Hi Pam, great to have you here! My question concerns my Milo. Here is the background. He is a four/five years old neutered male, who has been with me for three years. I adopted him from the shelter where I volunteer, because he had twice been returned there as being aggressive and too active! He was never in the shelter for long - a couple of months at most, as he is a very attractive white cat with green eyes, enough to make anyone fall in love! I offered to bring him home and try to identify the problem by watching him with my other 7 cats. He quickly became part of the household and I would never part with him, he is incredibly affectionate and intelligent. I believe he has always been an indoor cat, and was an only cat with at least one of his previous owners..
BUT he is trouble! While he adores humans, he is very aggressive with other cats. He has made the life of our alpha, Dushka, a misery, teasing her and chasing her, and she is constantly trying to get him in line.Wherever there is a fight or a noise, he is in the middle of it. Basically, I think he is an alpha personality and is determined to get into that position. And he sprays on the furniture and the walls, which to me confirms that opinion. He knows this is all forbidden behaviour and stops as soon as I say 'no', but only till the next time.
My friends all say I should get rid of his energy by letting him outside. But having lost a cat to poisoning five years ago I do not want to do that. I do isolate him at night by putting him in a large bathroom along with the only cat he does not fight with, Cinders, and he seems happy with that arrangement, trotting up with me when I clean my teeth and settling down there. Otherwise I am woken at 3AM with a cat fight. I have tried Feliway to no avail. He has toys to play with, but prefers anything that another cat has got, from mice to the best cushion.
Am I missing a trick? Is there anything I can do to calm him down, divert him more or stop him fighting? Should he really be an only cat, though he was returned to the shelter from that situation?
BUT he is trouble! While he adores humans, he is very aggressive with other cats. He has made the life of our alpha, Dushka, a misery, teasing her and chasing her, and she is constantly trying to get him in line.Wherever there is a fight or a noise, he is in the middle of it. Basically, I think he is an alpha personality and is determined to get into that position. And he sprays on the furniture and the walls, which to me confirms that opinion. He knows this is all forbidden behaviour and stops as soon as I say 'no', but only till the next time.
My friends all say I should get rid of his energy by letting him outside. But having lost a cat to poisoning five years ago I do not want to do that. I do isolate him at night by putting him in a large bathroom along with the only cat he does not fight with, Cinders, and he seems happy with that arrangement, trotting up with me when I clean my teeth and settling down there. Otherwise I am woken at 3AM with a cat fight. I have tried Feliway to no avail. He has toys to play with, but prefers anything that another cat has got, from mice to the best cushion.
Am I missing a trick? Is there anything I can do to calm him down, divert him more or stop him fighting? Should he really be an only cat, though he was returned to the shelter from that situation?