Newest cat bothering resident….

[christianrayb]

Hey all! I have 3 cats currently - 2 males and one female (Monty, Franklin, and Suki). Suki was our first baby, and we’ve had for 2 and a half years. We got Monty (black cat pictured) two years ago when he was 4 months old, and he and Suki (white cat pictured) get along perfectly. Franklin, our newest boy (we got him a year ago), is 6 years old, and a Norwegian Forrest Cat that we rescued. All of the cats are very social - they all love people, and Monty and Frank bonded from the very first introduction. Suki was very unsure of Franklin from the start, but 6 months into having him, he became very obsessed with her - it’s not aggressive at all. He follows her around all. the. time. And she hates it. At that six month mark, I’m assuming he just wanted to friend her too - he is extremely social and loving towards Monty. He began pushing her boundaries until she started marking her territory, specifically any spot that Franklin frequently lays on. She will not stop. We have taken her to the vet multiple times and ruled out all health issues as well as trying medication, but I don’t feel right medicating Suki when it’s Frank that has brought this on. The strangest thing is that she’ll allow him to lay beside her when they take their evening naps, but she gets livid if he follows her or traps her anywhere. I’m not sure how to get him to just accept that she wants nothing more than to just coexist, and I’m not sure even then if she’d be able to stop spraying. I’m desperate for ideas and help if anyone has any advice. Thanks.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi !

A couple things,-- it appears to me that all of your cats would benefit from more exercise, in all sincerity, but before seeing the photos I was going to suggest that Frankie needs to be taken for walks as well as introduced to clicker training. He seriously needs something to engage his mind and distract him.

If you aren't feeding wet food, you'll want to consider beginning to do so. Feeding canned rather than kibble, because of the way the recipes are formulated for each type of food, means that the lower carbs in the wet food allows most cats to lose weight gradually, which is the only safe way for a cat to lose weight

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi there! Lovely cats!! Just exactly how old is Suki? I know you said you have had her for about 2 1/2 years, but I wasn't sure of her age. I can only guess that Suki knew the difference between Monty's and Frank's ages and feels a bit ambivalent to having another cat that she wasn't able to 'train' like she probably was able to do with Monty.

I personally, do not see this as Frank's issue, but rather Suki's. She wants to 'rule the roost', and feels Frank is not adhering to her whims. All you can do is try to work with Frank to understand that Suki is not going to be his best friend, using distractions like treats or play time to help Frank be interested in other things besides her.

And as far as Suki, if she is spraying, then you need to consider calming meds/treats/diffusers, etc. - and places she can go to get away from Frank. You need to set up 'safe zones' for that and then help her learn where those places are.

 

[christianrayb]

Hi there! Lovely cats!! Just exactly how old is Suki? I know you said you have had her for about 2 1/2 years, but I wasn't sure of her age. I can only guess that Suki knew the difference between Monty's and Frank's ages and feels a bit ambivalent to having another cat that she wasn't able to 'train' like she probably was able to do with Monty.

I personally, do not see this as Frank's issue, but rather Suki's. She wants to 'rule the roost', and feels Frank is not adhering to her whims. All you can do is try to work with Frank to understand that Suki is not going to be his best friend, using distractions like treats or play time to help Frank be interested in other things besides her.

And as far as Suki, if she is spraying, then you need to consider calming meds/treats/diffusers, etc. - and places she can go to get away from Frank. You need to set up 'safe zones' for that and then help her learn where those places are.

Suki is 5. I have a two bedroom apartment, with plenty of window beds and a cat tower. The second bedroom is the “cat room” in which we keep their litter boxes. I have tried the Feliway diffuser, and that didn’t seem to help. She absolutely will not take the calming treats - I’ve tried that. She has a prescription for kitty valium which I am hesitant to continue due to liver problems seen in cat usage of the drug. The valium does help when I give that to her in wet food. I am going to definitely try to keep him occupied more than ever, although he is quite lazy - I’ve bought him several treat puzzles and he has zero interest. We encourage him to play with the laser, strings, his toy mice…it lasts all of 2 minutes. He is very, very much a couch potato.

 

[Furballsmom]

If not walks, what about enclosed buggy rides?

 

[christianrayb]

I am not sure how he’s handle walks - I’ve never tried to put a harness on him. I will definitely try this or try getting a pet stroller. I’m so desperate to do anything that will help.

 

[Furballsmom]

Here you are;
Harness And Leash Training For Cats – TheCatSite Articles