Cats are stressed, I'm stressed - I need to vent/cry

[jazzcat]

I don't know what to do. I haven't really talked about this here yet and had hoped it would get better but things are getting stressful between my cats. For some reason they all pick on Scout but lately it has gotten really bad and I'm finding her hair pulled out from the fighting. Rocky is the #1 culprit and starts it all but Jazz isn't much better and now Decker is doing it. Rumor will join in. They corner her, jump her and scare her half to death. She'll just be minding her own business and they will run up and start a fight. Usually there isn't blood but I found a couple of blood drops on the sunroom floor one day but couldn't find any marks on anyone.

Poor little Scout is so scared and paranoid now and has started this terrible scream/meow when they approach her. She has never gotten along well with the other cats but it has never been like this. I don't know what it is about her they don't like but she is tiny compared to the rest of them and she is the only non dark cat I have, she's my orangie.

It seems like it started getting worse back in Feb. and March and then when I put Rocky on Clomicalm it seemed to improve but now Rocky seems basically immune to the Clomicalm and in fact it makes him act paranoid and more aggressive towards her so I've stopped it.

On top of all that someone is peeing on the dining room floor. It's usually Ripley who does this and he has been sick and acting odd which goes along with when he pees there but I'm not 100% sure it's him. My fear is that Rocky has started it as part of his dominance thing or poor little Scout is doing it out of fear.

I don't know what to do about it and the cats have been acting up so much lately I'm getting stressed and strung out from it. Finding a new pee spot today and then hearing Scout's scream as Rocky cornered her a little bit ago has just worn me down. Ripley also threw up all over the kitchen floor this morning. I'm on the verge of crying. I called Richard at work and he told me to get rid of everyone but Scout. I know he wasn't serious and for a moment I could have almost agreed (dont' bash me, it was just a fleeting thought in my stressed out situation).

I want peace and harmony!!!!!

[lvpets2002]

Well I am so sorry to hear about Scout.. Now Is Scout the only girl with a bunch of boys?? You may have to put Scout in a room of her own with double stack baby half doors.. My KiKi has to stay in her own room due she is so mean.. But she is happy & so is everyone else.. Good Luck .. Keep in touch..

[Craftlady]

I you have those large dog crates or can get access to some they work great for comfy confinment. Enough room for litter box, water, food and bed.
I'd confine Rocky for a while let him chill out in a safe place and away from everyone else.
I think it's the domino effect "monkey see... monkey do" when everyone else is joining in on the stalking.

[Uabassoon]

I wish I could offer some advice, but instead I can just offer my sympathy. We've spent the last year trying to deal with our Tuna/Corkscrew issue. The bloody fights, spray wars, peeing on furniture... The best solution we've come up with is just to keep them sepatated. Tuna and Pocky get their run of the house during the day. Corkscrew and Tibby get their run at night. Sometimes we'll let Pocky interact with Tibby and Corkscrew since there are no problems there and Tuna with Tibby. However generally we just keep them in pairs. It's a pain but it seems to work. We still haven't tried medicating them, but we are open to the idea and might look into it in the future. But for now things seems to be going well and we haven't had spraying or peeing on furniture for a while.

[jazzcat]

Well I am so sorry to hear about Scout.. Now Is Scout the only girl with a bunch of boys?? You may have to put Scout in a room of her own with double stack baby half doors.. My KiKi has to stay in her own room due she is so mean.. But she is happy & so is everyone else.. Good Luck .. Keep in touch..

Scout is one of four females. The girls are Jazz, Scout, Rumor and Moxie and the boys are Ripley, Rocky and Decker. Scout also was the third cat to come in. Rocky and Rumor (siblings) came a year later and Moxie and Decker are the kittens we rescued from the backyard last year. I do think the stress got started with bringing the last two in. I'm also wondering if Rocky is just trying to be the alpha male and has started his quest with picking on Scout.

As for shutting Scout up it won't work. We don't have the room or space to close her up and I don't see that as a good option for her. She's very people oriented. She spends most her evening in my or Richard's lap - now more than ever for the safety.

In all honesty I feel like Scout would be happier as an only kitty. I'm probably bonded with her more than any other cat so this is just breaking my heart. I don't mean that I plan to give her up I just mean that I hate seeing her so scared and getting bullied.

[sasvermont]

Well, my Miley is like Scout, to a great degree.

This past weekend, I put together a huge, I mean huge, cage for Miley. She spends most of her waking hours in a closet or hold up in some corner, waiting for JuniRose or Chloe to attack her. When I am around, it is usually worse. Oddly enough, when I have company in the house, things are better because everyone gets more attention.

Miley has a couple of health issues still unresolved and one, FIP, is a death sentenance. My vet suggested that since the quailty of her life is fairly good right now, to consider confining her to a cage (inappropraiate pooping on the floors)...... and give her a sense of comfort and away from the other cats. As of yesterday afternoon, she has been caged. We will see how she likes it as time goes one.

In other words, I am protecting Miley from the others. They love not having her hissing and running.....and played with each other last night. They pick on Miley. And she adds insult to injury.

I got the cage (Cat Hotel) at Martins Cages, in PA, on line. I put it together over the weekend. I hope it works.

So, this might be an option for you.

I am hoping that Miley will settle down and live quietly and then get more confident along with more freedom back, as time passes.

I feel your pain. I was beyond frustrated, hearing her doing it and smelling poop under my bed, in the closet...in my spare room......on the porch....you name it. She has IBD and is on medications and special diet....but that doesn't change her habit!

Chin up.

I would keep them apart for awhile, however possible, and let them all cool their heels a little.

It is so frustrating. I don't know how some multi cat homes do it. I have only four and they are not working so smoothly together. Its mostly Miley.

[jazzcat]

I really appreciate this support.

Craftlady - I don't know that caging Rocky will help because Jazz still does enough picking on Scout. She did a little before Rocky and Rumor every arrived but nothing like what Rocky is up to. You are right about the monkey see thing with Decker. I agree Rocky needs to chill though. He's a very sensitive cat, his nickname is Petal because he is so delicate. I think confining him would be very bad on him but I'm not opposed to trying a "time out" for him in the bathroom.

SAS - I knew you were having some issues but didn't realize it was this bad. Poor Miley and poor you! I hope the cat hotel works out please let me know. I was thinking about Craftlady's suggestion of caging Scout but the only thing I have is just roomy enough for kittens. I need to look into what you bought.

Uabassoon - thanks for the sympathy. I'm glad you have a working system now. I remember seeing all that hair from a fight several months ago.

[Randi]

I'm sorry to hear poor Scout is being attacked. It's probably like with humans, some just don't like each other, and never will. Have you considered trying to rehome one or two? That would be better than having to confine any of them in a cage, in my opinion.

The reason they do this could even be because they find they don't have enough space.

Good luck!

[Craftlady]

Time out works too
My suggestion for the cage idea (I should of clarified) is for when your not home and cant keep an eye on things.
I'm not a fan of caging 24/7 forever, but they sure come in handy for temporary fixes. Cindy loved her "Hotel Ritz" for a week.

[jazzcat]

I'm sorry to hear poor Scout is being attacked. It's probably like with humans, some just don't like each other, and never will. Have you considered trying to rehome one or two? That would be better than having to confine any of them in a cage, in my opinion.

The reason they do this could even be because they find they don't have enough space.

Good luck!

Thanks Randi. It has run through my mind. If I could find a good home for Moxie and Decker I probably would give them up but I don't know if that will change things with Rocky enough to help Scout. I do think we have too many cats but I don't know what to do about it. If only we could have found takers for all the kittens last fall.

I wish there was an easy answer.

[jenluckenbach]

Lori, I am so sorry this is happening. Maybe it is the "maturing issue" mentioned in another thread (sorry, memory fails me as to which thread).

I am not sure I can offer any help either, but tons of sympathy.

All we can hope is that things settle down.

Can you keep Scout in a room by herself only when you are not at home. And out when you ARE at home? This way she is not denied her people time. This is kind of the arrangement Simba has. Foster rooms when people are not home. Resident cats' rooms when we are at home to supervise.

Maybe it is Rocky that needs some medication? To keep his dominance down. Not sure if this would work, but it might be an idea to ask the vet.

[Medusa]

Oh boy, that's stressful for sure. I still have my issues w/Specs picking on Boo but since he's been on Clomicalm, it's calmed down considerably. When my RB Peeka was alive, she picked on my sweet Pidge like you wouldn't believe, stalked her, waited around corners so she could jump her, etc. Poor Pidge spent most of her days and nights hiding under my bed. That was not a good way to live! It wasn't until Creamsicle came into the home that she stopped doing it and I have no clue why. I didn't know about Clomicalm then or she would've been on it, too. I'm sorry that it seems to have an adverse effect on your cat. I hate to sound like a drug pusher but Dr. Lee said that they're seeing much success w/Prozac for cats and he says that it starts working almost immediately. If you can't separate them to any degree, maybe Prozac will work for you. That's such a stressful situation for all of them and especially for you. I feel for you, I really do. And to add the pee and pooping to the mix, UGH. I wish I could give you better suggestions other than drugs. Believe me, I tried everything, too, as I'm sure you have. Hang in there. I just vented on PT a little while ago and I already feel better. You will, too.

[catfamily]

I don't know how old Scout is but can you keep Scout in Your Bedroom Forever?
I think I might think of doing that if Scout was the favorite.
My Tucker has been agressive also lately and he never was like that until all the kittens and jasmine came to the house.
noone is afraid of him but jasmine(The same age as tucker about).
She's terrified of him and he loves it.
He also is the sweetest thing and still is best buddies with tiny Marshall.
He doesn't hurt anyone...just jumps in there face.
Now he does it to my Penny(all white...was ferel,not anymore)
Maybe we need another 1 eyed cat so Tucker doesn't feel different.
If you need any more help...email me or call.
I have simalar problems but not so bad to see spots of blood.
that would scare me and i would be very upset.I am so sorry...i'd be stressed to.
hopefully noone has UTI.(blood from pee)

[catmandu]

Thats actually my worst nightmare is that the Found Cats will stop liking each other and turn mean and agressive towards each other. I dont know what to suggest other than isolating Scout.
We pray that you can find harmony once more.

[moosmom]

It's called the Pariah Cat Syndrome. Sometimes you'll have one cat that, isn't aggressive, doesn't bother anyone, yet the other cats in the household pick on them relentlessly. I had a cat like that and I finally had to rehome her for her own safety. All she wanted to do was be loved and get attention. The other cats wouldn't allow it. You've gotten some great advice here. I'd try everything I could to come to some kind of happy medium. But unfortunately sometimes nothing works. I certainly hope it doesn't come down to that because it is a very difficult decision to make. But you're going to have to decide what is in her best interest. If it means rehoming her, then you've got your answer.

(((((HUGS))))) and good luck to you Lori. Please keep us posted.