Has anyone had any luck with meds to prevent agression between 2 neutered males?

TooManyFelines

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I posted a while back re. many problems due to taking in a relative's 4 cats when we already have 4 of our own. Things have not been going well. Several of the newcomers are ganging up on our 13 year old, but the main problem is between him and the 6 year old male who is one of the 4 we took in. Our 13 year old has had to be treated for 2 bite wounds plus abscesses already and he is going back to the vet for a 3rd today.

We were going to try to keep the 6 year old because there is no rescue to return him to as he was a street rescue. Plus, he is a wonderful, loving cat and gets along with everyone, except our 13 year old. We've had custody of the 4 for about 5 months now and we can't keep paying vet bills for unnecessary injuries so if we can't get the 2 to get along we are going to have to give him up as well, which will break my heart. So my question is, have any of you had any luck with putting 2 hostile kitties on calming meds like valium or something similar and getting them to get along that way? We've tried various OTC stuff like Feliway multi cat and rescue remedy, etc., and nothing has worked so actual meds are my last hope.

The 6 year old is a huge cat and has the physical advantage over the 10 pound, 13 year old. The 13 year old is a scrappy, feisty, former stray whom we took in when he was about a year old and who has a very cantankerous personality and won't back down. The 6 year old is not vicious but wants to play and teases the others, and also gets upset/reactive when 13 year old growls at him and challenges him, which then results in the 6 year old pouncing and swatting at 13 year old, including bites on the scruff of the neck. This can't go on, but I am so hoping for a solution that will allow us to keep the 6 year old.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi! I've seen where feliway can make things worse, and times where rescue remedy has no effect as you've experienced.

I've read that vet prescribed meds can help, and depending on if it's legal where you are, that sometimes CBD can help.

Can you keep the 13 year old resident cat separated while this gets worked out? Granting that the six year old is a problem but the other cats ganging up on the resident cat is really not good either.

You need to consider providing your 13 year old with his own private space so that he can have peace and quiet for his time, because this much stress, including from the others ganging up in him, is hard on a cat.
 
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TooManyFelines

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Yes, he is pretty much confined to our bedroom now. The only other cat in there is our 18 year old who sleeps most of the day and they get along fine. I am sure it's a huge amount of stress on him which he doesn't need at his age.He usually has free range of the house and now he can't leave the bedroom without being ganged up on. It really impacts his quality of life
 
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TooManyFelines

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It's not ideal but it has to work for now. Poor guy had to have stitches to close the abscess area, the vet thinks it was itchy and he tore it open when scratching. They gave him anesthesia and anesthesia reversal so he is just a bit woozy still.
 

furmonster mom

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Poor ol' man just wants some peace! Give him a kitty cane that he can shake at the pipsqueak... :bat:
Well, sequestering is probably the best you can do for now.
Maybe you can switch them out at certain times of the day? I mean, really... if the 6 yr old can't find enough playmates with 5 other cats, maybe he does need some lengthy time outs.
Meds might help for a while, but then for how long?
Eight cats is a lot to manage. Kudos to you for taking them on.
 
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TooManyFelines

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Actually, the 6 year old tries to play with all the other cats and gets on the other's nerves as well but there are no physical altercations with any of the girls. He and old guy are the only males, it's 6 girls and 2 boys. We cannot keep all 4 permanently, we have daily battles with inappropriate elimination, and everyone is on edge. And the 3 newcomer girls pick on the old guy too. Plus doubling our cat care expenses is not going to work for the long haul. But I was hoping we'd be able to keep the 6 year old, as I mentioned already I am very fond of him, he is a lovely goofball. And he was a street rescue so no rescue org to potentially return him to. And our almost 19 year old is declining so we'd be back down to 4 soon. But we have to do what is best for our old guy. He is so miserable, he has to wear a cone to protect the stitches and he hates it. The vet says a neck cone won't work because the injury is partly on his jaw so the full size cone is the only thing that'll protect it.
 

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Would you be able to take the 6 year old for walks to try and wear down some of that energy?

I apologise if this has already been mentioned but would music help the furry crew?
 

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We had a similar issue with two spayed females always attacking a weaker spayed female. We basically divided the two floors in our house with the top floor for the attackee and the downstairs for the attackers. This has really worked out well for us and them. We also found another female stray which none of the cats would take to. She was spayed and declawed already when we found her. She tends to be hyper vigilant and is a biter. We created a catio and a tunnel into the house through a closet and into the upstairs where my son has his own space. I will try to post some pics. Just some ideas that may work for you. Putting a screen door on your bedroom may help your cat feel more connected?
 
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TooManyFelines

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Furball's mom, he gets plenty of exercise. He climbs and runs all over the place and he likes to play chase with me, plus chase toys. They don't seem to respond to music much, the old guy complains when it's too loud.

Dragonlady, that's quite an ingenious setup. We have a small rancher, so confining the old guy to the bedroom is the only thing that'll work for now. We do have an enclosed porch (chicken wire enclosed) and they like to hang out there on nice days, but it gets too cold at night and some days for them to be out there.

I am pondering obtaining another soft cat cone and putting it on the 6 year old, I wonder if that would work to get them to get more used to each other without being able to engage in any physical altercations.

In other news, he wrote to us that one of the cats came from a rescue, the other 2 were direct adoptions and, as I mentioned, the 6 year old was a street rescue. This complicates things a lot. I contacted the rescue he named and they need a microchip number, so we took her to be scanned. She does NOT have a chip and the rescue lady wrote they always chip their cats. So it must have been another rescue, or he lied and did not adopt her from a rescue. :ohwell:

On the bright side, one of the ladies who works at the Animal Welfare is going to try to find a breed specific rescue for this girl. A couple years ago, she already helped us place two Ragdoll mix kittens who showed up on our property and whom we trapped. We took them in to be spayed/neutered and she kept them and was able to place them with a breed rescue immediately.
 

Furballsmom

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he gets plenty of exercise.
and being a street cat, I realize that he might like walks too much and/or could come back inside feeling even more "energized" and peppy, but it would provide him with mental exercise as well...

I like your cone idea, that's a good possibility in that it could help to diminish actual damage, but I don't think it'll have any other effect.

In case you haven't had a chance to try these;
RelaxMyCat, MusicForCats . com, and low volume classical harp music are possibilities :)
 
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TooManyFelines

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Oh, I should have clarified re. street rescue, he was a tiny kitten, about 6 weeks old, sitting in the middle of a busy road. He has no interest in going outside and has been an indoor cat for all his life since his rescue.
I am good with harp music, might have to try that.
 
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