[Jan Rebecca]

I need some suggestions on how to handle Tuffy when he gets a bit over aggressive.

Such as -- the other night he and Molly were playing - I thought he was getting a bit too rough in their play - he didn't seem angry or upset with Molly just playing but I'm not sure if he realizes how easy it would be to hurt her with rough play, so I stepped in and picked up Molly - Tuffy got aggressive with me - ran after me - bit my leg and when I turned to say 'no Tuffy' in a stern voice he lunged at my hand to bite me.

He's NEVER bitten hard enough to draw blood but this has happened before - however - hissing at him always has worked before - this time I was slightly scared of him and I'm not sure how to handle it should it happen again -

And yes I know - NEVER EVER to hit him - I never have and would NEVER consider it -

I've heard of tapping them on the nose but is that really recommended?

 

[rightsaidfed]

It doesn't sound to me like he's aggressive, more like he just gets a little out of hand while playing. In many cases cats that nip like that are bored or seeking attention.

Can you wear him out a little by playing with both of them together with a feather or wand toy? If you get both of them playing with you on the other end of the toy, you can monitor their play, they still get to be social, and any roughness should be directed at the toy.

Obviously you can't be there 24/7, but this might be a good step in getting some of that energy out each day so he does get too rough.

My source: I just watched 2 seasons of My Cat From **** marathon style over the last 2 days.

 

[MowMow]

I had this happen twice with MowMow when Shepherd Book was new. I hate to admit this but I scruffed him. I didn't LIFT him by his scruff, he's too heavy for that but I pinned him down by his scruff and told him off (very quietly) but good.

Both times I reminded him that I loved him but that I was the one paying the bills and until he contributed he could suck it up and be nice to me, angry or not. There were a lot of "No's" and "Never's" thrown in.

NO, I'm not proud of it. Both times were out of temper (mine) but he never did it again. They were within a few days of each other.

He may still get rough with the kitten but if I reach in to separate them MowMow backs off and just stands there lashing his tail and huffing hard.

 

[Susan]

Hi Jan Rebecca! I hope all is well with you.

After their long intro, Abby would sometimes get too rough with Muffs. I didn't worry unless I heard Muffs screeching, whereupon I reached for the "coin can". It's a can half filled with pennies and marbles and it makes one heck of a noise when I shake it. I always ensured the cats didn't see that I was the one shaking it, so it seemed as if the noise just came out of nowhere. But, whenever they heard that horrible noise, both cats ran off in opposite directions. End of scuffle. To this very day, the coin can sits on the table next to my favorite chair...just in case!

 

[catloverami]

You don't say how old Tuffy or Molly is, or if there's a large difference in size. Normally, I don't intervene in tussles even if there's growling or hissing. In my case Zuba is usually the aggressor and tries to dominate Alkee. Most of the time she can stand up for herself, but if she doesn't want to for whatever reason, she runs to me to stand and/or sit behind me, and Zuba never goes after her then. Other times she turns the tables and becomes the aggressor....Zuba usually flops down and lies on his side, she sniffs his bottom and then that's the end of it. So unless there is blood being drawn and claws causing puncture wounds I would let them sort it out. Sometimes cats get into tussles as an attention-getting device....this happens when I'm on the computer sometimes or otherwise occupied, but if I walk out of the room the tussle usually stops and they come to see what mummy's doing. As far as aggressive lunges are concerned and biting, he deserves to be told very sternly "bad boy!" (never use his name when giving hard discipline), and give him a hard stare and stomp your feet towards him. Most cats don't like that and will run off. I'm not a fan of hissing at a cat to show displeasure, nor would I scruff unless it was an emergency, like having to get a cat into a carrier in a hurry. Susan's "coin can" is also a good idea.

 

[Jan Rebecca]

Molly is about seven weeks old - just a little bitty thing and Tuffy is two years old - a big ole grumpy boy - LoL - but he's my baby!

 

[MowMow]

I do agree with them working it out once she's bigger. I still hover when they argue but I don't step in anymore. I just referee to make sure no one is getting really hurt.

Until she gets some size I would do the same thing, step in to make sure he's not being too rough with her.

 

[catloverami]

Molly at 7 weeks, definitely too young to be roughhousing with a 2+ y.o. male at that; she should really still be with her litter mates and mamacat until she was 11-12 wks. old! He doesn't sound as if he's playing gently with her, so I would definitely intervene as she's too young and could get hurt.....when she's over 12 wks. supervised play only, and by the time she's 4 mo. old she should be OK to be able to stick up for herself.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

I do not interfere with my cats' play or the status wrestling between them unless the less strong cat indicates they have been hurt; usually by a verbal protest. That said, I have never had a cat injured by another cat the the last forty years.

The only cat I had to interfere with was Apache when I first tried to introduce her to the catroom. Apache was a feral I did not get until she was three months old. She and her mom were living in my Dad's woodpile. One day Dad found the mother dead on the street in front of the house and the kitten began to keen in the woodpile when the mother did not come home. Mom and Dad captured the kitten and called me to come get her. Apache was WILD and took me months to tame. She also trashed the catroom and seemed determined to beat up every cat in the cat room. I broke it up after her second fight and removed her from the room. She lived as an only cat in the rest of the house for 12 years. Patch slowly made friends with the cats in the catroom through the wiring over the next 10 years and when I abolished the catroom, she had no problem with the remaining cats roaming the rest of the house. She made sure they understood she wa the alpha female, but no blood or fur flying and no other problems. It was an interesting process and I loved being part of it.