Once-removed Alpha male

[CATastrophy]

I've got 3 cats: Satchmo,Rollins and Yikes. Satchmo and Rollins are brothers I adopted from the Cat Care Society in Denver and were owned by some dude who was called in to go serve in Iraq. I got Yikes from my buddy Juan and his girlfriend whose cat had a litter of kittens. Satchmo is an alpha male cat;who knows why,he just is. Well about four months ago I got a job transfer in the company I've worked for for 12 years. I moved into my girlfriends condo in Colorado Springs until I can sell my house in Denver and buy one here. She has two male cats too: Niles and Frasier. Problems started when Satchmo moved in and....you know what I'm going to say...tried to be Mr. A and Niles and Frasier were'nt going to let that happen because thats their Mommy's house. Okay so they relentlessly pursue him;tag-team on Satchmo and pin him atop his condo. I sorta understand how these things work but meanwhile Satch is so stressed out that he can't hold down his food (BTW we feed them Nuturo/Science Diet aside from their morning tuna). We've taken him to the vet to have him checked/wanted a professionals suggestion. She prescribed a lactaid for his stomach and meanwhile Sally and I do the best to meet all their needs. I'm worried because he's lost weight. He's not the same since he can't run the show. I think he needs that "control" to feel secure. I'm about 2 months away from getting mt house ready to put on the market so until then he has to hang tough. Any suggestions would be appreciated;but mostly I felt like I wanted to share this with you. Thanks.

[kb2yjx]

Wow!!! Niles and Frasier definitely are the alpha cats in their domain!!! Is there any way that you can keep Sachmo in HIS room?? Do you know of any one that can suggest any Bach Flower remedy to help with the situation?
Good luck!! Sandra

[CATastrophy]

..whatsa bach flower? as far satchmo goes;he just has to make the best of it. sometimes he holds his own but most times he gets tagged and they run him up the condo. i don't think he knows how to be anything else that he's not so he's stressed. tomorrrow (monday) we're taken him to the vet for a checkup because he's thrown up and even lost his balance once ...he seems himself now but I'm thinkin' a checkup at the vet could'nt hurt. i'm learning that cats are like us in that we basically are who we are and we'd react adversally if we were placed in a hostile/alien enviroment. Heck, Fras and Niles are good cats...they're just meeting his aggression with theirs and they've got home-feild advantage. I just gotta be there for them is all. thanks sandra.

[kb2yjx]

Bach Flower remedies are used to handle all sorts of problems with animals(and humans, too). But you need to sit down and figure out what your pet may need. Poor guy is outnumbered. But there is one saying I ALWAYS remember" Stress can kill a cat." Please let us know what the vet has to say!!Sandra

[moosmom]

What you should've done was put Satchmo in a separate room with his food, water dish and litterbox. Throwing him immediately in the middle of a domain that isn't his surely stressed him AND the other cats out. If you can, put Satchmo in a quiet room with all his necessities. Take a towel and rub him down with it. Allow the other cats to sniff his scent, then do the same with the other two cats. Let them get to know each other from under the door. After a couple of week, if you can borrow a couple of baby gates, stack then on top of one another in the doorway. This will allow the cats to get acquainted and also protect Satchmo and vice versa. It'll take a while since Satchmo is used to being the alpha-cat in his own domain. You can begin letting him out ONLY when you are home to supervise. Keep a spray bottle handy with water in case any fights break out. Let them hiss and growl at each other, that's normal. But if it gets really nasty, put Satchmo back in his room giving him treats and put the baby gates up and wait a little while longer. Give it another try. It's not something that will happen overnight.It'll take time.

Good luck!

[CATastrophy]

We did put Satchmo's food,blanket,toys,water,litterbox and his brothers into their own room where I kept my things at first. We did not try the scent-exchange idea though/never thought of it. Now at first all the cats were doing fine except Satchmo was the aggressor until the tables turned on him. We've been carrying Satchmo into the spare bedroom a couple nights a week so he can sleep w/me and his two brothers (who get along great with Sallys cats). During the day/and night too we put food and water up on one of the middle shelves of the condo for Satch. We also place a litterbox beneath the condo. I make sure he gets alot of attention every day. I'm going to try the towel-scent idea to see where it takes us. Until then I will continue to beleive that like people, cats are who they are and can't change some things about their borne identities. If Satch was more sociable like he is with his brothers,life would be so much better for him ....but he has this built-in angst about himself when it comes to cats other than Rollins or Yikes ...and you know the rest. I really think that in order for him to be secure and happy that he needs to be alpha-one and thats just how he's built.

[CATastrophy]

rav's mom is right;the boys are holding their own in their house;lol. I asked my girl about bach flower and she goes.."huh"? Have you tried the liquidfied herbal bach flower? wanted to know before i bought some...is it like catnip or a herbal stress supplement for people?

[CATastrophy]

Satchmo has been isolated from the tag-team at night in a separate room w/his brothers. He is given water,food,toys and his box. Its enabled him to rebond with his brothers and now he's holding his own even when the other cats tag-team hm...he doesn't run/just growl 's at them. Well,not the best situation but better seeing he is out and around and not so isolated or stressed. Maybe the scent-towels helped but we'll never know because none of the cats showed much interest. Good to see satchmo amongst us all though. :)

[kb2yjx]

This is good news about the situation!!! Bach Flower Remedies can be purchased at the health food stores. You need to know which one will help the cat(or human). There are books and charts to help. It really is not all that complicated, once you get the hang of it it is a piece of cake!!! Hope things will continue to be as peaceful until you get your place!! Sandra

[moosmom]

Rescue Remedy works well, as does the Feliway Diffuser. Glad to see things are beginning to come around.

[CATastrophy]

I love cat people...almost as much as their cats :)

[moosmom]

We love you too, CATastrophy!! ;)

[CATastrophy]

:)