Bonded Pair Bullying

[sunnychloe]

Hey everyone! To make a long story short, I adopted two bonded siblings last May, Lucy and Linus, who were feral for about 6 months before they were rescued (They are both now a little over a year old). Lucy is very outgoing while Linus is very skittish and has only bonded with me. There has always seemed to be a dominance issue, but as of lately it’s a lot worse. We think that she sees him as weak because he has a back issue where he twitches a lot. These are some things happening:

- Lucy will chase Linus if he tries to leave his spot on top of the couch near the window and basically run him back, and also chase him if he gets anywhere near the cat tree especially
- Is constantly using staring intimidation on him to where he walks very anxiously
- Sometimes will get on top of him and he will hiss at her

What I’ve been doing:
- Playing with them both twice a day, sometimes 3 times a day, separately (she dominates the toy if I don’t)
- Feed them in separate rooms
- Sleep with Linus in my room at night
- Try to distract her from bullying him or tell her no when I see the bullying happen. Sometimes I will put her in my room for a time out.

Linus had confidence for about two days, and they played once, and that was a few weeks ago. I didn’t change anything, besides playing with them both more times in the day to help get her energy out. Since then, he’s regressed a lot, and she’s more determined than ever to dominate. I can tell a big difference when he’s confident, but I can’t seem to get him back to that point, which I think is the main place I’m stuck at. My house is small, so reintroduction is difficult unless I’m going to keep one in my room all the time and I don’t know how to feel about sleeping with a litter box in my room. Any advice on what to do? Should I reintroduce them? I also wanted to put shelves on the walls for them, but was told the walls are too weak in this house, so there just seems to be a limited amount of solutions I have. But I love them both, and do not want to have to get rid of any, so any advice is appreciated!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi there. I have to go to the standard questions/ideas. They are generally a good place to start.

I am assuming they are both spayed/neutered, so that is off the list. Health issues - the cat being attacked is the first possibility, a lot of times an ill cat emits scents which can make them 'vulnerable' to other cats that may just attack them because of it. In reverse, sometimes an ill cat will lash out at other cats too.

Competing entertainment - meaning they probably both need their own cat trees. Scents of each rubbed on both. If she bullies him off one of the trees, pick up Lucy and say 'no' in her face or hiss at her (pick one), set her on the other tree, place Linus back on the tree he was on, and if she goes at him again, repeat the whole process. After that do the same thing but then put her in a 1–2 minute time out - similar to what you say you have done. That process should be continued, but it has to be done each and every time to reinforce the message you are trying to send her. Same routine for other 'infractions' by Lucy. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Since you said this has gotten worse, look for other sources of Lucy's aggression. Changes in or outside the home can cause that - stray cats/animals roaming about outside - whether directly seen or not (sense is a strong thing in a cat), unusual noises/activities that weren't there before, etc. There are so many things that we humans take for granted that are big deals to cats. It requires us to be on super-alert to things we wouldn't normally think twice about. These types of events can also be considered a form of re-directed aggression - see link to a TCS article below for a little further dialog on this issue.

Tolerate a litter box in your bedroom, so that Linus has a place he can retreat to which he can call his own (some food and water, too) If you have to be away from the home, separate them so there isn't a chance for Lucy to get to Linus without you knowing about it.

Re-directed Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Hopefully other members will come along and offer some other ideas for you to try.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Just seconding FeebysOwner 's suggestions. That vet check is an excellent idea. If your girl is in some discomfort, it might well make her mifty, as well.

 

[vansX2]

Hey everyone! To make a long story short, I adopted two bonded siblings last May, Lucy and Linus, who were feral for about 6 months before they were rescued (They are both now a little over a year old). Lucy is very outgoing while Linus is very skittish and has only bonded with me. There has always seemed to be a dominance issue, but as of lately it’s a lot worse. We think that she sees him as weak because he has a back issue where he twitches a lot. These are some things happening:

- Lucy will chase Linus if he tries to leave his spot on top of the couch near the window and basically run him back, and also chase him if he gets anywhere near the cat tree especially
- Is constantly using staring intimidation on him to where he walks very anxiously
- Sometimes will get on top of him and he will hiss at her

What I’ve been doing:
- Playing with them both twice a day, sometimes 3 times a day, separately (she dominates the toy if I don’t)
- Feed them in separate rooms
- Sleep with Linus in my room at night
- Try to distract her from bullying him or tell her no when I see the bullying happen. Sometimes I will put her in my room for a time out.

Linus had confidence for about two days, and they played once, and that was a few weeks ago. I didn’t change anything, besides playing with them both more times in the day to help get her energy out. Since then, he’s regressed a lot, and she’s more determined than ever to dominate. I can tell a big difference when he’s confident, but I can’t seem to get him back to that point, which I think is the main place I’m stuck at. My house is small, so reintroduction is difficult unless I’m going to keep one in my room all the time and I don’t know how to feel about sleeping with a litter box in my room. Any advice on what to do? Should I reintroduce them? I also wanted to put shelves on the walls for them, but was told the walls are too weak in this house, so there just seems to be a limited amount of solutions I have. But I love them both, and do not want to have to get rid of any, so any advice is appreciated!

I have two neutered boys. The Older boy is 3.7 yrs. The younger is 2.6 yrs. The older is mostly reserved, usually very quiet. The younger boy is very aggressive, and talkative wants attention all the time. The older boy is essentially my wife's cat. The younger boy my cat. I generally dote on the younger boy. If my wife is not at home and the older Cat sees the younger getting my attention. He the older boy will often attack the younger out of jealousy . I try too be fair too both when possible . For the first year that we had the younger boy, the older boy took alot of grief from the younger boy attacking and chasing. Finally the older boy had had enough and began defending himself . They both are very aggressive when they play. A lot of hissing, a occasional growl. But they have worked their issues out between themselves . I often find them cuddled together Sleeping and cleaning each other.