I think I need to rehome Monte

[Lizzie]

I hope you can find something that will work because I can imagine the heartache of giving up Monte, it would like losing a piece of your heart.

It might have been better in my household if Dodger had got into fights, it might have helped wear off his aggression in some way - the reason I put him outside at times was that I thought it might wear it down his aggresiveness and boundless energy. Unfortunately, there were no real fights in my household, Dodger simply terrorized them all, male and female, all ages, all different temperaments and most larger and heavier than he was. I think it would have been better if at least one of them fought back.

[Catty1]

Hmmm....distracting him with a toy...a positive distraction instead of tension and upset....I wonder if that would work?

I know you tried a psychic, I think you said? Shais mom swears by the one she used.

Good luck - what a dilemma! Prayers to you!

hugs
Catty1

[kimlovescats]

I'm so sorry you are having to consider these options, Johanna ... but I support you fully in whatever you decide!

HUGS,
Kim

[pnance]

I don't know if this will help but...when I brought MC home from my brothers, Mau couldn't stand him, she'd growl everytime he was near and he'd hide behind things and charge her, she'd hiss and run. As a result MC would spray usually whereever she had been although sometimes he picked random spots. Mau can be aggressive so I knew I'd never find her a home and MC had been in my family since he was a kitten (he was I think 10 at the time) so I didn't have the heart to rehome him. Anyway it took a lot of patience and over a year but he's stopped spraying and they can be in the same room without trying to kill eachother. I did a few things all at once. The vet perscribed some valium which I gave for about 2 weeks (can't remember I followed what the vet listed), at the same time I purchased feliway, both a plug in for "his room" and a spray which I'd spray on a bandana I tied around his neck so he was mellow from the drug and mellow from the feliway for about 2 weeks. In addition, I'd seperate him from "the girls" He was locked in the front living room and I attempted to keep them completely seperated even when I weaned him off the drugs. Slowly for short periods I started to let them in the same room when I could keep and eye on them (I've used both a squirt bottle and thrown a toy mouse in front of him if I caught him trying to charge. (the feliway bandana still on). We went about a month with only a couple of charging episodes and no spraying the first time. When he started spraying again I gave him the drug, but this time for only a couple of days. Each time we went longer and longer until now I no longer have to give hime the drugs or use the feliway. He hasn't sprayed in about a year and the charging very rarely occures. It wasn't totaly pleasant initially (he was always sleepy kind of glazed), but I now have 3 cats that can live together without problems. Mau and MC will never be best friends, but they've learned to live together.

[Cataholic]

pnance- VERY interesting, and I will investigate this path, as well as the pet psychic Staci has emailed me about. The cage issue is still a possibility, too.

Many thanks, everyone!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Jo, I was thinking about this and I know you said you tried closing him in the basement but his howling put an end to that. Maybe....on a weekend....try it again with both Monte and Gus in the basement, but don't give in to the howling. Then the next night, do the same thing. They will both eventually figure out that the basement is where it's at for the night and they will calm down - hopefully sooner rather than later. Maybe put them both in the basement then take Jonah and go visit your mom for the night.

A quick story as an example, we were having the basement painted so I wanted to lock P & CJ up, but we don't like putting them both in the same bedroom all day because CJ is just a bit too rambunctious for Peanut. So we put CJ in the master bed/bathroom and Peanut got the "guest suite" area. We put a screen door over the hallway door and blocked it so she couldn't get out. At first she struggled against the door wanting out. On the 3rd day I went looking for her to put her in there, couldn't find her anywhere, figured she had figured out what was going on and was in hiding so she didn't have to be "locked up" again. Ended up finding her sleeping on the bed in the guest bedroom! She had figured out that she was going to be locked in whether she liked it or not, so she went to the most comfy spot before I could even lock her in! After the painting was done, after a few mornings she realized the door wasn't going up again and she could go back to her old daytime sleep spot.

I'm sure Monte is not stupid - matter of fact he's probably too smart for his own good like another blackie I once knew - so I think he'll figure it all out quite quickly and calm down and may actually grow to like the basement! A few nights of torture for you might mean long term peace and quiet for you and the rest of your gang.

[shais_mom]

Hmmm....distracting him with a toy...a positive distraction instead of tension and upset....I wonder if that would work?

I know you tried a psychic, I think you said? Shais mom swears by the one she used.

Good luck - what a dilemma! Prayers to you!

hugs
Catty1

Actually Jo has emailed me and I sent her the info. She was considering a behaivorist I think but hadn't tried either yet.