Expert: Jessica - 7/26/2010

Question
Hi Jessica,

Okay first off we are a family of three it me my husband and our three year old daughter. We have our female cat Milly we adopted her from the S.P.C.A as a kitten, she lived with us as an only cat for about a year (she was playful curious and not afraid of anything)

When we moved into a house they left there 6 year old female tabby behind (precious) I knew her really well since she was a family friends pet! She was very shy sensitive and didn’t like people and she was an indoor cat. Anyways when we moved in all Milly wanted to do was play with her, Precious didn’t seem to mind the company it actually made her come out of her shell... but then Precious all of a sudden started to pee everywhere on beds in laundry in the bath tub bath mats etc. Milly was an indoor outdoor cat and didn’t use a little box because she was trained to go outside... we started letting Precious go outside because we live on two acres and there not a lot around so we figured we were going to slowly introduce her to the outdoor and maybe that would help stop her from peeing in the house but it got worse she would just come inside to pee.

While all this is happening a stray female black cat (we named Oji) made herself at home in our yard, we asked around to neighbors and everywhere she seemed to be no ones cat. She was super affectionate and felt comfortable living with us as an indoor outdoor cat but never strays far from our back deck. We noticed she’s become very over protective of us she was guarding our house not letting the other cats around. Now Precious has been gone for about a month I’ve put posters up and haven’t got any responses. now that Precious is gone its just Milly and Oji and now Milly is terrified of Oji because she getting super aggressive and territorial I have two separate feeding dishes and tried disciplining Oji when she terrorizes Milly but its just so bad now when Milly gets a chance to come inside she runs straight to wherever we are and hides behind us, or hides up on the counter. She won’t even walk around in the house if Oji is near by because Oji will chase her off... not to mention Milly is loosing weight because Oji won’t let her near the house or if we go and get her and bring her in the house then Oji won’t let her eat her food. and since this has been happening Milly is now urinating on our bed and clothes sometimes even having bowel movements in the house. I don’t know what to do. I try to have them in the house at separate times but when they do end up in the house together Oji is constantly watching Milly and competing for attention/affection. I know it’s a lot at once but I don’t know what to do I don’t want Milly to run away next!

We have been wanting to get a dog for the past year now but it worries me with what’s going on with our cats, When we have friends over that have dogs Milly avoids and ignores them where Oji will go out of her way to be mean and aggressive towards the dogs and there DOGS! I usually end up putting her outside when there’s dogs around, and she will wait by the glass door until the dog is insight and will go nuts at the door… I mean this cat is not a normal cat even though she is such a sweetie to us. She is horrible to other animals. Also she brings us around 3 mice or birds or bunnies daily so she does have time to let her aggression out. She’s just a really intense cat and I don’t know if it normal for a cat to be like this? What can I do?

Thanks
Lyndi

Answer
Hi Lyndi,

Have you had Oji to the vet to see if she's spayed?  Some spayed cats do remain aggressive, but this type of behavior is a lot more common in cats who aren't spayed.  If you don't know for sure, I would find out, and if she isn't spayed, definitely have this done.  It could make a big difference.

As for poor Milly, she'd feel much more at ease if you separated the cats completely.  Since they're both now indoor/outdoor cats, when Oji goes out, bring Milly in, and when Oji comes in, put Milly out.  If they must both be indoors at the same time, isolate Oji to one room.  

You might also consider using a product called Feliway.  The plug-in diffuser might help calm both cats and reduce Oji's territorial tendencies, as well as help stop Milly's urine marking (I would put a litter box in the house if you don't have one, however).  Visit www.feliway.com to learn more.

In such a severe case, I would consider medicinal treatment of Oji's behavior.  Antidepressants can help reduce aggression.  Prozac is a common choice, but another medication called Clomicalm has received a lot of attention for its aid in reducing aggression.  Short of finding Oji a new home, I think this may end up being your only choice.

It is normal for a cat to be aggressive to a dog who comes onto her territory.  It's extremely stressful for a cat to see an animal that they consider an intruder walking around in their home, especially if the animal appears to be a predator, and while some cats run and hide, another normal response is to fight against it.  I probably could never fight off a big, strong intruder in my house, but I still think I would try.  It's actually best for your cats' sake not to allow dogs into your home.  If you must, put your cats away into another room before the dog comes over, so that they'll never even see the it.  It's a very traumatic experience for them to not be able to defend their territory.

Whether Oji would be okay if you got your own dog or not, I'm not sure.  Most cats are okay with dogs if the dogs are raised with the cats from puppies.  It's also easiest if the dogs don't have a high prey/predatory drive, such as most of the terrier group, which causes the dogs to have a tendency to want to chase the cats or get too rough during play.