OMG where did you get them? If they were feral, it is very difficult to tame them. Did you get them at the same time, did they get introduced properly? A little more background please.

 

Craigslist. The listing more or less said "they're brothers, I don't have time or money to take care of them. Here's a picture, send me an email.. etc." I don't have much more information than that.

Introduction, wasn't too much more than them hiding in the carrier when they brought them over, we kind of tiled the carrier so they come out, all they did was run into the bedroom and hide under the bed for a few weeks. I had to kick them out of my bedroom because their constant wrestling/fighting was keeping my neighbors below me awake all night long, as well as me. My wife has sat for hours with them, as well as me. But they still run away when you get close.

Sound feral to you? They sure do to me. I'm inches from calling Animal Control on them.

 

I am so very sorry about this. Maybe this is why they were given away due to their behavior issues. It sounds like 6 months is enough time to get a cat socialized but in your case it has not worked. It may be too late now, but is it possible to separate them so they are not together so much? Do you ever spray water on the agressive cat, the one who initiates the fighting? What kind of behavior techniques have you tried. Maybe some of the cat experts on this site will be able to offer some suggestions.

I wonder how just one cat would do in your household. I remember after my two older cats passed away, my remaining one loved being an only kitty. She was such a different cat but then she got lonely so I ended up adopting a kitten. And now they fight a lot too but they do have moments where they are so tired that they just ignore each other.

 

They're not all over eachother all the time, and they don't follow eachother all the time, sometimes, not always. The aggressive one is the one I was trying to have neutered. Obviously he won't have that. I have a one bedroom apartment, so the only separation could be one in the bathroom, and one out of the bathroom. I don't spray water, but I usually get a handfull and toss it on him when they won't stop fighting.

Already emailed Animal Control. They may just need to be put down, and put out of their misery. They're terrified of everything in here, even though it's as quiet as can be...

 

Hmm that is tough but consider keeping one? I am a cat person so I always need at least one cat living with me.

 

Yeah I'm a cat person too, not fond of dogs really. Smelly, needy, clunky, etc...

Keeping one, well maybe. The aggressive one definatley not. The other one won't even let me close enough to pet him. So he's just as bad, but the other side of the scale. Tedi attacks/hisses/growls/snarls at me, Bear just runs away and hides. He only comes out at night to eat.

 

Well I've heard some cats like when the agressive cat is no longer around. Maybe Bear would warm up to you and your wife if he were an only kitty.

 

Yeah he's the quieter one. Bear does get kind of defensive though, with the hissing and all. They have apparently always been together, since they're brothers, from the same litter. I almost think it's too late for them, they're 18 months old.

 

Well, maybe they were abused as kittens and they don't trust humans anymore. I hope you can at least keep one. If you do give them to the Humane Society, would you consider getting more cats? Maybe you can foster one before adopting to make sure it is a good match for you and your wife.

 

The Baltimore County Humane Society won't touch them "if they can't handle them." SPCA says to contact Animal Control. I just sent AC an email a bit ago.

I'd get another one, as a kitten. No older than 4 or 5 months. Preferably younger, maybe 1-2 months. Better to start young I suppose. But neither of them have really shown any improvement yet. Tedi has, but as soon as he's nice, it goes away that fast. I feel that they were both abused and neglected. Like maybe born in the SPCA or something, I have no idea what happened to these cats.

 

I've had adult feral cats who were 'tamed' and became lovely housepets.

Separating them is the key. If the cat has no company but you, he sees no one but you, you're the only one who feeds him or talks to him, he'll warm up to you pretty fast. I bet if you gave the aggressive one to the SPCA or just had him put down (which is what I would do in this situation instead of turning him out to an uncertain fate on the streets - starving to death, killed in a fight, hit by a car - do the kind thing, catch him with a towel or a net and take him to the vet [note: that's also how we got our feral barn cats spayed/neutered] to have him humanely euthanized), the timid one would come right around.

 

So you think Bear is just afraid of Tedi? I guess that makes sense. Tedi typically will be the one to start fights.

 

They don't sound feral to me, they sound like very poorly socialized kitties. I believe they *can* be socialized because I have done it with multiple adult feral cats. The process usually takes a very long time of dedicated and persistent patience in working towards the socialization goals.
If you surrender these cats to anything but a no-kill shelter they will most likely be pts. As it is, the chances of them being adopted through the NKS is slim-to-none unless a foster care-giver agrees to take on the challenge and socialize them.
If you decide to get other kitties, be judicial in choosing and actually meet the cat(s) and spend time with them before committing. I think someone CL 'dumped' these two on you without giving you all the facts about their personalities/behavior because they couldn't or wouldn't socialize them and realized the problem of having unsocialized cats.
You've tried and that may be all you could have done for them. You tried. You cannot help it if they have not responded positively to your efforts.
Best of luck for a good resolution.
h

 

I think the best option may be to give up the very aggressive one, and keep the timid one. He may be better to work with. Thoughts?

 

I think it could help. At least it would give you one more opportunity to try to reach this cat through establishing a relationship and connect with him. Couldn't hurt to try, at least!

...and if it still doesn't work out ... you'll know you *did* try everything you could.

 

Well, the aggressive one is typically the one that will allow me to pet him the most. But, he's been under the couch all day long after his little carrier incident this morning, and again he picks all the fights. I'm not sure if Tedi is the right one to give up, since he isn't as skiddish.

 

Oops, I somehow managed to overlook the entire second page of this topic. Please disregard.

 

Who knows. I can't even get to him now to begin to cage him up to take him to the vet. I also don't really want to spend $150 to have him taken care of, and then find out he is the same animal.

 

Then surrender both and get a cat better suited for your family.

 

Well I'd rather not be facilitating two cats dying...

 

What are your options?
Please pardon my abruptness. In one breath you ask 'what do I do', in the next you say you want to give up on both and start over with a 'better' pet, followed yet again by maybe giving up only on one cat while keeping the other, then further waffling by trying to decide which of the cats to keep ... ?????!!!!!
Do you see where I am coming from?
Either you want to help these two cats, or you don't. I am sorry for being so blunt, but make a commitment or decide to do something else. I will readily admit, I am *not* a fan of the 'something else' option ... but I am realist enough to understand that if you do not have the skills and/or do not have the ability to expend the amount of time/effort this task requires, then your options for these two cats are going to be very limited.


Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach each cat on a personal level, individually, and on the cat's time-line ... no matter if it takes months or even years?

There ARE no quick-fixes for this scenario.
Anything 'fast' isn't going to be good.
Either you take the time and make a concerted effort to separate each cat and work independently with them to persistently, yet patiently, socialize them to your family (you and wife) or you don't. Concentrated and dedicated socialization is the ONLY thing that will turn either of these cats around to becoming relaxed and confident housepets.
Having them neutered will certainly help.
There are no guarantees about what sort of personality will develop or what level of socialization each cat will achieve after neutering and dedicated socialization work.
Are you prepared to accept the cats as they will be?
I absolutely feel their socialization can be improved but I will not sugar-coat this and tell you it will be easy. It will be long, hard work. BUT! ... the rewards will make all of your efforts worth it when you have happy and relaxed housecats. It *can* be done. It just needs to *be* done and you have to *live-it* every moment with both cats.
I have tamed and socialized completely feral adult cats into our own personal housecats and they are wonderful pets. I will help you all I can, explaining what to do, why you are doing it and what the goal is that you want to achieve with each step of teaching the cat socialization skills.

If you can not, or will not, dedicate yourself to teaching these cats the necessary socialization skills they need to have to live happily and confidently with a family, well, then, I just don't know what to advise you.

What are your options?


*edit*Do you live in an area safe enough (low traffic or loose dogs) these two brothers could live as outdoor kitties? If not completely loose, perhaps in a very large outdoor enclosure with temp-controlled sleeping area?

 

To start let me preface a few things:

1. They can't be outdoor cats for a few reasons... a) I live about ten miles from Baltimore city, a city with about 1 million stray cats. b) I live in an apartment. c) Big main road near my house.

2. I don't have any real way to separate them without losing all of my sleep. I tried this once, and they stayed up ALL night meowing from about 9 PM until I got fed up around 3 AM and let the one out of the bathroom. So separation isn't an option until I move in January.

As for your note regarding knowledge, time etc. Time isn't a HUGE issue, I have a few hours a day in which I'm not working, but my wife also needs attention. I also don't really have the know-how as to how to tame these little guys. I understand neutering MAY help, but I'm not financially in the position to drop $150 dollars per cat to potentially have no change, or make it worse. My wife would also put me in the "dog house" for a while.

Yes, I don't know what to do really. The only reason I said animal control, is because the SPCA and Humane Society both recommended it. Keeping one came from an earlier comment.

Still confused! But I hope that explanation helped.

 

Thanks, the explanation *did* help. I am now seeing just how up-against-the-wall you are with these two.

I have some ideas and suggestions, but I don't have the time to post right now. Let me think on this a bit and reply later tonight? I *do* want to help, and I hope that I can.
Let me tell you, though ... I think you *can* do this, even with the limitations you described. It may not happen fast, but it can happen. If you gather enough grains of sand, eventually you'll have a beach. Or a really big litterbox.
heidi =^..^=

 

Great! Looking forward to the ideas...

 

This cat is not fixed and that is one of the big reasons he is like that. I have one like that , found outisde my home about seven months old and hungry, I gave her food for couple of months and I finally took her in( neighbors were trying to get rid of her!!!!!). She would not let me touch her or pick her up. It was a mess taking her to vet. She scratched me all over. She wanted to get out every nite. That stopped after she was fixed and she mellowed out some. It has been almost 3 and half years now.. Little by little she is getting better. She now let me play with her and rub against me etc...etc... But she still won't let me pick her up. I rescued her not because to give me satisfaction that I want from pet, I rescued her because if I was not she would have been dead a long time ago, I am ok with that. She is not the friendliest cat in the world and probably never will be but she is enjoying good life, good food and plays and happy to be alive and I don't see there is anything wrong with that.

..and just to let you know last year she was diagnosed with felv!!!
get them fixed and give them a chance to live.