Beauty

[Jeremiah 2911]

On 9/19/2014 F1wild said:

On 9/19/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:

First of all, I suggest that you discontinue spraying your cat(s) with water. This causes the cat(s) to be fearful, teaches them to be aggressive and will cause you to have an adversarial relationship with your cat.

Spraying a cat with water also causes Upper Respiratory Infections and pneumonia. Vets have reported a rise in URI's and pneumonia in cats and this has been directly linked to the practice of spraying cats with water.

I said the water was a thought, but I've never sprayed either of them (or my 2 Shelties) mainly for the reasons you stated. I believe in positive, not negative training.

If you've observed one of your cats being protective over water, then alleviate the problem by providing another water bowl. Consider providing a ceramic pet fountain for them as well. Provide two separate food bowls as well.

I actually have 4 water bowls, 2 fountains, especially since we're in the dry Phoenix desert. Everyone has their own food bowl.

Don't yell at the cats. If the cats are fighting with each other, stand up, separate the cats and say a firm, "No-no" in a monotone voice. Gently pick up the aggressive cat and separate him by isolating him in a different area of the house for a few minutes.

I only yelled the first time. And when I say yelled it was really more like a shocked exclaim. I'm lucky to have Chewiee, the Enforcer Sheltie. He steps between the kitties, separating them. Then he "herds" one to another area. I don't even have to pay him.

Provide the cats with more playtime. Siamese cats needs lots of stimulation as they are very intelligent and active. Buy the cats a TURBO SCRATCHER (Walmart, $12) that they can play with independently. Flick a wand with a feather at them so they jump around and try to catch the feather. Increased activity will lessen the anxiety of the cat(s).

I've had Siamese my whole life and know the tricks. Kibo & Taki each have their own Turbo Scratcher, toys, perches, beds. I do the feather and sparkling wand with Taki. Kibo prefers to play fetch with a mousie. We do this 2-3 times per day.

Feliway is a good idea. It is a synthetic cat pheromone that provides temporary relief of anxiety in cats. It is helpful for getting a cat out of the <em>habit</em> of being aggressive, biting, etc. Get the plug in diffuser and place it in an area where the cats are hanging out.

<em>I've never heard of this so will get some and a plug in. Great idea!</em>

Add a litter box if you don't already have at least two in the house. When you have more than one cat, the cats can begin to have anxiety if they have to compete for a litter box.

Leave the lids off so cats can see what's going on around them while they're doing their business. Make sure litter boxes are located in an area that is close to them; for instance, do not place litter boxes in the basement if cats hang out upstairs.

I have 4 easy access, but discrete litter boxes. I've always known the importance of this.

Buy some good cat treats and give them each one while they are in each other's presence. Sweet talk them and pet them when they are together and behaving nicely.

Always keep a kind & loving attitude towards your cats and they will respond in like manner. Cats, just like dogs, always wish to please their guardians and can be trained to be courteous, polite and well mannered pets.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I think I'm doing almost everything right. My kitties & pups are my children. They do know they have to follow the rules, but I don't believe in negative responses if they're bad.

Sounds like you are doing everything right!

Please understand that I always include warnings about not yelling at cats, not spraying them with water and generally not using any form of deterrent that frightens, confuses or harms cats (or dogs for that matter.)

I realize that most of us cat guardians know not to do these things and that we would never intentionally harm our cats -- but I post it for the sake of others who read here.

I don't believe in any type of negative reinforcement either. Positive reinforcement techniques are best for training cats & dogs, IMHO.

Hopefully the Feliway diffuser will provide a calming influence on your cat and you'll have no more issues with him.

By the way, I'm a little envious of your Chewiee, The Enforcer Sheltie. We could use a little help herding our 9 cats... And he works for FREE? Amazing deal. LOL.

[GCR18]

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.

I had a boy and girl from the same litter. Got them when they were three months old. They were best friends and always slept together until one day.... My boy started the mounting and biting the neck of my girl when they were around 12. He became really jealous of her and any attention she got. It would happen after she sat on my lap or something similar. He'd even jumped on her a couple times when she was doing her business and she'd run and I'd find little treats around the house. She eventually found secret spots in the house to sleep where he couldn't find her. I didn't favor one over the other, but he apparently thought I did. I wasn't able to fix it. My girl passed away at 14 of an undiagnosed heart problem. My boy is now 17 and has loved being an only cat.

[F1wild]

Jeremiah 2911 - Yes, Chewiee is quite the character. I don't know anything about his background because he was a rescue from Colorado, but I sense he may have been trained partially to be an assistance dog. I say this because when I was going through cancer treatment a year ago all I had to do was look like I was going to be sick and he would bark. He also retrieves and places object (not just balls) in my hand, and I can specify verbally left or right hand.

Plus, the free cat herding. He only gets his breackie, dinner & 1 treat...but he is my love bug who loves his mommy's cuddles.

Nine cats? My next door neighbor has 11...2 litter boxes...need I say more?!

[myshell624]

Oh all this cat talk. LOL. My mom and I found four kitties today under a shed in her back yard. No mama cat in site. Thankfully, they were able to eat on their own. I think they're about six weeks old. I think the beautiful little white and grey girl will end up at my house:-) I called my vet and am bringing her in on Monday. My mom has an Amish building that has heat and air. There is a furnished room in it that we placed the kitties in to keep them safe. We made sure it was kitty proof. We both have cats and my vet recommended not introducing them to our cats until they are tested for leukemia. I'm hoping they are all healthy. They are full of energy. My mom wants one too. We're going to find homes for the other two.

[Jeremiah 2911]

On 9/19/2014 F1wild said:

Jeremiah 2911 - Yes, Chewiee is quite the character. I don't know anything about his background because he was a rescue from Colorado, but I sense he may have been trained partially to be an assistance dog. I say this because when I was going through cancer treatment a year ago all I had to do was look like I was going to be sick and he would bark. He also retrieves and places object (not just balls) in my hand, and I can specify verbally left or right hand.

Plus, the free cat herding. He only gets his breackie, dinner & 1 treat...but he is my love bug who loves his mommy's cuddles.

Nine cats? My next door neighbor has 11...2 litter boxes...need I say more?!

I'm sorry to hear that you were so ill. That must have been a terrible time for you. I hope you are doing better now.

Our furry friends are such an important part of our lives. It's good that you have such loyal and loving furbabies.

[Katluvr58]

On 9/19/2014 Campion said:

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.

I have worked for a vet and I have used Feliway. I used the spray but that is because my 3 cats get into fights under my bed when I am sleeping so I spray the mattress and they don't fight there anymore. I have had 16 cats and believe me cat behavior changes from cat to cat and even minute to minute. I would try the feliway diffusers that you plug in because they will calm the cats down. Otherwise I would look on the net for articles from vets regarding cat behavior.

[Andreatoo]

Since the gesture you refer to is done during mating I can only assume that in cats that are neutered its a macho controlling gesture. I have 4 cats, three females and a male. My male, Ozzie, prefers the company of cats and has to have a kitty friend thus one of the girls is actually his cat lol. While he's a big wimp he's a huge cat and my other two girls seem to be a little afraid of him although he's never done anything to them. Fiona is his buddy that he pals around and cuddles with but I have seen him maybe twice in the last couple of years since I got Fiona, biting her neck. I guess my point is that since he truly adores her that the neck biting is not a fighting thing but something else entirely