Expert: Karen Craft - 9/17/2007

Question
Hi Karen,
I need help with the behaviour of my two year old neutered male cat.
I am expereiencing the same problems as Dale wrote about on your question page except my kitten is a female and is just coming up to 6 months old so she has not yet been spayed.And we have had her for over a month and it is not getting any easier.
My older cat is acting in a very agressive manner towards my kitten (and us) constantly growling and hissing at her even when she is on the other side of the room.
He also reacts badly to being touched or picked up by myself when she is near but is his normal loving self when the are separated.
The kitten is very loving towards my cat and not overly playful with him so i don't think this is the cause.
We have followed all the rules and have been careful with introducing them slowly, having separate eating and sleeping areas and have made sure that he gets lots of attention away from her but none of this seems to help.
I am starting to get worried as the thought of having to give either of them away is very upsetting but i also realize it is not fair to either of them to have to live this way.
Do you have any suggestions?Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Answer
Hi Julie,

Your guy may need extra time. There are a couple of factors that could be making harder for him. The fact that she is unfixed may play a part in his being a little aggressive. Her kittenish behavior could also play a role. Try getting a product called Feliway Comfort Zone. This acts like a happy cat tranquilizer and should help calm the big guy down.

When you get the female spayed, take your male with you to the vet and see if you can keep him  there also. I'm saying this because there is a phenomena that sometimes happens when one cat goes to the vet and the other doesn't. The one who goes picks up a lot of strange odors. When they get back home the other one gets mixed signals, (looks like his bud, but doesn't smell like him), and the home one will attack the vet cat. Doing this will help prevent this and might actually help them bond together.

Give them some more time using the Feliway. Another month and all should be well. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen