Expert: Ali - 4/18/2009

Question
Hi Ali!

I have 3 cats, rescues from a local shelter.  My oldest is Daisy, she is a 4 year old DSH female.  The second oldest is Yuki, DSH male.  We recently (about 4 weeks ago) adopted Ivy, a 1 and 1/2 year old DSH female.  They are all neutered/spayed.  The problem is Daisy and Ivy.  Daisy has always been extremely territorial, she tolerates Yuki and even plays with him sometimes but normally prefers to be alone.  We introduced Ivy very slowly to the household, she was in a separate room for about a week and then we would let her out when we were home to explore.  Eventually we let her have the run of the house.  The problem is that Daisy seems to hate Ivy, she hissed at her at first and then proceded to stalk her and attack her whenever she had the chance.  She is doing a little better but still will chase her and attack her about once a day.  We have detected to injuries on Ivy, who despite this is a very mellow friendly cat.  We are not sure how to discipline Daisy, we spray her with a water bottle when she does this and occasionally put her in a room for a brief time out.  Obviously this is not working as Daisy continues to stalk/attack Ivy whenever she feels like it.  She used to do the same to Yuki, however he stood his ground and eventually she learned to leave him be.  Ivy however runs away which seems to provoke Daisy into chasing her.

Any advice on how we can get both kitties to get along a little better would be greatly appreciated.  We have a big house with 2 floors and a kitty condo that Ivy enjoys sleeping in, as well as lots of cat toys.  All 3 cats enjoy a lot of attention.

Thanks so much,

Hania

Answer
Hania,

I would suggest that you consider trying a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. Rescue Remedy is a tool that I've used many times over the years to help calm cats that have been abused, traumatized or ones that are very afraid and in many cases it's quite effective. You can usually find this remedy in naturopathic pharmacies, health food stores, some mainstream drug stores also carry this remedy in the same section as you would find vitamins and other nutritional supplements and to my knowledge you can also purchase this remedy online. I would suggest that you add 7-9 drops of Rescue Remedy to each fresh bowl of water every morning, this remedy is perfectly safe so don't worry if an extra drop or two finds it's way into the bowl, with common sense it's not a remedy that your cats can overdose on. You can also gently rub a single drop of Rescue Remedy into the relatively hair free area in front of each cat's ear if needed. The reason that I don't recommend giving this remedy to each cat within your household by mouth (unless it's an emergency) is because cats typically don't like the taste, the flower essences are preserved in a solution of grape alcohol.

In this situation I think that it would be a good idea to seek the assistance of a holistic veterinarian, these professionals are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include homeopathy, Reiki, acupuncture or massage to name a few. Holistic vets can recommend specific treatments to meet the individual needs of each cat and treatments often vary based on needs, personality type, individual issues, etc. My vet is a holistic practitioner, she uses homeopathy in her practice alongside of conventional medicine and I've seen some pretty amazing changes in cats that have required this special treatment. It's well worth trying in an effort to avoid using pharmaceutical options. As a last resort you could ask your vet to prescribe anti-depressant/anxiety medication for the more aggressive kitty in your home, however this treatment isn't without risks, after all you are using medication to alter a cat's brain chemistry so this option shouldn't be used lightly. Anti-depressant/anxiety medications often help reduce aggression, anxiety and other undesirable behaviors over time, although I must stress that this is a pretty extreme option and I really believe that less invasive, risky and expensive treatments should be tried first.