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#1
January 6th 04, 11:38 PM
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Cat Behavior Help
A tenant in one of my rental properties (900 sq. ft condo) took on a male
stray cat that came to our door a year ago. We named this cat "Danny". Danny is a beautiful faun tabby who was 10 months old when we saved him. He's a wonderful cat, huge personality and very active. She wanted a second cat because " Geoffrey " her plump 10 year old male yellow tabby had to sit alone in an empty condo 10--12 hours weekdays. We both figured that all cats prefer companionship over loneliness. Geoffrey is a bit psycho coming from an abusive first home and he bonded with my tenant as an "only cat", fearful of other humans. The introduction period was predicable, with Jeffery freaked out and Danny in constant kitty motion. Danny is a nice cat and saw Geoffrey as a kitty playmate, whether Geoffrey liked it or not. Danny's idea of a great time is to wrestle with this poor 10 year old cat constantly - the fighting was bloodless. My tenant could not figure out if they were fighting or playing hard, but it sounded like play because either one could initiate a brawl. They can sleep in their cat beds 2 feet apart. I figured that things would calm down as Danny progressed out of kittenhood. It's now 11 months later and Danny still loves to jump on Geoffrey to the point where he has been forced to live on the "high ground" - chairs, sofa backs, table tops etc. - to avoid him. The problem now is that Geoffrey has been eating less and loosing weight to the point where he is looking too skinny. My tenant will take Geoffrey in to the vet to rule out kidney, thyroid and bad teeth, but we're pretty sure this weight loss is stress. My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Is it stress? Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Thanks in advance, Dallas 
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#2
January 7th 04, 01:08 AM
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"Dallas" wrote in message hlink.net... A tenant in one of my rental properties (900 sq. ft condo) took on a male stray cat that came to our door a year ago. We named this cat "Danny". Danny is a beautiful faun tabby who was 10 months old when we saved him. He's a wonderful cat, huge personality and very active. She wanted a second cat because " Geoffrey " her plump 10 year old male yellow tabby had to sit alone in an empty condo 10--12 hours weekdays. We both figured that all cats prefer companionship over loneliness. Geoffrey is a bit psycho coming from an abusive first home and he bonded with my tenant as an "only cat", fearful of other humans. The introduction period was predicable, with Jeffery freaked out and Danny in constant kitty motion. Danny is a nice cat and saw Geoffrey as a kitty playmate, whether Geoffrey liked it or not. Danny's idea of a great time is to wrestle with this poor 10 year old cat constantly - the fighting was bloodless. My tenant could not figure out if they were fighting or playing hard, but it sounded like play because either one could initiate a brawl. They can sleep in their cat beds 2 feet apart. I figured that things would calm down as Danny progressed out of kittenhood. It's now 11 months later and Danny still loves to jump on Geoffrey to the point where he has been forced to live on the "high ground" - chairs, sofa backs, table tops etc. - to avoid him. The problem now is that Geoffrey has been eating less and loosing weight to the point where he is looking too skinny. My tenant will take Geoffrey in to the vet to rule out kidney, thyroid and bad teeth, but we're pretty sure this weight loss is stress. My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Is it stress? Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Thanks in advance, Dallas Danny will eventually settle down but in the mean time they could try using a feliway diffuser. I've been using one around here to keep peace with my cats (16 yr old, 1 1/2 yr. old and the 5 mo. old wild man kitten). If the wild man gets too out of hand I do give him a time out in the bathroom for a short period of time (5 minutes maybe). That usually settles him down for a while. W
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#3
January 7th 04, 01:08 AM
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"Dallas" wrote in message hlink.net... A tenant in one of my rental properties (900 sq. ft condo) took on a male stray cat that came to our door a year ago. We named this cat "Danny". Danny is a beautiful faun tabby who was 10 months old when we saved him. He's a wonderful cat, huge personality and very active. She wanted a second cat because " Geoffrey " her plump 10 year old male yellow tabby had to sit alone in an empty condo 10--12 hours weekdays. We both figured that all cats prefer companionship over loneliness. Geoffrey is a bit psycho coming from an abusive first home and he bonded with my tenant as an "only cat", fearful of other humans. The introduction period was predicable, with Jeffery freaked out and Danny in constant kitty motion. Danny is a nice cat and saw Geoffrey as a kitty playmate, whether Geoffrey liked it or not. Danny's idea of a great time is to wrestle with this poor 10 year old cat constantly - the fighting was bloodless. My tenant could not figure out if they were fighting or playing hard, but it sounded like play because either one could initiate a brawl. They can sleep in their cat beds 2 feet apart. I figured that things would calm down as Danny progressed out of kittenhood. It's now 11 months later and Danny still loves to jump on Geoffrey to the point where he has been forced to live on the "high ground" - chairs, sofa backs, table tops etc. - to avoid him. The problem now is that Geoffrey has been eating less and loosing weight to the point where he is looking too skinny. My tenant will take Geoffrey in to the vet to rule out kidney, thyroid and bad teeth, but we're pretty sure this weight loss is stress. My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Is it stress? Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Thanks in advance, Dallas Danny will eventually settle down but in the mean time they could try using a feliway diffuser. I've been using one around here to keep peace with my cats (16 yr old, 1 1/2 yr. old and the 5 mo. old wild man kitten). If the wild man gets too out of hand I do give him a time out in the bathroom for a short period of time (5 minutes maybe). That usually settles him down for a while. W
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#4
January 7th 04, 01:56 AM
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"Dallas" wrote in message thlink.net...
A tenant in one of my rental properties (900 sq. ft condo) took on a male stray cat that came to our door a year ago. We named this cat "Danny". Danny is a beautiful faun tabby who was 10 months old when we saved him. He's a wonderful cat, huge personality and very active. She wanted a second cat because " Geoffrey " her plump 10 year old male yellow tabby had to sit alone in an empty condo 10--12 hours weekdays. We both figured that all cats prefer companionship over loneliness. Geoffrey is a bit psycho coming from an abusive first home and he bonded with my tenant as an "only cat", fearful of other humans. The introduction period was predicable, with Jeffery freaked out and Danny in constant kitty motion. Danny is a nice cat and saw Geoffrey as a kitty playmate, whether Geoffrey liked it or not. Danny's idea of a great time is to wrestle with this poor 10 year old cat constantly - the fighting was bloodless. My tenant could not figure out if they were fighting or playing hard, but it sounded like play because either one could initiate a brawl. They can sleep in their cat beds 2 feet apart. I figured that things would calm down as Danny progressed out of kittenhood. It's now 11 months later and Danny still loves to jump on Geoffrey to the point where he has been forced to live on the "high ground" - chairs, sofa backs, table tops etc. - to avoid him. The problem now is that Geoffrey has been eating less and loosing weight to the point where he is looking too skinny. My tenant will take Geoffrey in to the vet to rule out kidney, thyroid and bad teeth, but we're pretty sure this weight loss is stress. My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Is it stress? Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Thanks in advance, Dallas Yes, the young one will calm a bit as he gets older, but probably not quick enough to chill out his behavior around the older cat. Taking the older kitty to the vet to rule out illness is a must. Another thing: does he have easy access to the food away from the younger cat? If not, maybe moving a bowl to a separate room and letting the older cat have some private chow time each day would help. I don't think the cat is in danger in any way. At this stage of the game, the initial adjustment period is over and things will likely remain status quo. I base this on experience (my two cats never leared to love eachother, they just tolerate eachother!) Good luck! Beth
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#5
January 7th 04, 01:56 AM
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"Dallas" wrote in message thlink.net...
A tenant in one of my rental properties (900 sq. ft condo) took on a male stray cat that came to our door a year ago. We named this cat "Danny". Danny is a beautiful faun tabby who was 10 months old when we saved him. He's a wonderful cat, huge personality and very active. She wanted a second cat because " Geoffrey " her plump 10 year old male yellow tabby had to sit alone in an empty condo 10--12 hours weekdays. We both figured that all cats prefer companionship over loneliness. Geoffrey is a bit psycho coming from an abusive first home and he bonded with my tenant as an "only cat", fearful of other humans. The introduction period was predicable, with Jeffery freaked out and Danny in constant kitty motion. Danny is a nice cat and saw Geoffrey as a kitty playmate, whether Geoffrey liked it or not. Danny's idea of a great time is to wrestle with this poor 10 year old cat constantly - the fighting was bloodless. My tenant could not figure out if they were fighting or playing hard, but it sounded like play because either one could initiate a brawl. They can sleep in their cat beds 2 feet apart. I figured that things would calm down as Danny progressed out of kittenhood. It's now 11 months later and Danny still loves to jump on Geoffrey to the point where he has been forced to live on the "high ground" - chairs, sofa backs, table tops etc. - to avoid him. The problem now is that Geoffrey has been eating less and loosing weight to the point where he is looking too skinny. My tenant will take Geoffrey in to the vet to rule out kidney, thyroid and bad teeth, but we're pretty sure this weight loss is stress. My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Is it stress? Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Thanks in advance, Dallas Yes, the young one will calm a bit as he gets older, but probably not quick enough to chill out his behavior around the older cat. Taking the older kitty to the vet to rule out illness is a must. Another thing: does he have easy access to the food away from the younger cat? If not, maybe moving a bowl to a separate room and letting the older cat have some private chow time each day would help. I don't think the cat is in danger in any way. At this stage of the game, the initial adjustment period is over and things will likely remain status quo. I base this on experience (my two cats never leared to love eachother, they just tolerate eachother!) Good luck! Beth
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#7
January 7th 04, 02:42 PM
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In article k.net,
enlightened us with... My questions: Has anyone here had a similar experience? My 4 year old bothers the others incessently some days. They are younger than her, but less active. Are there any proactive things we can do to help calm things down? Separation works great. Rowan gets a time out in the bathroom when she's evil for 10 minutes or so. Is it stress? Probably. Can anyone explain this behavior in terms of cat psychology? He wants to play. The other one doesn't. How bad is this situation, does she have to get rid of the now beloved Danny? No. Train him. Rowan does this less often now that she knows she gets s timeout if she keeps bothering the cats after I tell her to leave them alone. Also, my boy has gotten more courage and gets her back more often, too. Danny is 22 months old, will he ever just outgrow this behavior and be buddies with Geoffrey? He might - or he might not. Rowan is 4. She acts more like a kitten than my younger cats (both about 3 yrs old). She is "the troublemaker". hehe Is this dangerous for Geoffrey, can this situation results in dire consequences? Yes. Stress can kill cats. But if the owner is proactive and separates them for awhile each day to allow the older one to get some peace, and separates them when the younger one won't quit, things should become more normal over time. Don't forget to give a correction to the younger (AS he is doing THE BAD THING, not before or after) before giving the timeout, whether it is a clap, a stern NO, or whatever, so the cat knows WHY he is being separated. Also praise a lot when he either isn't being a knob or when he stops pestering the older when told to. -- -- ~kaeli~ Every calendar's days are numbered. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
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#8
January 7th 04, 02:44 PM
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In article k.net,
enlightened us with... Oh, I forgot to stress that a vet visit to rule out medical problems is always the first thing to do. /it's early -- -- ~kaeli~ Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
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#9
January 7th 04, 02:44 PM
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In article k.net,
enlightened us with... Oh, I forgot to stress that a vet visit to rule out medical problems is always the first thing to do. /it's early -- -- ~kaeli~ Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
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#10
January 8th 04, 10:08 PM
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Thanks you guys....
Dallas "kaeli" wrote in message ... In article k.net, enlightened us with... Oh, I forgot to stress that a vet visit to rule out medical problems is always the first thing to do. /it's early -- -- ~kaeli~ Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
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