Expert: Ali - 8/18/2008

Question
I adopted a cat from the local human society as a companion for my other cat. My vet feels that he was/is ferel. It took a while for the two of them to get along, and for the most part they do very well.

We are thinking about adopting a dog.  The cat we had previously grew up with dogs, so there may be a little unhappiness at first, but expect things will be fine.  I am not too sure about the cat we adopted.  

When my mom or my friend brings their dogs over this cat goes nuts.  Hissing, growling, he puffs up and walks towards them doing this.  I have always intervened because I am afraid this cat will actually attack the dog.  My moms dog and my friends dog has no interest in this cat as they currently live with cats.    They actually pay no attention to him, it is the cat that goes after the dog.  My other cat just sits and watches the dogs and will actually go over to them, smell them, and then turn around and leave.

Is there something that we can do to help the cat over come this.  Or does it look like we won't be getting a dog any time soon?

Kim

Answer
Kim,

It's important to make a distinction between a feral cat and a stray cat. Just because a cat is fearful/aggressive doesn't mean that he is feral. I have seen numerous well socialized cats with permanent homes that react aggressively towards dogs. Feral cats are born to wild/stray mothers and because they haven't been socialized to be comfortable with human beings they will react with a fight/flight response which means that they will run away and hide if at all possible and if they aren't able to get away they'll come out swinging. I have seen feral cats actually cause injury to themselves simply because they were trying to avoid being handled.

I am somewhat skeptical that a humane society would place a feral cat into a home. You should be aware that in many communities humane societies care for cats that have been seized in the course of a cruelty investigation. It's not uncommon for cats to be abandoned on shelter property by their owners. If your cat has been abused or improperly cared for that may account for his fearful nature. If a cat is given a reason to be fearful of people they will take some time and work to allow them to trust again. Unfortunately we live in a messed up society. I have seen several instances where people have made a neighborhood stray or even their own cat a target to take their frustrations out on when they are having a bad day. The fact that your cat doesn't like dogs isn't indicative of a feral cat. Given that you haven't mentioned any issues with people handling this cat I am going to hazard a guess that this little guy has led a terrible, rough life as a stray. The good news is that this cat can still be a less fearful and much happier cat with a bit of work. Given that your new feline family member is quite fearful I would recommend that you put off adopting a dog for the moment. Since your cat has a fairly extreme reaction when a dog is in his home I am somewhat concerned about that a dog could suffer injuries at the paws of a fearful feline.

I would also recommend that you have a consultation with a holistic veterinarian to see what kind of help he/she can offer. A holistic vet is trained in conventional medicine as well as alternative therapies like homeopathy, acupuncture and massage. My family vet is a holistic vet and the way that she explained homeopathy to me is like the layers of an onion. Essentially that means that once you have had a remedy to deal with one issue you may find a few more problems that could benefit from the use of the right homeopathic remedy. I have seen alternative therapies accomplish amazing things and the nice thing about homeopathy is that you aren't simply using a drug to mask the symptoms, you are actually resolving them and treating the root cause with appropriate remedies. It's also a good idea to speak to your vet about a referral to an animal behaviorist which is a person that has a degree in animal behavior and can come to see the behaviors first hand because the way that behaviors are led up to can sometimes mean that different treatment strategies are in order.

I would recommend that you try a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences that helps to calm and reassure. This remedy is used by some vets and pet owners worldwide to treat fearful pets. You can generally find Rescue Remedy for sale in health food stores, holistic pharmacies and stores that sell natural health products. I would recommend that you try this fearful kitty on a dose of about 10 drops of Rescue Remedy in a bowl of fresh water every morning. Rescue Remedy is very safe so it won't harm other animals in your household that ingest it.

The best way to work with this fearful kitty is to be patient with him. If your newly adopted cat wasn't properly introduced into your household it's not too late to do so. You could put him up in the spare room for 2-3 weeks while you work with him. Your furry friend will need food, water, a comfy place to sleep and a litter box. If your cat has some difficulty with being handled I would recommend that you sit on the floor for a half hour to forty five minutes in the room a couple of times each day. Bring something in to distract yourself and wait for this cat to come to you. Cats are naturally quite curious so they will naturally come and be nosey. Avoid making any sudden movements, speaking to the cat or making eye contact with him. Once your kitty voluntarily comes to you on his terms then you can give a food reward. I would suggest that you use a food reward that is highly palatable to cats like tuna, sardines, salmon or shrimp. You can use interactive toys to play with this cat like a kitty tease. Every time that the cat comes over to see you and touches you by standing on your lap, head butting you, rubbing up against you, it will be important to reward him. Once the kitty is comfy with you petting him then you can consider playing recordings of sounds that your cat may hear when the dogs come over at low volume. It's not a bad idea to take a clean rag or hand towel and rub the dogs' bodies from front to back and place the towel in the room that the cat is in after you have rubbed the scent all over the cat's body. Essentially everything should be done in gentle stages. I do think that over time with the combination of getting your adoptive cat accustomed to sounds and smells that accompany canine visitors you will be able to work at slowly introducing dogs to this cat a little at a time. It's important to make sure that the dogs are lying down so that they are less intimidating to the cat and the dogs must be kept under control at all times. There's nothing wrong with having a baby gate in the doorway of the adopted cat's temporary home so that he has a safe place to retreat to...

I hope that this information is helpful. If you have any further questions, concerns, or you would simply like to send an update or some pictures my way, please don't hesitate to contact me again.