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

[Freedom]

All I can suggest is that you separate Scout (which may mean putting the OTHERS in one room while she is out with you) to get some peace so you can think about a more long range solution.

None of us can think clearly when a battle is brewing.

Wishing you success in this!

[jazzcat]

Thanks everyone.

Scout will be going to the vet for her annual next week and I will ask the vet for her ideas. I will definitely ask about Prozac for Rocky since the Clomicalm is no longer working for him.

Right now Rocky is in his first "Time Out" in the bathroom. I was sitting here typing when he jumped at her as soon as she walked in so to the bathroom he went. He is crying his heart out. I plan on giving him 5 minutes in there to let him cool his jets and I intend to do that every time I see him being aggressive towards her. Maybe he will get the picture.

I also just ordered more Feliway plug-ins. I haven't used them for a couple of months and was just using spray when I could remember.

I will definitely try keeping Scout in a room by herself when I'm gone if I think it's getting too dangerous for her. I'll try it like you do with Simba Jen.

Please keep the suggestions coming and again, than you all for the support and sympathy. There really is comfort in numbers.

[AbbyMom]

I'm sorry your household has become so disrupted. Silly kitties!

Becky and Abby were separated for almost six months after Becky decided to "go for" Abby. Skipping the details of why Becky did that....Abby wouldn't come out of the bedroom for three months. We kept the door closed while we were gone and I think she liked it. If the door was open, she would only focus on whether or not Becky was attempting to get in.

After three months, Abby started coming out and we always supervised.

It seemed like after five months or so, Becky lost interest in terrorizing Abby.

I no longer believe in "letting them work it out themselves." We break it up if they're being bad and they do know they're being bad, just as if they're jumping up on the cupboards.

We also have Feliway plug-ins upstairs and downstairs. We purchase them in quantity off the internet. I can tell when they need a new refill because they'll start the hissing.

Have you thought of using Rescue Remedy? The good thing about Rescue Remedy is that you just put it in the water. I think some others have had good luck with this.

Good luck to you and your family!

[rg_girlca]

Oh Lori, my heart goes out to you sweetie.

Remember when I was going through a tough time with the boys until the "Peacekeeper" came along. Mind you, it wasn't anything like what you are going through, but I was still pulling my hair out trying to figure out what to do with them. Along with a lot of time outs and the good old squirt bottle, things settled down.

I would also suggest putting poor dear Scout in a room when you are not home. Poor Scout, it just breaks my heart what she is going through.

Also, maybe you can try spending some one on one time with each cat a little each day. I've also done this with mine and found that it has helped.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} for you Lori and prayers that in time, things will improve.

[rosethecopycat]

Yes, that is a Pariah cat situation.

I would try:

Prozac (for him)
Feliway
Vanilla on the base of the tails

Defenseable position. Give her a large Tupperware box, with a hole cut in it, that she knows she can run into when they are pursuing her. It is easier to guard one front and not worry about defending from all sides.

I'm sorry that this is happening for you.

[jazzcat]

Thank you. Those are more great suggestions. I'm intrigued by the vanilla on the tail. I understand the concept but wonder if it would help in this situation. I'm willing.

I'm really leaning more and more towards Prozac for Rocky and will pursue this with my vet. In the meantime I will give Scout her own space while I'm gone and keep trying the time out with Rocky.

I've tried Rescue Remedy before but it didn't work. On that note it was some I bought at a health food store and apparently not the true concentrate or something along those lines.

To put a cherry on my crappola sundae our TV died tonight. Boo Hoo! At least the silver lining is I think we are going to upgrade to a LCD finally!

[Catty1]

At least the silver lining is I think we are going to upgrade to a LCD finally!

And buy that Kitty Video that so many furbabies find entertaining!

Might help!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Lori, I'm so sorry to hear that you're so stressed out and having problems with your cats. I've also been having my share of problems but luckily things have calmed down quite a bit since I added 3 extra litterboxes and I've been using the feliway plugins for almost 3 months. I also spray the hallway and other places at night before I go to bed. Have you tried putting cat attract litter in their litterboxes? This helped get my peeing problem under control. You can buy it at petsmart or online.

After a while Storm also became immune to the clomicalm and I had to wean him off of it because the vet said that if I just stopped it then it would cause bad side effects like more aggression. Storm has been much calmer lately but every time I think things are much better, Storm will lash out at one of the cats. Lately he's been picking on Starr and making Starr scream very loud. I just had to separate them tonight. Stress will also cause Starr to have even more diarrhea.

I would also try separating Scout from the others as much as possible and also continue to give Rocky time outs. Hopefully the prozac will work for him. It may take a while to see any results from this drug though. This Thurs. I'm taking both Starr and Storm to a holistic vet and I hope that she'll be able to give me something to help keep both of them calmer. I also hope to be able to wean Starr off of his current meds and give him more natural things. Maybe you should also see if you have a holistic vet in your area. I sure hope that things will get better and that you won't need to rehome any one. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[shais_mom]

I think its time you talked with Nancy. You have her email.
Maybe she can do a reading for you like she did for Tracey - a general reading to find out WHY it's happening.
Other than that - I can't offer advice but can offer support.
Lots of love and hugs on the way Lori.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Last December things had reached a breaking point in my household. Oliver was being EXTREMELY aggressive towards another (declawed) cat Charlie. I had tried everything that I could think of including amitriptyline (Elavil). I finally was able to go in and see an animal behavioralist vet in my area. She prescribed Prozac because the amitriptyline wasn't calming him down enough. It took about 6-8 weeks before I really noticed a big effect in Oliver's behavior and it did get worse for awhile when Connor (from Ally Cat's Mom) first arrived.

Before I started Oliver on any of the meds I had a reading done with Nancy (just to take a baseline). Normally the vets will start with the amitriptyline because it is approved for use in cats. Not all vets feel comfortable prescribing the Prozac, because it has not been approved by the FDA for use in cats. Once Oliver was stablized on the Prozac, I had Nancy do another reading on him. (One of her comments was that Oliver was feeling so much better with the Prozac.)

I will tell you that it is not a panacea and will not cure all the problems. I am down to about one "stocking" incident per day and usually I can catch Oliver before he attacks. But Charlie has reached the point now were he will growl and hiss at Oliver (but thankfully he is deaf) so it could escalate again.

If you want to talk more about the Prozac just PM me and I would be happy to tell you more about my experiences.

Cheryl

[Logan]

I am much more experienced with a multi dog household than a multi cat household. I don't think I have the patience or emotional stamina to endure what some of you have with these cats. I guess that is exactly why Butter has remained an "only cat" since Mimi died last summer. He is better, calmer, and less likely to act out, even though they rarely interacted with each other. It might be that he is getting older. It might be that he feels more secure in his position in our home. I don't know, but I sure do like the new Butter a bunch more than I did the old one.

One thing that I know is that this problem is not exclusive to cats. I've dealt with an aggressive dog now and finally have him behaving better, but gates are a perfect way to quickly diffuse a dog problem. But with cats, I know it is not so simple. We even had "attitude" issues as our baby Cockatiels grew up. Mom and Dad became aggressive with the babies and with us.

We are finally at a point where our home is calm most of the time. I wish the same for you and your cats, Lori. I know how tough it is to come home from a long day at work and deal with this sort of thing. I am not above using medication and seperation to achieve a calm atmosphere.

Best wishes.
Logan

[caffeitina]

Poor baby The best thing I can think of is to separate Scout from the others. If you have enough space, give her her own room with food, litter box, toys, a cushy place to sleep, and, of course frequent visits from you, and keep the door closed at all times so none of the other critters can get in. Normally I'd never suggest shutting an animal up like that, but in this case it seems a better solution than keeping her out with the other cats and submitting her to constant harassment and beatings. Besides, she'd have all her things in the room with her, so she'd be ok.

As for Rocky, maybe you could ask your vet what might be causing his little leakage problem (could be he's stressed by the fighting).

I hope things get better at your house. It's hard to live in a place where family members are constantly at odds with each other--even if those family members are the pets.

[kimlovescats]

Oh dear! I'm sorry things have gotten so bad! Poor little innocent Scout! I know how special she is to you, Lori, so I can certainly understand your frustration!!! Maybe now that Ripley is not doing well, Rocky thinks he can step in and be the new "man of the house"! I know that rehoming Moxie and Decker would take some stress off of everyone, but I don't know that it would completely change Rocky's attitude towards Scout. I wish I had a definite answer for you!!!! Whatever you think needs to be done, is totally up to you and I will support you 100%.

Hugs,
Kim