3 "boyz" New Aggression Problem

[JT'w/3]

Not sure if this will help others going through having to separate kitties due to new family additions or fighting problems (like us) but screen doors like this work great! Purchased these at Lowes and our cat daddy put them together with a few hinges. Allows us to go in and out, helps with airflow in the rooms and allows the kitties to see/smell each other without hurting one another. You can also tape cardboard to the screen to prevent total viewing and/or climbers. NOTE!!! Make sure to brace them or secure them properly. You'd be suprised how strong cats can be. Also take note that doors push and pull in from the walls if that makes sense.

 

[RufusGizmo]

i have no response except to say that I appreciate this thread since I have just got two new kittens (male) adjusted to our old resident cats (male) in a new home. we have a screened in sun room that we have never opened up yet (chicago). I have seen stray cats and coyotes outside, and now i am completely scared to let them into the porch when it is open. but if I do, and something happens, at least I will have this thread to look at! Good luck. when we first moved in with our two older cats who used to just cuddle together all the time, they suddenly hated each other and fought. it was heartbreaking so I know what you are going though. they are better now after about four or five months. good luck!

 

[JT'w/3]

i have no response except to say that I appreciate this thread since I have just got two new kittens (male) adjusted to our old resident cats (male) in a new home. we have a screened in sun room that we have never opened up yet (chicago). I have seen stray cats and coyotes outside, and now i am completely scared to let them into the porch when it is open. but if I do, and something happens, at least I will have this thread to look at! Good luck. when we first moved in with our two older cats who used to just cuddle together all the time, they suddenly hated each other and fought. it was heartbreaking so I know what you are going though. they are better now after about four or five months. good luck!

A porch in Chicago sounds perfect! I'd let them out during the day (supervised at first). A cat nap in the sun out there to get some fresh air sounds great! Also, just a thought, have you seen those things called "scarecrows" that are motion sensors, all the specialists recommended them to us (but we are not on city water). You hook them up to the hose and they spray water when something walks by. They might help scare any of your strays/coyotes.

Thank you for your encouragement. When your older cats got back to normal after 4/5 months did you ever have any subsequent fights? How did you get them back together? Any tricks or just time?

 

[Tobermory]

Not sure if this will help others going through having to separate kitties due to new family additions or fighting problems (like us) but screen doors like this work great! Purchased these at Lowes and our cat daddy put them together with a few hinges. Allows us to go in and out, helps with airflow in the rooms and allows the kitties to see/smell each other without hurting one another. You can also tape cardboard to the screen to prevent total viewing and/or climbers. NOTE!!! Make sure to brace them or secure them properly. You'd be suprised how strong cats can be. Also take note that doors push and pull in from the walls if that makes sense.


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Wow! These are fantastic! I tried to set up a wire mesh divider in the doorway of Mocha’s room after I brought her home. She’d had a week of isolation so she could be more comfortable in her new home and the resident girls could get used to her smell. I was ready to let hem see each other. It was about 5 1/2 feet tall. I put it in the doorway, stood back...and watched her scale it like a mountaineer on a rock wall and disappear under the bed in the next room. Sigh. I needed your solution!

 

[Tobermory]

I didn't have luck in the past with Feliway but the new Multicat one seems to work great. One of the behaviorists had a good idea of "rotating" the refill cycle so they never run out. Also, have you heard that even though there might still be some liquid in the diffuser that after 30 days it loses it's Mojo?

I hadn’t heard that about them losing their effectiveness. They usually don’t last more than about four weeks for me anyway. All of the Feliway products have been helpful except for the Feliscratch. I was trying to train Mocha to use scratching posts and not having much luck. The Feliscratch didn’t work with her, but she’s immune to catnip (and silvervine) and, obviously, whatever attractant Feliscratch uses to draw cats to the place they’re supposed to scratch.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Not sure if this will help others going through having to separate kitties due to new family additions or fighting problems (like us) but screen doors like this work great! Purchased these at Lowes and our cat daddy put them together with a few hinges. Allows us to go in and out, helps with airflow in the rooms and allows the kitties to see/smell each other without hurting one another. You can also tape cardboard to the screen to prevent total viewing and/or climbers. NOTE!!! Make sure to brace them or secure them properly. You'd be suprised how strong cats can be. Also take note that doors push and pull in from the walls if that makes sense.


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Holy cow, these are the exact same doors we have scattered throughout our place! They work, and are relatively inexpensive!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thank you for the response and especially your comments about the Zylkene! After being on it for nearly 2 months I felt like Bear was actually getting upset quicker, was more reactive and wasn't feeling well. I brought him to the vet last week for a check up and he's all good. Also I stopped the Zylkene and he went back to normal. Ziggy has always been hyper and to be honest I think the Zylkene might have helped him. He's been off it for 3 days now and seems a bit more sullen, grouchy, reserved etc. so maybe it was working for him? Hard to say. I can't find ANYTHING negative online about Zylkene but I'm so glad you addressed this.

You are right about them being "boyz".... Ziggy is more of a loner but he seemed to always enjoy his wrestling matches with Bear. It used to be all in fun Both Ziggy and Bear seem to miss each other but can't quite figure out how to get over what has happened. Not a lot of trust there. Hopefully, with time? We went through this in January but after 6 wks of slow and steady we had them back together. This time things are going so quickly and I'm starting to panic a bit. What if they can't be best buds again....before this all 3 were inseparable!

The Behaviorist seems to think Prozac will do the trick but I'm hoping it won't come to that. I asked the Vet and she said some people are looking for the quick fix and others really need it. Both the Vet and the behaviorists' pets are on meds. I'm willing and able to put in the time to try and "re-condition" just worried I'll do something wrong.

When your guy and gal fought, after the hair stopped flying, what did you do to get them back together?

It's interesting that Ziggy seemed to benefit from the Zylkene but Bear seemed to get worse!
I've used a common, safe drug many, many, MANY times for dogs and puppies experiencing a common problem in puppies/dogs from shelters, etc., and never had a bad reaction to the drug. For awhile, we used it yearly or twice yearly as a precaution on everyone. I then used this drug on a dog we had, and he almost died. I searched Google like crazy to see if anyone else had experienced anything like it, no one had. I spoke with an experienced animal person (a mentor in some respects) that had used this drug successfully except for two dogs; one became ill for 24 hours and one, like mine, almost died. The drug isn't "bad" (mmkay? Southpark fans out there? LOL), but it didn't agree with those few individuals. (That or they had a pre-existing problem that created a perfect storm for problems, but who knows?)
If on the off chance Bear is worse from this stuff, he might be sending bad signals or be seen as a living target to Ziggy, and the effects (whatever they are) might cause Bear to react more violently. It's just a guess, as who knows what's going on in their heads! I knew of a very large, very imposing dog that was given St. John's Wort to curb his aggression, and his aggression increased by leaps and bounds. Many people (myself, too) have had luck with SJW and other things like it, but sometimes weird reactions happen.
As a side note, I've used Prozac very minimally and (given permission), I stopped it almost immediately as I was unimpressed with their behavior and general demeanor. I'm sure others here have had success, but I am not a personal fan of this drug.
The only thing that got these cats to get along was time, and aging. They were close in age, and by the time they became older they didn't seem to want to fight. They never loved one another and never were close, but they could walk past each other without scream-flailing into a battle!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Wow! These are fantastic! I tried to set up a wire mesh divider in the doorway of Mocha’s room after I brought her home. She’d had a week of isolation so she could be more comfortable in her new home and the resident girls could get used to her smell. I was ready to let hem see each other. It was about 5 1/2 feet tall. I put it in the doorway, stood back...and watched her scale it like a mountaineer on a rock wall and disappear under the bed in the next room. Sigh. I needed your solution!

I've got one cat that respects boundaries like no other. My cats will scale baby gates, dividers, furniture, you name it, but one of my girls is really good about not doing this. I have never figured out why and I never offered to teach her not to; it's like she sees a barrier as a barrier and my others see a barrier as an obstacle course =D

 

[JT'w/3]

Holy cow, these are the exact same doors we have scattered throughout our place! They work, and are relatively inexpensive!

Thats awesome, I thought I was the only crazy person who had done this...Can I ask what or with whom you are using them for? Btw...just built another one tonight, 4 hinges 2/doors = $80

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thats awesome, I thought I was the only crazy person who had done this...Can I ask what or with whom you are using them for? Btw...just built another one tonight, 4 hinges 2/doors = $80

We are using them especially for our asthmatic to increase air flow, and be able to control it (sometimes I don't want air flow into his part of the house if we're working on painting, sanding, cleaning, etc.) We use them in door frames with existing solid doors so that air flow can be controlled (when he's bad, I like air flow but the humidifer and HEPA thing need to do their job and can't keep up with a really large area!)
The room he hangs out in is connected to our living room (a door/screen there), a work area (rarely open, but when we're not using the area the door is open and screen locked) and into a hallway.
I especially like the option of having this cat able to see/hear/smell the other 3 cats he doesn't know well (we have two separate "colonies" here), as it's not quite been ruled out that he will move colonies as he seems to REALLY want to be around these cats/this area.

 

[thefiresidecat]

Love this idea...believe me...I'm so exhausted by the non-sense, I thought of making them both where the "collar of shame" Lol....Seriously though, do you think they would associate each other with the bad experience of going to the vet?

ours never do and they never seem to blame us either. it's the same thing as how people who are in some sort of scary situation together tend to bond.

 

[JT'w/3]

It's interesting that Ziggy seemed to benefit from the Zylkene but Bear seemed to get worse!
I've used a common, safe drug many, many, MANY times for dogs and puppies experiencing a common problem in puppies/dogs from shelters, etc., and never had a bad reaction to the drug. For awhile, we used it yearly or twice yearly as a precaution on everyone. I then used this drug on a dog we had, and he almost died. I searched Google like crazy to see if anyone else had experienced anything like it, no one had. I spoke with an experienced animal person (a mentor in some respects) that had used this drug successfully except for two dogs; one became ill for 24 hours and one, like mine, almost died. The drug isn't "bad" (mmkay? Southpark fans out there? LOL), but it didn't agree with those few individuals. (That or they had a pre-existing problem that created a perfect storm for problems, but who knows?)
If on the off chance Bear is worse from this stuff, he might be sending bad signals or be seen as a living target to Ziggy, and the effects (whatever they are) might cause Bear to react more violently. It's just a guess, as who knows what's going on in their heads! I knew of a very large, very imposing dog that was given St. John's Wort to curb his aggression, and his aggression increased by leaps and bounds. Many people (myself, too) have had luck with SJW and other things like it, but sometimes weird reactions happen.
As a side note, I've used Prozac very minimally and (given permission), I stopped it almost immediately as I was unimpressed with their behavior and general demeanor. I'm sure others here have had success, but I am not a personal fan of this drug.
The only thing that got these cats to get along was time, and aging. They were close in age, and by the time they became older they didn't seem to want to fight. They never loved one another and never were close, but they could walk past each other without scream-flailing into a battle!

I've taken both Ziggy and Bear off the Zylkene. Bear seems to be back to his same old loving self. The jury is still out on Ziggy but things weren't getting better with them on it

We are using them especially for our asthmatic to increase air flow, and be able to control it (sometimes I don't want air flow into his part of the house if we're working on painting, sanding, cleaning, etc.) We use them in door frames with existing solid doors so that air flow can be controlled (when he's bad, I like air flow but the humidifer and HEPA thing need to do their job and can't keep up with a really large area!)
The room he hangs out in is connected to our living room (a door/screen there), a work area (rarely open, but when we're not using the area the door is open and screen locked) and into a hallway.
I especially like the option of having this cat able to see/hear/smell the other 3 cats he doesn't know well (we have two separate "colonies" here), as it's not quite been ruled out that he will move colonies as he seems to REALLY want to be around these cats/this area.

ours never do and they never seem to blame us either. it's the same thing as how people who are in some sort of scary situation together tend to bond.

Interesting....how does that go..desperate times call for desperate measures Lol...I'll let you know if/when we make the vet visit Lol

 

[thefiresidecat]

I've taken both Ziggy and Bear off the Zylkene. Bear seems to be back to his same old loving self. The jury is still out on Ziggy but things weren't getting better with them on it


Interesting....how does that go..desperate times call for desperate measures Lol...I'll let you know if/when we make the vet visit Lol

we didnt figure it out on purpose. we like to get more than one cat in at a time for routine care and over the years I've just seen a pattern. cats had a problem with each other.. went to vet.. no more problem. now we do it on purpose when we see that start up

 

[tarasgirl06]

JT'w/3 -- Okay. I can't stand it any more. I'm burning up with curiousity and I absolute MUST know
"...Also, we did catch either a fat wobble cat or a raccoon on our night cams so an outside visitor is also causing us problems." WHAT is a FAT WOBBLE CAT???

 

[tarasgirl06]

we didnt figure it out on purpose. we like to get more than one cat in at a time for routine care and over the years I've just seen a pattern. cats had a problem with each other.. went to vet.. no more problem. now we do it on purpose when we see that start up

Brilliant, thefiresidecat -- of course! When a cat comes home from a vet visit the other furmily members would obviously be suspicious because the returning cat would have OCS *Other Cat Scent* all over! Taking them both in at the same time is genius!

 

[RufusGizmo]

hi it was mostly just time getting them back together. I would try to do things with the both of them there, like get them both together on the bed and take turns combing them which they love etc., giving them treats together and such. mostly time.

 

[JT'w/3]

JT'w/3 -- Okay. I can't stand it any more. I'm burning up with curiousity and I absolute MUST know
"...Also, we did catch either a fat wobble cat or a raccoon on our night cams so an outside visitor is also causing us problems." WHAT is a FAT WOBBLE CAT???

OMG your question even had me and it was my post! Nope...still haven't caught either the very nimble Racoon (that very carefully walks around the outside our Lanai or the seriously overweight stray that Wobbles side to side when it walks. I've showed the video to tons of people and no one can figure out "what" is in the video? The Wobbler is still a mystery....Thanks for making me Lol

 

[tarasgirl06]

OMG your question even had me and it was my post! Nope...still haven't caught either the very nimble Racoon (that very carefully walks around the outside our Lanai or the seriously overweight stray that Wobbles side to side when it walks. I've showed the video to tons of people and no one can figure out "what" is in the video? The Wobbler is still a mystery....Thanks for making me Lol

I would love to see this, please!!!

 

[Tobermory]

OMG your question even had me and it was my post! Nope...still haven't caught either the very nimble Racoon (that very carefully walks around the outside our Lanai or the seriously overweight stray that Wobbles side to side when it walks. I've showed the video to tons of people and no one can figure out "what" is in the video? The Wobbler is still a mystery....Thanks for making me Lol

Whew! I’ve been waiting all day to find out about the Fat Wobble Cat!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Whew! I’ve been waiting all day to find out about the Fat Wobble Cat!

You, too, Tobermory ? I can't even stand it! I NEED TO SEE THIS CAT!!!