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I never re-home. Cats are family. I would keep trying.What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there
I never re-home. Cats are family. I would keep trying.What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there
These would be my suggestions. You've tried 2 and 3 and that got them to want to be around eachother so there has been some progress at least. I really think Finn just has too much energy and not enough outlets for it, when he was outside I'm sure he was able to run, play, and hunt as much as he wanted to but being inside.....how much opportunity does he really have to play with anything interactive? He has Charlie to play with, but that isn't going so well.1. Individual play time. Finn is still quite young. He really needs to get the energy out. I would try to have a long play session with just him before allowing him time with Charlie. This will help for him to get out some of his energy. Try the Hunt catch kill eat groom sleep method. Use a wand toy or other toy that really gets Finn moving. Play until he is tired. This will facilitate hunt catch and kill. The next step is important: eat. Offer him a very special snack or small meal. Then the groom and sleep are what cats often do after a kill and eat. They groom themselves and then take a nap. After this session, you might try allowing Finn some time with Charlie. Be sure to have alone play time with Charlie too. Play builds confidence.
4. I used the 3 strikes and you are out rule. If Marvin attacked or went after Jake aggressively, Marvin went to his room for a time out. It usually started at 10 minutes. If he did it again, he stayed for 30-60 minutes. After the 3rd strike, he was in his room for the rest of the day. This worked very well for Marvin as he no longer wanted to be in his room.
I know. I don't know if I would, except for Charlie not being able to handle it.What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there yet,
The video is intense, for sure. But at the beginning, isn't that Charlie who makes the first couple moves?I watched that video - geez, he's VERY intense.
The problem is if one of them decides to play with Charlie and he runs away, suddenly there are 2 young energetic Cats chasing him around playing too rough. If Charlie could get to a point where he'd stand his ground and wallop Finn when he gets too rough that could be a good option but with the way he is now I really think introducing another Cat would do more harm than good.I know. I don't know if I would, except for Charlie not being able to handle it.
I've been thinking about you and your boys all day. You've gotten some great feedback already.
Would I be nuts suggesting a third cat? Even just a foster situation? ...to distract Finn, is what I'm thinking. I watched that video - geez, he's VERY intense.
...that's true, good point.The problem is if one of them decides to play with Charlie and he runs away, suddenly there are 2 young energetic Cats chasing him around playing too rough.
wow that is an awesome idea if the neighbor can!You've mentioned many times that your neighbor really likes Finn, so maybe he could go on "vacation" there for a while to give Charlie time to relax?
I think that is a huge part of it. I'm not sure how to turn that ship around. Somewhere along the line, Charlie got tired of confrontation and has started just hiding instead. And Finn is now treating him like prey.ince you haven't mentioned frequently seeing blood I don't believe there's any hate or actual aggression, Finn just plays too rough for Charlie. I have a pair of younger Cats and they stalk, pounce, and wrestle eachother constantly through the day, but they are both younger Cats so they can handle the activity. Charlie is older, overweight, and just can't keep up. If he tries to run when it gets to be too much for him that could trigger Finn's "hunt" instinct, so it's possible he's starting to see Charlie as prey more than pal.
You've mentioned many times that your neighbor really likes Finn, so maybe he could go on "vacation" there for a while to give Charlie time to relax?
You're right! Charlie was the instigator this morning. I think he was still fed up from last night. These two do seem to 'keep score' with each other. Finn stalked/pounced Charlie after he used the litter box this morning, and this happened after that, too. I used to tell myself when I would feel sorry for one of them, "Don't be fooled. There is no innocent party here - they're both culprits!" Charlie used to be real grouchy in the morning and I would keep them separated til late morning because he would act this way. I haven't seen him do it in a long while; perhaps he was feeling brave because I was there and he heard me yell at Finn last night after Finn attacked him? Not sure. But as a rule, these days Charlie is running away And Finn is chasing. Finn has claws and Charlie does not, and Finn uses his teeth whereas Charlie is missing some of his.The video is intense, for sure. But at the beginning, isn't that Charlie who makes the first couple moves?
I think the only way to fix that is keep them separated and build Charlie's confidence back up to the point where he won't just turn and run from Finn and will smack him around when he gets out of line. If you can get them to that point, and you can handle it, THEN another Cat might be an option so Finn has something to keep him occupied when you aren't around to play with him.I think that is a huge part of it. I'm not sure how to turn that ship around. Somewhere along the line, Charlie got tired of confrontation and has started just hiding instead. And Finn is now treating him like prey.
I've never seen blood, just lots of fur with skin still attached!
Good for you in the way you handled things after the fact! I agree with mentat, cats are resilientboth cats are in their chairs in the living room relaxing like nothing happened.