Hi all, long time lurker, first post.
Here's the background (sorry for the length). We have 4 cats and one dog. One of the cats, Ringo (hence my username) is in charge. And I don't mean just the alpha. No other way to put it, he's a jerk and a bully. He has always been absolutely horrible to his other feline brothers. Cornering them until they are squealing in pain. Cleaning up bloody defensive scratches on Ringo's nose is not uncommon. Once in awhile he tries with the dog, but she is so much larger that he knows his place. But he still does fairly naughty things to her like tip over her food dish, push her favorite tennis ball behind the couch where she can't get to it, etc. Even though I'm painting him as a pretty awful cat, he's still our baby and we love him.
Fast forward to present day. I have accepted a job in another state, so I have moved while my husband remains behind to sell the house. I get it - a house full of cats is hard to sell. The plan was to send 2 cats to live with my mother-in-law, Ringo and an elderly one, and leave the well behaved quiet ones behind at home with the dog. After I got settled into a pet friendly hotel, I would come home and get the older cat, who has health issues and would probably thrive being an only cat. Things never work out as planned, as the older cat did really well in a new environment and is enjoying ample "grandma time". However, Ringo quickly made himself unwelcome by terrorizing her cats, grandchildren, and other charming parlor tricks, such as emptying the cupboards and pushing everything out on the floor. We were told - old cat can stay, Ringo needs to go.
On Saturday, Ringo was brought to me in my hotel. Since then, there has been a noticeable personality change, which I guess isn't unusual when a cat moves. But after a couple of days, I'm really getting concerned about his obvious distress and behavior. I'm frankly afraid he's going to get us kicked out of here. He spends his days howling at the door when I step out. I can hear him one floor down in the elevator, he is that loud. He has started to take out his frustrations on the furniture in the room (he is not declawed). He has a scratch pad and plenty of toys, which he will use when I play with him interactively. But the rest of the time, he spends howling in his litter box. It is the first time he has ever NOT been with other cats, and I think he's just getting really depressed.
Can anyone give me some advice? I am spending as much time as I can with him, but I do have to leave for work everyday. If this was a house or an apartment, I'd wait it out, knowing that he'll get used to it. I'm just very worried that his behavior is going to get both of us kicked out with the ruckus he is causing, and I won't have an apartment for us until mid-October.
Thanks for reading the long post! I just am worried about my sad, aggressive little guy.
Here's the background (sorry for the length). We have 4 cats and one dog. One of the cats, Ringo (hence my username) is in charge. And I don't mean just the alpha. No other way to put it, he's a jerk and a bully. He has always been absolutely horrible to his other feline brothers. Cornering them until they are squealing in pain. Cleaning up bloody defensive scratches on Ringo's nose is not uncommon. Once in awhile he tries with the dog, but she is so much larger that he knows his place. But he still does fairly naughty things to her like tip over her food dish, push her favorite tennis ball behind the couch where she can't get to it, etc. Even though I'm painting him as a pretty awful cat, he's still our baby and we love him.
Fast forward to present day. I have accepted a job in another state, so I have moved while my husband remains behind to sell the house. I get it - a house full of cats is hard to sell. The plan was to send 2 cats to live with my mother-in-law, Ringo and an elderly one, and leave the well behaved quiet ones behind at home with the dog. After I got settled into a pet friendly hotel, I would come home and get the older cat, who has health issues and would probably thrive being an only cat. Things never work out as planned, as the older cat did really well in a new environment and is enjoying ample "grandma time". However, Ringo quickly made himself unwelcome by terrorizing her cats, grandchildren, and other charming parlor tricks, such as emptying the cupboards and pushing everything out on the floor. We were told - old cat can stay, Ringo needs to go.
On Saturday, Ringo was brought to me in my hotel. Since then, there has been a noticeable personality change, which I guess isn't unusual when a cat moves. But after a couple of days, I'm really getting concerned about his obvious distress and behavior. I'm frankly afraid he's going to get us kicked out of here. He spends his days howling at the door when I step out. I can hear him one floor down in the elevator, he is that loud. He has started to take out his frustrations on the furniture in the room (he is not declawed). He has a scratch pad and plenty of toys, which he will use when I play with him interactively. But the rest of the time, he spends howling in his litter box. It is the first time he has ever NOT been with other cats, and I think he's just getting really depressed.
Can anyone give me some advice? I am spending as much time as I can with him, but I do have to leave for work everyday. If this was a house or an apartment, I'd wait it out, knowing that he'll get used to it. I'm just very worried that his behavior is going to get both of us kicked out with the ruckus he is causing, and I won't have an apartment for us until mid-October.
Thanks for reading the long post! I just am worried about my sad, aggressive little guy.
You might also want to apply Soft Paws (rubber nail caps). A groomer or vet's office could do it for you, too.
