I Have More Trust Issues Than This Feral..

[maggiedemi]

What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there

I never re-home. Cats are family. I would keep trying.

 

[rubysmama]

I've never had more than one cat at a time, so I've never experienced what you're going through, but my heart is breaking for you, for Charlie and for Finn, after reading your post.

One idea which I'm not sure if has been suggested before, but could you put both cats in their carriers, and take them out in the car somewhere. Like the vet, if either of them is due for a checkup. Or to a family or friends place. The idea is for them to be in a different space for a bit, and possibly bond during their time away from home.

 

[Buffster7]

Thanks, guys. I will keep trying until I'm absolutely certain there's nothing else that can be done and that there's no way for that to happen. I'm heartsore as I do love Finn. The thought of rehoming him, when it comes right down to it, makes me very very sad. It is hard to feel bonded to him sometimes when he picks on Charlie, hard to feel that love. But I know that rehoming him would crush me - it's not something I really "believe" in. It's also really hard to see one pet so miserable due to another's presence. And yet there are moments that they chase each other around the house playfully. So it's not all hate all the time. But I have noticed Charlie becoming more jumpy, more cowed. I've seen the way he stalks Charlie, and I know it can't be a fun existence to be constantly stalked and pounced.

They are both unhappy today. Today is my first day off in 8 or 9 days so I'm home. I've had to 'distract' them twice this morning. Charlie is really pissed at Finn after last night. And Finn stalked Charlie at the litter box this morning. This was the last time, a couple minutes ago:

 

[shadowsrescue]

Living with cats that don't get along is stressful. The first feral cat I brought inside my house (Marvin) almost 7 years ago was a terror to my then only cat. It was so hard. There would be piles of fur and my resident cat (Jake) was miserable. I had to do a lot of separating.

A few things that worked for me:
1. Individual play time. Finn is still quite young. He really needs to get the energy out. I would try to have a long play session with just him before allowing him time with Charlie. This will help for him to get out some of his energy. Try the Hunt catch kill eat groom sleep method. Use a wand toy or other toy that really gets Finn moving. Play until he is tired. This will facilitate hunt catch and kill. The next step is important: eat. Offer him a very special snack or small meal. Then the groom and sleep are what cats often do after a kill and eat. They groom themselves and then take a nap. After this session, you might try allowing Finn some time with Charlie. Be sure to have alone play time with Charlie too. Play builds confidence.

2. I had to keep the cats separated when I was not there to supervise. When I was ready to leave them out together, I was sure it was only for a short period of time. Then I gradually lengthened the time they were together.

3. Sometimes I would allow one cat time out and the other cat would be in a large dog cage or popup tent.

4. I used the 3 strikes and you are out rule. If Marvin attacked or went after Jake aggressively, Marvin went to his room for a time out. It usually started at 10 minutes. If he did it again, he stayed for 30-60 minutes. After the 3rd strike, he was in his room for the rest of the day. This worked very well for Marvin as he no longer wanted to be in his room.

5. I used Composure Liquid Max on both cats. Marvin needed to calm down. He was given 1/2 t in the morning and 1/4 t. at night. Jake just needed 1/2 t. or less for the day. This was my savior at the time. It worked so well on Marvin. Zylkene is another good choice. I have a cat who is now on a daily dose of Zylkene.


6. Feliway plug ins. Also Feliway spray. I knew immediately when the plug ins had run out. I still do in my home today with 6 cats! I had hot spots in the house and there wasn't an outlet nearby. I used the Feliway spray in this area. I also blocked certain parts of the house where there were troubles.

7. Making sure there are plenty of litter boxes. Marvin also would try to block the litter box. I just added more. This was all temporary, but it worked well. With multiple cats, sometimes a cat will be very territorial about a litter box. You might add another in a nearby location.

Marvin and Jake took one solid year to acclimate to each other. We had lots of ups and downs along the way. Yet, I knew I could not rehome Marvin. He had been through so much living outside for over a year. I could not give up on him.

I am not a fan of rehoming unless absolutely necessary. I have 6 cats now and do not have complete harmony. Three of my former feral cats that have only been living inside a house for 2 years are still very very very skittish. One of my former stray cats is a bully to one of the ferals. He has attacked him and left large wounds that required vet care. I keep them separated in different parts of my house. It's certainly not ideal, but it works for now. I could never rehome or get rid of these cats.

Sometimes you just have to take a step back and restart some of the introductions. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but somewhere along the line, something moved too quickly. We as humans want the process to move fast and quickly so it adapts to our life. Cats move at their own pace. If we move too quickly, they let us know. Try to think of what caused this upheaval. Were they allowed free reign of the house too soon? Backing up for a bit just might solve the problem.

I really hope you do not give up on Finn. I completely get it that your loyalty is with Charlie. He is your baby. Yet, you rescued Finn too. He trusts you and needs your help and guidance.

 

[Talien]

1. Individual play time. Finn is still quite young. He really needs to get the energy out. I would try to have a long play session with just him before allowing him time with Charlie. This will help for him to get out some of his energy. Try the Hunt catch kill eat groom sleep method. Use a wand toy or other toy that really gets Finn moving. Play until he is tired. This will facilitate hunt catch and kill. The next step is important: eat. Offer him a very special snack or small meal. Then the groom and sleep are what cats often do after a kill and eat. They groom themselves and then take a nap. After this session, you might try allowing Finn some time with Charlie. Be sure to have alone play time with Charlie too. Play builds confidence.

4. I used the 3 strikes and you are out rule. If Marvin attacked or went after Jake aggressively, Marvin went to his room for a time out. It usually started at 10 minutes. If he did it again, he stayed for 30-60 minutes. After the 3rd strike, he was in his room for the rest of the day. This worked very well for Marvin as he no longer wanted to be in his room.

These would be my suggestions. You've tried 2 and 3 and that got them to want to be around eachother so there has been some progress at least. I really think Finn just has too much energy and not enough outlets for it, when he was outside I'm sure he was able to run, play, and hunt as much as he wanted to but being inside.....how much opportunity does he really have to play with anything interactive? He has Charlie to play with, but that isn't going so well.

Since you haven't mentioned frequently seeing blood I don't believe there's any hate or actual aggression, Finn just plays too rough for Charlie. I have a pair of younger Cats and they stalk, pounce, and wrestle eachother constantly through the day, but they are both younger Cats so they can handle the activity. Charlie is older, overweight, and just can't keep up. If he tries to run when it gets to be too much for him that could trigger Finn's "hunt" instinct, so it's possible he's starting to see Charlie as prey more than pal.

You've mentioned many times that your neighbor really likes Finn, so maybe he could go on "vacation" there for a while to give Charlie time to relax?

 

[Furballsmom]

What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there yet,

I know. I don't know if I would, except for Charlie not being able to handle it.

I've been thinking about you and your boys all day. You've gotten some great feedback already.

Would I be nuts suggesting a third cat? Even just a foster situation? ...to distract Finn, is what I'm thinking. I watched that video - geez, he's VERY intense.

 

[rubysmama]

I watched that video - geez, he's VERY intense.

The video is intense, for sure. But at the beginning, isn't that Charlie who makes the first couple moves?

 

[Talien]

I know. I don't know if I would, except for Charlie not being able to handle it.

I've been thinking about you and your boys all day. You've gotten some great feedback already.

Would I be nuts suggesting a third cat? Even just a foster situation? ...to distract Finn, is what I'm thinking. I watched that video - geez, he's VERY intense.

The problem is if one of them decides to play with Charlie and he runs away, suddenly there are 2 young energetic Cats chasing him around playing too rough. If Charlie could get to a point where he'd stand his ground and wallop Finn when he gets too rough that could be a good option but with the way he is now I really think introducing another Cat would do more harm than good.

 

[Furballsmom]

The problem is if one of them decides to play with Charlie and he runs away, suddenly there are 2 young energetic Cats chasing him around playing too rough.

...that's true, good point.

I'm borrowing this from another post mentat made, where these completely darling toebeans were used to try and help someone who's also in a very challenging situation to feel a little bit better;
https://thecatsite.com/attachments/reba-marbled-beans-jpg.324941/

 

[pearl99]

You've mentioned many times that your neighbor really likes Finn, so maybe he could go on "vacation" there for a while to give Charlie time to relax?

wow that is an awesome idea if the neighbor can!

 

[Buffster7]

1. Individual play time.
Yes, this is certainly lacking for both of them. I wake up at 4 each morning to get to my clinical. When I get home at night I still have dinner to cook, reading up on diagnoses for my clinical and a little homework. I try to get to bed early since 4 am comes quickly. I am tired, and my time is limited right now. I have every toy under the sun for them, but Finn 'needs' to hunt, and I need more time and more energy to provide that for him.

I'm using the Feliway plugins and the Composure Max. If either one of those runs out, watch out (have always been thankful for the composure max recommendation and have used it pretty faithfully) As for litter boxes, they don't guard or block them, but Finn will stalk Charlie and wait til he exits, then will pounce. That's what set Charlie off this morning. It's the stalking, pouncing, and biting. I do try giving Finn time-outs when he goes for Charlie. I don't see it happen as much as I hear it, though, And Finn runs from me when I come to find them. Very hard to catch him; chased him around the house for several minutes before catching him this morning.

I honestly don't think it's the introductions that happened too quickly as we were past that and they were doing pretty well until recently. They have never been friends, but something has changed and Charlie had become cowed, skittish around Finn, and has withdrawn. I am almost certain it's the pouncing behavior - and that pouncing is happening all the time now. Not sure how to stop it...wish they made collars for cats that emit a sound or smell that cats hate that I could activate when I see Finn crouching and stalking Charlie.

ince you haven't mentioned frequently seeing blood I don't believe there's any hate or actual aggression, Finn just plays too rough for Charlie. I have a pair of younger Cats and they stalk, pounce, and wrestle eachother constantly through the day, but they are both younger Cats so they can handle the activity. Charlie is older, overweight, and just can't keep up. If he tries to run when it gets to be too much for him that could trigger Finn's "hunt" instinct, so it's possible he's starting to see Charlie as prey more than pal.

You've mentioned many times that your neighbor really likes Finn, so maybe he could go on "vacation" there for a while to give Charlie time to relax?

I think that is a huge part of it. I'm not sure how to turn that ship around. Somewhere along the line, Charlie got tired of confrontation and has started just hiding instead. And Finn is now treating him like prey.
I've never seen blood, just lots of fur with skin still attached!

It's Charlie that my neighbor likes. She's never been a fan of Finn for some reason, I think she sees him as a threat to Charlie. And she has two dogs that I wouldn't trust around my cats. That is a good idea, though.

The video is intense, for sure. But at the beginning, isn't that Charlie who makes the first couple moves?

You're right! Charlie was the instigator this morning. I think he was still fed up from last night. These two do seem to 'keep score' with each other. Finn stalked/pounced Charlie after he used the litter box this morning, and this happened after that, too. I used to tell myself when I would feel sorry for one of them, "Don't be fooled. There is no innocent party here - they're both culprits!" Charlie used to be real grouchy in the morning and I would keep them separated til late morning because he would act this way. I haven't seen him do it in a long while; perhaps he was feeling brave because I was there and he heard me yell at Finn last night after Finn attacked him? Not sure. But as a rule, these days Charlie is running away And Finn is chasing. Finn has claws and Charlie does not, and Finn uses his teeth whereas Charlie is missing some of his.
~~~~~

I left the house to get errands done today and left Finn closed in my bedroom. I watched the cameral all day, and Charlie stayed out of sight, even though he knew I left Finn in bedroom. When I came home, he was laying in a chair close to the door I come into. I haven't seen him do this before, but it doesn't mean he hasn't. I'm suspecting that they don't tussle much when I'm gone, but that it happens once I get home. When I'm home, I see Charlie hiding under my workout equipment a lot, because he has a birds eye view of the living areas, but Finn can't pounce him. Somehow Finn has become territorial of me, but there's definitely an element of stalking and chasing Charlie. Do I continue to sleep with Charlie and keep Finn locked out of the room at night to try to break that territorial aspect? Or is that the equivalent of tossing a lawn chair off of a cruise ship?

 

[Talien]

I think that is a huge part of it. I'm not sure how to turn that ship around. Somewhere along the line, Charlie got tired of confrontation and has started just hiding instead. And Finn is now treating him like prey.
I've never seen blood, just lots of fur with skin still attached!

I think the only way to fix that is keep them separated and build Charlie's confidence back up to the point where he won't just turn and run from Finn and will smack him around when he gets out of line. If you can get them to that point, and you can handle it, THEN another Cat might be an option so Finn has something to keep him occupied when you aren't around to play with him.

I don't know if keeping Finn out of your room at night will fix anything. It may well just stress him out, and he will more than likely take it out on Charlie.

 

[Jcatbird]

I had to check in. While you are still tied up with clinicals, I would think going back to earlier methods would be in order. Finn must understand not to be so rough but if you are not there to work it out, everything comes to a head the short time you are there. I know Finn depends on you as his human and I know you hate the cage so time out in another room until you are better situated to deal with this. I think you can get around rehomimg.
Remember, the cats think they own the world but truthfully, you are top cat.
Kodiak has always been a “chaser” here. Lately, the tables finally turned. Lady got really tired of her attitude and is being the chaser. Things change.

 

[mentat]

A few things to consider for your now multicat home:

Charlie is a senior kitty, and the higher activity the last few months combined with age may be causing arthritis to flare up. Supplements, such as Cosequin or GlycoFlex, can help control inflammation and degeneration associated with arthritis, easily overlooked during wellness exams. Cosequin is flavored and most palatable in food; GlycoFlex is available in chew treats. These are well tolerated gastrointestinally and take 2-4 weeks to see efficacy. See which he likes.

Feliway Multicat is a game changer for cat-on-cat aggression, anxiety, or fear. Its pheromone differs from Feliway Classic and Comfort Zone, as the original formula of facial pheromone helps self-soothe and establish territorial comfort. Rubbing at scent gland areas of the face, such as the temporals, cheeks, chin, and submandibular area, is soothing as it activates these facial gland pheromones; thus rubbing on us or on furniture. Multicat formula utilizes maternal soothing pheromone, promoting harmony, and specifically helps with group interaction, social dynamics, reducing redirected aggression and social anxiety/fear. It does only come in diffuser form, no spray, yet. A Multicat diffuser near the litterbox being guarded, as well as in the room being guarded, should help Finn share these communal spaces, and build Charlie's confidence. Spraying the windowsills, multiple lounge spots, cat towers/beds, with Feliway Classic may invite Charlie back to these perches.
“During the past 20 years Ceva has developed expertise in animal behavior, and more precisely in pheromones. We expect the launch of Feliway MultiCat pheromone to extend our market leadership in this area,” said Dr. Karen Padgett, Chief Operating Officer, Ceva Animal Health Companion Animal Business Unit. “Within one week, Feliway MultiCat pheromone users noticed a reduction in conflict behaviors, even in households where conflict had been occurring for several years. After one month of continuous use, 84 percent of pet owners report a significant improvement in their cats’ ability to get along.”
Dr. Theresa DePorter, a board certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behavior (ACVB) and the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM) conducted the clinical trial for forty-five families who reported social conflict and even aggression amongst housemate cats. The new Feliway MultiCat pheromone was reported to reduce the level of conflict between housemate cats even within the first week of treatment.

“Cats living in a state of conflict suffer. When families used Feliway MultiCat diffusers in their homes they reported a reduction in conflict and aggressive behaviors. The cats seemed happier; more at peace.” “Feliway Multicat will provide hope for families with cats that do not get along: from the most subtle avoidance to even the most extreme conflict” said Dr. DePorter. “Cats that have been in conflict may
never come to love each other, but by using Feliway MultiCat, cats may begin to repair or build social relationships”

Open (not covered),large litterboxes, 18"x24" minimum, both in accessible communal area and in private corners, at least 3, will minimize stress and ensure both cats feel they have resources without avoiding or guarding all available elimination sites. Cleaning litter daily. No added fragrance litter; pine pellets and clumping pine control odor well for mutliple cats, as shelters' cat rooms prove. Same for water, multiple sites, to ensure plentiful resource, so finding or guarding resource is not a stressor. Drinkwell fountains are good options to keep water fresh, a wide area to approach for each cat, improving water intake and reducing risk for urine crystal formation. For scratching, two SmartCat square sisal scratch posts, as well as 2 minimum cardboard horizontal scratchers, and at least 1 cat tower with multilevels, 5-7' high, utilizing Feliway spray on surfaces you DO NOT want scratched, such as the corners of mattresses, or couches. FeliScratch on the items you DO want scratched, such as the posts, towers, and scratchers; see FELISCRATCH by FELIWAY.

Behavior modifiying anxiolytics can help during transition for 2-6 months, short term, or continue indefinitely, long term. Discuss single or multimodal behavior therapy with your vet. Buspirone, for example, boosts "victim" mentality to be more confident. Fluoxetine and sertraline decrease aggressive anxiety and tendency to redirect aggression in aggressors, AND boost confidence in victims. For single events, anxiolytic doses (8-10x higher than neuro pain or seizure management dose) of gabapentin night before and morning of event, such as car transport and/or vet visit, reduce reactivity primarily due to sedative effect. Some cats respond well to alprazolam added to the daily anxiolytic regime, reducing stimulated response to stressors. Some experience a paradoxical reaction, become hyperexcited rather than calm, on benzodiazepines in general. Alprazolam is the only benzo proven to help with panicked behavior. Some have done well on tricyclic antidepressant (i.e. amitriptyline) combined with SSRI (i.e. sertraline) and alprazolam, all at lower effective doses than if used alone as single med therapy.

Your vet can use AAFP behavior guidelines, Cat Behavior Consultants - The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, as some vets aren't as well practiced as others managing feline behavior problems. In Finn's initial visit, your vet had dogs directly across from cat cages, and was surprised by a normal stress response from a semi-feral/long-stray cat in hospital; they sound less experienced with scaredy cats than some vets. Food laced with low risk, sedating anxiolytic would have been most of my vets' preference for a semi-feral or very fearful feline patient, 2-3 hours prior to removing from cage or carrier covered for privacy. Injectable sedative would be ready to administer IM, already drawn, with blankets and thick towels nearby to help purrito, cover and restrain, prior to full exam or treatments. Isolated banks of cages for hospitalized cats only, in ventilated room with Feliway diffuser. Cat double-sided cages, with a curtain cover, cat shelf, box hide, bowls, and a litter tray lined with fleece under shelf on one side, with litter box of pelleted litter on the other curtained side.

For your particular cats, an AAFP Cat Friendly practice Cat Friendly Practices® | American Association of Feline Practitioners may be the best avenue not only for managing behavior, but better clinical environment for low stress handling of your prone-to-stress babies. Their targeted feline medicine approach is unparalleled. Extra-label doses of OTC Zylkene are prescribed by feline internists for anxiety management, as well as Royal Canin Calm diet as treats. They also have Feliway diffusers throughout clinic and exam rooms, and adapt essential oil diffusers to nebulize Feliway spray in water, refilling daily with 2 pumps Feliway per 60mL water, economical for rescuers like us. They adapt vaccine protocol that is modern, minimizing number and frequency of vaccination. Their feline pain and behavior management are also very modern, multimodal, and tailored.

You're an amazing feline advocate. Hold fast and persist, you've come far, these are the normal social snafus hitting now.

 

[mentat]

Additional environmental enrichment modification includes food puzzles. Promoting cat foraging behavior can decrease stress and frustration, and is interesting/stimulating for indoor cats bored with their environment. Offered in between engaged play/exercise time, as well as when we're leaving the home, help distract from stressors such as separation anxiety or cat-on-cat aggression. Working to get their food also encourages activity and movement for our overweight cats.

http://foodpuzzlesforcats.com/ was started by certified cat behaviorists and veterinarians after a well received and awarded veterinary journal article. We start sedentary cats on easy, single star difficulty toys, and work up to 3 star harder ones. Charlie may benefit from gradual increase in difficulty. Finn sounds like he'd transition quickly to a 3 star puzzle.

NoBowl, now called Indoor Hunting Feeder, is another great food puzzle option for both boys, easy, with training adapters, and is novel as it has cloth/texture to sink Finn's claws in. Indoor Hunting Feeder: Cat Food Dispenser | Doc & Phoebe’s Cat Co. The activity is great for overweight cats, bored cats, and stressed cats. Even though it uses dry food, a very low calorie, high protein dry food such as Royal Canin Satiety Support, is an option for overweight cats still on the S/O index, to limit urine crystal formation. At 1/4c per day, a 7.7lb bag lasts 124 days; also fed canned food. Hunt, play, and eat, all in one device. Even an ounce of weight loss in a week is great progress for Charlie, so monitoring with weight checks on a digital scale can boost weight loss morale, knowing his rate of loss while managing his diet and activity.

 

[walli]

I think your instincts to let Charlie sleep with you were good
Finn has had a lot of attention to get him in the house, I think Charlie needs to be more confident
Finn is very lucky cat, it's ok if he isn't always happy.
This is just temporary info, I know you guys are going to figure out how to be a family
look how far you have come!!

I'm finally building a bigger catio for Walli I can't stand her situation anymore
My final plan is they can socialize outside, Joey will get her old catio, I can pick him up and place him there.
I will share more about that on my thread going to be the 1st week of April! I'm so happy Walli will get more room!

 

[Buffster7]

Thank you all so much for your input. I have not had a chance to fully read the very latest posts - I will be doing so when I get home this evening, I have to go out of town for the day. I wanted to pop in and type what just happened for interpretation from those of you who know cat behavior better than me.

It's been slightly improved the last couple days. I've kept them separated when I leave the house. I was just getting my makeup on in my bathroom when Charlie came in to use litter box. His back was to us. Finn came up behind him and bit him on the back. I said, "Finn NO" and went to retrieve Charlie, who had darted to his hiding place. I picked him up, intending on bringing him back to my bathroom and closing the door so I could finish getting ready and keep them separated. I had socks on, I slipped and fell with Charlie in my arms, which scared him. He started growling. Finn got a furious look on his face and attacked me. I couldn't figure out if he was out to get Charlie, who was in my arms, or me, who perhaps he thought was hurting Charlie.

Whatever the case, he kept trying to get to me, and I could tell he was trying to find an angle to attach himself to my leg. He already had teeth and claws sunk into my socks, which were thankfully very long and very thick wool socks. I was so afraid He was going to climb higher and get to either Charlie or me with those teeth and claws.

I had to kick my leg to get him off, I did not kick him, but had to shake my leg harder than I ever would have had I not been afraid. Locked Charlie and myself in my room while he screamed on the other side of the door. Well, more like meowed in a very loud, agitated voice. When I calmed myself I left the room with a can of compressed air, just in case, and he wouldn't let me near him. He acted afraid of me. I started talking to Charlie through the bedroom door to let Finn know Charlie was okay, and I do think Finn relaxed. I could tell he was out of attack mode, so I picked him up and opened the door to let him see Charlie. They both acted okay. Charlie darted out of the room.

I went to the kitchen and got a Churu snack and called out, "Who wants a snack?" and they both came running. Finn sniffed Charlie's fur very intently but did not bite. I have them both Churu with CBD oil and Comfort Max mixed into it. They are both in the same room with me as I type this. I will separate them when I leave the house. I have no idea what just happened, but I've never seen Finn attack like that - the look in his eye, I hope was for me and not for Charlie. I hope he attacked me because he thought I was harming Charlie? What do you guys think? W walli and mentat , I will be back to fully read your posts tonight. I have not had a chance to log in since Wednesday. Thanks, everyone.

Edited to add: When I say Finn attacked, I'm not overreacting. I had to back away and keep kicking my leg through two rooms, and he attached himself to my leg right before I got to my bedroom. I could tell he was in attack mode but there was something that was keeping him from throwing himself 100% at me. Now as I type this edit, both cats are in their chairs in the living room relaxing like nothing happened. I'm still really shaken - never have been threatened by a cat before, and it's scary! The fact that they are both relaxing in the same room makes me think *I* was the perceived threat and the enemy, and not them. What do you think?

 

[mentat]

Redirected aggression when acutely scared or threatened is a very scarey cat reaction to behold. But, he relaxed unordinarily quickly, so thank your lucky stars and his quite domesticated brain for that. Finn and Charlie don't seem to have suffered any behavioral setback. I've greatly scared a dog and some cats when falling. The dog took many days to trust coming to me to be leashed. Cats were over it for treats and feather wands ;] We're always these 2 legged, long, upright things on our feet, then come crashing down around or on critters a fraction our size, it's understandable. My heart used to race when a threatened animal darted towards me; still does at times when I've no history or no time to assess the situation or animal at all before being its focus. Wild animals staring at you when they're threatened will definitely increase my heart rate still. We can only strive to remain calm, avoid confrontation, handle respectfully and safely when we must.

 

[Furballsmom]

both cats are in their chairs in the living room relaxing like nothing happened.

Good for you in the way you handled things after the fact! I agree with mentat, cats are resilient

 

[Jcatbird]

I know you were shocked and had heart racing. The fall was so foreign to Finn and it put him back into sort of a glitch. He simply acted instinctually to what seemed to be physical threat to everything he loves and trusts.It may have seemed he was trying to attack you but if fact, it was the noise, movement, apparent wounding of you and Charlie as well as some unforeseen monster. He could have even been thinking in his kitty mind that something had you and pulled you off your feet. They can get sort of a glazed look where recognition is blurred by instinct but Finn did calm quickly it may have been more protecting. I had a beloved fluff ball attempt to defend me once when a neighbor was yelling but she actually got me instead. The neighbor appeared to be acting aggressively towards me because they were touching me when they yelled. She went after the movement near the hands and when I reached out to keep the neighbor from getting clawed, she followed the movement. In her mind, she was keeping a threat from me. I was the one who get scratched though. Basically, she wanted to help but made a mistake. As soon as the event ended, all was well and nothing similar ever happened again. I firmly believe that if anyone ever entered this house and acted aggressively, BJ and Mackie would take them down. Perhaps a few others too? While this was misdirected, I think Finn and Charlie would totally protect you.
I hope you didn’t get hurt in the fall! I imagine the adrenaline kept you from feeling it at that moment. Hoping you are okay.