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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2007Aggressive behaviour in new cat
My wife and I have had 2 littermates since they were kittens (females) . In the last 6 months or so, we acquired a stray (male) from our daughter's neighborhood that has exhibited aggressive behaviour toward the girls. All have been neutered. He tends to attack them after exiting the litter box area. Sometimes he will wait for them to pass by and swipe at them with his paws ( his claws aren't extended ) Lately he's becomming more aggressive. We were wondering if this is normal, and if we can break this behaviour. Thanks. This cat is just asserting his dominance which is normal behavior. Guessing that you slowly introduced this newcomer to the household, the best thing to do is let the cats work this out. As long as there is no bloodshed they should establish his ranking. My cat Icarus is the only male amongst two females and he constantly tries to push their buttons because he's the youngest and also an alpha male. He's also learned that he isn't the top cat in the household but that never stops him from pushing the envelope sometimes.  SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com > My wife and I have had 2 littermates since they were kittens > (females) . In the last 6 months or so, we acquired a stray (male) [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Thanks. > This cat is just asserting his dominance which is normal behavior. Guessing > that you slowly introduced this newcomer to the household, the best thing to [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > > Thanks.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for the reply! My wife was working from home yesterday, Diego, ( the new male) didn't bother either Kate or Allie. My wife's convinced that they do this for our entertainment.... ! Go figure! Thanks Again!! > My wife and I have had 2 littermates since they were kittens > (females) . In the last 6 months or so, we acquired a stray (male) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > he will wait for them to pass by and swipe at them with his paws ( his > claws aren't extended ) In order to prevent any possible litter box issues, I'd suggest putting another litterbox or two in different areas of the home. If the male is bothering the other cats, even in a playful way, they might find other places to eliminate if they feel threatened. You should have at least three boxes (even better is four) with three cats anyway. A good idea but if the guy lives in an apartment or doesn't have a lot of space that might not be an option. All of the litterboxes here are in the bathroom next to each other. So, far it's worked out pretty well. None of the cats have any litterbox issues. SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com > In order to prevent any possible litter box issues, I'd suggest > putting another litterbox or two in different areas of the home. If > the male is bothering the other cats, even in a playful way, they > might find other places to eliminate if they feel threatened. You > should have at least three boxes (even better is four) with three cats > anyway. > > My wife and I have had 2 littermates since they were kittens > > (females) . In the last 6 months or so, we acquired a stray (male) [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > should have at least three boxes (even better is four) with three cats > anyway. We don't have a lot of space to choose from in our home. We have no basement, and the bathrooms are very tight on space. I might be able to put one in the upstairs bath, but i'm not sure it will help the issue. > We don't have a lot of space to choose from in our home. We have no > basement, > and the bathrooms are very tight on space. > I might be able to put one in the upstairs bath, but i'm not sure it > will help the issue. I never put my litter boxes in the bathroom. I have one in our utility room and one in the master bedroom behind a fireplace screen, in a quiet corner where the cats feel safe, and from which they can make a hasty escape if need be. The point about making sure your cats have boxes they are comfortable using (e.g. not getting ambushed etc.) is, once they stop using them, it is very hard to get them to start again consistently. You definitely need at least two boxes or you are going to have a problem on your hands. It is not your girls' fault this boy is behaving this way, so be sure they do not suffer. Make 2-3 boxes available, keep them scooped, and forget conventions about where to put them. (Aside from the bath having quite a bit of traffic from humans, and closed doors at some times when the cat needs to go, it is just disgusting to me to share a bath with a cat box. Put the boxes in places that are low traffic but easy to get at, with good escape routes, and some space around them for ventilation. A utility room, a corner of a dining room that is not used, even. Your study or den, heck, I had one in my living room behind a plant when I lived in a one bedroom apartment. I kept it clean and nobody knew it was there but me and the cat. Think outside the box! ;) > Think outside the box! ;) As long as it's me doing the thinking and not them doing anything at all!!!! :-) Thanks! > We don't have a lot of space to choose from in our home. We have no > basement, > and the bathrooms are very tight on space. > I might be able to put one in the upstairs bath, but i'm not sure it > will help the issue. How about in a spare closet? I did this when I lived in a one-bedroom apartment. I left the door open a crack and no one but me knew the box was in there. Other options are in the corner of a spare room, end of a hallway, or do you have a pantry that's big enough? > > We don't have a lot of space to choose from in our home. We have no > > basement, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > was in there. Other options are in the corner of a spare room, end of > a hallway, or do you have a pantry that's big enough? the closet..... HMMMMMM..... ...> . I might be able to put one in the upstairs bath, but i'm not sure it will help the issue. Hi Joey, The only way to know if it will work or not is to do it and see. Don't be in too big a hurry for an answer because it might take a while for the cats to make the transition. Good luck. Annie
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