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09-19-2014 06:14 AM
I know this is wayyy off topic, but thought I'd ask as there are several cat, kat, kitty folks here.
I have 2 rescue Siamese (along with 2 rescue Shelties). Kibo was found on the streets as a tiny kitten and I adopted him from the county animal facility when he was 12 weeks (and neutered) back in '08. I rescued Taki from an abuse situation in '12. Our vet determined he had been neutered, although he still has his "ornaments".
All has been hunky dory with all 4 babies getting along splendidly until a few nights ago. I heard Kibo make a noise and assumed mu 2 little boys were playing. If it ever gets the tiniest bit more than play, Chewiee-the "enforcer", steps between them. For some reason I looked over to see Taki....behind Kibo and biting at the back of Kibo's neck. I yelled, but startled Kibo more than Taki. This has reoccurred a few more times.
Is this a power play for kitty dominance. I understand this, but want to stop it and figure out why is this happening now. Kibo does not want to play "drop the soap". My first thought was to keep a spray bottle handy and to give Taki a little spray to divert his attention, only Taki loves water and Kibo is deathly afraid.
Any ideas? Their regular vet is on vacation so I thought, until I can speak with her, someone here might have an opinion.
Cheers!
09-19-2014 06:48 AM
I have a male and female (brother & sister) cats that are 4 years old. Both are fixed. My male cat is very dominant. I find that when he is nervous he seems to mount and bite the back of my female cats neck. They don't get into any fights over it. I've mentioned this to my vet and she just says that he's showing his dominance. Hope you find peace with your sweeties.
09-19-2014 07:19 AM
On 9/19/2014 ID2 said:I have a male and female (brother & sister) cats that are 4 years old. Both are fixed. My male cat is very dominant. I find that when he is nervous he seems to mount and bite the back of my female cats neck. They don't get into any fights over it. I've mentioned this to my vet and she just says that he's showing his dominance. Hope you find peace with your sweeties.
Thank you so much for your reply! I've had Siamese cats my whole life and had never encountered this. Both have been pretty much equals up until now, although being Siamese they really don't think they're cats at all.
09-19-2014 08:01 AM
09-19-2014 08:05 AM
It can just be normal play, one of my 5 cats likes neck biting more than the others and we call him vampire kitty and say he is vampiring the other cats when he does it. In his case we know it's not dominance. But it can be a dominance thing too, it really depends on the situation. As long as they are getting along normally otherwise outside of this, I wouldn't worry.
I do think your situation may be unique though if your one cat does actually still have his testicles, I've never heard of a cat not having them removed when neutered though. If he still has them, then he is still producing testosterone from them which will affect his behavior. But maybe you meant something else with the term "ornaments".
09-19-2014 08:09 AM
Jackson Galaxy is a great resource for info on cat behavior. Look through his website and borrow his books from the library.
Also, do you have an escape for Kibo? Somewhere he can go higher up or within a box or house like structure?
09-19-2014 08:23 AM
Cat behavior is hard to modify, especially if it's due to hormones and social interaction. I was recommended to use Feliway, which is a little scent diffuser (like Glade!) that diffuses a scent that makes cats feel unthreatened and relaxed. It could help your kitty because he may be feeling threatened by the other cats--they are sorting out their pecking order. Even neutering a cat doesn't always take away this behavior because it kind of gets hard-wired into them after a while.
Many people report that Feliway works for cat aggression--you can go read the reviews with stories about similar problems to your kitty.
09-19-2014 08:43 AM
09-19-2014 09:04 AM
Awesome replies! I'm grateful you took the time.
capecdcat1 & NYwoman - thank you for the Jackson Galaxy referral. I always watched his shows on the Animal Planet. Can't believe I didn't think of him. I'm going to look into the relaxing product. And yes, Kibo has a few places to escape to, but it's weird - he doesn't run off. He just walks away.
jaxs mom - when I first adopted Taki I was told he was neutered, but I can definitely see furry balls (sorry if in bad taste). I brought him to my vet for a general exam. The girls at the front desk and technician all saw that he looks intact. My vet examined him then did an ultrasound and came backing they were empty...just hollow fuzzy balls. I felt them and they are indeed empty.
Campion - thank you for the suggestion. I'm definitely looking these up.
I just thought of something. The two times I saw this happen it was in front of their big water dispenser after Kibo had a drink of water. Taki loves water and often will sit and stare at it. He sometimes will lie next to the water with one paw on the bowl. I wonder if he was being possessive of the water and the behavior was his way of saying, "This water's mine."?
09-19-2014 09:11 AM
Oh ok, thanks for explaining. I had a similar thing happen with one of my boys that was a stray. He had fuzzy bumps back there too, and I'd never had an intact cat. When I took him in for a scheduled neuter they palpated him and said, nope nothing in there, he was already neutered. This is my same kitty that like to neck bite. LOL
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