Had an accident...help

[lokilove]

So I was playing with da bird tonight with my cats and stopped for a couple mins to clean the litter boxes. I put it up high on some boxes cause I didn't think they could get up there. I turned around and both cats were trying to get up so I quickly put the scoop away and when I looked back Isis was on top of the boxes (like 7ft) up with da bird in her mouth...I could see what was going to happen and couldn't stop it!!!!!!

I tried to talk her down but she jumped anyway and the box she was on began to topple. I'm sure I yelled trying to get them away but Loki didn't move in time. I thought he was going to be smoked directly but he managed to mostly get out of the way. He did get hit though in the hind quarters on his left leg mostly. Both of them freaked out and I did too. I was sooooooo worried about him :'(

He ran and hid and Isis started attacking him. Course I didn't stay calm and I tried to get her away...which just made it worse. She's so mean to him...and it's completely unprovoked.

I managed to get Loki into the bedroom to look him over. He was really scared and went under the bed. Then Isis came and attacked him under the bed. I got her away with treats and put her in the other room.

Why is she like that!!!???

Loki's ear is bleeding and I'm worried about his back leg. I don't know what to do about these cats. This isn't fun anymore. I'm getting close to giving Isis up. She is not a nice cat.

I need help

 

[rosiemac]

Keep them seperated and leave Loki under the bed until he's ready to come out on his own, then see how his leg is later on.

What's the background on Loki and Isis, and how old are they?.

 Don't give up on Isis because you wouldn't put a child up for adoption if one of them didn't get on with it's sibling.

My Jack got spooked with Rosie a few months ago and l couldnt leave them in the room on their own for a couple of weeks. I went back to basics by introducing them like l did when they were kittens and everything worked out fine

 

[rarepuss]

Aggression happens, even between the best of cat friends. I have two siblings who have been together from birth and love each other.  Yet after vet visits, my boy goes crazy and hisses/growls at his sister because he smells the vet. That could go on for a whole day, but I just give them time to calm down, transfer scents and all is good. 

Please give us more background on your kitties.

 

[lokilove]

Background:

Isis is 3 years old and belongs to my bf. He has had her since she was a kitten (gift) and she was raised with 3 male cats. She lived alone for a year with him.

I adopted Loki (2 year old male) in May of this year and he lived with Isis at my bf's place. Took quite a long time to introduce them.

Recently I moved and brought Loki with me, now Isis is living with me too. They were separated for 1 month. Twoish weeks ago I re-introduced them...and it was bumpy, but didn't take as long as the first time.

I assume they're still working things out...but some of these behaviours were present even when they had been living together for months and months.

I really can't seem to pinpoint what sets her off. I know last night she was scared and I was upset with her which i KNOW sets her off. I feel bad but a box of books fell on my cat and I was really worried.

Other aggression issues...sometimes around food. Not everytime she'll attack Loki - claws, teeth, growling and hissing.

Da bird - she gets this thing and hisses and growls and will not give it up

Suprisingly they play well together with that toy and it seems to help them build a relationship

Playing...this is where I really don't know if I'm overreacting or not. They will chase each other around but sometimes Isis goes too far and Loki yowls and I usually find tufts of his fur around. I don't think it helps that Isis has talons right now (I can't cut her nails alone) I'm afraid he'll lose an eye.

She redirects her anger at him. If we cut her nails she will seek him out and give him a few good hits...I talked about this with the vet and I guess it happens.

Also she is violent with me. Sometimes when I pet her she will flip out and bite me. This is when I avoid her sensitive areas. I'm not sure if she's being playful or mean though. Either way it hurts.

I would also not trust this cat around children.

 

[rad65]

I hope when you say "give her up" you mean give her back to your boyfriend, unless there is some problem doing that.

Cats attack when they are scared, which I think was the main thing that set her off after the box fell. Also, seeing a cat you're already not really friendly with act strangely (as I'm sure Loki was doing) will cause a cat to attack. The same thing happened when my roommate's gf's cat was staying at my apartment. He got scared, and my cats that were tolerating him beforehand started attacking him whenever they saw him.

 

[lokilove]

I won't give her up...neither can I give her back since the bf will be living with me. I was really upset about it all and she's really been testing my patience. Something gets broken daily with her. They seem to be doing better today. I've never had to deal with a cat that just freaks at everything. It's all quite testing for me. My new plan is to play with her and tire her out more. She has a lot of pent-up energy. Thanks for letting me know that cats do freak out that way...I'll keep working with her. I wish I felt some sort of connection with her.

 

[annie_belle]

Isn't it amazing how stressful having pets can be?  It's like a 24 hour nursery school at times!  And everyone is in their terrible 2's!

Anyway...I'm so sorry that you and your kitties had that fright with the boxes.  It stinks when "fun time" turns bad.

Two items I have found might be in your "bag of tricks" already, but if not, they are worth a mention.

Feliway plug in diffusers are amazing for reducing stress and helping to promote a calm enviornment.  In case you are not familiar with Feliway, it is a synthetic product that mimics the same pheromone emitted by the cat when they rub against things...door jambs, your leg, furniture, fence posts...it's like a message that says "all is ok here"..helping kitty to relax.  I've also used other brands of calming sprays, that I would spray into the rooms and on the bedding, or on the scratching pads, etc.

A great toy all my cats have enjoyed is the Turbo Scratcher.  A great cat toy and scratching pad in one.  If your cats take to it, you might need to buy two!  The swatting action seems to be a real "release" for energy and tension...plus it can encourage some really fun behavior in cats!

As regards not being able to clip your cats nails by yourself...with Britches, who was 8 or 9 when we took her in as a stray, I was never able to trip her nails without causing her stress...so, I just decided to pay the $10 every couple of months and have the vet trim her nails.  No stress, trimmed nails...and she's not mad at me!  Also a great time to have the vets put her Revolution drops on her back...at least I know she will get a good application every once in a while.

When possible, try to take turns showing affection and attention to one cat while the other is in the room.  This will hopefully send the message that nice things can happen even in the presence of the other kitty.

For the co-mingling of scents, if they have cat beds of their own, try putting towles in the beds, then after the cats have slept on them a bit, change places...that way each cat will have the others scent "on them" as well as in a place they have their own scents.

Just a few random thoughts here!

Let us know how things turn out...until next time...Annie

 

[feralvr]

Very typical behavior for some kitties, unfortunately . I would try to play with Isis alone with Loki not around at all. Try to give her some one on one attention and burn off some energy. I don't think this will change her behavior totally, but it will help. I had a female cat like Isis many years ago. Whenever anything got her upset, she would seek out one of the other cat's to "give it to them"...... She did give this up the older she got. It was just something I had to be aware of and try to divert her attention when thing's went arye in the household. There is a very good book called "Cat Wrangling Made Easy" . I have this book among other's that have been very helpful to me over the years