pheromone sprays for aggression?

molanic

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I've got three kitties from the same litter that are now about 2.5 yrs old. Two males and a female that all were neutered at 15 weeks old and are indoor cats. The girl Peanut is by far the smallest and has never appreciated rough play like her brothers do. Peanut and her brother Red used to get along very well and spend a lot of time cuddling and grooming each other with the occasional pissy moment and face slapping, by Peanut.

Lately though Red has gotten quite obsessed with chasing his sister, jumping on her, trying to bite her neck...which of course she really doesn't like. This results in screaming, fighting, hair flying and her running for the nearest hidey hole to smack him from. He also does this behavior with his much larger brother Tubby less often. Tubby doesn't seem to mind much though, and it never turns into a full on fight. With those two it is like a mosquito biting a hippo's back though. :lol3:

I try to tire Red out by having him run around and chase things. But, it hasn't helped any. I did some reading online about "super male" cats that have higher hormone levels and are still sexually aggressive even when neutered at a young age. The author recommended something called "Boar Mate", which is synthetic male pig pheromones that they use when mating hogs. He said putting a little bit on the rear of the victim will confuse the attacker into thinking the victims are alpha males in a way and then not go after them.

He said it was so effective they used the same thing to develop Sentry "Stop That" spray for cats and dogs. When I looked at that product though it said it was a calming pheromone spray combined with a very loud hissing noise that you were to spray near the misbehaving animal when they are being bad to snap them out of it. That seems like a mixed message to me though. You're being bad.... so here is a loud scary noise, and a nice calming aroma.:lol3:

The "Boar Mate" or "Hog Mate" is probably cheaper by the ounce but would have to be purchased in a larger amount through some agricultural website probably. The "Stop That" is on Amazon for under $10 and says it is lavender and chamomile scented. The "Boar Mate" said something about boar odor, although I don't know if they were just referring to the pheromone or an actual funky stink. I don't want to make things worse by experimenting with this, or punish Peanut by making her rear smell like something that bothers her. Has anyone tried either product? Do you think the active ingredients are the same, but one has a smell more pleasant to us? I wouldn't use the hiss spray sound as a punishment, but rather put some on a cloth away from the cats and then rub that on her rear.

I also saw the Feliway, but that seems more like a calm the whole house for $$$ type of thing. If it is the same scent as chin rubs releases, Red already chin rubs the whole house pretty much (way more than the other two cats).

Here is one of the articles I read about it.

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/January-2013/Sexual-Aggression-In-Neutered-Cats/
 
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Columbine

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Have you talked to your vet about this problem? If there IS something 'off' with Red's hormones then it's possible your vet can help.

Feliway is a great product - yes it's expensive, but it can make a real difference. I know you say Red scent marks with his cheeks everywhere anyway, but do the other two - especially Peanut? 'Claiming' everywhere as his (however appropriately) could be enough to intimidate Peanut. It's not just about Red's dominance - its just as much about Peanut's lack of confidence and over-submissiveness.

You might find Composure helpful to chill Red out a little, or to help Peanut relax - I'm not sure which. Appropriate Spirit Essences for each cat could really make a difference too - I've had some great results with flower essences and animals.

Look at your home from Peanut's viewpoint. Try to block off any traps - use vertical space to create escape routes for her, and block off anywhere she can get herself cornered. Don't forget plenty of interactive play for her too - its a great way to build a cat's terratorial confidence and self esteem. A more confident Peanut may be a less attractive target for Red.
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Susan Jeffries

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Yes l read the same article, l purchased some Boar Mate, it didn't work on Sultan Boy, so l still have the spray in the cupboard, nothing works but time and patience, we have tried everything..
I think we all waste a lot of, money on this problem
 

Tobermory

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There are two kinds of Feliway for diffusers, one for stress reduction (labeled “Classic”) and one for multicat households where there’s aggression among cats (labeled “Multicat”). I would try the Multicat if I were you. I’ve used both and they’ve helped my cats although I know it doesn’t work for everyone. I haven’t had to use it since last summer, but at the time, it was less expensive on Amazon than on Chewy.

The shelter where I volunteered doesn’t cage its cats but has them in large communal rooms. They sometimes have issues with aggression among the cats, especially in the FIV+ rooms where the cats are more often male. They started using Feliway Multicat and it reduced the problem.

Here’s the Multicat description from the Feliway website:
Feliway Multicat: Mother cats communicate with her kittens through natural messages released into the air. These "harmony messages" are called cat appeasing pheromones. They help maintain social bonds between cats of all ages. By mimicking these natural feline appeasing messages, FELIWAY MultiCat helps your cats live in harmony and avoid tension, conflict and fighting.
 

Susan Jeffries

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There are two kinds of Feliway for diffusers, one for stress reduction (labeled “Classic”) and one for multicat households where there’s aggression among cats (labeled “Multicat”). I would try the Multicat if I were you. I’ve used both and they’ve helped my cats although I know it doesn’t work for everyone. I haven’t had to use it since last summer, but at the time, it was less expensive on Amazon than on Chewy.

The shelter where I volunteered doesn’t cage its cats but has them in large communal rooms. They sometimes have issues with aggression among the cats, especially in the FIV+ rooms where the cats are more often male. They started using Feliway Multicat and it reduced the problem.

Here’s the Multicat description from the Feliway website:
Feliway Multicat: Mother cats communicate with her kittens through natural messages released into the air. These "harmony messages" are called cat appeasing pheromones. They help maintain social bonds between cats of all ages. By mimicking these natural feline appeasing messages, FELIWAY MultiCat helps your cats live in harmony and avoid tension, conflict and fighting.
Tried those and more things, calming tablets, you name it we tried it..now we just say 'NO' and its beginning to work...just an unlucky pairing of cats.
 
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