Neutered Male Attacking Cats That Run

[Umerwhat]

This is technically my mom's cat, Saturn. As the title says, I'm having trouble with a male neutered cat who will pursue any cat who runs from him. Seems like some kind of prey reflex, because he won't bother much with cats who simply avoid him. A swat here and there, but if it's a cat who runs, he won't let them off easy. Previously it had been happening so infrequently, we thought he was getting over it. Like once every 2-3 months. Til a couple days ago when he attacked another one of my mom's cats,Yoda, and left a minor scratch on his eye lid. He had poor Yoda cornered under a king bed where we couldn't reach them. He is on eye drops and while physically fine, he is pretty freaked out.

At the moment, we've been keeping Saturn in the spare bedroom and only letting him into other rooms of the house with tight supervision. We don't let him in the same room as Yoda. Obviously this is not sustainable long term. What are some ways we can try to fix this? I've heard or reintroducing them, but how long of a process is this? I'm wondering if I need to keep Saturn away from Yoda long enough that he forgets what he was afraid of. Problem is, Yoda is an abnormally anxious cat to begin with. Are those supplements for stress an option? I did buy a Feliway plugin some time ago that I haven't used yet, but which cat should I be trying to use it on? I'm worried if it'll be effective on Yoda as he mainly resides in a very big and open room.

Any suggestions are welcome. Just not sure what the best angle to tackle this issue is. We really don't want to rehome Saturn if we can help it. He's diabetic and I don't feel much confidence in the care that diabetics get in our area if I go by what my vet says about them not lasting long.

 

[Purrdorable]

There could be any number of reasons why he's chasing.

Has he been to the vet lately to rule out any illness or injury?

Do the cats have ample resources? It's ideal for every resource to be n+1. So you have 2 cats, 3 litterboxes, 3 cat trees, 3 water bowls, 3 of everything. They can act out if they feel there aren't enough resources for everyone.

There are calming supplements, purina calming care, and vetriscience composure chews have been recommended to me. The feliway didn't work for me and mine, but you'd likely want to have the plugs where they spend the most time.

You could try redirecting Saturn. I've used a 1,2,3 method, where when I see that one of my cats is thinking about being bad, I say 1, 2, 3! in a singsongy voice, and toss a treat in the opposite direction of who he'd like to bother, on the count of 3. This does require teaching and reinforcing this as a command so that he won't just act bad to get treats lol

There's also anti-anxiety meds that you could discuss with your vet. I have used them in the past and it's been a game changer for me. I will say the meds will help all on their own, but they work best as part of a behavior modification plan. You could speak with a behaviorist, and they would be able to help determine the root cause and come up with a behaviorial treatment plan to mend the relationships in the house. Here's where you can search for a behaviorist if you're interested.

 

[DeesCats]

I'm so sorry you are having problems with Saturn. There are some articles on the forum that may help re-introducing them to each other.

How to Successfully Introduce the cats
Why Do Cats Attack

Has anything changed in the home lately such as new furniture, odors or has one of the cats been to the vet?

 

[Umerwhat]

Has anything changed in the home lately such as new furniture, odors or has one of the cats been to the vet?

Nothing has changed. I suspect that Yoda has simply avoided being cornered up until this point. We probably should have taken this more seriously, but we thought it was getting better as his attempts to attack Yoda became less frequent. Saturn also had been good about stopping any aggression if we caught him in the act and got his attention/yelled at him. Though I may have to try it in a not so negative form.

The way Saturn acts with Yoda, I would assume his behavior is a territorial aggression issue. But I do worry that Saturn has an inherit tendency to chase any cat that runs from him. Shortly after my mom originally got Saturn, he attacked one of my cats. She is the least threatening cat one can imagine. She always has preferred my room, so they don't really encounter each other often enough for anything else to have happened. But I do worry it has made her less adventurous.

There are plenty of other cats in the house between me and my mom and none of them have had a significant issue with Saturn. They also don't run from him and will give him a little smack if he tries anything. But even when he tries something with these other cats, it doesn't seem to have the same level of aggression? More like Saturn is being rude to them instead of bullying if that makes sense.

Also to the question about resources, there are plenty of litter boxes. Probably could use more water and food dishes though. Plenty of cat towers and sleeping spots, but I could see them fighting over the better spots. Saturn doesn't cause trouble with these issues with any other cats though. So not sure what to think.

We will definitely be looking into reintroducing, but how long do we wait to start trying? Until Yoda's anxiety seems at a more normal level? Unfortunately, he's a naturally anxious cat, regardless of if Saturn is involved. In reference to the anti-anxiety meds, calming supplements, and feli-way, which cat would benefit from each? I'm not sure if to think Saturn is also anxious or what.

Apologies for the info dump. I really do appreciate any help. And if I missed any important info, feel free to ask.

 

[Purrdorable]

If you're looking to reintroduce them, I personally wouldn't wait. I wouldn't want to give them any more opportunities to worsen the relationship. If you began the introduction process, the first few days, or weeks depending on how the cats respond, would usually be total separation. So that would give Yoda time to decompress.

Regarding meds, most anti-anxiety meds take 4-8 weeks to take full effect. Although you'd likely see changes sooner than that. Both cats could benefit from meds. Anti-anxiety meds can give Yoda some confidence and make Saturn less aggressive. I have two boys that I've been introducing for over a year now. New boy had fear aggression and made resident boy scared of him with his defensive posturing. I ended up putting both boys on anti-anxiety meds. New boy also got clicker training to build his confidence and resident boy did pattern games to teach him how to handle stressful situations.

The calming supplements, the calming care also takes about 6 weeks to be fully effective and I'm unsure of how quickly the composure chews would be effective. They are offered OTC but I would check with you vet just to make sure there aren't any contraindications.

Is Saturn getting playtime and enrichment daily? I ask because my new boy is very big "annoying little brother" energy and he'll pester everybody if I let him. We found that giving him scheduled playtimes, at least 2 a day, and lots of different types of enrichment helped burn off his physical and mental energy so he ended up bothering his roommates less.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I know it was mentioned to make sure no health issues are going on with Saturn, but that also applies to Yoda as well. Some cats will react aggressively to another cat who is ill. But besides that, it sounds like you have a cat that likes to prey on what he considers to be 'weaker' cats. I suppose you could call it bullying in a sense.

There is another approach other than re-introductions that you could consider. And, that would require you picking up Saturn each and every time he goes after Yoda, hissing or saying a firm 'No' in his face, and put him in a time out for no more than 1-2 minutes. But, for this to be successful, you need to do it consistently. And, given Saturn's propensity to chasing Yoda. and other cats (at least in the past), it is a habit that will take a long time to break. So, patience and persistence are of the utmost importance. it is amazing how most animals have both of these attributes to the point of winning out over humans in the battle to change behavior.

Since you already separate Saturn in another room when no one can supervise, it would be ideal to pick another room for his time outs so that he understands the difference between just being separated and being placed in a time out. This tactic also shows Yoda you 'have his back', which can help build his confidence over time too.

 

[Umerwhat]

Sorry for the delay in response. So the 2 are completely separated since the incident. Yoda is starting to become a lot more brave, exploring even some places of the house I had not seen him in a long time. I think the plan is to order some of the calming supplements and get at least Yoda started on them for a few weeks before reintroducing them in any form.

There is another approach other than re-introductions that you could consider. And, that would require you picking up Saturn each and every time he goes after Yoda, hissing or saying a firm 'No' in his face, and put him in a time out for no more than 1-2 minutes. But, for this to be successful, you need to do it consistently.

So we had been kind of doing this, but I'll have to try a more diligent version when reintroducing them. I will have to try a separate room for time outs as well, as we had been putting in the same room he sleeps in. He is surprisingly smart, so he seems to roughly understand why he gets put back in the room. He usually behaves afterwards for a while anyways.

Honestly, Saturn probably does need more activities to burn his energy. While I do play with him, I'm not as consistent as I should be, so I'll have to focus on that more. He does kind of resemble a person with hyperactive adhd. He can't stay put for long. Always trying to find something exciting. Watching the birds at the feeders seems to help keep him occupied. Maybe I'll have to put up some in more windows.