Friction between 2 female cats

[marko]

Hey all....soooooo beeen a few weeks now and Twiggy (Female 12) really hasn't warmed up to her new sister (6)

Nuda wants to play but everytime she gets near...or almost Twiggy pulls a toothless hissy fit.... Once in a while they lie down not to far from each other.
Carmy and I have seen the occasional lick exchanged.

Nuda does like to corner her though and start whacking her (she was adopted with no claws so not too much threat there) Twiggy whacks a few back and starts an exaggerated screamfest... then we intervene...

We've tried the diffusing stuff in the past and we haven't seen any noticeable improvements... all suggestions appreciated..

thx!

[Winston]

Marko
A dab of vanilla under each of their chins or rub some baby powder in your hand and rub them both down.
The trick is they need to smell the same...I used to take either of my two to the vet and when I came back all hell would break loose because they smelled different. Vet told me these 2 tricks and they worked for me...
Cindy

[hazelrunpack]

How long will the exaggerated screamfest last if you just leave them? Does it escalate from there, or is there a chance the behavior would just extinguish over time? (Of course, if you have neighbors in earshot, maybe it's not the best option to explore. )

[Reg]

Hi Marko:

I've had similar issues with our 3. Yogi (10 male ), Mrg (9 female ) and BB (10 female ).

Yogi and Mrg pick on BB - used to be fairly frequently - and BB has a tendency when being picked on to scream blue murder and can be heard all over the house, and we come running.

BB also has anal fissures and I think scent of "wounded animal" might spark this problem. Although sometimes they occur when she's showing no signs of anal issues.

Somewhere around Christmas, I came across an article suggesting using Rescue Remedy - suggesting that mixing 10 to 12 drops in a small 30 cc dropper bottle of distilled water and giving 10 drops or 1/2 cc 3 times a day to the animals with meals.

I started this back n February and it seems to be working for me. It was very slow to start seeing any results. It could have taken about 3 weeks to a month. Things have settled down considerably and they seem to be getting along much better. However, BB is still leary of the other two.

When I give this mixture to the cats, I mix it into their meals which are wet food which makes it easier to administer. It can be dosed using an eye dropper if you are using dry food.

Hope this might be helpful to you.

[marko]

Thanks for all the info!!! vanilla or powder seems like an easy thing to try immediately... might try RR after that!!

How long will the exaggerated screamfest last if you just leave them? Does it escalate from there, or is there a chance the behavior would just extinguish over time? (Of course, if you have neighbors in earshot, maybe it's not the best option to explore. )

Nuda tends to corner Twiggy- and Twiggy starts a yellin' . But Nuda doesn't back down and still threatens Twiggy with her taller stance. We usually intervene because we are softies. Also Twiggy has zero teeth Nuda has a full set of teeth...she hasn't used them on Twiggy nor is she threatening to use them....but as softy parents... Twiggy's screams alert our attention everytime.

[hazelrunpack]

Does Nuda corner Twiggy in an effort to cow her, or is she just trying to get to know her? JD is trying to win Grace over to his side, but since he usually ends up trying to get her to play (you know--that whole mock attack thing...), she's pretty much cowed any time he approaches her, even if he's just trying to be a buddy.

[marko]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Does Nuda corner Twiggy in an effort to cow her, or is she just trying to get to know her? JD is trying to win Grace over to his side, but since he usually ends up trying to get her to play (you know--that whole mock attack thing...), she's pretty much cowed any time he approaches her, even if he's just trying to be a buddy.

At first it seemed like play....but now given twiggy's constant overreacting, whenever Nuda gets near she starts a yellin'.

What's weird...is that we let a few of the neighbour's cats inside each day to play...Twiggy has no bad reaction to them.

A dab of vanilla under each of their chins or rub some baby powder in your hand and rub them both down.
The trick is they need to smell the same...I used to take either of my two to the vet and when I came back all hell would break loose because they smelled different. Vet told me these 2 tricks and they worked for me...

Just curious - what type of vanilla are we talking about - vanilla extract? Thx!

[hazelrunpack]

What does Nuda think of the neighbor cats visiting?

[Winston]

yes Marko plain ole vanilla extract. Most folks have some lying around from baking..LOL

Cindy

[marko]

Thanks Cindy!!

What does Nuda think of the neighbor cats visiting?

She's into them at a curious level - she's a real butt sniffer - they get along.

Honestly Nuda is/was just being a curious cat when it comes to Twiggy...all she wants to do is take a sniff and give a lick.

But every time Nuda gets within 2 feet of Twiggy....Twiggy starts her growl...
sometimes Nuda just walks away. But sometimes Nuda starts to make herself bigger and she approaches despite the screams...and the swat-fest begins with twiggy always assuming the defensive position. Given how vocal Twiggy is...her screams are annoying and alert us quickly

years ago I read 2 female cats introduced later in life often have issues getting along.... did we make a mistake by getting 2 females?

[Winston]

Marko thats such as tough question. Its an issue for sure being 2 females but I truly believe with time it will result in a calmer life. They may not be best buds but can learn to tolerate one another. Just be sure to give Twiggy her assurance that you will be able to intervene. I also wouldnt allow Nuda to take advantage of a situation either.
I dont think it would hurt to try rescue remedy again either. What works for some doesnt work for others.
Have you swapped their scents with each other...
How about some new pics of Nuda so we can see what your dealing with.
Actually a video for education purposes would help too!! LOL
Cindy

[marko]

So it's getting a bit better....now they can go bum to bum....but Twiggy still can't stand to look at her sister.

[hazelrunpack]

Yay! Progress! What an adorable shot.

[Winston]

Marko that is HUGE progess although it may seem minor.

Keep in mind bum to bum is showing they are comfortable enough to expose an area that is somewhat vulnerable to them. Similiar to them laying on their back and exposing he belly..

Baby steps and it will happen...

[Reg]

Hi Marko:

It looks as if you are starting to make some headway with Twiggy and Nuda - as Winston says - it just takes time. Something that has to be taken into consideration is that most animals have undergone trauma.

Twiggy for the loss of Baci and Nuda into a new home and the loss of her other human companions.

By any chance have you been using Rescue Remedy?

There is an old saying - elephants never forget. Whoever said it had no knowledge about cats and their memories or they would have combined the 2 animals in their statement.

[marko]

Thanks for all the comments -

YES. We have been using rescue remedy - I can't be sure if it's helping...or just time is helping. But either way the product doesn't seem harmful so we'll continue giving it for another short while.

[Reg]

Marko we have been using Rescue Remedy off and on for many years with decent success - some times better than others - depending on the situation.


This time we've been using it for several months with the condition we've had and we've come to the conclusion that we'll have to diversify ourselves due to the fact that we weren't getting the satisfaction that we were looking for.

We looked for remedies that were more related to the individual cats personalities and we came up with 5 remedies for the 3 cats. We mixed into a 30 cc or 1 ounce bottle along with the Rescue Remedy. Right now we've been on this protocol for about 10 days. It's too early yet for any sign of improvement. It could be another week or two, but there again, I'm only giving dosing twice a day, which is bare minimum. It is recommended it be given 3 or 4 times a day.

I have included a couple of web sites basically designed for cat remedies. If you're interested in venturing further with it, it's worth the read.

One other thing I found in doing my research a few weeks ago on one of the Bach Remedy sites, that they recommend not administering the remedy orally, unless under extenuating circumstances. Due to the fact that the flower essence can cause stress on some cats. Something else that was mentioned is that you cannot overdose using Bach Remedies.


https://lakewoodanimalhospital.ca/wp...r-Remedies.pdf


https://www.bachflowerscanada.com/pa...-remedies-pets

This last one will give you an idea on how to mix the remedies.

Something I do on my own is succussions ( shake with impact ) it 8 or 10 times against my other hand before dosing. This mixes it up well and activates the remedies.