You are here:

Cats/Aggressive Burmese

Advertisement

Expert: - 10/28/2009


Question

Fern & Mary
We had two sweet littermates who cared for one another. Last October we had to put one to sleep. The survivor - Fern - is now 7 years old. After 1 to 1-1/2 months, we brought a 6-month-old kitten into the house. She appears to be part Burmese. Rita Mae is now a little over a year old. The problem is that she attacks Fern and will not let up, even when Fern hisses and runs away. Rita Mae persues Fern until Fern screams and I chase Rita Mae away. Rita Mae is so fast that she is gone before I arrive with a water pistol. How can we get Rita Mae to stop taunting Fern?
If we can't find a solution, we will have to find Rita Mae another home, because it is not fair to Fern to have to put up with this aggression.

Answer
Hi Terry.  Sorry for the loss of Mary and to hear about your problems with Rita Mae.  

Does Rita Mae have her own litter box, bed, scratching post and food and water bowls?  If not, try providing these things.  Sometimes having some territory to claim as their own helps out immensely in cases of aggression.  Tall cat trees also seem to help, as they add vertical space in the home, which cats crave.

However, I would also strongly recommend trying a product called Feliway.  I use the plug-in diffusers in my own home.  It can help reduce aggression that’s caused by anxiety, and the reduction in spats in my home is clearly noticeable.  You can learn more about how it works at www.feliway.com  It’s available at pet stores and online.  The initial set ups seem to be least expensive at amazon.com, and refills are inexpensive at entirelypets.com.

You may also consider using flower essences to calm down Rita Mae, and perhaps to help Fern gain some confidence, too.  There is one line of products I have special confidence in because they were developed by a well respected holistic vet along with a behaviorist – Spirit Essences (www.spiritessences.com).  I have used Bully Remedy in my own cats who were picking on others, and you might want to try Self Esteem with Fern, to encourage her to stand her ground more firmly.  They offer an Ultimate Peacemaker package, which includes these two formulas, for homes that are having serious disharmony, like yours.

If nothing works, you might need to think about placing Rita Mae on an antidepressant for a while.  I realize this is a last resort, but I have had to do it with a couple of my cats over the last 10 years, and none of them have needed to stay on them for more than 6 months, although some cats do need treatment for longer.  The choices include Prozac, Buspar, Elavil and Clomicalm among others.  As generics are available, they are pretty inexpensive.  Clomicalm seems to be gaining special favor for treating aggressive kitties.

I hope all works out!

Jessica  

Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.