[Empiricism]

Hello, I'm new to this board, and have some questions about some queer behaviour by my cats.

Due to a family emergency, I had to move out of my apartment and into my mother's trailer almost six months ago. She has six cats, most of which are about the age of 7 months. I brought with me two more cats, which I've had since they were wee kittens, and now are over a year old. One of them is very shy and skiddish, while the other is very laid-back.

Rexor (the skiddish one), has had a lot of trouble getting along with the other cats, but that was to be expected of him. He is very territorial and likes his privacy. He rarely lets anyone but me pet and hold him. The laid back one, Chino, has also had a lot of trouble. He has managed to mount every single other cat in this house, meaning, he bites their necks and looks as if he's trying to mate with them, even though they are all males also.

I've been trying my best to let them all play with eachother and get to know eachother, but for the most part, I end up having to keep my two cats in my bedroom.

I would like to figure out how to free them from the confines of this room, but they just will not get along with eachother! Not to mention, Chino also does this neck biting thing on Rexor, causing him to yelp in pain. It seems like no matter what I do, he will not cease this behaviour. It has almost gotten to the point where I want to give Chino up for adoption.

My other problem concerns my own behaviour. Because I have to work, and be gone for almost weeks at a time, my cats are alone with my sister and my parents, who feed and pet them while I'm away. I'm so rarely home that it seems as if I'm being cruel, and it overwhelms me with guilt, but I do have to work.

Could my being gone all of the time cause them to behave the way they are, and how stressful is it on them for me to be gone so much? They do spend most of the time in my bedroom, but is that humane? I love my cats very much and I wish to make their lives better.

If anyone could offer me some advice, I'd appreciate it.

 

[marijun]

it sounds to me like chino is having some territorial issues himself! when male cats mount other male cats, that's usually a territorial problem. trailers are usually pretty small, there's probably just not enough space for all those cats to get along. make sure you've got litter boxes and bowls of food and water spread throughout the trailer so they can all have some privacy if they need it. keeping them locked up in your room probably isn't a good idea, its probably making them more weirded out by the whole situation. the cats sound pretty stressed out. if you need to dicipline them, you should take a gentle approach. like instead of yelling or spraying them with water, you should break up the fight and give them some love. the best thing you can really do is try to make them all comfortable. sometimes it just doesn't work...my parents' cat tortured one of my boys endlessly no matter what i did. and my parents would yell at him or smack my boy like it was his fault, and that surely made it worse. give it a few weeks, don't give up your cats unless its absolutely necessary!

 

[seashell]

I'm new and I have some questions

Don't feel guilty about going away to work - we all have to earn a living. It sounds as though your parents and sister will look after them well.
Our old cat, Tinker, was 8 when I went away to University. Of course, I'd be away for 10 weeks at a time. Tinker was perfectly happy with Mum and Dad - but also really pleased to see me when I came home. She didn't forget me, and she didn't get all huffy and ignore me either.
I hope your cats will be the same - they should give you a great welcome home.

seashell

 

[Empiricism]

Well, I try to let them out as much as possible. They're in the room less and less each day. We've also tried letting one other cat at a time go in there and get familiar with mine.

My mother lets them out every day that I am away, and gives them the loving they so desire..

I'm hoping this will become an easier situation....

 

[queen of the nile]

Are they all fixed?

 

[drjean]

Queen you took the words right out of my mouth. I'll be they aren't neutered! That's the first thing the must be done. It's difficult to assess the behavior while they are still intact, because it is so typical of unneutered males.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[kitkat]

Don't feel bad about the work. I work and am away from home maybe like 9 hours or more a day. I think they feel like they missed me more b/c they act so cuddly sometimes when I come home. Plus my bf is home most of the day so they get affection from a human being throughout the day. :wink: