I've read a few threads from a few sites now that say 'oh it's just play, put down another box and it'll be fine'.
However, this is ramping up and it's not fine.
I have an 8 yr old amazing female resident kitty. Pretty shy. She still doesn't entirely want to play with him after 6 months, but they don't fight. She'll hiss and run away (which of course provokes him), but there's never an all out fight. She'll hit him hard enough that he tilts his head for a few hours, and he stops.
The new boy, we think he's 2 but vets have opinions up to 10 yrs old when they look at his teeth. He came from a very abusive, cat hoarder. He's come so far in 6 months, actually letting me sleep more than an hour at a time now. I expect him to take at least a year to really settle in and get rid of his food anxiety and issues around sleep.
However.
Every time the female goes into the litter and starts scratching, he loses his damn mind.
He stalks her in there, pounces, chases her for the next 5 minutes like he's a cat possessed. He didn't originally do this when I got him, this is relatively new behaviour in the last 2 months. But he's getting worse.
I scold him, shake a jar of pennies at him to break his focus on her, but it rarely works. He's played with right now upwards of 3 hrs a day to try and wear him out, along with automated toys as well.
There are 3 litterboxes in the house, all in different corners. One is covered, one is tall but open, one is shallow. They're all pretty big (those big storage bins with entryways cut in 2 places for lots of escape routes). It does not matter what else this cat is doing, the moment he hears her scratching, it is ON.
How do I get him to stop? He gets OCD-level focused and I cannot seem to snap him out of it when I see him doing it. My girl is amazing, she hasn't stopped using any of the litters yet but I'm afraid she will with him constantly badgering her like this. [edit: we have had accidents when she's mid-poop and he does this. Poor girl will run around with it half hanging out her butt until she has a moment's peace to drop it. She'll try to do it in the litter again, but if he's still at level 10, she'll drop it at least closeby]
Any advice on deterring him?
Thanks all!
However, this is ramping up and it's not fine.
I have an 8 yr old amazing female resident kitty. Pretty shy. She still doesn't entirely want to play with him after 6 months, but they don't fight. She'll hiss and run away (which of course provokes him), but there's never an all out fight. She'll hit him hard enough that he tilts his head for a few hours, and he stops.
The new boy, we think he's 2 but vets have opinions up to 10 yrs old when they look at his teeth. He came from a very abusive, cat hoarder. He's come so far in 6 months, actually letting me sleep more than an hour at a time now. I expect him to take at least a year to really settle in and get rid of his food anxiety and issues around sleep.
However.
Every time the female goes into the litter and starts scratching, he loses his damn mind.
He stalks her in there, pounces, chases her for the next 5 minutes like he's a cat possessed. He didn't originally do this when I got him, this is relatively new behaviour in the last 2 months. But he's getting worse.
I scold him, shake a jar of pennies at him to break his focus on her, but it rarely works. He's played with right now upwards of 3 hrs a day to try and wear him out, along with automated toys as well.
There are 3 litterboxes in the house, all in different corners. One is covered, one is tall but open, one is shallow. They're all pretty big (those big storage bins with entryways cut in 2 places for lots of escape routes). It does not matter what else this cat is doing, the moment he hears her scratching, it is ON.
How do I get him to stop? He gets OCD-level focused and I cannot seem to snap him out of it when I see him doing it. My girl is amazing, she hasn't stopped using any of the litters yet but I'm afraid she will with him constantly badgering her like this. [edit: we have had accidents when she's mid-poop and he does this. Poor girl will run around with it half hanging out her butt until she has a moment's peace to drop it. She'll try to do it in the litter again, but if he's still at level 10, she'll drop it at least closeby]
Any advice on deterring him?
Thanks all!
. 
