Is my cat a psychopath?

lemna

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I kid....sort of. One of our cats is obsessed with attacking the other two.

We acquired our first two female cats, Tortie and Ginger, about 5 years ago. They are semi-feral but bonded with each other. They will allow us to pet them at times, but will not allow being picked up. They are both pretty skittish still.

I was interested in adopting another cat (silly me), and my sister sort of foisted her roommate's cat onto me. This cat's name is Feta, and she's a 2-year old female. She is the opposite of the other kitties in that she is pretty confident around people and doesn't mind being picked up. She joined us about a year ago.

They started out curious about each other when Feta was confined to the upstairs, but it's only gone downhill since we tried letting them see each other. If not separated from the other two cats, she eagerly finds them so that she can attack them. At first it seemed like she wanted to play but had no kitty manners or sense of restraint.

However, now if she manages to get through the door separating them, there is a fight leading to bloodshed. Feta is obsessed with getting to the other cats and attacking them. Strangely enough, Feta seems to get the worst of it. The last fight ended with Ginger's shed claw stuck in Feta's lip, and a scratch on Feta's face. It doesn't seem like Ginger had any damage at all, though it's difficult to know for sure since Ginger won't allow me to examine her thoroughly.

We have a small room with glass-paneled doors that was our sanctuary room for Tortie and Ginger and still kind of is. Feta's favorite activity is playing, which we try to do as much as possible, and this week I managed to play with Tortie in the room with my husband playing with Feta on the other side. We have to constantly try to distract Feta, because all she wants to do is stare down the other cats.

Room swapping is difficult because we can't move Tortie and Ginger without absolutely traumatizing them. So we try to work with the rooms that Tortie and Ginger go to on their own, which is their sanctuary room and our guest bedroom where they hide under the bed. Feta actually has a large area to herself. I would want to somehow get Tortie and Ginger in Feta's area while Feta is in the glass-paneled sanctuary room, but it takes a verrrryy long time for them to get the courage up to go in their and Feta starts pitching a fit because she's confined to the smaller room.

They have all been to the vet and are current on their shots (getting Tortie to the vet is a story for another day). Feta is on Prozac after we had a vet visit to determine if there was a physical reason for Feta's behavior and they found none. We are also using Feliway multi-cat in the central room of our house.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. So, has anything changed since Feta has been on Prozac? If not, she might just not be the kind of cat that can live with other cats, especially since this has been going on for a year now. My Feeby is an only cat because she refused to have anything to do with any other cat, up to and including attacking a neighbor cat that got into our garage and Feeby went after her. I decided then she was best as an only cat. Since then, if a stray/neighbor cat comes into our yard, she wants to go after it through our screened in patio. So, I have to watch her closely when she is out there. You might want to consider working with neighborhood rescue/foster volunteers, friends, family, etc. to find her a home as a solitary cat.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Although I loathe the idea of rehoming in general, sometimes it becomes the only viable solution. Feta is SO dominant, and the other two SO shy that you may well have one of those situations...and I know how heartbreaking that might be. My girl is another who will NOT tolerate another cat in the house. A neighbor brought over a TINY kitten she had found, not even 4 weeks old yet, for advice, and Hekitty did her best to get to it...and there was blood in her eyes. That's VERY unusual. It does happen, though. And I think you may be there.
 

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Here might be some ideas to possibly help quell the aggression:

- Add more territorial space for the kitties. Have more cat trees, more litter boxes (Since you have three cats, make sure you have four litter boxes) feeding areas, shelves and toys to limit conflict at peek areas such as hiding, climbing and perching spots.

- Don't reward bad behaviour for the naughty kitty, like petting or giving her treats as it will reinforce her behavior. As soon as there is a sign to start getting aggressive, redirect/interrupt the behavior with play or gentle firm moment like an aerosol hiss with the word "No". As soon as she is calm and happy again then reward with a treat or love.

-Back to basics with slowly reintroducing the cats as if they are meeting for the very first time.

- Helps to use controlled setting, like putting them in carriers, a leash or between a see-through barrier. Play with both separated cats and/or feed them yummy food at the same time so they can associated seeing and meeting each other with something positive and fun.

- Also, regularly show that you love both of them equally so they feel reassured and safe. Even if they have different personalities with one social and the others semi-feral, it does help.

- Try getting pheromones to reduce stress or tensions. You can get sprays or diffusers.

- And of course, I assume this was done already anyway, but make sure to spay/neuter kitties. Same-sex cats who aren't fixed are particularly aggressive with one another.

- If they do get into another fight with one another, don't break them apart by hand physically. It tends to lose the trust of your kitties or cause worse fear. Use loud noises (Banging on something, hand clapping etc) or something soft and large that you can throw near the cats that can cause them to pause or scatter from each other.

Establishing the pecking order can sometimes take time, even lasting months.




Best of luck!!!!
 
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lemna

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Thanks for the advice. Yes, they are all spayed. We have 4 litter boxes.

And yes, I did learn the hard way about intervening in a fight. I pulled Feta out from under the bed and she bit my hand, meaning that I had to go to the doctor and be put on antibiotics. She is bitey in general, but it's usually more of a "love bite" thing.

I personally would be okay rehoming Feta. She's a confident kitty and would perhaps enjoy a house with kids. My husband, however, enjoys having a cuddly cat. Our home has enough space for the cats to be separated permanently and I think that's what he would prefer. It's just a pain to have to make sure certain doors are closed and it makes it more difficult to heat and air condition the apartment properly.

I think I'll start closing Feta in the glass-paneled room when we go to work and leaving the rest of the house open for the other cats to explore when we aren't here. And playing with them separately on either side of the door with the curtains open. I'm also starting to clicker train Feta, though it can be hard to find the right incentive for her. She's honestly more interested in play than treats, but it's more slow to reward with a play session as opposed to just giving a treat. I haven't found much guidance on how to clicker train with play because I suppose most cats prefer treats.

Also, here are some photos of the kitties just because!
 

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Hellenww

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At first it seemed like she wanted to play but had no kitty manners or sense of restraint.
Since Feta is coming away with the worst of it, I wonder if this is still a big part of it.

I think I'll start closing Feta in the glass-paneled room when we go to work and leaving the rest of the house open for the other cats to explore when we aren't here. And playing with them separately on either side of the door with the curtains open. I'm also starting to clicker train Feta, though it can be hard to find the right incentive for her. She's honestly more interested in play than treats, but it's more slow to reward with a play session as opposed to just giving a treat. I haven't found much guidance on how to clicker train with play because I suppose most cats prefer treats.
I also wonder if harness training Feta so eventually you can take her with you into other parts of your home while Tortie and Ginger are around. Just to get them used to sharing the same space. What about clicker training her to come for a cuddle? First click and give attention, when she associates the click with cuddles try clicking from a distance and see if she will come to you. If that works try it when she is distracted by play.
 

Mamanyt1953

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OK...I'm heaving a huge sigh of relief here, as you are getting some excellent ideas for actually moving forward without rehoming! Just going to follow along now, and see how you progress!
 
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lemna

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Today I had a new idea - but perhaps it's not the best and may be controversial around here.

Ginger and Tortie have adjusted okay to life in our house, but they are still essentially feral. What if I were to just let them be outdoor cats? I could put a heated cat house in the backyard and still feed and water them as usual. I've often wondered if, being feral, they would be happier outside.

I realize I probably need to give more background to explain why I think this would be a good idea...

Here is how I came to be the custodian of Tortie and Ginger: I was fostering for a local rescue, and someone trapped these cats in another state, and Karen was transporting them to our area (why, I don't know). Karen told the rescue that they were all kittens, so Isabel (the woman who runs the rescue) told Karen to bring them directly to my house (I specialized in kitten fostering). However, Karen delivered to me 2 feral teen mamas with one kitten each. The two teen mothers probably should have been TNR'd, but I don't know the story of who originally trapped them and why.

Isabel got really angry when I told her that I had received two adult feral cats instead of a litter of kittens, and told me to give them back to Karen. I checked with Karen, and she really didn't have a place to put them - she already has multiple cats. So that left me with no option other than to keep them and hope to socialize them or find another home for them. This lead to a falling out with the rescue, and I no longer foster. But I still have these cats who mostly hide under the bed or live in a cat tree.

It would solve the Feta problem because she would have our house to herself. Is it wrong to think that Tortie and Ginger would perhaps be happier living outside? I know their lifespan wouldn't be as long, and that cats are healthier inside. I also know that I love being outside, and I would be miserable if someone locked me indoors.

I suppose another option would be to build an outdoor enclosure for them to live in, but it might have to be a decent size to house the cats permanently. It would be a lot of trouble and money, but I don't think I would mind that. I just want these cats to be happy.
 

FeebysOwner

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Then, go for it and build the outdoor enclosure. You say you can handle it financially, so why not pursue it? If you think that is the long term solution, at least they would have a safe place to be.
 
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lemna

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I'll consider it and talk to my husband about it. I guess I don't want to underestimate how difficult it could be to create an enclosure large enough that both cats could be confined to and be happy - it might have to be our whole backyard. Also I would have to get permission from our downstairs neighbors, as we share the yard with them. They have gone along with all of my gardening back there, so as long as it's not an "eyesore" they may be okay with it.

Before I make a decision, I would plan to consult with a behaviorist to confirm that this is the best idea. I've been on the Alley Cat Allies website, and I may reach out to them. They seem to be the experts on how to keep cats healthy living outside.

Thanks for giving me a place to flesh out my thoughts. I'm a member of a local Facebook group of cat lovers, but I hesitate to ask about this because there have been some heated debates over whether it's okay to let cats outside. People on both sides have strong feelings, while I'm ambivalent.
 
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