[LadyMiseryAli]

Peanut is six months old today. And he is STILL heckling Chinchilla. Everyday they fight and everyday I worry she's going to beat the living crap out of him. I don't intervene, so I would think they would have worked through whatever it is that is bothering them. I would think that by now Peanut would understand that she doesn't tolerate him smacking her on the head or biting at her heels. He won't listen to her cues and her hissing at him does nothing to deter his behavior. We had gotten the feliway diffuser two months ago and it did nothing. I want to hope that he will stop being a bratty boy, but it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon and my SO is getting fed up with Peanut's bullying. Peanut doesn't like him touching him at all and a few nights ago, he hissed at my SO and took a swipe at him. He doesn't like men it seems, which is bad because the SO says that he will not tolerate this bad behavior if it doesn't stop. On one hand, I understand, but on the other hand I don't want to have to rehome Peanut over something that can be reversed.

And before anyone suggests it, I can't put Peanut in a separate room. There are no other safe rooms in the house we live in.(don't want judgements for that, nor questions).

The clicker training hasn't sunk in yet either. He doesn't obey the few commands we've been trying to teach him.

I'm doing my best here. What more could be done?

 

[marie73]

Been there, so not fun. If Peanut is the brat and Chinchilla is the one fighting back, I'd let them continue, if there's no bloodshed or anything. He needs to learn to stop, and she will teach him. With my little bully cat, she was physically attacking my twins and they wouldn't fight back. She eventually had to be rehomed. I tried everything, for a year and a half, even kitty Prozac.

Lisa (Doodlebug) has mentioned Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming Treats that help with her Kobi (during full moons and such).

 

[LadyMiseryAli]

Been there, so not fun. If Peanut is the brat and Chinchilla is the one fighting back, I'd let them continue, if there's no bloodshed or anything. He needs to learn to stop, and she will teach him. With my little bully cat, she was physically attacking my twins and they wouldn't fight back. She eventually had to be rehomed. I tried everything, for a year and a half, even kitty Prozac.

Lisa (Doodlebug) has mentioned Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming Treats that help with her Kobi (during full moons and such).

There's always a fear of Chinch killing Peanut or harming him bad. I mean, she's only nicked him once and we dull their nails with pedi-paws every couple of weeks. I just wish she could get him to realize his behavior is unacceptable, like Supernanny or something.

As for the treats, what's in them exactly? Is it like a sedative?

 

[marie73]

Oh, I didn't realize the fighting was that serious. It's horrible, isn't it?

You might ask your vet about the kitty prozac. It didn't make even the slightest difference with Gigi, but some people have had good results.

Here's the link for the treats: (I think it's all natural ingredients)

Pet Naturals Calming Cat Soft Chews at PETCO

 

[LadyMiseryAli]

Oh, I didn't realize the fighting was that serious. It's horrible, isn't it?

You might ask your vet about the kitty prozac. It didn't make even the slightest difference with Gigi, but some people have had good results.

Here's the link for the treats: (I think it's all natural ingredients)

Pet Naturals Calming Cat Soft Chews at PETCO

Sometimes I think it looks worse than it is because I've never seen two cats fight so much. Sometimes it seems like play, but other times it seems serious.

The treats sound like something worth a shot.

 

[Alpaca]

A few things here. First, I've been told another member that if there's no sound (ie: continual sustained hissing and yowling), then it's play.

Between Miu and Jack, it took roughly a year and a bit for them to work out the hierarchy. Although Jack was very compliant and knew his place, Miu still need to 'remind' him frequently who was boss. Even now, if she's in a bad mood, she'll smack him or chase him off, but not as badly as at the beginning. They're ok for the most part now. They even have playdates after dinner where they disappear together to play.

As for separating them if you're out or unable to supervise, there's always the option of a large dog kennel. Miu has one where I used to put her (she had to be re-litterbox trained). She's a small 7.5lb thing but I got the biggest kennel (48") to fit a litterbox and a crate inside.

Cats are also pretty sensitive. He probably senses your SO's dislike of him so he's returning the sentiments.

Hope that helps.

 

[catloverami]

LadyMiseryAli, I can well understand your and your SO's frustration. It's certainly stressful living in this kind of situation. It makes it harder when you don't have a spare room for time outs, but as Alpaca mentioned a large dog kennel is a good substitute, and it collapses flat if it comes to point you don't need it out. I have found that playing "the heavy" with a dominant cat can work. You SO should not do this, but it will be up to you since you are the prime provider for Peanut? So the next time Peanut attacks Chincilla, doesn't listen when you call him off, isn't distracted from his pursuit, you should go after him with stomping feet and a stern "Bad Boy! Off!" Chase him a bit, don't touch him, stand and give him a hard stare until he averts his eyes. You have to show him you will no longer tolerate his bullying. You'll have to be the judge of when his attacking is excessive. If it's just little playfight, OK don't interfere, but if he's bugging Chincilla when she's hissed/growled/swatted him several times and is relentless where you can see she's really upset, then go after him. It's my experience that majority of cats don't like being chased with heavy feet and will run off. Occasionally I have to do this with my Zuba, but most of the time now all I have to do is say "Off" or stamp a foot on the floor and he obeys. Hopefully this will shock Peanut into good behavior that mommy is mad at him, and after a few times, all you may have to do is say "Off!" or stomp the floor with your foot. On the other hand when he is being a good boy, praise him even for the simplest thing, e.g. using his scratching post. Give him treats and lots of loving too, and the same with Chinchilla---but do it in another room out of hearing and sight of Peanut to avoid arousing jealousy. You've got to be the one with "an iron fist in a velvet glove".
A word of caution: if you find Peanut does not respond with respect and obedience to you, doesn't run off and instead attacks or looks like he may threaten you with dilated eyes and ears back, then I would not use this method again, as it would show he's a very dominant cat that won't back down. In that case you should ask your vet about Clomicalm to get him over this aggressive bratty teenage stage. He may be better as he matures around a year and grows out of this, but it's possible he may not too. But it is too early to give up on him and you should give him a chance. Your SO should feed him some of his meals at times and give him treats, but let Peanut come to him for affection rather than trying to initiate it. Wish you all well and hope it works out for you...let us know how it goes. Good luck!

 

[doodlebug]

There's a distinct difference between play and real fighting, you can see it in these two videos. If you don't have the yowling and posturing you see in the first video, then it's nothing to be too concerned over. In my case, Kobi tries to play fight, but the girls don't like it and panic and try to run. But it's nothing like the first video below....


This is a real cat fight...

These two are play fighting

 

[RachandNito]

My cats play fight and wrestle all the time. But there are lots of times that my torties are more persistant than the others can tolerate and I'll hear hissing and other angry sounds. Doodlebug's second video demonstrates some of those. Some cats are just really vocal. Maybe if you got a video of them fighting we could assess their behavior better?

On a side note. The commentary on that second video is cracking me up. LOL... the 'snake-head maneuver'

 

[rox&boys]

those savannah cats are just amazing I wish I had the time and money for an exotic breed like that!

I had a cat once that would seem totally peeved sometimes when the other cats would come near her, she would hiss, swat and growl and she would pretty much scream in the ensuing fight. Then she would take a breather and go back for more... She made so much noise that it look a long time to realise she was just playing. She always had claws in and they would just stop and look at you if you interrupted them like :cat 'whats the problem?'

 

[LadyMiseryAli]

From the videos, it's a mix. Peanut is trying to play, like the cats in the second. Chinchilla, not fully understanding what he's trying to do, is displaying fear and defense like the cats in the first video. Peanut gives her playful bites and swipes, which Chinch, having never played like that, interprets it as an attack. There's also the fact that she's partially deaf and a bit blind due to some health issues she had when younger. So when he comes at her, she does what comes natural. She growls and runs. Do you think we should put a bell on Peanut, so she can kind of hear him coming? Or is it more of us trying to get Peanut to understand that she doesn't play that way?

I feel like I'm being melodramatic now that I look back, but at the same time, it's been three months and I would think Peanut would see that she's not into that kind of play.

 

[catloverami]

A bell would likely give Chinchilla a head's-up that the pest is near and about to pounce and may be better prepared. I would check her hearing tho by knocking her food dish or crunching a treat bag....something she would normally respond to and know the sound ,beforehand and test how quietly and how far away she can hear.

 

[catloverami]

Re: cat fight videos.....this street cats fight is more posturing than fighting, tho you can get glimpses of fur in the mouth of the lilac lynx-point cat who is the more dominant over the fawn color cat (both are full males btw). Light one keeps pushing back the other and fawn occasionally fights back, and postures sideways to make himself look bigger. It's only when light one gets fawn trapped against the wall that fawn really makes an aggressive lunge which makes light one back off a bit but angrier and he attacks again. By the time fawn one has edged his way along the wall to the open area, he is looking about for an escape route, and when he does try to get away, light one goes after him again and then walks away in opposite direction, but it's interesting that fawn one for good measure actually comes back at him, as if to say "Watch out I'm not such a pushover". Then they go their separate ways.

To me this is some fighting, but I've seen a lot worse it's more posturing than anything.

Savannah vs. Savannah tussles are playfighting, tho maybe a bit more vigorous than what my two Devons do who are neutered and spayed. The grey Savannah is likely an unspayed female and the brown one is an unneutered full male. At one point the female is rolling on the floor as if in heat, or egging the male on to come and jump on her. She's the dominant one in this scene and is mostly calling the shots, and in the end the brown male's had enough.

That's my take on it.