Expert: Tina - 3/25/2007

Question
Hi, I rescued two kittens who were abandoned on the road at 4 weeks old and they are now 2 years old, healthy and spay-neutered but the male has behaviour problems. He is very hyper, high energy and has some aggression problems. He bullies the female cat, plays very rough with her, and bites her till she screams, sometimes pulling out tufts of her fur. He wants me to play with him every second he's awake or go outside, and howls and whines constantly to get my attention, or wrecks something (computer wires). If I pick him up to stop him from doing these things he bites me and won't let go of his grip on my hand. He also refuses to use his litterbox since he discovered dirt outside (He loves dirt)He has boundless energy and is solid muscle. He rarely purrs, only occasionally when he sucks on blankets. The female is passive, fearful but more content than him. She's very affectionate and purrs a lot. When they were kittens they were inseparable but the bullying is getting out of hand. If I let the male cat out to run off his energy it calms him down and he's much happier but he's a real killer (of wildlife)so I don't know what to do with him.

Answer
Hi Lynn,

Don't worry your 2 year old will start to mellow out as he gets older, he is at the peak of his growth now and feeling his oats so to speak.

First of all, I recommend keeping both your cats indoors and/or building an outdoor enclosure. I know you want to allow him to burn off steam outside, but it's not safe for him - or the wildlife. Cats allowed outdoors are subject to many dangers, and on top of that smelling other cats outside and being allowed to claim a territory will in the end make your male cat even more aggressive. Instead he can burn off energy by using interactive toys and running up and down a cat tree etc. Here's an article on cat enclosures:

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/enclosures.html

Nutritionally, you can help reduce aggression by supplementing your cat's food with tryptophan, an amino acid that is a serotonin precursor and helps mellow out mammals. You can buy it at some health food stores and online at places like vitaminshoppe.com. Get capsules, you can pull the capsules apart and sprinkle the powder on canned food and mix in - it has pretty much no taste so your cat should eat it fine. Tryptophan is much cheaper and just as effective as "kitty prozac" and calming drugs sold by vets. Also it is very safe, since it's just an amino acid present in meat. I recommend giving 500 mg a day to your cat. It should show effects within a few days.

I also recommend using Feliway plug-in diffusers and/or spray. Feliway mimics facial pheremones cats use to mark their territory by rubbing their cheeks on things, and it is a big help with reducing aggression. You can find Feliway at most pet stores or online. I find the spray most effective but best of all is to use the diffuser for a constant level (it also seems to take 2 weeks or so to work) and the spray re-applied every 3 days. Spray it on doorways and furniture at cat-rubbing level.

Finally, make sure you schedule plenty of interactive play time with your hyperactive kitty. Laser pointers are great because most cats will chase them endlessly... up and down the hall, round in circles on a bed - make it appear to "hide" under things and watch your cat stalk it. Another great exercise toy is the "da Bird" sold at pet stores and online - it's a feather toy on a string attached to a stick and the feathers can rotate so when twirled around the feathers make a flying bird noise. Cats go nuts over it and mine will jump several feet in the air to get it.

It's best to schedule several 15 minute play sessions each day if you can, and try to make them at the same time every day so your cat grows to anticipate them.

I hope this helps!