We have two cats, as of last winter, named Simba and Luna. They absolutely hate each other and I would like to find a way for them to peacefully co-exist before one of them really hurts the other.
Simba is an energetic and affectionate spayed female kitty who was born in our household 15 years ago. Her mother and litter-mates crossed over the rainbow bridge long ago, making her the queen of the castle for several years. We live in a semi-rural area and we have been fairly strict about keeping her indoors since she has become an only-cat. She's allowed on the front porch for short periods of time, usually supervised, but that's all.
Last winter an apparently homeless kitty showed up at our doorstep. He persistently followed my husband around outdoors and took shelter in a basement window well. We tried finding his owner to no avail and finally decided that he must've been abandoned. When it finally got really cold, I let him into our basement garage. I tried to prepare a comfortable shelter for him there with food and water, a soft bed, and a litter box. He settled in very easily so we were quite sure he had lived with people before. We could pet him but we didn't get close enough to be able to tell for sure but he appeared to be female, so we named him Luna. We found out he was a neutered male when we took him to the vet for his shots, a checkup, and to have "her" spayed.
I finally allowed him to come upstairs several weeks after he'd had his shots, hoping to help him become part of the family. Simba hated him. She hissed and growled at him whenever she saw him. He would tuck his head under his shoulders when she would do that, and sometimes he would even back away. Their interactions continued that way for several months until one day when I thought we had finally turned a corner. Luna was on my lap in the living room while Simba was sleeping peacefully on her back right in front of me. There was no growling or hissing when she came into the room and saw Luna. She simply settled into a comfortable position on the floor like she often does when he's not around, and took a nap!
That household harmony ended abruptly several days later with a twist. I was on the phone with Luna on my lap when Simba came walking by toward her food bowl. Luna launched himself off my lap, over the recliner next to me, and attacked Simba. They were fighting in a ball on the kitchen floor for a few seconds until I was able to run over and break up the fight. After that incident, I was careful to only allow Luna upstairs if Simba was asleep in another room but I hoped that was a one-time thing.
Then, about a month or two after that, Simba was on the front porch while Luna was outside and Luna attacked her with the same result: Two cats snarling and fighting in a ball of fur outside my front door. Now we are careful not to let Simba out on the front porch if Luna is outside and, at this point, there is probably no possibility that Luna will ever be able to be allowed upstairs.
I would really like Luna to be able to have a happier existence, but being a young male, he could really hurt Simba. I've heard of pheromone sprays or collars that might help but I have no idea how to tell the difference between the ones I see online. Most of what I've seen has to with treating cats who spray, which is another thing I can say in Luna's favor: He doesn't spray like many male cats are inclined to do!
I thought about trying to re-home Luna but I would like for him to have some stability in his life. He was apparently abandoned once and there's no telling how a new guardian would address his aggressive behavior. It would probably not help him to have yet another new home. I would like him to have a forever home with us, but we must keep Simba safe and happy.
I realize it's against the rules to promote products in this forum, so I am not asking for that, but could anyone provide some guidance on how to evaluate different "calming collars" and pheromone products to help Luna? Are there certain ingredients to look for? What is the difference between products that are supposed to address different types of behavior issues, such as spraying verses attacking other cats? I am also interested in any other suggestions that could help these two kitties become friends. Thanks in advance!
Simba is an energetic and affectionate spayed female kitty who was born in our household 15 years ago. Her mother and litter-mates crossed over the rainbow bridge long ago, making her the queen of the castle for several years. We live in a semi-rural area and we have been fairly strict about keeping her indoors since she has become an only-cat. She's allowed on the front porch for short periods of time, usually supervised, but that's all.
Last winter an apparently homeless kitty showed up at our doorstep. He persistently followed my husband around outdoors and took shelter in a basement window well. We tried finding his owner to no avail and finally decided that he must've been abandoned. When it finally got really cold, I let him into our basement garage. I tried to prepare a comfortable shelter for him there with food and water, a soft bed, and a litter box. He settled in very easily so we were quite sure he had lived with people before. We could pet him but we didn't get close enough to be able to tell for sure but he appeared to be female, so we named him Luna. We found out he was a neutered male when we took him to the vet for his shots, a checkup, and to have "her" spayed.
I finally allowed him to come upstairs several weeks after he'd had his shots, hoping to help him become part of the family. Simba hated him. She hissed and growled at him whenever she saw him. He would tuck his head under his shoulders when she would do that, and sometimes he would even back away. Their interactions continued that way for several months until one day when I thought we had finally turned a corner. Luna was on my lap in the living room while Simba was sleeping peacefully on her back right in front of me. There was no growling or hissing when she came into the room and saw Luna. She simply settled into a comfortable position on the floor like she often does when he's not around, and took a nap!
That household harmony ended abruptly several days later with a twist. I was on the phone with Luna on my lap when Simba came walking by toward her food bowl. Luna launched himself off my lap, over the recliner next to me, and attacked Simba. They were fighting in a ball on the kitchen floor for a few seconds until I was able to run over and break up the fight. After that incident, I was careful to only allow Luna upstairs if Simba was asleep in another room but I hoped that was a one-time thing.
Then, about a month or two after that, Simba was on the front porch while Luna was outside and Luna attacked her with the same result: Two cats snarling and fighting in a ball of fur outside my front door. Now we are careful not to let Simba out on the front porch if Luna is outside and, at this point, there is probably no possibility that Luna will ever be able to be allowed upstairs.
I would really like Luna to be able to have a happier existence, but being a young male, he could really hurt Simba. I've heard of pheromone sprays or collars that might help but I have no idea how to tell the difference between the ones I see online. Most of what I've seen has to with treating cats who spray, which is another thing I can say in Luna's favor: He doesn't spray like many male cats are inclined to do!
I thought about trying to re-home Luna but I would like for him to have some stability in his life. He was apparently abandoned once and there's no telling how a new guardian would address his aggressive behavior. It would probably not help him to have yet another new home. I would like him to have a forever home with us, but we must keep Simba safe and happy.
I realize it's against the rules to promote products in this forum, so I am not asking for that, but could anyone provide some guidance on how to evaluate different "calming collars" and pheromone products to help Luna? Are there certain ingredients to look for? What is the difference between products that are supposed to address different types of behavior issues, such as spraying verses attacking other cats? I am also interested in any other suggestions that could help these two kitties become friends. Thanks in advance!
