Need help with cats

[SC Minnie]

We adopted a stray about a month ago (the white one in my sig). He is typically well mannered. He plays a lot, doesn't scratch the furniture, uses the litter box, likes being held, etc. The vet thinks he's a little less than a year old. He's been neutered, tested, and had all his shots before we brought him home.

We kept them separated for about a week then slowly introduced them. The cat we already had, Tinkerbell, would hiss and everything but pretty much just watched him. For the past week or so the new cat, Simba, has been charging at Tink. She tries to run from him but he chases her. She has no interest in playing with him at all. He will 'attack' her (no biting just with the claws which have been trimmed) and she screams and tries to run away. What can I do to get him to stop this??? They will eat together and lay on the couch together and such so its no like there is constant fighting.

 

[mtdevine615]

We had the same problem with our two cats (male and female). He would attack her every once in a while, so we thought. She would always hide under the bed if he got too rough but they tolerated each other. Sadley we had to put him down due to kidney cancer and what a difference our female cat has been now that he's not around. I don't think she misses him at all. We had no idea that he was picking on her that bad.

 

[walkerag]

Sounds like normal cat play to me. They do this stuff to try to show dominance in the household. As long as they're still co-existing fine and he's not hurting her at all I wouldn't worry about it. When she's had enough she'll let him know

 

[MomofKatie]

He's only a year old? He is still a kitten. He has lots of energy and wants to play.

We have a male cat and 2 females. The male is 15lbs. and the females are 8 and 10lbs. When he was a little younger, he would chase and wrestle with the girls- he just didn't realize how rough he was when he played. When they had had enough, the 2 girls both hissed, growled, and swiped at him until he either stopped or they ran away.

Now that everyone is a little older- the boy is 3 1/2, and the girls are 3 and 5- everyone has calmed down considerably. Every once in a while, he pounces on one of them for old times sake, but they mostly get along now.

Of course, some cats are just more agressive than others. If you have an agressive, "alpha" cat and a cat that is a submissive victim, they will have scuffles. Maybe you can figure out a system for the picked on kitty to have some alone time during the day? Seperate them for a few hours every day. Also, feeding them in seperate areas is a good idea, so timid kitty won't feel like she has to run away from her dinner. Have at least 2 litter boxes set up in different areas of the house- our male used to "guard" one box when he was younger. He'd pounce on the girls when they tried to use that box.

 

[tictac]

The same thing happened with my cats. I had one cat Tic-Tac for many years then I adopted a female (Pepper). The process took about a month. She was in the master bath for about a week, so they could smell each other but not come in contact (lots of hissing) Week 2 I switched their blankets so they would become more accustomed to their scents. Week 3, I introduced them. There was curiosity but still hissing and some fighting. I only left them together if they were supervised. Now they are inseparable Be very patient ..take it very slow and don’t push them

 

[loveysbydesign]

We've had similiar issues as we had 2 cats and rescued 2 more and then 1 year laer recuse 2 more. The only thing that worked for us was Feliway spray...I get mine on Amazon as it's the cheapest I can find it.

 

[Imzadi]

It sounds like a dominance issue, not play. The male cat is instinctively trying to establish his dominance over the female cat. Not sure if you can do anything about it. Some cats have to work that out for themselves.


What is the Feliway spray supposed to do? You spray it on one cat?

 

[loveysbydesign]

It sounds like a dominance issue, not play. The male cat is instinctively trying to establish his dominance over the female cat. Not sure if you can do anything about it. Some cats have to work that out for themselves.


What is the Feliway spray supposed to do? You spray it on one cat?

Feliway spray is an artificial phermone spray that makes cats happy...spray it around on your carpet furniture etc. My one cat loves it so much..a Bengal we rescued and actually bought the feliway for...that she follows me around when i spray it.

 

[Imzadi]

Feliway spray is an artificial phermone spray that makes cats happy...spray it around on your carpet furniture etc. My one cat loves it so much..a Bengal we rescued and actually bought the feliway for...that she follows me around when i spray it.

Oh, I thought it was like those bitter apple sprays you spray on furniture you don't want the cats to claw. Like, you spray one cat so the other cat stays away.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I'm having the same kinds of issues with my two cats. We had a big male tomcat (14-15 lbs), probably about 5 yrs old, and adopted a 4-month-old female kitten in January. The tomcat, Pumpkin, is an inside/outside cat; we live on a small cul-de-sac and he enjoys visiting the neighbors and prefers to go outside rather than use a box. Our new kitty, Daisy, is strictly an indoor kitty, and when Pumpkin comes in to eat, she jumps on him. I can't decide if she's playing or if she's a bully! He runs from her most of the time, but sometimes will chase her back, growling at her and they tussle every few days. They will eat side-by-side and sometimes both sleep on my bed, on opposite sides, so I don't think they hate each other. I am hoping that as Daisy becomes an adult, she will calm down and they will peacefully co-exist.

 

[si-am]

We have the same issues even though our cats have been together 5 years! We have a big, 18 pound boy (7 years old) who is super mellow and laidback. Our girl is only 9 pounds (5 years old) but really active and pretty aggressive towards the male-- always has been.

Occasionally they will play together-- chase each other around the house. Most of the time they sort of ignore each other. But sometimes something will set her off and she tackles the boy, growling and hissing. He is quite large enough to hurt her if he wanted to, but he usually just runs away and hides.

 

[mamacatnv]

Simon is 7, Baxter is 11 - this kind of behavior has been going on since the day Simon came home. They are the best of buds one minute and the next Baxter is reprimanding Simon for something. Their behavior includes snarling, swatting, attacking, hissing and chasing.

Baxter is the older, grumpier and more dominate kitty - he keeps everyone in line. Heck DH is afraid to try and get him out of his chair when Baxter has taken over and is asleep since Baxter will hiss and swat at DH Ornery old kitty!

I have noticed that Deck'Ster our feral female who eats and sleeps in the house has been testing the limits with Baxter and he is not taking it from her either. Deck'Ster has been around for 2.5 years.

I think it is typical cat heirarchy behavior

 

[shortbun]

We had the same problem with our two cats (male and female). He would attack her every once in a while, so we thought. She would always hide under the bed if he got too rough but they tolerated each other. Sadley we had to put him down due to kidney cancer and what a difference our female cat has been now that he's not around. I don't think she misses him at all. We had no idea that he was picking on her that bad.

Same thing here. Our male totally dominated our female and we didn't realize it until he was gone. She completely changed, got cuddly, gained weight and enjoys our attention.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i have 3 cats and they all do that to eachother at LEAST once a day lol. occationally if one of them starts hissing at the other, i'll intervene and they'll stop but for the most part, they just like to play and that's how they do it.

as long as they're not hurting each other, it's nothing to worry about.

 

[amyren]

Our Chloe was about 2 when we introduced Humo (a male kitten) and we had similar issues. It just took time for them to warm up to each other. Chloe found some really good hiding places so that she could have alone time but after a few months they were best buds.

 

[HeatherH]

Feliway also has a plug-in thing that releases the pheromone over the course of a month or so. Does it really work? Meh, not so sure, I've used it for years and have seen no real difference.

OP, as the others have said, it is SO normal for cats to tussle. I have two adult cats, one a shelter, one a stray, and it was a long journey to get them to even tolerate each other. Which they do, and have for years. They even sometimes kinda sorta like each other, but not very much.

And pretty much EVERY day, they have a tussle. No real biting, no claws, they just do the sissy fight thing. It used to alarm me to no end, but now I either laugh at it or ignore it. They really are NOT hurting each other. And since they are both getting to be fatties in their old age, I think of it as their exercise.

You are still VERY early in the introducing process. As long as they are not truly hurting each other, I would let them work it out. Good luck!

 

[pppiglet]

We have 10 and someone is always hissing at someone! Our littlest one is 2 and very small. The 1 year olds are twice her size. She's the one that hisses at the others most of the time, but they all have their days. One just likes to sit and stare at her and really makes her hissy! The next thing you know they're licking each other.

 

[Sleepy]

Sounds like normal cat play to me. They do this stuff to try to show dominance in the household. As long as they're still co-existing fine and he's not hurting her at all I wouldn't worry about it. When she's had enough she'll let him know

well said

 

[minniecarousel]

We have a pair of brothers and they've always been together. One is definitely the alpha, but they appear inseperable. (I worry what will happen if one dies - I think the other will have a rough time.)

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I'm going to suggest Feliway as well. We have the diffuser, and I can tell when the diffuser runs out! We had a similar problem with a new cat teasing one of our older cats. So long as the Feliway's in action, there's very minimal teasing and the teased kitty will stand up to the teaser. (He teases, she waves her paws, he goes away. We see this behavior about twice a week.) No Feliway and there's a lot more teasing and the teased kitty won't stand up to the aggressor. (He chases, she runs. She's hiding and miserable. We see this twice a day.).

Feliway has cat pheremones in it. It makes the teaser calmer and more relaxed, because a lot of cat aggression comes about because of anxiousness and insecurity. The pheremones are supposedly very calming and reassure the cat, because suddenly the house smells like cat (to the cat - I can't smell anything!).