When cats attack. I need advice.

[graywarrior]

We are house/pet sitting for 3 months. The cats who live here are FUCKED UP, man. One is so fucking old she's ready for kitty heaven, another one looks at us with total distain, and the third one attacks anything he deems beneath him.

Enter our cat, Kamere, into the house and things are FUBAR. Kamere has nowhere to go, he's being attacked viciously, he's puking his guts up he's so upset. I know this is the other cat's house and Kamere is just visiting, but does anyone have a suggestion on how do deal with this? Like does it take a few weeks for them to get used to one another? The attacking cat is a male and so is Kamere so I'm sure the alpha thing is going on.

All this on top of finding out my job is moving way the hell up north so I can't get to it and Mr Gray had surgery yesterday for a skin tumor. If I drank, I'd be totally wasted right now. But I don't, so I have to deal and I am starting to lose it.

[redqueen]

1. I wish I knew how to help...

but I don't know the first thing about encouraging cats to get along with each other.

So I only have this: :hug:

Good luck.

[graywarrior]

2. My first hug for the day

Thank you.
:toast:

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Keep Kamere segregated from the others for now

In a room with a door you can close. The cats shouldn't see each other, but be able to smell each other under the door and hear each other. Rub the cats with articles of clothing or blankets, to get their scents on them, and place them with the other cat(s). I.E. place the one with Kamere's scent with the other cats, and vice versa.

Here's a good link about integrating cats:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_introducingcat

:hug:

[graywarrior]

4. Awesome!

Thank you!!!!!

[quakerboy]

5. I understand

that they make razor talons that can be attached to roosters for cock fighting. Perhaps adapting a set for Kamere's use would allow him to be left in peace.

Other than that, I go with what the earlier post said. Separate and acclimatize as best you can, and that may just help.

[graywarrior]

7. Thing is, Kamere out weighs this cat by at least 5 lbs.

Poor little bastid. I've kept him too sheltered.

[quakerboy]

8. alternatively

invisible fence collar for the mean kitty, and Kamere gets to wear the fence on his collar.

[graywarrior]

9. Whoa!

I like!!!

[SoxFan]

6. Squirt Gun Therapy

When Alpha Cat starts pulling shit, let him have it on the nose or =on the ass with a blast of water from a squirt gun. He will get the message pretty quickly.

[graywarrior]

10. We have a Bad Kitty squirt bottle and tried that on him.

He hissed at us and did the paw thing and would not move. Fucking cat is crazy. Right now he is sitting under my chair as I type like we're buddies.

[quakerboy]

11. Supersoaker

Squirt guns are for sensible kitties. Supersoakers are for mean kitties that cause harm beyond the usual kitty scope of things

[graywarrior]

12. He is now stalking the door of the room Kamere is tucked away in.

Bastard.

[NMDemDist2]

13. ....

that's good I think.

they'll learn to deal, and remember

this too shall pass

:pals:

[graywarrior]

15. Yay!

Thank you!

[Whoa_Nelly]

14. Put'em all up on the kitchen wall with duct tape

and have a little cat chat...

[graywarrior]

16. OMG, I could so do that!

OR OR OR!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/894332/duct_tape_on_a_cat/

[NMDemDist2]

17. that video is just WRONG

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:





:hide:

[graywarrior]

18. I'm dying here

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[NMDemDist2]

23. i gotta tell you about Miss Kitty

MK was a beautiful black semi long haired cat I got as a kitten when Mr. K and I were first married.

MK was VERY sweet but not very bright. Not very bright at all. In fact we swore she only had 3 brain cells (nick named Huey, Dewy and Louie) and every once in a while the 3 would align perfectly, MK would raise her head with a look like she'd just discovered the cure for cancer or some other weighty wisdom, the moment would pass and the blank stare would return.

All this sets the stage for the kitty trick that used to make me laugh so long and hard, I'd be gasping for breath, literally on the floor from sliding off the chair laughing.

MK LOVED the sound of the cellophane on Mr. K's Doral cigarettes. No other cellophane had just the right crinkle EXCEPT Dorals.

So empty Doral packs was a favorite toy. One day, I was working on some crochet and got the brilliant idea to tie a piece of yarn around the pack to improve the "Fuck with the Kitty" factor.

the wise and wonderful (and slightly wicked I might add) Mr. K decided the ticket was to tie said yarn with Doral pack attached around MK's tail. At just the exact correct length.

MK would twitch the tail. Pack would crinkle so invitingly. MK would attempt pounce on pack. Pack was just 'this far' out of reach.

Kitty would chase. Fast.

Pack would be airborne at the end of the string, just out of reach.

Kitty would go faster, Pack would stay airborne.

Faster and Faster around. Faster yet.

Pack would be (literally) a blur.

MK would collapse from exertion and dizziness and pant.

Tail would twitch. Pack would crinkle so invitingly.

MK would attempt pounce on pack. Pack was just 'this far' out of reach.

Kitty would chase.

Rinse Repeat

for as long as I could stand watching the torture, or until Mr. K would be in fear of my life as I couldn't draw breath from laughing any more.


Just thought I'd share.


:rofl:

[graywarrior]

32. OMG, that is the funniest story ever

:rofl:

[conscious evolution]

35. Tape sticky side out on

a cats paws.
Way fun.

[graywarrior]

45. .

:evilgrin:

[bettyellen]

19. that Feliway stuff can chill them out- Petco sells a spray version too. also if you need to keep the

glue some soft claws on their front claws. severly limits the damage they can do,

[graywarrior]

20. What is Feliway?

The soft claws come in various colors! I doubt "Socks the Bastard" would let me close enough to ram them on his vicious little claws.

[bettyellen]

26. LO, socks the bastid, eh? okay then- Feliway is a hormonal chillout scent spray widely available...

and widely acclaimed for it;s ability to get cats to chill the fuck out. it;s not a tranquilizer dart, it;s a diffuser you plug in or a spray you use to calm down cats. i have heard good things about bothe diffuser + spray... spray also might help you chill out cat enough to (with help) put on the softpaws. or so i have heard.
also someone told me you butter one cat and the other licks it of and they henceforth become friends. you'll have to tape that and tell me when you youtube it!
good luck doll!

[graywarrior]

29. Jesus, I'm already Jonesin' for it.

[LisaL]

21. Are the cats neutered?

If not they need to be. Neutered cats are a lot less agressive.

[graywarrior]

22. Yeah, they are.

Man, they must have some heavy duty testosterone

[quakerboy]

24. Temporary outdoor pussy?

[LisaL]

25. A horrible idea.

Indoor cats should not be outdoor, even if temporary.

[quakerboy]

27. Outdoor in a box

just enough for outdoor temperatures to sink into the kitty mindset and induce some humility. No worse than the squirtgun or a number of other choices.

Then again I didn't notice it specified whether this is indoor/outdoor dual use kitty to begin with. If so, a temporary exile might be just the calming factor necessary.

[graywarrior]

30. Two of the cats here are outdoor kitties

One is so old it forgot what outdoors is like. My Kamere is an indoor cat.

[quakerboy]

36. Is the mean one an outdoor cat?

If he is, there you have another solution. Make him a full time outdoor cat until he mellows out some.

Has the seperation you were trying helped reduced Kamere's stress levels any?

[graywarrior]

41. Yeah, Kamere is happy to stay in one bedroom, altho

he snuck out last night when I got up at 2 am (and stayed up til right this minute). There is a kitty door in the basement so keeping Socks the Impaler our permanently ain't gonna happen.

[quakerboy]

42. I am glad things seem to have improved

But I would note that doors can be blocked. A few Bricks, a heavy box, what have you. There are ways, just in case.

[graywarrior]

44. A dish towel jammed between the door and the door frame works like a charm

[quakerboy]

47. see. ya got things well in hand

Now I don't need to tell you about the other thing with the stapler, the Crisco, and the Zester.

[graywarrior]

48. Why don't you share that with all of us

[truedelphi]

49. I'm all ears. We have a renegade neighborhood cat

Who is in our house all the time. It's too cold to keep her outside, but she is clawing and biting our two "boys" terribly.

At this point, I am thinking "Cat bake"

[graywarrior]

51. Interesting. The owners told us that Socks was a neighborhood cat that adopted them

He kept showing up til they finally gave in and let him stay. He's a little monster. I guarantee that once Kamere starts to feel at home, he will kick his ass. Kamere is part Maine Coon and a feral kitty. He's a tough little bastard (you should see my sofa)

[truedelphi]

53. This Feliway suggestion seems like a godsend

We are gonna make a big box, add an extension cord and power surge strip then Feliway the living daylights out of her.

Our younger of the two males had part of his cheek missing yesterday morning. (I had left them alone for all of five minutes!) Neither male cat will fight her; they are totally cowed. And she is quite vicious.

Right now, we encage her in an upside down large Rubbermaid Laundry basket and she can see out. The lil bugger actually seems to like it in there.

I really like the name Kamere. What is its meaning??

[graywarrior]

56. Kamere, as in come here. You have no idea of the discussions that went into naming him

I need a cement block for this one. He just attacked my foot.

[quakerboy]

54. I have one trick that has worked wonders with my pets

I never get bit or clawed by animals that live with me. Its very simple, and it works, though I have had the fortune to get most of my animals young. When the ferrets, cats, dogs would bite me, I just trap them there. Mouth stuck open, on my hand/arm. And we just set a while. Same with claws. I keep the paw a while. They get the message pretty quick. Luckily I have thick skin. The babies have SHARP little teeth. Its a bit harder with a larger dog, but it still works (with the single exception of my aunts Down syndrome doggie).

I will grant you, nowhere near as exciting as something involving a Zester. And it may not help much with the intrapet interactions.

[truedelphi]

55. Im glad yr pets have a patient person in their life. The girl kitten is nice to people

It's just the "boys" she picks on.

And somehow the 14 lber doesn't realize he could smack her down any time he needs to.

[grasswire]

28. FELIWAY

It's a plug-in or spray that simulates a calming feline hormone. You can buy it at a veterinarian's or at most pet stores. It works for territorial issues like you've got.

There's also some calming herbal things given orally -- if you have a natural foods store you oughta be able to get something like that.

The Feliway plug-in is about $25, but it lasts a long time and is worth every penny in peace.

[graywarrior]

31. Thank you.

I will see about getting some today. (Like I can afford that shit)

[Dora]

46. About the feliway... concern...

We used it when we were moving from house to condo and back to house again. It was very effective at calming the cats. However, please do be careful of where you plug it in at.

This is only my own experience, and my mother's, but it was interesting.

I used feliway when we went through two moves plus a remodel in three months. We moved three cats from a home to a condo, and they were freaked. The feliway worked at keeping them chilled out. They got along better than they did at the house. My husband and I joked that we were stressed out but the cats seemed to be blissed. And he and I were both exhausted, and we just figured it was the stress of the moves. We had three feliway plug-ins, it was a 1200 sf condo.

A couple years later, my mother went through a period of extreme fatigue, foggy thinking, etc., and the doctor couldn't find a thing wrong with her. She always felt worse at home than at work.

She figured out that these symptoms didn't start until her naughty runaway cat came back home. My mother used feliway to prevent the cat from marking up the new carpet. It worked - the cat was totally chilled out - but my mother had plugged in the feliway in her office. Once she unplugged it, the next day she began feeling much better.

I recommend it to you, but suggest use it with caution.

[truedelphi]

50. I'm glad your mom figured this out.

CAution is needed when altering the air we breathe

[graywarrior]

58. Wow, that is interesting

I will watch for symptoms

[freeplessinseattle]

33. yes, I can attest!

integrating a male cat right now and the feliway made all the difference. keeping them separate for awhile is essential too, 3-5 days straight is about right, then gradual introductions, keeping the new cat separate at night for awhile too. can help you sleep thru the night better too.

That Feliway rocks! the effect was immediate, and makes my male cat seem happer and mellower in general.

[graywarrior]

34. Sold!

[bicentennial_baby]

37. Check your PM

:)

[graywarrior]

38. Can I just say that you totally rawk?

:loveya:

[bicentennial_baby]

39. Oh you...

:blush:

Really, it's a great coincidence! I don't need them, and you do! Perfect! :bounce:

:loveya:

[graywarrior]

43. We were made for eachother

I'll let you know when I'll be in Boston which will be soon. Have to visit BHCC.

[DS1]

40. look them outside over night

they'll be so glad to get back inside they'll forget about their squabbles



* don't do this *

[libodem]

52. Keep your kitty in a separate room

That's what I do with Toonsie. Bob and Ralphie are 8 y/o littermates and will tag team her if they get the chance. My room has an adjoining bathroom so the litterbox is next to the toilet for pooper scooping and the food is next to the tub. It's tight but my luuuuve cat is safe living on my bed. My door stays shut at all times. Bob and Ralph are half feral buttholes that are indoor-outdoor toughies. They luuuve my son and live on his bed.

[graywarrior]

57. He is behind this door

Note the stalkers.



Socks the Impaler



Socks stalking



Socks right before the vicious attack on my foot

[libodem]

59. Sorry it took so long to get back

Great pictures btw. Stalkers for sure. I have some of the same stuff going on. Once in a while Toons will get ahold of a hair tie and push it under the door to Ralphie, they will play, without tearing each other up. Seems you are doing the right things for basic cat socialization. I like listening to Patricia McConnell on NPR Saturdays. She's Zoologist, and talks about animal behavior.