i have three cats - piglet is a 10 year old female, samantha is an almost 9 year old female, and jake is a 5 year old male suspected bengal mix. all are rescues, all are spayed/neutered. we used to be a 4 cat household - my oldest died 3/2012 at 16. piglet and samantha fought at first but then started playing once in a while and grooming each other and snuggling together. jake and taylor would play fight and occasionally cuddle with other cats, but they were both kind of 'loners'. taylor was the oldest and obviously the head cat in charge.
once taylor died, jake started fighting with the other two. he and piglet would fight sometimes (i assumed in an attempt to jockey for the head cat position) - it lasted on and off for a few months and seemed to subside. they still fight once in a while but there aren't any injuries and i catch them playing sometimes, too - they'll chase each other around the apartment. it doesn't always end in fights.
the issue is jake and samantha. they fight all the time. every single morning, if we don't wake up early enough for breakfast, jake seems to chase samantha under the bed, cornering her, and lots of smacking and hissing and spitting and growling happens. even after they eat, jake will do that again. when samantha is snuggled on one of the many cat beds in the house, if jake walks too near her, she'll start growling and that seems to gain jake's interest and a fight often ensues. it is a daily thing, usually multiple times a day. i have plenty of beds, hiding spaces, taller perches, windows that cats can fit in. i have at least two of everything so there is no reason for anyone to fight over anything.
we have tried numerous things with jake. we have exercised him at least twice a day for 10-15 minutes each time, until he is breathing hard and seems unwilling to get up again. we run him up and down the hallway and use a laser pointer, or a toy on a string to get him jumping. the fights continued. we tried calming treats, using as directed on the bag. no change. we tried a homeopathic thing like rescue remedy for cats. no change. we tried feliway diffusers - no change. does anyone have any other options besides medication? the cats go to the vet yearly and have no medical conditions that should contribute to this kind of behavior. as far as we can tell, our next step is to ask the vet for medication like prozac. any help would be appreciated.
once taylor died, jake started fighting with the other two. he and piglet would fight sometimes (i assumed in an attempt to jockey for the head cat position) - it lasted on and off for a few months and seemed to subside. they still fight once in a while but there aren't any injuries and i catch them playing sometimes, too - they'll chase each other around the apartment. it doesn't always end in fights.
the issue is jake and samantha. they fight all the time. every single morning, if we don't wake up early enough for breakfast, jake seems to chase samantha under the bed, cornering her, and lots of smacking and hissing and spitting and growling happens. even after they eat, jake will do that again. when samantha is snuggled on one of the many cat beds in the house, if jake walks too near her, she'll start growling and that seems to gain jake's interest and a fight often ensues. it is a daily thing, usually multiple times a day. i have plenty of beds, hiding spaces, taller perches, windows that cats can fit in. i have at least two of everything so there is no reason for anyone to fight over anything.
we have tried numerous things with jake. we have exercised him at least twice a day for 10-15 minutes each time, until he is breathing hard and seems unwilling to get up again. we run him up and down the hallway and use a laser pointer, or a toy on a string to get him jumping. the fights continued. we tried calming treats, using as directed on the bag. no change. we tried a homeopathic thing like rescue remedy for cats. no change. we tried feliway diffusers - no change. does anyone have any other options besides medication? the cats go to the vet yearly and have no medical conditions that should contribute to this kind of behavior. as far as we can tell, our next step is to ask the vet for medication like prozac. any help would be appreciated.
