OMG we need help!

[joeiii]

My fiancé and I have two cats, one male (Pierce Brosnan) and one female (Dinah). We've had Dinah for over 5 years, and she is a very attentive and picky cat. Playful when she wants to be, but a good cat.

Pierce is super playful, very affectionate, and hilarious. We've only had him for about a 1.5 years but he has become part of the family too.

The problem is he attacks Dinah a lot. Sometimes they will be fine together, then other times Dinah is screaming as he attacks her. They are both fixed, and we got pierce as a kitten.

We've tried separation, squirting him with a water bottle, isolation, but nothing seems to be sticking. I was looking into shock collars for cats but I don't think they make them. I'm not a fan of this option but trying to find something that sticks.

Anybody ever have this problem or have any suggestions?

 

[p3 and the king]

Oh goodness NO!  Shock collars are a big no no for cats... Dogs, too, in my opinion but especially cats.  Animals do not respond well to "punishment" especially cats.  Water bottles are ineffective because they become desensitized to them.  Plus, they are just silly.  Thought up by someone who had no true understanding of cats. 

My Piper can scream like she's being murdered... Most of the time, she is just being a drama queen.  Are you sure that Dinah isn't the same way?  I have a rambunctious kitty, Tyrion, and he loves to torment the others.  But he never hurts anyone.  It is usually best to just let them work it out unless they are hurting each other.  Mostly because unless you do it right in the moment, they won't associate with what they are being "punished" for with the action they did wrong.  That's very hard to do most of the time. 

Usually just separating them with no reaction is best.  Just stay calm.  Bad attention is still attention.  And look her over, make sure he's not hurting her.  If he's not, she may be like my Piper.  This or a firm "NO" works best.  But for the most part, as long as you don't overreact, they probably won't either. 

 

[lamiatron]

agree with @P3 and The King

please do not punish your kitties...they're just being cats.

are you sure they are not just playing around? My cat Jet does the same thing. She screams like she's being raped..and ...i'm not exaggerating, when either one of my other cats try to play with her. she's quite the princess, and sometimes can be a drama queen. I used awake in the middle of the night to what i thought were the sounds of street cats fighting but they were actually coming just from Jet. After keeping an eye on my cats, i realized that they were just playing, and no one was getting hurt, and usually, it was Jet who initiated a lot of the play sessions, or, after her shriek fest, she would go back and want to continue playing.

Sometimes when cats play, its common to hear growls, hissing, and sometimes shrieking. That's the cats communicating with each other. I would suggest to try keeping an eye on them, and if you really feel like things are getting out of hand, then intervene by separating them. Maybe watch some you tube videos of cats playing with each other, and cats actually fighting. Watch the videos, study the body language of the cats in the video, and then compare to what you see in your cats. I did that and it helped me a lot to differentiate between actual fighting, and just play fighting. 

Also, if Pierce "attacking" your girl Dinah is something fairly new, as they have lived with each other for about 2 years now..i would look into any outside factors out of their control that might be making your boy a bit aggressive, and then taking it out on Dinah, also known as redirected aggression. Sometimes, cats can become agitated, annoyed, threatened and negatively stimulated by things in their environment that they cannot control, and once that happens, they need to let their aggression out, and most times that means on the other pet in the home, or the owner. Maybe Pierce saw an animal out of the window that threatened him...and since he can't attack that animal, he's doing it to Dinah?...something to think about. 

 

[luvmykittys]

Hi Joell,

So here is something that may help.  There is a show on Netflix called "my cat from hell".  The guy is a cat behaviorist--honest---and he is amazing to say the least!  See if you can watch any of the episodes...I have found it very helpful.  The really cool part is how the answer to so many cat situations are a simple and easy fix. 

If you are unable to watch the show, try his website-I think you can just search "my cat from hell".  At the very least, you will get some new info on kitty behavior and the reasoning behind it!

I really hope this helps...good luck!  

 

[bigperm20]

Agree totally on not punishing. It does not work, and quite frankly it's inhumane.

Cats wrestle, and that's in their nature. It's how they decide who is top cat in their hierarchy. As long as there's no blood, you usually don't have a problem. Cats can look pretty viscious when wrestling, but they are not.

They're just playing, most likely. And yes I have a drama queen too who likes to shriek when she's losing. It's just what they do.

 

[the3rdname]

I have a sqwaker, too, who doesn't like losing a wrestling match to his bigger (in size) brother and is pretty vocal about it at times.  It's a hierarchy thing.  They have occasionally gotten into an actual fight, but it looks different and has a different kind of energy.  When cats fight fur will literally fly.  They also seem to be moving in a fast, cartoon-like blur, and they won't want to hang out with each other afterwards.  So if there's fur on the ground and a tense silence afterwards with each cat slinking off to a separate corner, they've probably been fighting. 

Even if Pierce is being too aggressive with Dinah, it's not the end of the world.  You can always reintroduce them: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/pams-think-like-a-cat-reintroduction-method/

Another good resource: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virt...havior/aggression-between-cats-your-household

Pierce may also need more exercise, and so giving him (and Dinah, who I'm sure would also appreciate it) some wand toy time, at least 15 minutes a day, would help curb the play aggression.  Too much energy = roughhousing.  Get that little guy zooming around and jumping. 

For the love of catnip, do NOT put a shock collar on your cat.  Physical discipline only succeeds in creating a neurotic, genuinely aggressive cat.  I have *very* occasionally given mine a mild swat on the nose, or a quick pinch on the scruff, if I need them to stop doing something immediately (like grabbing my foot with their teeth, for example), but that's only with the two that aren't fazed by loud noises and can get obnoxiously persistent if they're allowed to get away with something just once.  The cats in the feral colony I care for (that four of my cats came from) will swat each other to express dominance, so I figure I'm only resorting to a cat-like behavior that leaves no room for misinterpretation.  

I should point out that the absolute worst time to inflict any type of physical discipline on a cat is when it's in an aggressive state of mind, as this can only escalate the situation.  Think "diversion", not discipline.  Diversion can be as simple as throwing a pillow between two cats having a stare-down (usually a preamble to a fight).

 

[bigperm20]

Someone mentioned the My Cat from Hell behaviorist, I think some of his tactics may be in order. I personally don't watch the show (the dude just creeps me out), but I have seen several episodes. The number one thing that usually helps people it is having a specified playtime with their cats every day.

String toys are always a big favorite. I recommend Da Bird as my kitties love theirs. Laser Pointers are good too.

Give them each a 10-15 minute play time around dusk each day. That's when cats in the wild are most active. Be sure to treat them afterwards with a few cat treats.

Warning, if you don't plan on sticking with it, don't bother. Cats grow accustomed to specific schedules and will act out if it's not kept. My girls expect to play at dusk every day and if I'm feeling lazy they zoom around the house until I get up.