has anyone used spirit essences? they have a bully stopper

 

Jackson Galaxy swears by them, so maybe worth a shot?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

yea I'll have to look into it... when asia was on her pain meds for surgery she was so sweet to everyone lol

 

J and I are hesitant to use something like that so its a last resort

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

Well, I go through this EVERY day. Maddie can be a bully, and even my 90% blind 5 pound Missy has been known to boss 23 pound Jack around. Really, unless it's really a BIG issue I just ignore it or use verbal tongue lashings - "MADDIE QUIT IT!!"

Maybe you can inprovise a second perch, like a high table or bookcase with progressive steps up to the top?

 

Marcia do you think its bad that seamus is a bush dweller

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

Btw thank you Marcia for replying... my husband takes advice from you guys more to heart than thoughts from me because he thinks I'm biased towsrds asias behavior... I mean she jumped up on the kitchen table and licked my plate and I thought it was cute and laughed before I took her down... I'm puddy in that cats hands

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

first off, cudos to your husband....2nd, a light lashing to you for reinforcing bad behavior...unless of course, you don't mind Asia taking over your dinner plate. A quick Tap and a loud NO would have been better than a laugh that said, "oh, that's alright cause you are cute:"....

I've never invested in cat trees cause there is always something around our rooms that I put a soft blanket on or a space for them to be up off the floor. Marble is now our 'Hall Troll" and this just started cause I left a box of my winter gear in the hall then put a soft blanket on it cause she seemed to like it. I think it has something to do with newcomer Annie, but Marble 'monitors' the hall leading to the downstairs. Well, today I put another box under the first one so at least she can't swat at the others as they go by.

I think that the mornings are feeding time and Asia knows this only too well. Why not eliminate the competition may be in her thoughts. So, why not carry Seamus down for the feeding? Maybe feed her in a separate place while you monitor? That way if Asia gets aggressive give her a stern look and a NO! And, I MEAN IT THIS TIME! If that fails, feed Asia farther and farther away...out of sight if need be. I am surprised that Annie learned the ropes so soon as all are fed in the same room and mentioned this to the wife. And she just smiled and said (as she held her wooden backscratcher in her hand) "oh, she is a quick learner." ...hmmmmmm.

Now I know why all of our cats have never been counter climbers.

Our newl post (?) at the end of the stairs has a flat top, mayb 6" square. On it I used to hang my jacket and found that they like sitting up there. so I padded it a little and secured a small soft blanket on it so it is now about 12" square. They all take turns sitting there but Kermit is usually there when he hears my van in front.. and I keep the lower sash window open on windows upstairs and one in the kitchen with a towel on the sill and they like to sun themselves there or just look out at the world. Ya, I pay a bit more for heat but then I get fresh air too which is worth it.

 

I could definitely have my husband carry seamus down... that cat loves me but he bites me when I pick him up lol.
Now I just give asia a look and she won't attack... but I was in the bathroom when they fought and my husband was witness and Asia couldn't give a hoot what jere said to her.. usually Roscoe our dog will wait at the top of the stairs for me to go down with him to protect him from her... she sometimes waits at the bottom to attack... The feeding time yes makes her aggressive but not while they actually eat.. they eat in separate rooms... its just while they go down the stairs... so maybe its because she is trying to cut off their resources by owning the stairs?
I never invested in cat trees until we got our puppy and asia went to the vet for her allergies and got so sick and the vet recommended we get her a tree to give her a stress free place to heal up... so she has a 6 foot tree and Seamus has only gone on it once... she owns the whole thing... he just has a cat bed on the floor and his own scratcher... poor cat

 

I think a big part of the issue is that Asia is bored and has too much time on her hands! Get that kitty a hobby. Really though, put up a bird feeder outside a few windows.

Also, if food time is when you have trouble make a point of exercising her first. That way she'll be too tired to be feisty.

Cats don't chase each other becayse they like it...people do that, animals have other reasons. They hunt because their insticts say that's how to get food, they chase other cats because they don't feel comfortable sharing territory. You need to find a way to expand the territory and make Asia feel secure that her resources aren't threatened.

Add cat posts, shelves, ect. This will give them more vertical space to use and since cats naturally like to be high it will help Seamus feel more secure too.

You also need to keep in mind how your reactions are effecting her behavior. I see this all the time with dogs; a dog barks excitedly on walks because he wants to go meet a dog, then he's punished for barking. If you repeat that enough youre actually creating leash aggression because the dog gets punished only when other dogs are around so the other dog becomes a predictor of discomfort.

In your case when you yell at Asia for chasing Seamus all she knows is that the Interloper was there and you yelled at her. Repeat that enough and it'll get much worse. You need to teach her that Seamus being there means GOOD things!

Start doing treat times with all of them. Put Seamus up on a table and your dog and Asia on the floor. Take turns giving them each treats and go quick enough that Asia doesn't have time to try to steal Seamus' treats. Use something really yummy, like bits if chicken or whatever meat you had for dinner. They onky get this for beinv together and behaving. An added bonus will be boosting Seamus' confidence and that will help too

 

Library chick thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. it had never occurred to me that stopping her from hurting him would be a bad thing. We do treat sessions with all of them.. and asia does not try and steal his treats.. they actually sit next to eachother and eat their treats... now that I'm thinking of it... the stairs seem to be the problem... I do need to get seamus off the floor though... Jeremy said he is going to make him a tree by christmas... so hopefully we will see alot of improvements... We need to go out and get more kitty treats we are almost out lol. thank you so much

 

I think a 2nd or even a 3rd cat tree is advisable. The more cats you have the more "territory" you need.

Here are some great options that aren't what I consider expensive, and much easier than building a cat tree (which can actually quite expensive to do, if you don't already have all the materials on hand).

After shipping, this tree is right at $100 (it's $205 at Petsmart, and that's before shipping!)
$100 (includes s/h) Beige 73" Cat Tree Pet House | Eastern Enterprises, LLC

$205 (plus s/h) Armarkat Cat Tree Pet Furniture Condo - 50x26x74

This one is about $80, after shipping (it's $180 at Petsmart, and that's before shipping!)
$80 (includes s/h) 80" Cat Tree Condo Furniture Scratch Post Pet House | Eastern Enterprises, LLC

$180 (plus s/h) Kitty Mansions Denver Cat Tree Furniture - Cat - Boutique - PetSmart

Both of these (I have multiples of each of these at my house) are REALLY heavy and come shipped in a HUGE box, so be prepared to carry it in your house, and definitely assemble them in the room you want them LOL.

It sounds like to me, one of your cats may just need more playtime. Mr. Diggs can get too play aggressive if I don't playtime him enough (can't go more than 2 days) .. he starts to stalk Momma and pounce her if I don't .. and she doesn't always appreciate it lol. So I make sure to keep him good and worn out on a daily, multiple session a day basis, so he isn't too naughty.

I highly recommend Hyendry Brand cat toys.. they are, IMO, the most bang for your buck cat toys out there.

I also like that they are made by a home based business here in the US, not mass produced by some company over in China putting god knows what in/on them, since they are going to be on/in your cats mouth.

I highly recommend the "HyFlyer" .. it replicated a bird flying. The cats go BONKERS .. they will play with it until they are panting or my arms get tired one. I have to hide it in the closet or the cats will watch where I put it, and then destroy it later lol.


If your cat likes the laser light .. we have one that is battery operated .. and it's AWESOME for entertaining them while I'm either cooking, or even gone. It has a timer, so you can set it for 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes at a time.

You need to make a judgement call on using the laser, some people say they are bad, some say they are ok. I've personally never had a problem using the laser light, so I don't view it as a problem toy.
The one I have is the Dart, but they have several different types.
FroliCat? ? Interactive Laser Cat Toys

The cat tube is another favorite ($5 at Walmart) entertainment ALL day (and night .. it's a little loud though) lol.

 

it might be a good idea to make sure there's a way down or away should seamus get "cornered" by asia at the top of a cat tree. i've always made sure that there's more than one way up/down from a a cat tree for my cats.

 

if you're thinking of adding a cat tree(s), you might check out both amazon and ebay.

on amazon, you can buy very large cat trees and get free shipping -- shipping can get expensive for the larger cat trees. two of my favorite cat trees are 1) Amazon.com: Armarkat B5701 57-Inch Cat Tree, Ivory: Pet Supplies and 2) Amazon.com: 74" Classic Cat Tree in Beige: Pet Supplies

ebay has good cat trees available too. but be careful that the listing either has free shipping or figure that the shipping can cost the most. i bought my cats first cat tree on ebay for 99 cents -- for a 72 inch tall cat tree, and the shipping cost $114.

i prefer the armarkat brand cat trees because they're very sturdy and we can buy replacement parts for them (instead of having to buy a new cat tree). the models with wider bases seem to be more stable, but i also place mine next to walls.

 

My current cat tree is a 68" amarkat cat tree..i think i would go with them again if i bought one .... my husband was thinking of making a simple singlr perch cat tree for Seamus... I would prefer to go buy one lol but he really wants to make it... I play with asia for about an hour every night I have a couple interactive toys... she's not a huge fan of the lasers but I do have one.... she just loses interest because she can't bite it thanks for all of your advice guys

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

For cats who get frustrated with a laser pointer an easy way to drain that frustration is to add treats. So once in a while let her 'catch' thr light and toss a treat down so she has something to chomp.

If you're already playing with her it might ve a good idea to consider clicker training. Some cats who are very smart or have a lot of energy need something extra to do with their brains...or they go a bit nuts and make games for themselves. Like chase the other pets.

Clicker training would give her something to do with her brain and, if you start with things like come, can also help get her out of trouble-causing mode.

A quick search on youtube will give you awsome results for clicker training.