not an issue for me. just keep in mind - plenty of wonderful people adopt cats at shelters
ultimately, though, you will need to decide what is best for the sake of your home. it is not necesscarily cruel to surrender an animal if it's what's best for everyone in your home.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
The problem with Artemis is that we adopted her after she was just surrendered from previous owners who didn't like her because she was too stressed with their young kids. I really don't want that to be an option cause she deserved so much more than what she has gotten already in her life. We have a two bedroom apartment. Right now, Artemis owns the kitchen/part of the living room, Cat goes in the bedroom where John is (I've noticed that she just stalks him), and Morgyn goes in the spare bedroom/bedroom.
Before Cat came back (she ran away), Morgyn and Artemis got along perfectly. They licked each other and slept with each other. After Cat came back, they still got along famously. Artemis kinda became introverted when we started to have fleas real bad. We've treated them with frontline and Artemis has started to come out of her shell a bit. Yet it seems that Artemis is now aggressive with every cat and she was never like that before. She was very motherly to Morgyn. Now that she is acting like that, Cat who is the mean one in the house, is acting jealous of Morgyn (chased her out of the bathroom after noticing John taking her out when she went potty) and being loving to us.
Before Cat came back (she ran away), Morgyn and Artemis got along perfectly. They licked each other and slept with each other. After Cat came back, they still got along famously. Artemis kinda became introverted when we started to have fleas real bad. We've treated them with frontline and Artemis has started to come out of her shell a bit. Yet it seems that Artemis is now aggressive with every cat and she was never like that before. She was very motherly to Morgyn. Now that she is acting like that, Cat who is the mean one in the house, is acting jealous of Morgyn (chased her out of the bathroom after noticing John taking her out when she went potty) and being loving to us.
Are they all fixed? Have they been to the vet recently? While this may be behavioral, Artemis sounds to me like she may be ill. Our Spooky gets really mean and aggressive when she's in pain. And the stress of the recent changes may have triggered a UTI in Morgyn. A UTI will almost always cause a cat to pee outside the box, and tubs and sinks are often a target.
I lifted most of this from one of my posts in another thread, but here goes.
If this were me, I'd probably get them all to a vet to makes sure. Did Cat pick something up while away? Are they allergic to flea bites? Did they get some kind of blood disease from the fleas? You're sure Cat doesn't have internal parasites now?
I'd consider separating the kitties for a little while and work on re-introductions.
If you don't have four litter boxes and you have room for that many, I'd try that. More litter boxes helps diffuse territorial issues. The rule of thumb is you should have as many litterboxes as you have cats plus one. Some of us don't have the space for it, but if you do, go for it.
You're already getting the Feliway....
So I'd consider buying Bach's Rescue Remedy (Flower Essences). Whoever cleans their water dish(es) every day should add a few drops to it/them. Dab ALL of the cats with it behind their ears, at the base of their tail, and a good large dab under the chin - this one will waft up into the nose. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it works.
Here is a link for explanations on the flower essences http://www.catfaeries.com
If you can afford it, buy either Cat Attract litter to use for a month or two - if not, buy the additive and add it to the existing litter. This is a good price for the additive: http://www.entirelypets.com/catattract.html
Do you have any vertical space for the cats? This can also go a long way to resolving territory issues. Buy cat trees or create a pyramid out of those storage boxes - cut holes in them so the cats can go inbetween and up through them - or do this with sturdy cardboard boxes (what cat doesn't love a box? We built large 3D "castle mazes" using a lot of duct tape and scissors.....) - buy boards for shelves, L brackets, and create stuff like this: http://www.katwallks.com/customerphotos.htm
And music can really help calm down stress in a multicat household - it is not just any classical music that helps. It is calm classical music that helps, specifically harp music! Here are specific music suggestions:
http://www.musicmypet.com/
http://www.catfaeries.com/music-for-cats.html
I lifted most of this from one of my posts in another thread, but here goes.
If this were me, I'd probably get them all to a vet to makes sure. Did Cat pick something up while away? Are they allergic to flea bites? Did they get some kind of blood disease from the fleas? You're sure Cat doesn't have internal parasites now?
I'd consider separating the kitties for a little while and work on re-introductions.
If you don't have four litter boxes and you have room for that many, I'd try that. More litter boxes helps diffuse territorial issues. The rule of thumb is you should have as many litterboxes as you have cats plus one. Some of us don't have the space for it, but if you do, go for it.
You're already getting the Feliway....
So I'd consider buying Bach's Rescue Remedy (Flower Essences). Whoever cleans their water dish(es) every day should add a few drops to it/them. Dab ALL of the cats with it behind their ears, at the base of their tail, and a good large dab under the chin - this one will waft up into the nose. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it works.
Here is a link for explanations on the flower essences http://www.catfaeries.com
If you can afford it, buy either Cat Attract litter to use for a month or two - if not, buy the additive and add it to the existing litter. This is a good price for the additive: http://www.entirelypets.com/catattract.html
Do you have any vertical space for the cats? This can also go a long way to resolving territory issues. Buy cat trees or create a pyramid out of those storage boxes - cut holes in them so the cats can go inbetween and up through them - or do this with sturdy cardboard boxes (what cat doesn't love a box? We built large 3D "castle mazes" using a lot of duct tape and scissors.....) - buy boards for shelves, L brackets, and create stuff like this: http://www.katwallks.com/customerphotos.htm
And music can really help calm down stress in a multicat household - it is not just any classical music that helps. It is calm classical music that helps, specifically harp music! Here are specific music suggestions:
http://www.musicmypet.com/
http://www.catfaeries.com/music-for-cats.html
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
So vertical spaces do help with territory issues? I've been trying to convince John that we need cat walks for the extra room to help but he doesn't believe me. Morgyn's found her own shelf that she can climb on. I personally like the looks of catwalks better than cat trees and they are more small apartment friendly in my opinion. We have two boxes cut out for them to play in and they used to love them. Usually I only find Cat or Morgyn sitting on top of it.
Mogryn doesn't always go in the tub. Just once or twice a day for the last four days.
I think two out of the three cats are allergic to the fleas because they both lost a bit hair near their necks. Now that they are treated, their hair is growing back great and they both seem happier.
