Sentry Calming Collar?

[patti511]

Hi... I have 5 cats. My first “born” is a male (4 yrs.) and I have four more all younger, all females. There is one female (2 yrs.) who is constantly getting picked on by my male, though 2 of the other females also bicker with her. She is socially awkward and they just don’t like her. She is not the youngest....the youngest gets along fine with everyone. I have tried the plug-ins...they did nothing and need to be refilled every 3 weeks, which is ridiculous. I bought Jackson Galaxy’s Bully Solution and all that did was make my boy’s eyes so crusty to the point that I had to take him to the vet. Then I realized it was the drops on his food that was causing the eye crust. Now I’ve bought the collars and I put one on my boy, and one on the female whom he dispises. It’s been 24 hrs. and already 3 fights have broken out today. He attacks her and she screams. No blood shed that I can see, but the fights sound awful, especially in the middle of the night. He usually has clumps of her hair in his mouth. I usually squirt him with water, but I work and I don’t know what goes on when I’m not home.
My question is...does the calming effect of the collar take a while to kick in? And does one cancel out the other? Can I use the collar on both cats?? Thanks.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I don't think there's a delay and ingredients are usually different, yes, but not to cancelling each other out...I think I would talk with the vet for something stronger, basically nothing you've tried over the counter is having any positive effect.

 

[abyeb]

Feliway is an OTC calming product that I know cat owners have had success with. If that doesn’t work, I agree it would be worth talking to your vet about possible anti-anxiety medication.

 

[danteshuman]

I would be separating her into her own room when I was gone. That way at least she gets some down time without being bullied. Also she needs one on one play with just you to build her confidence.

Her aggressor (the male) needs play therapy to burn off extra energy. He might need prozac or some other medication too.

Feeding them together, closer & closer might help over time ... but with my bully it didn't. My bully is well just a bored punk. If he doesn't get enough hunting done throughout the day then he wreaks havoc at night hunting his poor brother! Is this how your male cat is bullying her? Treating her like prey to hunt? I guess I'm asking if it is dominance base (prozac) or play motivated (harness walks & LOTS of play, plus maybe a bird watching window!) My punk is now 11 and is almost calm. He still is a punk though! My bullypunk is also really hyper, does this sound like your guy? I learned that I have to tire him out mentally & physically. The easiest way is to let him 'hunt' the 30-40 finches and sparrows that eat at our bird feeders, plus bathe in the fountains. So creating bird paradise in your back yard and giving them window perches or a catio might help if he is hyper.

I had to create a safe spot for my other cat plus a general do not jump your brother when he is next to me rule... plus 'no you can't push your brother off my lap just to be a jerk' rule. He bullied a senior declawed, tailless cat horribly! If I had to do it again he would be on prozac! Not in a "I'm bored so I will hunt you" way but in a "this is my kingdom & I rule all... I declare you prey!" kind of way. He pulled hair out of her thigh giving her a bald spot! It was 'resolved' by him not being allowed within 5 feet of her ... but the poor girl never got her mojo back. I wish I had tried prozac for that situation. He terrorized her so badly she started pooping on the counters!

 

[KarenKat]

We have a Sentry calming collar on Trin for his separation anxiety (he yowls all the time if we aren’t nearby). From what we could tell, it kicked in immediately, as soon as he got over the trama of putting it on. He instantly became relaxed, purred, and was super lovey. Maybe a different method is needed in this case.