Aggressive behavior resident cat

[Myurasits]

Hello
In April I took in a 4 week old abandoned kitten. He has done really well but had some issues with biting and aggression towards the family. We thought getting a brother would be good. We got the new kitten oct 20th at 6 months old. We did the introduction exactly as suggested with scent swapping, door sights toy playing and feeding close together. The new kitten is totally fine as he comes from a shelter with other cats. The resident is extremely mean and constantly tries to bite him for blood. Both are fixed. We are currently giving 25mg twice a day to resident cat for anxiety as the vet recommended. Not helping. Please help.

 

[silent meowlook]

What is the drug you are giving?

 

[rubysmama]

Has there been any bloodshed? Or fur flying? How does the younger kitten act around the older one? Is it possible it's just play fighting?
Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? [Answered] - TheCatSite

 

[Myurasits]

What is the drug you are giving?

Gabapentin 25 mg morning and 25 night

 

[Myurasits]

Has there been any bloodshed? Or fur flying? How does the younger kitten act around the older one? Is it possible it's just play fighting?
Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? [Answered] - TheCatSite

No blood just fur. And a lot of screaming. He chased him about 10 minutes until he cornered and then went right for his neck which is when they were intertwined and screaming. Very scary

 

[Myurasits]

No blood just fur. And a lot of screaming. He chased him about 10 minutes until he cornered and then went right for his neck which is when they were intertwined and screaming. Very scary

The new cat is very submissive and does not bother with him but seems ok around him until the resident cat gets nasty

 

[silent meowlook]

How old is the new cat and how long have you had him?
If there is screaming, it isn’t playing. I would suggest, for now, you separate them again. You will have to start all over again with slow introductions, but not now. For now, no visual or anything of each other.

If you have one in your area, you might want to consult a veterinary behaviorist. That is a veterinarian that has gone through an additional 4 years of behavioral training as well as done internships in behavior etc.

The thing to watch out for is that anyone can call themselves a cat behaviorist, but you need a veterinary behaviorist that can prescribe medications. This would be out of a regular veterinarian ability.

Gabapentin is useful for many things, but it is not a behavioral drug. It was originally marketed for humans as an anti seizure medicine and then found to be a helpful in addressing some neuropathic pain in humans and animals. It was also found to be helpful for many cats prior to a veterinary visit for anxiety. But, it is not a behavioral drug and there are more beneficial medications that can be used for what you are going through with your cats.

If you are unable to get an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist, then I can offer some more advice.

 

[rubysmama]

No blood just fur. And a lot of screaming. He chased him about 10 minutes until he cornered and then went right for his neck which is when they were intertwined and screaming. Very scary

That does sound really scary. Sorry you're having to deal with that.

 

[Myurasits]

How old is the new cat and how long have you had him?
If there is screaming, it isn’t playing. I would suggest, for now, you separate them again. You will have to start all over again with slow introductions, but not now. For now, no visual or anything of each other.

If you have one in your area, you might want to consult a veterinary behaviorist. That is a veterinarian that has gone through an additional 4 years of behavioral training as well as done internships in behavior etc.

The thing to watch out for is that anyone can call themselves a cat behaviorist, but you need a veterinary behaviorist that can prescribe medications. This would be out of a regular veterinarian ability.

Gabapentin is useful for many things, but it is not a behavioral drug. It was originally marketed for humans as an anti seizure medicine and then found to be a helpful in addressing some neuropathic pain in humans and animals. It was also found to be helpful for many cats prior to a veterinary visit for anxiety. But, it is not a behavioral drug and there are more beneficial medications that can be used for what you are going through with your cats.

If you are unable to get an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist, then I can offer some more advice.

The new cat is now 7 months and we have had him since oct 20th. We did the slow introduction and the resident cat didn’t even see him for at least two weeks after he came. The fight occurred Nov 7th, went back to the beginning no sight. started Scent swapping on the 16th saw each other through crack of door on the 21st For the past week we have been putting them in a bathroom to re-introduce but the resident cat continues to try to bite his neck and backend. Should we go back to the very beginning again and if so can we let the new cat out of his room for exercise and put the resident cat in a bedroom

 

[Hellenww]

If I'm reading the timeline correctly, resident cat is 8-9mt and new kit is 7mt. Because of their age I wonder if a lot of the problem is not aggression but lack of socialization from your resident cat. Being abandoned so young, he had wonderful care from you but no idea how to interact with other cats. I'm sorry I haven't dealt with this and can't remember what guides to search for. I want to say "bottle baby syndrome".

The only thing that hit me was your putting them together in a bathroom. That's usually a small room with no escape/hiding places for the less interested kitten. When new kit is out for exercise can you put resident in new kits space so everywhere smells like everyone. When I brought home my current cats, I did the vanilla extract trick. Place a drop of Pure vanila extract at he back of the neck and at the base of the tail (the furry side not business side). It's suppose to help them see each other as friends.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I would go back to no site/ no scent. Do this two weeks. Then what you want is that anytime they are aware of the other cat, good things happen. So, walk by the room where the kitten is and no hiss, get a treat. When you start to let them know they are there, start by feeding each one on opposite sides of the door. You want whatever level of introduction you are at to be going great for 2 weeks before moving to the next step.

Is there a room where there is a screen on a door or a glass sliding door? If so feed and treats on each side of the door.

Another important thing is play time for both cats. Individual and in time together. Cats that age usually have a great play drive, so it works well in your favor.

You are trying to get both cats to associate the site and smell of the other cat as a good thing where good things happen. This takes time and one set back can set you back to the beginning.

 

[Myurasits]

Thank you for the advice. From day one there has never been hissing or growling. The resident cat does fine when we swap spaces. Smells everything with no hissing or anything. We play a lot in the new kittens room and he plays normal. We have fed them on opposite sides of the door and that also goes well no nonsense and very content.

 

[Myurasits]

If I'm reading the timeline correctly, resident cat is 8-9mt and new kit is 7mt. Because of their age I wonder if a lot of the problem is not aggression but lack of socialization from your resident cat. Being abandoned so young, he had wonderful care from you but no idea how to interact with other cats. I'm sorry I haven't dealt with this and can't remember what guides to search for. I want to say "bottle baby syndrome".

The only thing that hit me was your putting them together in a bathroom. That's usually a small room with no escape/hiding places for the less interested kitten. When new kit is out for exercise can you put resident in new kits space so everywhere smells like everyone. When I brought home my current cats, I did the vanilla extract trick. Place a drop of Pure vanila extract at he back of the neck and at the base of the tail (the furry side not business side). It's suppose to help them see each other as friends.

Thank you so much for the advice. Worth a shot. We have never had hissing or growling from the start. The resident cat does well in new cats room when we swap. Feeding on opposite door sides works well too. No aggression. They just eat. We are going to continue to swap rooms. Play a lot for two weeks and then try to introduce again in a neutral room. Probably a bedroom. We will certainly try vanilla. Anything is worth a shot at this point. It has only been a month of being in the same house so maybe it will just take time we hope. We are stressed to the max