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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2007Feliway and spraying/fighting cats? (long)
Hi - new to the group! My name is Laurie and I have 3 cats - a 4 year old neutered male (Calvin) we've had for 3 years and a 2 year old spayed female (Twitch) who has been with us for about a year. In late November we rescued a 13 year old neutered male, Jazzy, (along with his 12 year old Maltese companion) from the shelter. I should note the two younger cats are not declawed and Jazzy is. Jazzy is a big boy and very loving to us humans. He and Twitch have never gotten along -- she is very skittish and pretty much strikes in a preemptive move and then runs - he runs after her and tries to tackle her. The fur flies, but it seems to have calmed down as Twitch moved to counter top level and does her best to avoid him. Calvin has become increasingly more aggressive toward Jazzy, to the point where he has been pinning him and really going after him. Jazzy is much larger but Calvin is more agile and I guess downright mean. Jazzy has bite marks on his neck and we've had to separate them with Calvin on top and Jazzy screaming. I recently discovered that Jazzy has been spraying (duh - I didn't know neutered cats really sprayed anything with that up tail shaking movement) and Calvin has been peeing in the dining room. The drapes are now history and the couch corners smell to high heaven. *sigh* I have separated Jazzy from the other two, but then Calvin and Jazzy sit on opposite sides of the door and play under the door. I've been letting him out when we are home to supervise and avert a fight before it starts and then separating them again at night when we go to bed. My vet suggested a natural product with Feliway, which I bought this evening and will try in the dining room, but it is awfully expensive and prohibitively so for the whole house... Does anyone have experience Feliway based product or any other suggestions on something else I could try? TIA and sorry for the long post - I've had cats all my life but have never run into this kind of situation! Laurie > Hi - new to the group! My name is Laurie and I have 3 cats - a 4 year old > neutered male (Calvin) we've had for 3 years and a 2 year old spayed [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Laurie Feliway is an excellent product. It's not a cure-all but has been very effective for many people. I suggest that you use a couple of the plug-in dispensers instead of the Feliway spray. The dispensers will be cheaper and more effective because they release a continuous pre-measured amount. They are also refillable, and one refill should last a little more than a month. It is likely that you can find more reasonable rates on the Internet than from your vet (although "it ain't cheap," as you already know). I think the spray is very good for temporary purposes -- for example, spray it in a carrier about 20 minutes before you put your cat in the carrier for a trip to the vet. I used Feliway when I adopted Duffy, and I found it very helpful in producing a "calmer" atmosphere during the introduction process with Holly. I ordered mine from ValleyVet (http://www.valleyvet.com). They have better prices than most others. Shipping is $6.00, or no charge if you order more than $60.00. The last time I checked, they had Feliway on special for $24.95 for a diffuser with one bottle of Feliway. It is also available as a spray for $15.95 (or $13.95 if 3 are ordered). Do *not* order the formulation with D.A.P. because that version is for dogs. Plug-in diffuser and 1 bottle can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/8n0y Refills here: http://tinyurl.com/y3x3pk Here are a couple of other sources for Feliway: www.petguys.com - Feliway plug-in dispenser and one bottle = $23.99 at my most recent check www.petfooddirect.com - currently $29.99 for the plug-in and one bottle Feliway is used for behavior modification and can be very useful in reducing stress. ***Be sure to verify the prices I listed before ordering because they may have changed since I last checked.*** Here is a link to a study by Ohio State University: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001129074611.htm MaryL Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e > "Laurie" wrote in message <snip> >> My vet suggested a natural product with Feliway, which I bought this >> evening and will try in the dining room, but it is awfully expensive [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > Here is a link to a study by Ohio State University: > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001129074611.htm Excellent MaryL. I appreciate the links and advice! I ordered from ValleyVet and will give the diffusers a try. Keeping my fingers crossed it does the job - but it seems to certainly be a miracle solution - and we could sure use a miracle!! Many thanks, Laurie and the furries Hi Laurie, good to see you hear! Hope something works for your angels. If the Feliway doesn't work, there's another thing I just thought of that you might check. We had a female cat years ago that started spraying in her later years, complete with tail wiggle. We had a vet check her and she had arthritis in her spine, making it uncomfortable for her to squat. It was found on an x-ray. I hope all of your guys settle down and get along. Sounds like you're doing everything right! When you separate them, do you ever alternate their living space? That might get them more used to each other's smell too. Good luck with the zoo, Laurie. Rhonda > Excellent MaryL. I appreciate the links and advice! I ordered from > ValleyVet and will give the diffusers a try. Keeping my fingers crossed it [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Many thanks, > Laurie and the furries > Hi Laurie, good to see you hear! Hope something works for your angels. Angels. Ha! > If the Feliway doesn't work, there's another thing I just thought of > that you might check. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > arthritis in her spine, making it uncomfortable for her to squat. It > was found on an x-ray. He doesn't seem to have a problem in the litterbox *sigh* - he just sprays wherever I am and on Jon's clothes. Love...*rolling eyes* > I hope all of your guys settle down and get along. Sounds like you're > doing everything right! > > When you separate them, do you ever alternate their living space? That > might get them more used to each other's smell too. At this point, they've all been out together for 4 months, so everything pretty much smells like everykitty. I just keep them separated so that all heck doesn't break loose during the night and when we're not home. They seem to do okay during their short breaks out, although Jazzy was spraying again lst night (my good briefcase this time...). > Good luck with the zoo, Laurie. Thanks gf - Feliway diffusers are due here Monday and maybe, if we're lucky, tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed! And thanks for the reference to this ng - it's been really helpful! Laurie Glad you got some help, Laurie. And good luck getting diffused! Remember, don't inhale... Rhonda > Thanks gf - Feliway diffusers are due here Monday and maybe, if we're lucky, > tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed! And thanks for the reference to this > ng - it's been really helpful! I agree with everything MaryL has said. I too have used Feliway and it does help, though (of course) it's not a cure-all. You can also try an herbal remedy called Rescue Remedy, which you can purchase at health- food stores. All you do is add a few drops to their water. I've found this article helpful, and it also discusses other ways to dispense the RR: http://www.allourpets.com/holistic/bach-essences.shtml Also, make sure to completely clean the sprayed areas with a product such as Nature's Miracle to remove all odors. > I agree with everything MaryL has said. I too have used Feliway and it > does help, though (of course) it's not a cure-all. You can also try an [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Also, make sure to completely clean the sprayed areas with a product > such as Nature's Miracle to remove all odors. Thanks Rene - we've used Rescue Remedy with our buns, so I'm familiar with it, just forgot about it! And yep, we're major Nature's Miracle fans around here...we buy it by the gallon! Love it! Laurie and the furries |
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