Expert: Ali - 4/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have to cats. They are both very well tempered and get along well. problem is everytime one or both of them have to go anywhere (like the vet) they fight for weeks afterwards. We just moved and both cats are doing better after 3 days but fight like crazy when they get close to eachother. Problem is I have to move again with my job soon and this is going to keep happening. Any advice? Why are they fighting but happy when they don't see the other one?

ANSWER: Darren,

Are these cats spayed/neutered? Sometimes territorial aggression can happen in a household where cats aren't spayed/neutered because their sex hormones tell them to protect their territory (among other things). If the cats are spayed/neutered it may be an issue of anxiety when one of the cats smells differently from the other. It wouldn't be a bad idea to seek the advice of a holistic veterinarian, this is a vet trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include homeopathy, massage or acupuncture to name a few. My vet is a holistic practitioner and she treats my cats with conventional medicine when it's required, if a more natural approach is called for my vet uses homeopathy and to be completely honest I've seen some incredible results with homeopathic remedies. I can make a recommendation for a completely safe remedy that may help your cats to settle down some, this remedy won't go against the wishes of most holistic vets. Rescue Remedy is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure, it is used by many people to treat their own anxiety as well as some veterinarians and many pet parents worldwide to treat anxious, fearful, traumatized or uncertain pets with a fairly high degree of success. Rescue Remedy can be purchased at some mainstream pharmacies in the section where you would find the vitamins and nutritional supplements, you can also find Rescue Remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies and I believe you can also purchase this remedy online. I would recommend adding 7-9 drops of Rescue Remedy to a fresh bowl of water each morning for your cats, in a situation where one or both cats requires a more immediate solution you can also apply one drop of this remedy onto the fairly hairless area in front of your cats' ears. Do be careful not to get any Rescue Remedy into your cats' ears because the flower essences are preserved in a grape alcohol solution which can cause stinging and discomfort. This remedy is completely safe, you don't have to worry if an extra drop or two makes it into the water dish, it won't cause an overdose.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: both female and have been fixed. Even if I take one to the vet; when I get back the other one if hissing and upset. Takes 2 weeks for her to calm down so taking them to vet is just going to make it worse. Acupuncutre for a cat? you'd have to put her to sleep for that to happen with this one; never mind....thanks for the response though... I ll just let them fight for 2 weeks and be done with it
They are both calm and happy alone; but together they are flipping out as if they are mad at eachother. again even if I take one out the other one gets mad at her. just seems strange

Answer
Darren,

I put a significant amount of time, effort and knowledge based on my experiences into the questions that I answer. I have learned through experience that naturally based therapies tend to work better than pharmaceutical options, I often list several options for other forms of alternative therapies, however my vet uses homeopathy. Many vets use nutriceuticals, homeopathic remedies, Reiki, massage and acupuncture. I aim to educate pet parents about natural remedies, it's up to them what they choose as a treatment for their pet - I did not suggest that acupuncture was the only option in this case. I simply offered it along with a couple of other options to help you understand that there are a variety of ways to treat health and behavioral concerns in cats. I recommended that you try a homeopathic remedy called Rescue Remedy which I have found to be effective in a variety of situations, this remedy is considered safe and most holistic practitioners will recommend it as a first line treatment when dealing with fear, aggression, anxiety and other behavioral issues. I didn't recommend that you spirit the cats off to the vet, I simply suggested that you may want to consider seeking the assistance of a holistic veterinary practitioner in your area because there are other homeopathic remedies that require more of a history before being given and some feedback to the vet while the cats are receiving them. I do not appreciate your insinuation that I have only presented you with one option that you view as completely ridiculous.

In my original answers I recommended a homeopathic remedy called Rescue Remedy, which may help reduce the intensity of the aggression or stop it from occuring altogether. There's no need to allow the cats to fight for up to two weeks, it's possible to find alternatives in naturopathic and conventional medicine which can help to settle them down. Rescue Remedy is a safe, effective homeopathic remedy used by holistic vets and pet parents worldwide to treat anxiety, fear, trauma, etc successfully. You can usually find Rescue Remedy in naturopathic pharmacies, health food stores, some mainstream pharmacies in the section where you'd find vitamins and other nutritional supplements and I believe that this remedy can be purchased online. I provided the doses and methods to administer this remedy appropriately in my first two answers.

If you aren't willing to try Rescue Remedy which is designed to calm and reassure in a natural, healthy way then you may want to speak with your veterinarian about the use of psychotropic drugs. Anti-anxiety/depressant drugs are sometimes used to treat behavioral issues in cats, however I recommend them as a last resort because their use isn't without risks or side effects. There are a variety of reasons for the response that you've seen with your cats and either a holistic vet or a veterinarian practicing conventional medicine will be able to make the appropriate treatment recommendations as they will have a complete history. Consulting a behaviorist who specializes in cat behavior may also be helpful in this situation if you plan to only use conventional treatment options.
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Darren,

You could try the Rescue Remedy that I suggested in my first answer. As for trying acupuncture or other natural therapies you would be surprised at how well cats respond when an experienced holistic vet is providing the care. Obviously the decision is yours but I think that the Rescue Remedy may help reduce the intensity and duration of the fights if it doesn't completely prevent them.