Can 1 cat fix another cat's aggression?

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

I have a theory I'm curious to hear your feedback on: My cat Boaz is a little bully to our other 3 cats- Asher, Posie, and Javier. I think these are his reasons with each cat: Asher is just as much of a bully as he is; both Asher and Boaz are full of themselves and look for any opportunity possible to fight with each other, even if it means swatting, growling, hissing or howling at each other through a fence or a window. They're anything BUT conflict averse and find it reinforcing to fight with each other.

Boaz finds it reinforcing to be a bully to Javier and Posie for a different reason; Javier and Posie are very passive cats preferring to avoid a fight, and Posie is a scaredy cat. Posie makes a lot of angry noises at Boaz when he starts to walk close to her while she's sitting or laying down, but she doesn't back up her warnings with a physical reprimand, so he's learned that he can ignore her warnings, pounce on her and get into a fight with her, because even when he and she are fighting, she's not really fighting- she's just desperately running away and making a lot of noise.

My theory is that Boaz needs in his life a cat- possibly a female- that is bigger than him (he's only 8 pounds) and that has a balanced temperament: one that's not super fearful nor is she eager for a fight; she's one who won't go looking for trouble but she isn't afraid to really wallop him if he's not respecting her.

The best-case scenario I'm seeing is that if I ever got a cat with that kind of a personality (not super likely since I also want dogs), Boaz would get tamped down enough to understand that there's nothing fun about relentlessly trying to assert his dominance with other cats. What about worse-case scenarios? What do you think could go wrong with this kind of arrangement?

 

[tiggerwillow]

Some cats are happier without other cats around them.

My Willow, when my Tigger is no longer around, she'll want to be on her own, she can get really nasty towards other cats (apart from her Tigger)

Worst case scenario is all hell could break loose and you could end up with world war 3 feline style breaking out, with everyone attacking each other.

 

[Alldara]

I think if you already have contention in your home, it's best not to add another cat to that. When you have that kind of stress, the cats are constantly at risk of stress issues. Adding another cat increases the stress as there's less space, fewer resources.

Cats don't work things out on their own. Nobel used to put other cats in their place but he developed FLUTD.

Cats don't fight out of confidence. A confident, secure cat doesn't need to fight or do big vocalizations at passing cats. Asher and Boaz are not confident.

I'm sorry but it wouldn't be responsible to add any new pets to your home with the amount of stress currently on your pets.

 

[tiggerwillow]

I think if you already have contention in your home, it's best not to add another cat to that. When you have that kind of stress, the cats are constantly at risk of stress issues. Adding another cat increases the stress as there's less space, fewer resources.

Cats don't work things out on their own. Nobel used to put other cats in their place but he developed FLUTD.

Cats don't fight out of confidence. A confident, secure cat doesn't need to fight or do big vocalizations at passing cats. Asher and Boaz are not confident.

I'm sorry but it wouldn't be responsible to add any new pets to your home with the amount of stress currently on your pets.

might be slightly off topic but I think lack of confidence is some of Willow's problem, particularly with younger children, that's why she will rush at the gate cause she's trying to scare younger children away from her territory

Not sure if rushing at other cats to attack them and chase them off is territorial, lack of confidence, or a mixture of both

But yeah I wouldn't try to introduce other cats into a household that's not a relaxed one

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If you were so lucky to have come up with a workable theory, the failing would be in how to select a cat that would do your bidding? So, right off the bat, forget trying to implement this theory and move on to another more practical, possible solution.

How long have these cats been together, how old are they, and when did these interactions begin? Who of these cats do get along?

Cats don't generally look for fights. They are mostly reacting to their environment. So, the environment Boaz is in is likely his trigger. Likely also true for Asher - and the other cats as well for that matter. Assuming all these cats are spayed/neutered and healthy based on vet exams, it is up to you to train Boaz on how to behave rather than hoping you could accidentally come across another cat that would do the same. In essence, you are the mama cat.

You can try the time-out approach, which means EACH AND EVERY TIME Boaz goes after another cat, you pick him up, hiss (or say 'No') in his face and put him in another room with the door closed for no more than 1-2 minutes. Depending on how long his behavior has been allowed to go on, it could take weeks, maybe months, for it to sink in that he needs to stop attacking the others so he won't have to go into time-outs. This approach will also show the other cats that you have their backs, so they will feel more secure in their own home. And, if Asher instigates fights with Boaz, rather than just reacting to Boaz, he will need the same kind of training approach too.

There may be other potential solutions depending on your answer to the questions above.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And, I have to add, if you only had two cats, that MIGHT work. However, in every group, there is a "one cat over the line" point, at which it can ALL fall apart. You'd be risking destroying the balance, which is already precarious. Think very seriously about both the possible pros and cons in this one. I, myself, wouldn't do it with four cats already in residence, and one being a troublemaker.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Thank you all for your responses! Much appreciated. Yeah, I won't add another cat. There are changes to the environment that our cats have to learn to accept, though. Like Alldara mentioned about her cat trying to attack young children, does that mean she would be irresponsible to have children of her own (assuminig she's around that age) during her cat's lifetime? That would be unfair for her to have to wait until she no longer had her cat! I love and respect our cats, but I'm not going to let them rule my life and decide who I can or can't have in my house. I agree, because of the way cats are socially, it would be too much to add another cat, but I'm wanting to, eventually, add to my personal family dogs and children, and that's going to be whether my cat likes it or not.

The approach I take with my cat is "Go with the flow or get left behind." Whatever changes I can get him to accept, we roll with it; whatever change I wish to make that he is unwilling to comply with, he gets left behind. (For example: He refuses to stop counter surfing, sink diving and dumpster diving no matter how many times I scold him or spray him with water from the squirt bottle. So, he doesn't get as much freedom as the others and he has to stay shut in my room when I'm not around to supervise him.)

It sounds harsh, but I try not to be harsh. Because I anticipate significant changes to my cat's environment in the future- moving to a new house, and living with dogs and children- I take steps to prepare him now by gradually adding changes of steadily increasing significance. That's how I got him to be accepting of riding quietly in his kennel in the car. I give him treats, petting and praise, and I start out slow, but I do push him to step out of his comfort zone. These things along with a calm, confident attitude have, I believe, helped him to be the most adaptable out of all our cats.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe you are talking about another cat besides Boaz, but from all that you said in your original post, it doesn't sound like he is very adaptable at all.

I am sure there are other aspects, but maybe this article (see link below) will help you to better understand why your efforts to get the cat to stay off counters/etc. didn't work. Yelling at a cat or spraying them with water are rarely ever successful training techniques. Some of his behavior might actually be the result of some of the 'training' tactics you have used.
5 Reasons To Never Spray Water On Your Cat [Or otherwise punish them] - TheCatSite

 

[silent meowlook]

Thank you all for your responses! Much appreciated. Yeah, I won't add another cat. There are changes to the environment that our cats have to learn to accept, though. Like Alldara mentioned about her cat trying to attack young children, does that mean she would be irresponsible to have children of her own (assuminig she's around that age) during her cat's lifetime? That would be unfair for her to have to wait until she no longer had her cat! I love and respect our cats, but I'm not going to let them rule my life and decide who I can or can't have in my house. I agree, because of the way cats are socially, it would be too much to add another cat, but I'm wanting to, eventually, add to my personal family dogs and children, and that's going to be whether my cat likes it or not.

The approach I take with my cat is "Go with the flow or get left behind." Whatever changes I can get him to accept, we roll with it; whatever change I wish to make that he is unwilling to comply with, he gets left behind. (For example: He refuses to stop counter surfing, sink diving and dumpster diving no matter how many times I scold him or spray him with water from the squirt bottle. So, he doesn't get as much freedom as the others and he has to stay shut in my room when I'm not around to supervise him.)

It sounds harsh, but I try not to be harsh. Because I anticipate significant changes to my cat's environment in the future- moving to a new house, and living with dogs and children- I take steps to prepare him now by gradually adding changes of steadily increasing significance. That's how I got him to be accepting of riding quietly in his kennel in the car. I give him treats, petting and praise, and I start out slow, but I do push him to step out of his comfort zone. These things along with a calm, confident attitude have, I believe, helped him to be the most adaptable out of all our cats.

Hi. You are expecting your cats to think like humans and they cannot. They don’t think like “ Oh, if I do this, that will happen.” They are not capable of that type of thought process.

Cats aren’t people or dogs and have their own way behavior that is unique.

To think like a cat you have to o first realize they don’t have language in which to form thought processes. They don’t think about anything really. They are instinct and learned reactions. They are predators as well as mostly, prey. Therefore, there is already allot of fear in them to begin with.

Negative enforcement doesn’t work with cats. Positive enforcement can, but it takes allot of patience.

Try to understand that their behavior is very different than ours.


This is written for veterinarians, but I think it will help.

https://catvets.com/public/PDFs/PracticeGuidelines/FelineBehaviorGLS.pdf

 

[tiggerwillow]

Thank you all for your responses! Much appreciated. Yeah, I won't add another cat. There are changes to the environment that our cats have to learn to accept, though. Like Alldara mentioned about her cat trying to attack young children, does that mean she would be irresponsible to have children of her own (assuminig she's around that age) during her cat's lifetime? That would be unfair for her to have to wait until she no longer had her cat! I love and respect our cats, but I'm not going to let them rule my life and decide who I can or can't have in my house. I agree, because of the way cats are socially, it would be too much to add another cat, but I'm wanting to, eventually, add to my personal family dogs and children, and that's going to be whether my cat likes it or not.

The approach I take with my cat is "Go with the flow or get left behind." Whatever changes I can get him to accept, we roll with it; whatever change I wish to make that he is unwilling to comply with, he gets left behind. (For example: He refuses to stop counter surfing, sink diving and dumpster diving no matter how many times I scold him or spray him with water from the squirt bottle. So, he doesn't get as much freedom as the others and he has to stay shut in my room when I'm not around to supervise him.)

It sounds harsh, but I try not to be harsh. Because I anticipate significant changes to my cat's environment in the future- moving to a new house, and living with dogs and children- I take steps to prepare him now by gradually adding changes of steadily increasing significance. That's how I got him to be accepting of riding quietly in his kennel in the car. I give him treats, petting and praise, and I start out slow, but I do push him to step out of his comfort zone. These things along with a calm, confident attitude have, I believe, helped him to be the most adaptable out of all our cats.

Mines the one who attacks young children, so I will never have a child, I wouldn't be being responsible towards both Willow and the child if I did, it would literally be dangerous to a child to have one in the house - Willow will bite and scratch out of pure terror if she can't deal with something - to be fair to her, her first response is run away, it's if she feels she can't get away that she would

I am slowly working with her to get her to the point where she might one day cope with a visiting child, but that will be the best I will get tbh

 

[tiggerwillow]

The rescue my Willow came from, when they rehomed her, they said she will never be safe around children, and personally I have never wanted to have kids anyway, my childhood dream was to be a vet nurse surrounded by cats that I had saved the lives of (well I was 4 at the time of that being my dream career!)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The rescue my Willow came from, when they rehomed her, they said she will never be safe around children, and personally I have never wanted to have kids anyway, my childhood dream was to be a vet nurse surrounded by cats that I had saved the lives of (well I was 4 at the time of that being my dream career!)

Thus proving my working hypothesis that there is a right cat for every person, and a right person for every cat.

 

[tiggerwillow]

Thus proving my working hypothesis that there is a right cat for every person, and a right person for every cat.

Also Willow was here first, before hypothetical kids (just saying)

Last in, first out - would be the kid who got rehomed, over Willow, if I had a hypothetical kid

I always say to anyone visiting, even work men, that Willow can get reactive and moody, so to only fuss on her if she likes them and asks for attention

I'm off topic now

 

[Alldara]

Thank you all for your responses! Much appreciated. Yeah, I won't add another cat. There are changes to the environment that our cats have to learn to accept, though. Like Alldara mentioned about her cat trying to attack young children, does that mean she would be irresponsible to have children of her own (assuminig she's around that age) during her cat's lifetime? That would be unfair for her to have to wait until she no longer had her cat! I love and respect our cats, but I'm not going to let them rule my life and decide who I can or can't have in my house. I agree, because of the way cats are socially, it would be too much to add another cat, but I'm wanting to, eventually, add to my personal family dogs and children, and that's going to be whether my cat likes it or not.

The approach I take with my cat is "Go with the flow or get left behind." Whatever changes I can get him to accept, we roll with it; whatever change I wish to make that he is unwilling to comply with, he gets left behind. (For example: He refuses to stop counter surfing, sink diving and dumpster diving no matter how many times I scold him or spray him with water from the squirt bottle. So, he doesn't get as much freedom as the others and he has to stay shut in my room when I'm not around to supervise him.)

It sounds harsh, but I try not to be harsh. Because I anticipate significant changes to my cat's environment in the future- moving to a new house, and living with dogs and children- I take steps to prepare him now by gradually adding changes of steadily increasing significance. That's how I got him to be accepting of riding quietly in his kennel in the car. I give him treats, petting and praise, and I start out slow, but I do push him to step out of his comfort zone. These things along with a calm, confident attitude have, I believe, helped him to be the most adaptable out of all our cats.

Ive never had a cat attack small children or any children. My cat attacked my other cat with deferred aggression. Arguably this can happen with any cat and why no small children should ever be left unsupervised with any animal.

But yes, it would be irresponsible to not have a plan for my cat if that was the situation. Arguably, id have to either figure out a way to rearrange my home or rehome or a friend who is child-free.

I'm sorry but what you're doing, isn't the way to make your cat adaptable. Confident cats are adaptable. The 'left behind' approach is only lining you up for a more unpredictable cat as they age, with potential stress related medical disorders.

I'd recommend you seek a behaviouralist.