The dynamic in my house has changed....Question:I need some solutions, or advice. Please. I live in a predominately 3 cat household. Except, at this time I am also housing two 11 week old kittens. I have two unaltered, indoor females. Last week I brought my male to be neutured. On his arrival home, all Hell broke loose. One female, who is the Mama cat, seemed to percieve the male as a new cat and began attacking him as though her life depended on it. They have never fought before, and people often comment on what a great relationship the three cats seem to have. This is now 5 days post surgery, and although the male stays hidden for the most part, the Mama cat has still been attacking him every chance she gets. Also, the other female, has started urinating on my bed. This has never happened before. I am assuming it's because of the stress between the others. But I'm at my wit's end. How do I reintroduce the cats back together, and how do I get the other to stop using my bed as a litterbox? Answer: I went through the same thing but with two cats. I figured the mama is just protecting her babies. She sees the other as a threat. The other cat is jealous. My cat was jealous and mad and she urinated on our towels in the linen closet. Over and Over until every kitten was adopted out. I did end up putting the one out for most of the day time hours so mama felt safe. Answer: Hi. From the looks of things, it seems you're trying to introduce two new cats to the group, and the stress of that has spilled over. It's not likely that it's because mama doesn't recognized your fixed male. Removing those glands doesn't change the scent glands at all. More than likely, the male did something mama didn't like, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. I can't tell you what it is, because I don't know these cats. She's probably trying to protect her babies from a threat she percieved the male was initiating, even though he may be completely innocent! The other one doesn't know what's going on, so she's stressed out, which would make her spray (yes, females spray too) your bed. It's easy to tell if it's just peeing or if it is spraying, especially if you see her tail shoot up in the air and vibrate while she's doing it! I'd suggest some behavior modification techniques between mama and the male. First, get them into a controlled situation, then bring them together. If the mama goes for him, do something that can be detached from you but she'd find completely unpleasant. If you're in your own home, I'd suggest an air horn. If, instead, she seems to be approaching him friendly-like, let that go on until something happens that'll need some modification. Also, when trying this, keep the kittens out of the room. If she was trying to protect them, they'd be a distraction for her. I hope it works, good luck and let us know. |
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