new cat STILL bullying the rest....

I posted on here a few months ago and just wondering if anyone has new ideas on how to remedy this.

About 8 months ago a new young cat came around - she hid for awhile but once she got used to everyone - she seriously took over.   There were 2 male cats who ran the colony (just lost the one recently) and she must have known they were in charge cause they were the only 2 she would rub against and eat with -even though she is pushy with them.

At feedings I worked it out for awhile to separate her and her male buddy and they would eat while I got to feed everyone else.    Even though I give them 3 different kinds of wet and 2 kinds of dry.  She must be bored and now is going back to chasing the others while they eat.

I love her but really dislike  this little attitude.   Theres one cat I have to feed on teh opposite of the yard because she'll chase her and she wont come back.   

Anyway they are all fixed.

 I did bring treats out today to see if I could entice her with them...  not sure how I can use them though.   And I used to make a hissing sound that worked too... not any more.

I recently adopted a new cat and really wonder now if I should have brought her in instead just to keep the peace out there.

thanks for any help

I'm not sure if this would work for you with a big colony, but we had a bully male show up almost a year ago and wound a lot of the others. (I thought Kira would lose her eye in the beginning, it took a week before she healed enough to open it) I would chase him from the food when he started fights (As in walked towards him confidently, staring him in the eyes), but offer treats when he showed better body language and behavior. He sits and shows submission, doesn't start any fights on the property (though I'm sure he fights outside it). He's very smart though, and not very stubborn.

Remember, a starving cat gets more aggressive. I always let him come back and eat, but after the others had finished when he'd be aggressive towards them.  He learned quickly that fighting meant he had to wait for food. The better he gets along with them, the more treats he gets. The girls still don't like him, but they will all eat together with minimal fuss. I leave a good amount of space between the dishes, and it's just the three of them that eat at my place. There are others who will come and nibble left overs occasionally, but are cared for by other neighbors.

There's also the pheromone spray  I've heard about. Feliway, I think it was. If you spray it before feeding, it might calm her down. Again, I haven't cared for ferals aside from these three in many years, so I'm out of practice. Positive re-inforcement always seemed to get the best results from training. So if you see her behaving submissively, or at least non aggressive, reward that behavior. I'm sure others have better ideas. Good luck! I know it's upsetting to see them fight. :-(

Thanks. I read this before feeding so ill try.

Luckily no one fights her (or maybe they should). Every one runs from her. Very strange being that she's new to a colony of at least six years.

It seems that she has decided she likes the colony, will stay and now wants to be the leader.  She must be a very dominant cat.  It's a difficult problem.  You are fortunate there is no fighting.  You may just have to continue to monitor the situation.  Whenever I have a new cat show up, he/she is always starving and they want all of the food.  If they see one of the other cats eating, he/she will run to that feeding area.  It's almost as though they are worried there isn't enough food and they want it all since they are starving.  This usually ends up getting better once the cat realizes there will always be food and plenty of food.  Yet since she has been around for 8 months you would have thought she would be adjusted to plenty of food.  Can you offer food elsewhere for the others? 

Last year I had a new male cat show up.  He took over the other two that had been living with me for years.  I had him neutered hoping things would settle down.  He was a fighter and went after my other two frequently.  One of my boys is very meek and scared of everything.  Of course he was the one who was picked on the most.  After 5 months of problems, my little guy couldn't take it any more. The new cat would chase him off the deck.  I had to move my little one near the front porch.  It was heart breaking.  THe new cat was a stray turned feral.  The other boys were both ferals, but now more on the semi feral side as I had worked hard with them.  I decided the new guy had to go.  Yet, no rescue would take him.  He was unadoptable and would be euthanized.  So, I brought him into the house.  Inside I had an indoor only cat and dog.  The new cat had his own room for over 2 months before starting introductions.  During this time I worked on socializing him.  He had definitely been a pet before, but I know he had been out on his own for almost 2 years as I had seen him around over the years.  It took him exactly 1 year to calm down inside the house.  There were lots of issues with my resident cat, but much easier to control inside than outside.  Now he is happy and loves being an indoor only.  My outside boys were thrilled when he left and peace settled in outside quite quickly. 

It's a tricky situation. 

That's great! Glad that worked out and you didnt euthanize when many would have or ignored the outdoor situation all together.

I took in an injured semi feral who was awesome. Lost him to cancer and I adopted from the shelter. Can't take in another...... just have to hope she stops or someone has an idea.

I can't feed anyone elsewhere .... she waits for me (sometimes at my door) and follows. I just have to hope she eats and doesn't follow so the rest can peacefully do so.

How about when she squats down and stares.... can I do something rhen to deter her from chasing?

If you catch her in the act of rushing to bully one of the others, you can make it uncomfortable for her - at that exact moment.  Rattle coins in an empty soda can or hiss at her.  She will learn that those actions result in something unpleasant.

The only issue may be that it startles all the cats, too, so if you can get close enough to her to make it clear the noise or hiss is intended for her actions.  This might be a little tricky but worth a try.

BTW - I know this might have been stated, but they are all spayed and neutered, right?  If not, that will help calm things down.