Expert: Jessica - 8/8/2010

Question
We rescued Ben-ji from a meth lab about 3 yrs ago.  He is a lovely fellow, we have given him lots of love and good care.  He has regular check ups.  We have 2 other male cats and an elderly female.  We live in a house with 2 self contained suites.  Benji is very insistent about being let out all the time, he will not stay in otherwise he starts bellowing and defecates on the floor or on kitchen counters if he doesn't get his way. The other two males at the house dominate him, they do not live with him though they are not allowed into his and the females suite unless unsupervised. However when he goes outside (often not returning for 24 hours or more) he is extremely aggressive and has attacked several neighbourhood cats and we have received several complaints.  2 yrs ago he came home with a broken shoulder after being away for 3 weeks and I think he might have been kicked if not hit by a car.  we had his shoulder mended at a cost of thousands of dollars.  I have read some of the other comments about just being firm and keeping the cat in, but not sure if it will work in this instance.  I would appreciate your suggestions and advice.  Thank you very much for your time.  Nic

Answer
Hi Nic,

Thank goodness you took him in!

I assume Benji is neutered?  If not, definitely have this done right away.  Unneutered cats are much more aggressive and territorial than males who are neutered, because their testosterone levels are so high.  If you have him neutered, this should help the problem immensely.

If he's already neutered, my best suggestion is to talk to your vet about placing him on an antidepressant.  Antidepressants can reduce territorial aggression in most cases.  Prozac is the most commonly prescribed antidepressant for cats because it has a very high success rate and has the fewest side effects.  But another medication called Clomicalm is being prescribed a lot when aggression is the primary problem.  It seems to be especially beneficial in these cases because it has a mild calming effect, whereas Prozac can be slightly stimulating.

My only other recommendation might be to try a pheromone collar with him.  In the US, we have the Good Behavior collar by Sentry HC.  I'm not sure if that is available in Canada, but I'm sure something similar would be available there.  Pheromones are natural chemicals that promote calming, and when you enrich a cat's environment with them, it can help prevent behavioral problems, such as aggression or urine marking (and sometimes inappropriate defecation).  I like Feliway, another pheromone product which plugs into your wall, but if Benji goes outside, he won't benefit from it there.  Pheromone therapy is great for minor to moderate aggression, but severe problems typically need medicinal intervention.  

Two of my real problem cats needed treatment with antidepressants about ten years ago, after a move triggered some angry episodes.  One responded to Prozac and the other to Elavil (before Clomicalm was commonplace in pets).  Both cats were able to discontinue the treatment before a six month period was up, and both cats are still happy as clams today.  No relapse of the aggression since then.  The majority of cats are like this, although a few stubborn cases do require long-term or even life-long treatment, or they may need periodical treatment.

Best wishes!

Jessica