Bullying

[addiebee]

Anyone have any advice about a cat that bullies?  Jake is a sweet boy, very loving with us. But there are two other cats in the house (out of 8 total) that he picks on almost relentlessly.  Rex and Casper are definitely at the bottom of the totem pole in the cat society here. Cas has gotten better about standing his ground, but Rex squeaks and runs! And of course, Jake will chase him. Both of them are intimidated by Jake.

No amount of positive or even negative reinforcement ( such as time outs in the bathroom) has stopped Jake's actions.

I am most concerned about Rex b/c he is such a sweet, gentle little fellow and I don't want him to be afraid in his own home.

Jake is also kind of a brat. He absolutely gets jealous and will insert himself when another cat's being petted, for instance. I have others like that, but Jake reacts intensely... and will sometimes redirect if he doesn't get his way.

Thanks!!

 

[yayi]

How old are the 3? How long has it been going on? 

In my case, time outs did work. I also would stop the aggressor in the middle of the chase (usually by throwing a toy or a slipper at the nearest furniture). This would distract him but he would look at me, then I would hiss at him. I would do this every time and I think he got the picture. 

Also, since you said that Casper is beginning to stand up to Jake, Rex could do it too. 

 

[addiebee]

How old are the 3? How long has it been going on? 

In my case, time outs did work. I also would stop the aggressor in the middle of the chase (usually by throwing a toy or a slipper at the nearest furniture). This would distract him but he would look at me, then I would hiss at him. I would do this every time and I think he got the picture. 

Also, since you said that Casper is beginning to stand up to Jake, Rex could do it too. 

Hi, Yayi! They are all around the same age and came in to my home around the same time. So far, time outs haven't worked. Squirt bottles haven't worked. Hissing hasn't worked. Rex is a very, very timid cat. And like I said, Jake is a brat and willful, too. I guess I will just have to keep at it and maybe he will get the message.

 

[vball91]

I have heard of Thundershirts and Bach's Rescue Remedy helping bully cats.

 

[physicsgal981]

I had to put my brat cat who had similar behavior (he was also aggressive towards me) on Prozac. It made a huge difference and after several months we were able to wean him off it.

 

[harleydiva]

There was actually a good Jackson Galaxy on TV last night.  They brought a new kitten into the house, and the resident cat was brutally beating the crap out of her.....they were both females by the way.  The basic premise was that the resident cat had been the "queen" of the house, and was feeling displaced by the new arrival.  Jackson had them do some things that made the first cat feel that she was still the top cat...and solved the issues.  

 

[carolina]

There was actually a good Jackson Galaxy on TV last night.  They brought a new kitten into the house, and the resident cat was brutally beating the crap out of her.....they were both females by the way.  The basic premise was that the resident cat had been the "queen" of the house, and was feeling displaced by the new arrival.  Jackson had them do some things that made the first cat feel that she was still the top cat...and solved the issues.  

And those "some things" are...... ????

 

[harleydiva]

And those "some things" are...... ????

The big thing was to feed them on both sides of a door.  The door was open far enough for them to see each other, but had door stops inserted to keep it from being opened further.  They made sure the original cat got fed first......and that both cats saw that.  When she had started eating, then the second was fed.  The other big thing was space swapping....they had been shutting the original cat out of their bedroom, and letting the new cat stay in there, which resulted in the original cat feeling displaced.  He had them switch it up every other night.  The last thing he did, was have them play with both separately, and then gradually together.

 

[addiebee]

Hi, guys. Here is more information about the cats.

They were all rescued about the same time. Jake came in with his brother, Prowler, along with Archie and Ghost. Tho' Ghost was sequestered for well over two months for acclimation and rehabbing. Then Tex came, followed by Rex... and Casper a couple of months later. They were integrated slowly as they came into the household.  Casper was kept separate for a long time b/c he was SO scared of the others and reacted aggressively.  And he needed some emotional rehabbing.

Rex and Casper are the ones being dominated the most. 

So I guess what I am saying is Jake had only been here maybe 2-3 weeks before Rex came in.

So I don't think it's an invasion of his territory issue.

I think he does it b/c this is his personality, and when Rex acts scared and runs... Jake takes advantage of it. He is just a bossy/ dominant cat. Now he doesn't do this to Archie. He and Archie play, and he plays with and absolutely loves Tex, tho he will jump on him seemingly for no reason and bite... Tex screams and Jake gets squirted or a time out in the bathroom. Jake also plays with his brother and with Ghost, but sometimes gets rough with them, too. Archie also likes to wrestle roughly... and while he can be bossy, he is not a bully. Just willful.

I am watchful b/c Jake did test positive for FIV and I don't want him infecting any of the other cats through a bite wound.

 

[hthegeisha]

Is it possible to set a time aside to bring them both into a room with you for a while where you can play with them together? My thinking is that their own predispositions are creating a vicious cycle that needs to be expanded to include other 'dynamics' with yourself as the diplomat; not pinned down to the aggressor and the passive anymore. If you have a chase toy that they can play with together, thereby being placed on the same side in the dynamic, they can learn to tolerate each other in engagement with something else and not focus on what the other is taking away from them. The nearest possible goal in this is tolerance in Jake's case, of course, and overcoming fear in Rex's case. 

I had an aggressive male named Crusoe and I can say I feel your pain. He would get so hostile with his brother Diesel that I really feared he would kill him if I were not around. They were polar opposites! But as soon as we were doing something together where neither one of them had to wonder where their place was, there was no more hostility between them. (I actually had to start by putting Diesel in my lap as the safe place, so he could join in as he felt safe to do so.) Just a thought...  

 

[addiebee]

Is it possible to set a time aside to bring them both into a room with you for a while where you can play with them together? My thinking is that their own predispositions are creating a vicious cycle that needs to be expanded to include other 'dynamics' with yourself as the diplomat; not pinned down to the aggressor and the passive anymore. If you have a chase toy that they can play with together, thereby being placed on the same side in the dynamic, they can learn to tolerate each other in engagement with something else and not focus on what the other is taking away from them. The nearest possible goal in this is tolerance in Jake's case, of course, and overcoming fear in Rex's case. 

I had an aggressive male named Crusoe and I can say I feel your pain. He would get so hostile with his brother Diesel that I really feared he would kill him if I were not around. They were polar opposites! But as soon as we were doing something together where neither one of them had to wonder where their place was, there was no more hostility between them. (I actually had to start by putting Diesel in my lap as the safe place, so he could join in as he felt safe to do so.) Just a thought...  

That sounds like a good idea!