Expert: Tina - 1/1/2009

Question
my cat pookie is very mean to my eighteen year old cat Sam. she will not respond to training and is just plain rude! how can i get her attention and what are some ways of training her?

Answer
Your question is not very specific so it's difficult to answer. What do you consider "rude"? If she is being aggressive towards your older cat, I can offer some suggestions. First is she spayed? If not, do that ASAP because aggression is more common in unspayed females. You can also use the Feliway spray sold at pet stores, you apply it around the house on doorways or furniture every 3-4 days, it helps reduce territorial aggression.

Never punish Pookie for going after your other cat, that will only make matters worse as it escalates the aggression. Separate them if this happens and let Pookie settle down.

I also assume Pookie is young, although you have not specified - young cats need plenty of exercise, you should play with her a minimum of 15 minutes 2x a day. You can use a feather on a strong, a laser pointer, or whatever toy gets her running and leaping around and burning off energy.

I think you may also want to buy this book: "Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat--Not a Sour Puss" by Pam Johnson-Bennett it is only $12 on Amazon and has lots of good information on how to train your cat.

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Cat-Well-Adjusted-Cat-Not/dp/0140288546/ref=pd_...