How to make cats get along better?

[georgi]

So, we recently added a new cat to the mix, Oreo. He's about 9 months old. We already had a cat named Henrietta, who is about 8 years old. It seems that Oreo is very protective and bossy. If I'm petting Henri, you can see the jealous look on his face, and he'll walk over and kinda bat her away. If she comes downstairs into the living room, he'll run over to her and chase her away. He'll wait for her in pounce mode when he hears her meowing down the stairs, and then he's off and running after her. I've seen Henri go up to Oreo and kinda rub on him to try to be nice, or sniff him, and he bats at her, and then she'll hiss at him. How can we resolve this issue? We don't want Henri to become a loner upstairs because she's being bullied by the new guy. You'd think it would be the other way around because Henri was there first. Any thoughts? I just want my kitties to get along better! :joker:

[Ms. Sara]

We have been going through something similar with my cat and dog. The kitty was here long before but whenever he gets attention the puppy goes NUTS with jealousy. :rolleyes:

At first, the cat hid out upstairs but that all changed. He now holds his own and lays down the law with a polite swipe and/or hiss when needed.

Henri will adjust-just give her lots of lovins when she comes downstairs to reassure her, even if Oreo gets jealous. She'll eventually regain her cat authority. :wink:

[georgi]

I hope she does. :) Thanks! :grin:

Also, we switched over to Feline Pine for cat litter, because with my lung issue going on and just because it's horrible in general, we figured we would be better off using it. :) We have 2 boxes (since we have 2 cats), and we had one with the pine in it, one with regular litter in it. We have gradually been adding the pine into the regular litter, and the last time Rich put even more pine into the regular, and now Henri is pooping on the carpet about a foot away from the box. :crook: She's very particular about her litter. If we bought just a different brand of regular litter she would do this. We really want to stop using regular litter and just use the pine. Any way of doing this without having to scoop her poop off the rug every few days? :lol:

I thought maybe she was doing it to protest about Oreo being a PITA to her, like her acting out, but she's a Priss when it comes to litter, so we don't know what's going on. She pees in the pine and the regular litter mixed with pine...why won't she poop in it?

[Ms. Sara]

We switched over to Feline Pine a while ago. Do you use the kind that looks like tiny twigs or the scoopable kind? We use the "twigs" and like it, but there are a couple of issues.Odor control is definitely not optimum, and when our kitty poops in there for some reason he won't bury it. Maybe Henri is having trouble dealing with the fact it's hard to bury? :huh:

Then again, she can't bury it outside the box either I guess! :undecided:

I think it's probably a combo of her adjusting to Oreo and new litter. She just needs time and patience and hopefully all will be well.

-The Dog and Cat Whisperer...:lol:

Seriously, though, sending you vibes that it will get better! :smile:

[georgi]

We have the scoopable sawdust kind. It's so hard to scoop, though! Takes twice as long to clean the damn box! :lol: Maybe the burying thing is bugging her. I'm not sure what her problem could be. Rich added back a little more regular litter in the other box, and when I cleaned it last night, there were lots of poops in there, so I'm thinking that she just didn't like the feline pine. We want to get away from regular litter, so we're conflicted on what to do. Bah. :ravn:

Dog & cat whisperer. :lmao:

I really do hope they get along better in time. Last night they were both hanging out downstairs, and Rich was entertaining Oreo with the laser pointer while I was rubbing Henri's ears. She went back upstairs after a while to sleep on the comfy down blanket I folded all nice for her in my laundry basket. She's a silly little stinker, that one. :lol:

*sigh* I wish I was home right now with them, reading my book on the couch! :lol:

[vinandtonic]

One of the kitties will always be the "alpha" kitty. It sounds to me as if Oreo is trying to assert his dominance (which, in my experience, is usually the female). I had a similar thing happen with my older kitty and the 2 younger ones..although Hooch remained the alpha until I had to put her to sleep.

Now Finch is definitely the alpha and she feels the need to assert her dominance to Atticus almost every day. She'll just pounce on him and beat the crap out of him for no reason. He does fight back but she weighs more than he does, and he usually gets into a submissive position. If she's really hurting him we separate them and then I tell her NO in a firm voice and hold her down by the scruff of her neck for a few minutes. (not that I think that has any long term effect, but it shows that I am the alpha). But, she will sometimes let him groom her for a few minutes, although she never grooms him. Finch and Atticus used to sleep curled up together when I first brought Finch home, but now they never do, since she is such a bitch to him. Sometimes they end up sorta next to each other on the bed, but that's about all.

It's going to take a while for your kitties to get used to each other, and they probably won't ever be best friends. I try to give them equal amounts of attention, but she is such an attention whore that she gets far more (she's a lap kitty, while he prefers to snuggle when we get into bed).

how long have you had oreo? it could take months for things to settle down. cats definitely get really jealous.

[georgi]

We got him on November 14th. The first night we brought him home, he was walking around the back bedroom, sniffing things, and went up to Henri, and she hissed at him and he hid under the bed for 3 days. :lol:

They definitely don't have super huge have to pull them apart from each other fights. But Oreo is definitely a troublemaker. Henri will just walk by, and he paws at her tail, or if Henri is on the bed and we are petting her, he'll jump up, walk over, and piss her off so she jumps off the bed. He does the same thing with the dogs. Bats at Tramp's tail, and paws Frasier on the nose. He's a bully! :spank: Henri never really slept on the bed. She'd come up and prance around and let us pet her and say goodnight. She still does that, but then up hops Oreo, and he'll plop himself down next to me, and then she gets down and goes and sleeps on my hamper (where she normally sleeps).

I dunno. I really figured the way Oreo is acting is how Henri would be acting, not the other way around.

[vinandtonic]

when you brought him home, it was "her" house...her scent markings were all over it. probably once he figured out she wasn't going to fight back/hurt him is when he started asserting himself.

he does sound like a little jealous boy. :lol:

[georgi]

Poor Henri, being a polite little lady and walking away with a hiss. :lol:

Yeah, he's a little shit (but I love him so much! :heart: )

He seriously reminds me of my little kitty of 14 years that passed away last summer at the kennel while we were on vacation. He follows me around like Nibbons did, and he sleeps in the same spot next to me where Nibbons did. He races down the stairs and greets me at the door like Nibbons did. He's fresh with me, but even fresher with Richard, and Nibbons usually didn't like people other than me, and it seems Oreo has taken a liking to me more. Maybe Nibbons came back in Oreo a little? :) :heart:

[Dr. Lostreality]

when my fiance's kitty moved into the house it took about 4 months for them to work out all their issues and dominance stuff. But now they are all totally cool with each other.

If they get really bad start squirting them with a water gun whenever you see them fight. That will freak them out and they will each run to their favorite hiding place. I used to make a hissing sound when I squirted them with a water gun when they were being bad, and now when I make that sound my cats just stop fighting and run away from each other (even with no water gun, haven't used that in months).

[sums]

we have the opposite situation. boycat is 2 years old and has been in the house since last april. luna is over 8 and she's the disagreeable one. he really wants to play, he just loves her! looks at her adoringly, tries to start something, etc. she wants nothing to do with him. but he knows she's boss and (mostly ;) ) respects that.

the funny thing is that when luna was young, she was the new cat and my elder cat at the time, cinder, treated her the same way she treats the boy cat :lol:

next time i add a cat, i'm getting two cats at the same time that are siblings.

[Erinisme]

I didn't read the entire thread, but when ever we got new kitties we used to give them both catnip, let them get silly then put some on each of their backs and before long they are tumbling all over the place and then cleaning each other...seems to have been a bonding experience :lol:

[sarah b.]

I was going to say catnip, too. get everyone playing together.

[georgi]

We switched kitty litter again. Went from regular litter to feline pine, and now we are using World's Best, which is made from corn. Went upstairs a little while ago, and Rich said there was poop outside the box again. :crook: We don't know which cat did it, but this is getting annoying. :ravn:

[georgi]

Poop outside the box again. :rolleyes:

I really think it's Henri because she is SUCH a priss when it comes to litter. The corn litter is closer texture to regular litter. You'd think she would like it better than the sawdusty feline pine! :ravn:

I don't know what else to do. Will she ever get used to it? Or are we going to have to clean up poop off the floor. :cry:

Regular litter is just not an option. It's terrible for us (especially me with a lung issue...just what I should be doing is breathing in nasty litter dust), and it's terrible for the kitties. :crook:

[Jersey Thug]

just popping in to say this thread title makes me laugh every time i see it.

"make" a cat do ANYthing...that's fucking priceless!!! :rotf::rotf::rotf:

[georgi]

I should have worded it differently. :lol:

And now we think it might even be Oreo, the new cat, pooping on the floor. We need to set up a surveillance camera. :funny1:

[georgi]

Last night Rich went to Target and got a new cat box and some regular litter. We still have the corn litter in one box, and regular litter in the new one. We're going to gradually add the corn litter hoping that will trick the little stinker who isn't taking a liking to it. :funny1:

(You should have seen the mess that we found after setting up the box. Oreo, the new kitty, went right in and started digging around...sending half the litter out of the little door and onto the floor. :funny1: Kitties are funny! :))

[georgi]

So, update. A few days after having one box with the corn litter and one box with the regular stupid litter, there has been no poopies on the floor. There has been poop in both boxes, so we still have no idea who the culprit was. We're going to try to slowly add the corn litter into the regular litter. Rich has been cleaning the boxes since he doesn't want me breathing in the dust. :)

We also cut Oreo's toenails last night. I held him down and Rich trimmed the nails. We let him sniff the clippers first, and then once he started to play with them, that's when we began. We made sure to praise him and rub his belly afterwards. :)

Now we are in the process of teaching him to not jump on furniture. We sprayed him a few times last night with a water bottle when he jumped up on our wooden dresser and end tables in the living room and yelled DOWN, so now when he jumps up there, we don't have to squirt him since he doesn't like the water bottle and knows what will come if he doesn't get down. :funny1:

Yesterday before work, I was checking my email, and I looked over, and he was pawing at the curtains. I yelled at him to get down, and of course, as soon as I yelled, that's when I noticed he was stuck. I got up to rescue him, and he got scared and ending up bending the curtain rod. :ravn: Rich was not pleased when I called him to tell him that. :funny1: So, we got a new curtain rod last night and will try this again. :lol:

On another note, Tramp (our dog), chewed holes in 2 of Rich's sweatshirts last ngiht. :ravn: Not pleased since one was an expensive Christmas present I gave him. :cry:

Pets I tell you...I love them, but sheesh...pains in the butts. :heart:

[Spiffy]

:lol: this doesn't make me feel quite so bad about my dog and matt's cats anymore :lol:
the first time i brought him up they stalked him. the 2nd to last time Toby came up with me little boy ran up, cornered him by the balcony door, raised a paw to strike real fast and then after a half second he put it down and walked away. He's even tried to rub up against him now! But little girl...she's the tough one. She's very possessive over her daddy and her space. but she's sooooo cute!!!
we still can't leave the animals alone together, and he needs me as a buffer if they're all too close, but at least they're all getting along better! cats are fussy animals, it takes them much longer to adapt than dogs.
my dads cat still hisses at me every time i walk by and he's had her for 15 years.

[mountain mama]

just popping in to say this thread title makes me laugh every time i see it.

"make" a cat do ANYthing...that's fucking priceless!!! :rotf::rotf::rotf:

:lmao:

[georgi]

I watched Henri try to sniff Oreo and rub up against him, and the little shit swatted at her!!! :eek: :spank: Henri hissed and jumped up on the bed. Poor little stinker. I think she just wants to be friends. :heart:

Tramp and Oreo are having a blast, though. They are chasing each other from the living room to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the living room. Tramp is play pouncing, and Oreo is pawing. It's quite humerous. Oreo is most definitely a cat who thinks he's a dog. :funny1:

[georgi]

So just an update. We have 2 boxes, 1 with regular litter, 1 with feline pine. Both cats seem to be using just the 1 box with regular litter in it. :rolleyes: Since they are both using 1 box, it fills up faster, and that's when we've been finding poop right outside the box. Hmph. Don't these cats understand we want to be healthy and have them be healthy and not use regular dusty nasty litter? :ravn: :funny1:

Tramp and Oreo are still playing together. It's so cute! :funny1:

[vinandtonic]

Finch was a complete aggro-bitch towards Atticus when I got home last night. Chase was home with them all day so it wasn't as if she didn't get plenty of attention and spoiling.
I just don't understand her sometimes. :rolleyes::funny1:

[georgi]

They still don't care for each other. :crook: They aren't having big cat fights, but they both swat at each other and Henri is still hissing. :lol:

We think once we get into a new house it might be better. The house we are in now is "Henri's House"...so maybe in new surroundings they will be BFF's. :funny1:

[georgi]

Ok...bumping this thread again. Poop outside the box. :rolleyes: We're in the new house. I clean the box everyday. The same litter we've been using for months. Rich thinks it's Henri, not Tuna (mainly because right after I clean it, he goes in and takes a dump. :lol: ) And not to be gross, but when I picked it up the other day, I looked at it, like, really looked at it, and I saw some black fur in it that looked like Henri's. We're not sure what the issue is. We're going to add another box in the house, and see if that does anything. If not, I guess we're going to call the vet. Sometimes when that is happening, it could mean a medical issue. The only thing is, we're not 100% sure it's Henri, so we'd probably have to bring in both cats for sure. *sigh*

Nothing ever seems to be simple. :crook:

[reveur]

we have a 7 year old, recently put down our 5 year old a couple months after getting the kitten (now 5 months). our 7 year old doesn't seem to like the kitten but I don't know if she just hates him or if she just misses our other cat.

[sums]

this was really helpful when we brought tiger into the house:

http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/introducecats.htm

he and red are like brothers now. luna is still cautious but she actually likes him more than she likes red (we did not introduce red properly) and tiger actually has more respect for luna than red does because she was introduced as the alpha cat to him.

i know it's probably too late for existing situations but if (when) any of you introduce a new cat, this was really helpful!

[georgi]

So, update. We moved the cat box to a different part of the room, and we found poop on the rug in the same spot as before...SO...we bought some Nature's Miracle to get all the "smell" out (since cats have wicked good noses, and that's probably why whoever keeps going in the same spot). So, hopefully we solved that issue.

Reveur...so sorry about the loss of your cat. It could be a little bit of both on why your older kitty doesn't like the younger one. Maybe not so much "doesn't like" as misses the other kitty. Was the older one very friendly with the other cat that had to be put down? :heart:

[georgi]

We added another cat box to the room on Sunday. So far, no poop. Yay!!! :D

[Dr. Lostreality]

yeah I was going to say- you have 3 cats now? You should have at least one litter box per cat, and some say one litter box per cat plus one extra. Lots of cats won't use a litter box that is full of another cat's pee/poop cause it's been 'marked' as their territory- having at least 1 per cat allows them each to claim their own litter box.

[nancykind]

was kitty stuck in the curtain strings? they are really dangerous! i have heavy pulls on all of mine so they can't get in between the strings and hooks in the wall so that i can loop them off to the side completely. i got off easy learning this lesson but it was scary! :cry:

[georgi]

No, we only have 2 cats. Rich won't let me get more. :lol:

[sums]

my husband wouldn't "let" me get a third cat either. until we all met tiger :funny1:

:heart:

[MimosaTree]

Georgi, In my experience with cats, they don't seem to really need the gradual time change with litter as they do with foods. You can start using the new stuff right away, just sprinkle a tiny bit of the old litter on top the first time. More importantly, you want to have the amount of boxes as you have cats, plus one. So yes, three. Also you want to make sure they're kept very clean if you've got rug poopers, and when you change the litter, use scalding hot water on the box. Replacing your boxes may help also. Cats are very sensitive to smells.

[MimosaTree]

I've heard of good results using Feliway also. A plug-in pheromone that has a slightly noticeable scent
http://www.catfaeries.com/feliway.html

[Rayzeeday]

We got Pigpen in 08 and Tiger would not go near him for about six weeks. Then they became inseparable for about a year. Then in the fall of 09 they started bickering and the battles went on til Jan.10. Then just as sudden as it started it stopped and they are inseparable friends again. We also own ferrets who very seldom bicker if they are compatable (a pecking order noticable within seconds of their meeting) So the cat battles threw us but all seems to be well now. With us the younger male seemed to try dominating and at first Tiger went along and then fought back subtley. It seems Tiger would not hurt Pigpen and only fought back when he had enough.:Phishfolk:

[georgi]

So, we put one litterbox downstairs and one upstairs, and no poop since. Honestly, it might be stress related. We see Tuna chasing her all over the place, and she hisses at him, and then they go their separate ways, but a little while later, Tuna is chasing her around again.

Why can't they just snuggle and love each other?! Bah! It will be 2 years in November that we've had Tuna...I don't get why at this point they just don't like each other?

Everybody else seems to have luck. I think I need to call the Cat Whisperer. :funny1:

[sums]

we've had no luck with luna and red and it's been almost 2 years. she just permanently doesn't like him! but she is curious about tiger... but he also doesn't get in her face or chase her around. i really think that intro thing is important since we did it with tiger and not red. but luna doesn't even like us too much most of the time :funny1:

[georgi]

Does Luna chase Red around and bug her on purpose? That is what Tuna is doing to Henri. I just don't know what to do. I don't want Henri to be miserable. She's a cat that likes to mind her own business and be alone and not pestered. Then you get Tuna, who is still a kitten (about 2 years oldish) who just wants to play, and who likes to be with people and the dogs...and they are total opposites. I just don't know what else to do. Henri seems in distress. She's always meowing...she was always meowing before, but only when you were with her and petting her. Now we can hear her meowing downstairs. I was riding the exercise bike the other day, and for the 30 minutes I was on it, she was meowing a good 25 of them...just meowing...not even facing me. I don't know what to do. :crook:

[sums]

(it's actually the red boycat who chases luna the old girlcat) well, he used to chase her anyway. now he doesn't care anymore but she still hates him :lol:

she never reacted like henri is though! we let her hang out in the basement so she has a sanctuary that's all hers. red is 3 now and no longer kittenish so that has helped. maybe tuna will outgrow it. is there someplace henri can be that's all hers?

[georgi]

Rich also noticed a scratch in her ear. She very well could have done it herself, but he's giving Tuna the stink eye, so I don't know. Bah. Henri likes to hang out in a basket in the closet, so that's her little sanctuary. Tuna likes to sleep on our bed, so Henri pretty much rules that spare bedroom. I just wish they would get along. :( :heart:

[sums]

i know how you feel. i guess i've gotten used to it :lol:

[vinandtonic]

sounds as if Tuna is asserting his alphaness. Which is weird, b/c it's usually the female that is the alpha.

Hooch was the alpha kitty but after I had to put her to sleep Finch took over. Atticus likes to snuggle with Finch in the chair and he washes her head sometimes, but she tries to beat the crap out of him at least once a day, usually unprovoked. He's gotten better at giving it back to her but we have to break them up at least once a day. :plain: Usually if she's giving him a hard time we'll pick her up (which she isn't too fond of) but if we're not around I know they get into it b/c we'll find little tufts of fur on the floor when we get home.

[pixiebug]

hows the poop?

[georgi]

Ooh sorry! I forgot to post here! The vet took a urine sample and found nothing. They told us to keep her in a crate with her box, food and water, which will "re-teach" her how to use the litter box. She was meowing like crazy and driving Rich nuts, so we secluded her in the spare bedroom, which seemed to work. We did it for a few days, then let her have adventures out, and now she is out all the time. Her and Tuna seem to be getting along better (weird). They sleep on the same bed now...not side by side, but within batting distance. It's strange, but good! We will continue to monitor the poop...so far, there has been none on the floor. :)