I am at my wit's end, and I don't know why it didn't occur to me before now to ask all you knowledgeable people for some advice!
Here's a back story (sorry, it's long):
I adopted Helen almost a year ago. She's 8 1/2 years old and rescued from a traveling side-show that featured lots of exotic cats. (I call her my little circus clown
) When I got her, I already had Walter, a 2 year old boy. They took about 2 weeks to get along, mostly because Walter had never been around other cats before, so he hid and pouted. Helen took to him right away and after he got used to her, they became fast friends. They used to play for hours on end. You wouldn't know by the way she played that she was a "senior".
Skip ahead about 6 months, when I adopted Nelson and Mandy. They were a breeding pair that was dumped at the SPCA by a breeder who no longer wanted them. Mandy hid from me for 3 weeks before I could even touch her, Nelson was a love bug from the moment I opened his kennel door, but as a pair they were completely bonded and I wouldn't dream of separating them.
Nelson and Mandy stayed quarantined for 2 weeks before I slowly introduced them to Helen and Walter. Mandy was still very shy, and I never had any aggression problems with her. In fact, it took 3 solid months before Nelson and Walter could safely be left alone together because of the fighting, but I never had any problems with Mandy. Now, over the past couple of months, the boys are getting along and Mandy is really starting to come out of her shell. Unfortunately, she's become aggressive to Helen.
It's gotten so bad that Helen no longer plays, she just stays on her spot on the couch, where it's mostly safe. I say "mostly" safe, because Mandy will run up to her, completely unprovoked - sometimes even when Helen is sleeping - and start beating up on her. I'm afraid Helen is living in fear. She is stalked and attacked whenever she goes to the litter box, and has started peeing outside of the box so she can make a quick getaway. I've even seen Helen wait until Mandy is sleeping to get up & quietly wander over to the litter box. As soon as Mandy hears Helen in the litter, she runs over and stalks her. When I say litterbox, I have four of them, in all different places, hoping that one would be in a place that Helen would feel safe, but it doesn't help. I think I could line my entire house with litterboxes, and she'd still pee on the floor next to it. They are open, uncovered, all different sizes...When I see her wandering around, I can pick her up and put her in her box, and she'll immediately go in it. Then I praise her, and praise Mandy for letting her go in peace, but I can't do it every single time Helen has to pee. I'm afraid she's going to hold it and make herself sick.
The litter box problem isn't the only issue. Helen doesn't play anymore. She gets pounced every time she leaves her safe spot on the sofa. She used to be very friendly with the other cats, and especially with Walter - but now every time one of them comes near her she growls, ears go flat, hisses. When she's feeling energetic, she will swat at them. I miss watching her play for hours. She must be depressed.
As far as her health, I've had her checked by my vet. There's no underlying medical reason for her litter issues. She has a fantastic appetite- just about the only time she gets off the couch is to yell for food! Drinks normal amount of water.
When I am with her, she purrs and purrs, so she is capable still of being happy! She sleeps on my chest every night, and kisses my face until we both fall asleep. So, although she's clearly not 100% happy right now, I don't think she's at the point of no return. I am determined to fix this! I rescued her from a bad situation, and now I feel awful for the way Mandy is treating her. I've considered separating her, but, Sphynx are a breed who thrive on companionship. It would be cruel to isolate her. I just need help with curbing Mandy's aggression, getting peace, figuring out a way for these cats to coexist. I know there is hope, because Helen and Mandy sleep together, right next to each other, touching, every night.
Okay...sorry that was long. Here's what I'm doing now, without much success:
4 litterboxes
3 Feliway diffusers - 1 in the living room, the other 2 by the litter boxes
Feliway spray - sprayed all over the couch, to make her feel comfortable in her spot
• Right now I feed Helen away from the other 3 cats. In the same room, but up on a chair. Should I feed them all together? Would that help bring them all to the same "level"? I feed her separately because she's a slow eater and the other cats will steal her food. Maybe I should separate all of them, so it's not "Helen vs. the other 3"?
• Should I try play time with just Helen and Mandy together? I always play with the 4 of them, but have never tried just playing with the girls.
Any other suggestions??
Here's a back story (sorry, it's long):
I adopted Helen almost a year ago. She's 8 1/2 years old and rescued from a traveling side-show that featured lots of exotic cats. (I call her my little circus clown
Skip ahead about 6 months, when I adopted Nelson and Mandy. They were a breeding pair that was dumped at the SPCA by a breeder who no longer wanted them. Mandy hid from me for 3 weeks before I could even touch her, Nelson was a love bug from the moment I opened his kennel door, but as a pair they were completely bonded and I wouldn't dream of separating them.
Nelson and Mandy stayed quarantined for 2 weeks before I slowly introduced them to Helen and Walter. Mandy was still very shy, and I never had any aggression problems with her. In fact, it took 3 solid months before Nelson and Walter could safely be left alone together because of the fighting, but I never had any problems with Mandy. Now, over the past couple of months, the boys are getting along and Mandy is really starting to come out of her shell. Unfortunately, she's become aggressive to Helen.
It's gotten so bad that Helen no longer plays, she just stays on her spot on the couch, where it's mostly safe. I say "mostly" safe, because Mandy will run up to her, completely unprovoked - sometimes even when Helen is sleeping - and start beating up on her. I'm afraid Helen is living in fear. She is stalked and attacked whenever she goes to the litter box, and has started peeing outside of the box so she can make a quick getaway. I've even seen Helen wait until Mandy is sleeping to get up & quietly wander over to the litter box. As soon as Mandy hears Helen in the litter, she runs over and stalks her. When I say litterbox, I have four of them, in all different places, hoping that one would be in a place that Helen would feel safe, but it doesn't help. I think I could line my entire house with litterboxes, and she'd still pee on the floor next to it. They are open, uncovered, all different sizes...When I see her wandering around, I can pick her up and put her in her box, and she'll immediately go in it. Then I praise her, and praise Mandy for letting her go in peace, but I can't do it every single time Helen has to pee. I'm afraid she's going to hold it and make herself sick.
The litter box problem isn't the only issue. Helen doesn't play anymore. She gets pounced every time she leaves her safe spot on the sofa. She used to be very friendly with the other cats, and especially with Walter - but now every time one of them comes near her she growls, ears go flat, hisses. When she's feeling energetic, she will swat at them. I miss watching her play for hours. She must be depressed.
As far as her health, I've had her checked by my vet. There's no underlying medical reason for her litter issues. She has a fantastic appetite- just about the only time she gets off the couch is to yell for food! Drinks normal amount of water.
When I am with her, she purrs and purrs, so she is capable still of being happy! She sleeps on my chest every night, and kisses my face until we both fall asleep. So, although she's clearly not 100% happy right now, I don't think she's at the point of no return. I am determined to fix this! I rescued her from a bad situation, and now I feel awful for the way Mandy is treating her. I've considered separating her, but, Sphynx are a breed who thrive on companionship. It would be cruel to isolate her. I just need help with curbing Mandy's aggression, getting peace, figuring out a way for these cats to coexist. I know there is hope, because Helen and Mandy sleep together, right next to each other, touching, every night.
Okay...sorry that was long. Here's what I'm doing now, without much success:
4 litterboxes
3 Feliway diffusers - 1 in the living room, the other 2 by the litter boxes
Feliway spray - sprayed all over the couch, to make her feel comfortable in her spot
• Right now I feed Helen away from the other 3 cats. In the same room, but up on a chair. Should I feed them all together? Would that help bring them all to the same "level"? I feed her separately because she's a slow eater and the other cats will steal her food. Maybe I should separate all of them, so it's not "Helen vs. the other 3"?
• Should I try play time with just Helen and Mandy together? I always play with the 4 of them, but have never tried just playing with the girls.
Any other suggestions??
