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#1
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Isabelle is picking on Tiggy
I'll try to be brief but maybe a little background would be helpful. All
cats mentioned are inside cats and none are declawed. Tiggy is 16 (8 lbs.- good weight for her. spayed). She has always had a male companion that she got along with. As of last August we had 2 cats Tiggy and Ralf (8 yrs. old, 15 lb., large not fat, long hair, altered). Early in September we found 4 3-wk old kittens. We ended up bottle feeding them. This caused no big problem as they were confined in a large plastic storage container and didn't interact with the big guys. I was vigilant to keep them separated until we were able to get the kittens tested for FIV and feline leukemia. About a week after taking in the kittens the dh came home with Isabel (2 yrs old, large and overweight 12 lb. long hair calico, spayed). Tiggy and Ralf had always spent a lot of time in my bedroom. Tiggy's idea of exercise was moving from the bed to the couch in the evening. Ralf had always stayed in the bedroom as he was always a very shy cat. He came out early in the morning for his breakfast and lovin' from the dh and might show up in the evening briefly. This made it pretty easy to ease Isabel into the house as she stayed in the living room during the day and also spent time in my son's bedroom where the other two didn't usually go anyway. Isabel settled in quickly, the other two didn't put up much of a fuss when they finally spotted her and I thought all was going remarkably well. After a few weeks they could all be in the same room with no hissing or fussing. As the kittens got older we had to let them out to run around but confined them to the kitchen at times of the day when the others wouldn't be likely to want to pass through there. By the beginning of November the kittens were eating regular food and we had adopted out one. The other three were going to PetSmart on Saturdays to try to find good homes. Then Ralf got sick suddenly and we had to put him to sleep (total kidney failure). The dh decided that we would keep one of the kittens and the other two were adopted together the next Saturday. Boots (male yet to be altered baby) gets along with both Tiggy and Isabel. Tiggy doesn't mind him sleeping with her as long as he doesn't get rowdy and start jumping on her. Isabel acts like his mother or maybe big sister as she not only gives him baths but also does the rough and tumble with him. Now to the problem. As I posted before we had some eating challenges to deal with. Right now Boots' food is in a box with an opening only large enough for him to get through. Isabel eats in the laundry room (adjacent to the kitchen) with the door closed (she scarfs it down all at once). Tiggy eats in the kitchen in her usual spot. Tiggy doesn't eat all her food at once or she'll barf it back up so she gets fed small quantities during the day adding up to a specific amount she's allowed to keep her weight down. I suspect the friction is over food. Isabel is a chow hound and is less than pleased with the quantity of food she's getting. We are feeding her the number of calories recommended for a cat her size and age. But everytime anyone else is eating she shows up and would butt right in and eat their food if permitted. Isabel is bullying Tigger. She's a larger and much younger cat who I suspect would like to rule the roost. Tiggy has always ruled the roost and isn't in any hurry to give up her position in life. Isabel has started seeking out Tiggy (anywhere in the house but the bedroom) and gets in her face, swats etc. Tiggy is acting really stressed and has had a couple really bad days with her arthritis this week. I think things would have been fine if Ralf hadn't died and we adopted out all the kittens but without Ralf to back up Tiggy the dynamic has really changed. Any suggestions to get Isabel to leave Tiggy alone? I think Tiggy deserves some peace and quiet in her later years but I don't want to upset Isabel either. At least Boots is sane. He just be-bops around having a good time. Ah! the benefits of being a kitten. Wendy |
#2
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Laura wrote:
When Isabel attacks Tiggy, pick her up and put her in a room by herself for a while (five or ten minutes is plenty, I think). Bathrooms are good. While it probably won't cure her jealousy/desire for dominance/whatever, it may at least mitigate her acting upon it. If she learns that attacking Tiggy only brings her "punishment", she may stop. No, she won't. The above will effectively teach Isabel that Tiggy's presence is directly responsible for her being punished. This in turn will do nothing to help the relationship and may very well cause Isabel to resent Tiggy even more, increase the incidence of aggression and inhibit the possibility of the two developing a peaceful relationship. The best thing to do when starting to work on the atual physical introduction is limit contact between the cats and supervise very closely, never allowing an aggressive episode to happen. During *any* negative expression on the resident's cat part it is important to NEVER reprimand the cat or do anything negative. Instead immediately distract the cat using something positive like a happy voice or the shake of a bag of treats and then immediately follow that up with lavish praise. This will teach the resident cat to associate the new cat's presence with *good* things and the aggressive behavior will lessen and in most cases stop altogether. When she's in the same room with Tiggy but *doesn't* attack her, lavish her with attention. I agree with this part. :-) Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#3
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Laura wrote:
When Isabel attacks Tiggy, pick her up and put her in a room by herself for a while (five or ten minutes is plenty, I think). Bathrooms are good. While it probably won't cure her jealousy/desire for dominance/whatever, it may at least mitigate her acting upon it. If she learns that attacking Tiggy only brings her "punishment", she may stop. No, she won't. The above will effectively teach Isabel that Tiggy's presence is directly responsible for her being punished. This in turn will do nothing to help the relationship and may very well cause Isabel to resent Tiggy even more, increase the incidence of aggression and inhibit the possibility of the two developing a peaceful relationship. The best thing to do when starting to work on the atual physical introduction is limit contact between the cats and supervise very closely, never allowing an aggressive episode to happen. During *any* negative expression on the resident's cat part it is important to NEVER reprimand the cat or do anything negative. Instead immediately distract the cat using something positive like a happy voice or the shake of a bag of treats and then immediately follow that up with lavish praise. This will teach the resident cat to associate the new cat's presence with *good* things and the aggressive behavior will lessen and in most cases stop altogether. When she's in the same room with Tiggy but *doesn't* attack her, lavish her with attention. I agree with this part. :-) Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#4
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Laura wrote:
When Isabel attacks Tiggy, pick her up and put her in a room by herself for a while (five or ten minutes is plenty, I think). Bathrooms are good. While it probably won't cure her jealousy/desire for dominance/whatever, it may at least mitigate her acting upon it. If she learns that attacking Tiggy only brings her "punishment", she may stop. No, she won't. The above will effectively teach Isabel that Tiggy's presence is directly responsible for her being punished. This in turn will do nothing to help the relationship and may very well cause Isabel to resent Tiggy even more, increase the incidence of aggression and inhibit the possibility of the two developing a peaceful relationship. The best thing to do when starting to work on the atual physical introduction is limit contact between the cats and supervise very closely, never allowing an aggressive episode to happen. During *any* negative expression on the resident's cat part it is important to NEVER reprimand the cat or do anything negative. Instead immediately distract the cat using something positive like a happy voice or the shake of a bag of treats and then immediately follow that up with lavish praise. This will teach the resident cat to associate the new cat's presence with *good* things and the aggressive behavior will lessen and in most cases stop altogether. When she's in the same room with Tiggy but *doesn't* attack her, lavish her with attention. I agree with this part. :-) Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#6
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From:
The best thing to do when starting to work on the atual physical introduction is limit contact between the cats and supervise very closely, never allowing an aggressive episode to happen. During *any* negative expression on the resident's cat part it is important to NEVER reprimand the cat or do anything negative. Instead immediately distract the cat using something positive like a happy voice or the shake of a bag of treats and then immediately follow that up with lavish praise. This will teach the resident cat to associate the new cat's presence with *good* things and the aggressive behavior will lessen and in most cases stop altogether. On the other hand, doesn't it teach the aggressive cat that when he acts aggressively towards the other cat that he gets rewarded with treats and/or play? I am having a problem with my cats. I have a brother and sister who for the most part get along great. They sleep together and play together. But at times the brother will pick on the sister, biting her and acting very aggressive. She howls like crazy in response. No blood is ever shed thankfully. So what do you think is the best response I can make when they are fighting like that? I've tried the distraction method but it only works temporarily. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm |
#7
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From:
The best thing to do when starting to work on the atual physical introduction is limit contact between the cats and supervise very closely, never allowing an aggressive episode to happen. During *any* negative expression on the resident's cat part it is important to NEVER reprimand the cat or do anything negative. Instead immediately distract the cat using something positive like a happy voice or the shake of a bag of treats and then immediately follow that up with lavish praise. This will teach the resident cat to associate the new cat's presence with *good* things and the aggressive behavior will lessen and in most cases stop altogether. On the other hand, doesn't it teach the aggressive cat that when he acts aggressively towards the other cat that he gets rewarded with treats and/or play? I am having a problem with my cats. I have a brother and sister who for the most part get along great. They sleep together and play together. But at times the brother will pick on the sister, biting her and acting very aggressive. She howls like crazy in response. No blood is ever shed thankfully. So what do you think is the best response I can make when they are fighting like that? I've tried the distraction method but it only works temporarily. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm |
#8
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In ,
PawsForThought composed with style: On the other hand, doesn't it teach the aggressive cat that when he acts aggressively towards the other cat that he gets rewarded with treats and/or play? I am having a problem with my cats. I have a brother and sister who for the most part get along great. They sleep together and play together. But at times the brother will pick on the sister, biting her and acting very aggressive. She howls like crazy in response. No blood is ever shed thankfully. So what do you think is the best response I can make when they are fighting like that? I've tried the distraction method but it only works temporarily. Ah, the age old question. Today I came home and my house was like "Fight Club". For the most part my 3 get along ok but poor Shadow, because of his docile nature, takes the brunt of some chases. Starting in the last couple of days, Shamrock and Bonnie were more aggressive than usual which ends up with everyone throwing punches, including Shadow. He's bopped 'em both on the head a few times and while I'm glad to see him sticking up for himself, I wondered why all the aggression lately? Shamrock will walk up to either other cat and just throw a punch seemingly for no reason! Today it dawned on me. The Feliway diffuser is empty. I wonder if they get addicted to it, or if all hell would break loose all the time if there was no such thing? I sprayed a few spots hoping it can wait until I can get to the store for a refill. |
#9
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In ,
PawsForThought composed with style: On the other hand, doesn't it teach the aggressive cat that when he acts aggressively towards the other cat that he gets rewarded with treats and/or play? I am having a problem with my cats. I have a brother and sister who for the most part get along great. They sleep together and play together. But at times the brother will pick on the sister, biting her and acting very aggressive. She howls like crazy in response. No blood is ever shed thankfully. So what do you think is the best response I can make when they are fighting like that? I've tried the distraction method but it only works temporarily. Ah, the age old question. Today I came home and my house was like "Fight Club". For the most part my 3 get along ok but poor Shadow, because of his docile nature, takes the brunt of some chases. Starting in the last couple of days, Shamrock and Bonnie were more aggressive than usual which ends up with everyone throwing punches, including Shadow. He's bopped 'em both on the head a few times and while I'm glad to see him sticking up for himself, I wondered why all the aggression lately? Shamrock will walk up to either other cat and just throw a punch seemingly for no reason! Today it dawned on me. The Feliway diffuser is empty. I wonder if they get addicted to it, or if all hell would break loose all the time if there was no such thing? I sprayed a few spots hoping it can wait until I can get to the store for a refill. |
#10
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In ,
PawsForThought composed with style: On the other hand, doesn't it teach the aggressive cat that when he acts aggressively towards the other cat that he gets rewarded with treats and/or play? I am having a problem with my cats. I have a brother and sister who for the most part get along great. They sleep together and play together. But at times the brother will pick on the sister, biting her and acting very aggressive. She howls like crazy in response. No blood is ever shed thankfully. So what do you think is the best response I can make when they are fighting like that? I've tried the distraction method but it only works temporarily. Ah, the age old question. Today I came home and my house was like "Fight Club". For the most part my 3 get along ok but poor Shadow, because of his docile nature, takes the brunt of some chases. Starting in the last couple of days, Shamrock and Bonnie were more aggressive than usual which ends up with everyone throwing punches, including Shadow. He's bopped 'em both on the head a few times and while I'm glad to see him sticking up for himself, I wondered why all the aggression lately? Shamrock will walk up to either other cat and just throw a punch seemingly for no reason! Today it dawned on me. The Feliway diffuser is empty. I wonder if they get addicted to it, or if all hell would break loose all the time if there was no such thing? I sprayed a few spots hoping it can wait until I can get to the store for a refill. |
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