Redirected cat aggression--separation making it worse?

[tdonline]

Hi Jill, thank you so much for sharing all that info from your cat behaviorist.  I really hope all goes well for your reintroduction process.  I imagine that I may consult with a behaviorist too if I can’t get Josie and Dory to move forward.  I think the part about associating each other with positive experiences is the hardest.  Josie, as long as she gets attention, can ignore the ‘other’ cat and relax.  Dory, though, even with Prozac still gets very uptight.  She really lives up to her skittish nature.

It’s such a drag to get all the harnesses and leashes in place so I can’t say I’ve been vigilant about the exercise.  I’d like to start doing it every day and get them used to being out together.  Timing is a factor as I would like to do in the mid-afternoon when they’re slumbering and (I hope) less prone to be aggressive.  Of course I have this thing called a job…

Di/Bob, the girls aren’t crazy about the harnesses but they are familiar with it as they have worn it for the occasional walkabout.  I wouldn’t term the door fighting as bad but I’m not sure it’s play fighting either.  They do throw quite a few punches and stand on their hind legs.  The tails swish a bit.  But they stop short of true feline aggression.  So I’m wary that the only thing stopping a bloodbath is the door.

I’m so grateful I didn’t sell the cat stroller.  My vet moved away and I could no longer walk to the office.  Since that’s all I used the stroller for, I was about to craigslist it.  It has come in handy for the separation.  It’s roomy enough for one of them to stretch out and sit up.  I just make sure to check in on the cat.  If they are sitting up, it means they’re ready to come out. 

 

[tdonline]

Updating the thread once again.

Six weeks ago, Dory and Josie started interactions with their harnesses on.  Initially they were leashed to a heavy item to prevent any sudden lunges/reactions.   They were annoyed by the restriction and quickly we moved onto being harnessed but one cat being leashed and the other free to roam to eventually being unleashed altogether.  The sessions moved from a few minutes hanging out and eating lots of treats to where they were allowed out of my eyesight for a few minutes.  The sessions were lasting up to a couple of hours in the evening.  I was heartened by the lack of true aggression though it was clear there was circumspection and tension.

Last Friday, I was working from home and on a business call.  Dory was in the bedroom, door left slightly ajar.  When I finished the call, I heard a fracas and figured Josie was annoying Dory again through the door.  When I reached the hallway, Josie wasn't in sight.  When I peered into the bedroom, Josie was sitting across from Dory 

  Houdini cat did it again.  I had been planning to extend the harness period a week or two longer (increasing the duration of the sessions), but figured what the heck and opened the door bedroom and let them out and about the apartment together.

It's been over a week now.  They are only allowed out together when I'm home and awake.  I worked from home all week, so they've had a lot of time together.  When I'm out and asleep, it's back to separation mode.  It really is wonderful to not have to live in a separated apartment any longer.  It's also really comforting that even when they are separated, I can end it and open the door without fear the cats will lunge at each other and duke it out.

Still, it's not all roses and sunshine.  They have scuffled and stalked each other.  Josie, in particular, wants to return to the old days when she was the dominant bully girl (in a non-violent way).  So she usually is the one to stalk or jump on Dory.  None of the interactions have been the bloody murder type so that's good.  But of course, they are enough where they are no where close to being allowed to be left alone together.  The action usually happens in the morning and later in the evening.  The afternoons and early evenings are their heavy nap times, in particular, for Josie.  So that's the time when they can even be found snoozing away on the cat tree.  If only that kind of commanderie was present at the other hours of the day.  

At this point, I do break up scuffles and stop chases.  If Dory is particularly tense or Josie, extremely annoying, they do get separated for a bit.  Sometimes, it's a small time-out but there have been longer sessions such as when Dory refuses to eat.  I will leave the food in the bedroom and close the door for a while.  I figure she is too tense to eat and it also prevents Josie from stealing her food.  I wonder though if I shouldn't step in as much?  Are they trying to figure things out?  My concern is that Dory's eating and litter box routine as beeb affected by the situation and Josie's dominance.  I mean I think it's better that they're no longer separated all the time.  But with that freedom are some anxieties and stresses.  Constipation has been an ongoing issue since they started Prozac and it got worse from last Friday.  Dory eats but still prefers to be away from Josie for meals.  She will pick at her food in the morning/afternoon but will eat everything once I close the door at the night.  I'll go to sleep with her dinner plate full and wake up to it empty.  She seems okay with using the litter box for # 1 when Josie is around but #2 is still up in the air.  

Long story--I'm well happy with the progress made but am still on pins and needles as to whether my sister cats will ever live in harmony again.  The first step has taken about 4 months.  If we can make the next leap in another 4 months, I will have no complaints.  Is it a matter of time for them to settle back to living with each other?  Or should I doing more to lessen some of the tension and scuffling?

 

[jillz81]

tdonline, something occurred to me when I read "The action usually happens in the morning and later in the evening". I read somewhere that these are the times of day when kitties usually hunt. How do Dory and Josie like interactive play? My idea is maybe you can engage them (especially the one that stalks) with a wand toy in the morning and evening. That way they can get their hunting instinct out on da bird or a mouse on a wire or something, instead of each other. I've also found it helps with nighttime behavior if you can get them to play hard (even for just a few minutes) before bed time.  It will wear them out and they may become more aggressive. I've had to buy my cats TONS of wand toys so I now have a collection of both bird-type toys and insect/mouse-type toys. I try to get my boys to play in the morning and right before bed and I feed them after playing. Then it's a good schedule of play, eat, groom, sleep. Thoughts?

I think you should step in when there's scuffles. I definitely would.

Also, something my cat behaviorist said that made me feel better: "just remember as you move forward, if things aren't going well, you can always go back a step." But going slow is definitely preferable, so I think you're doing a great job.

 

[jillz81]

sorry, i meant "It will wear them out and they may become LESS aggressive."

 

[tdonline]

Jillz, thanks for the note.  Yes, our routine has been to play at night, feed and then bed time.  I think cats predilection for hunting in early and late hours is probably a factor.

Dory and Josie are living together again without any restrictions.  I also lowered their Prozac dosing from every other day to every 3rd day.  I definitely think this is a factor in their interactions.  On dosing days, they will nap together practically the entire day.  After about 36 hours, they start to get antsy.  The stalking and chasing starts.  Last night and just a few minutes ago, they scuffled and there was hissing and screeching.  It's clear how much the medication affects them.  I'm a little concerned they won't be able to live together without Prozac.  I've been augmenting with Theanine, chamomile tea and Rescue Remedy--I may have to increase the augmentation.  One of the Feliway dispensers may have burnt out, so I'll order a replacement to see if that helps.

Or I may need to take a half step back in the process and separate them as needed.