I have had cats as pets since my teens, (way back 45+ years ago, lol) and usually have more than one cat at a time. In 1995, I 'adopted' a 4-5 week old kitten as a favor to a friend; my friend had found her outside in a cold October rain and had been unsuccessful in finding her owner. If it's possible, the term autistic could fit Daphne--she did not want socialization with humans or other animals, and she occasionally will yowl and frantically scratch at windows. After I had had her for several months, my vet was finally able to identify a rare intestinal virus as the cause of her constant, uncontrolled diarrhea. I think that this diarrhea may have been the cause of her being put out at such a young age, and left her very emotionally damaged. As long as I've had her, the sound of a flyswatter &/or the sight of a broom have instantly reduced her to a shaking, crying mess; luckily, this has reduced over time as my husband I bring her out on her terms. Okay, lengthy, I know, but I hope you have a feel for the character of our Daphne.
We also have another female cat, Butterfly, who is 8, and a male, Hooligan (who earns that name!), who is 2 1/2. All three cats were neutered at 5 months. Daphne weighs 5 - 6 lbs; Butterfly weighs around 12 lbs; and Hooligan, standing 14" at the shoulder and 18" from his collar to the base of his tail, is a little over 20 lbs.
Earlier cats have pretty much left Daphne to her isolation, but not so with Butterfly and Hooligan. Butterfly and Daphne have a quasi-truce which rarely gets broken. The problem is Hooligan, who is constantly stalking Daphne and attacking her. He chases her through the house in his attacks. He grabs the fur in Daphne's mid-back and doesn't let go. Although we haven't found any broken skin on Daphne, she is exhausted; all she wants to do is lie on her heat register and sleep.
This problem doesn't seem to be related to food, litter boxes, hierarchy or any of the usual causes I'm aware of. I think Hoolie would just get bored and Daphne was safer to pick on, to the point it seems habit with him now: see Daphne = attack Daphne. We have tried chasing him off, picking him up and isolating him, squirt bottles, and we are at wits end.
Please, your suggestions?
We also have another female cat, Butterfly, who is 8, and a male, Hooligan (who earns that name!), who is 2 1/2. All three cats were neutered at 5 months. Daphne weighs 5 - 6 lbs; Butterfly weighs around 12 lbs; and Hooligan, standing 14" at the shoulder and 18" from his collar to the base of his tail, is a little over 20 lbs.
Earlier cats have pretty much left Daphne to her isolation, but not so with Butterfly and Hooligan. Butterfly and Daphne have a quasi-truce which rarely gets broken. The problem is Hooligan, who is constantly stalking Daphne and attacking her. He chases her through the house in his attacks. He grabs the fur in Daphne's mid-back and doesn't let go. Although we haven't found any broken skin on Daphne, she is exhausted; all she wants to do is lie on her heat register and sleep.
This problem doesn't seem to be related to food, litter boxes, hierarchy or any of the usual causes I'm aware of. I think Hoolie would just get bored and Daphne was safer to pick on, to the point it seems habit with him now: see Daphne = attack Daphne. We have tried chasing him off, picking him up and isolating him, squirt bottles, and we are at wits end.
Please, your suggestions?
, so he is almost content. I fuss over him every day and pet him and talk to him so he doesn't ever feel neglected.
