Cat Behaviour Problems: People & other animals

Introducing to other cats/kittens, dogs/puppies, babies/children:

Introducing other Cats/Kittens

Question: We have recently moved house to house-sit for friends and have to adopt their cat as well as keeping on our own for two years. They keep having vicious fights - our existing cat is quite old and we are worried she will not survive the ordeal. How can we make them get along?

Answer: Unfortunately, you cannot make them get along; cats cannot be socially manipulated in the same way as dogs. Your best bet is to give them two distinct territories to live in and keep them separate. Perhaps the younger one could live upstairs and the older one downstairs, or, if the house is big enough, one set of rooms could belong to one cat and another set to another.

Once you have worked out where each cat would live most happily, you will need to enforce the divide rigidly so that neither cat can invade the other.

They will need separate eating, sleeping and toileting places, as well as access to you for company. Dividing the house between them is not as difficult as it sounds as, once the cats have learned where the boundaries are, they will be as anxious as you are to avoid close encounters.

If this fails, however, or you cannot achieve this for some reason, it would be kinder to consider a new home for your old cat, even it if is only temporary.

Question: I have two female house cats, Princess and Suzie. I live on my own, so they tend to be scared of anything that is unfamiliar. I would like to get a kitten as a companion for Suzie, as Princess has heart disease and will probably not live for a long time. How would I introduce a new kitten with minimum distress to any of the cats?

Answer: If the two cats are scared of anything unfamiliar and one has heart disease, I would advise against getting a kitten.

Cats are not as social with each other as we would like to think they are, and they would naturally live in groups of related individuals who would lead fairly solitary lives.

If you introduce new cats to your household, you are lucky if they all get on well. Usually, new cats are tolerated rather than loved, and most cats find it very stressful when a newcomer arrives, particularly if it is a boisterous, active kitten.

If anything should happen to Princess, Suzie will undoubtedly miss her.
However, a kitten, even if it has grown up by then, will be no substitute and the best thing you can do is to be a good companion to Suzie so that you can help her over her loss when the time comes.

Question: We found Henry, a stray male kitten, a week ago. The vet thinks he is about 4 months-old. I already have two 18 month-old female cats who are sisters.
We had to have Henry neutered after two days as he was going for the females: biting their necks and pinning them down.

Having him neutered has not really helped the situation; he won't leave my female cats alone - even when they hiss or roll around screaming at him.

I cannot tell whether he is playing or not, but it is beginning to really upset them. Obviously I want to do everything I can to keep Henry, but my other two cats are my main priority.

Other than this, Henry is a lovely cat, with a gentle nature. Is there anything I can do? At the moment I have resorted to shutting him in my bedroom away from the other two cats.

Answer: It sounds as though Henry has not learned many social graces in his four months of life. Unfortunately for your two females, they don’t know how to deal with his advances either.

I think it is unlikely that these are sexual advances – which is why neutering had no effect – but I suspect that they are clumsy attempts at play.

Single, hand-reared kittens often behave like this as they have no siblings or mother to tell them when enough is enough and teach them the consequences of their actions, while they are still young enough to subdue easily.

I would suggest that you encourage him to play with toys. Choose the wand type with which you can use up lots of his energy. Keep it moving and play with him for 3 lots of 10 minute sessions. Then, while he is still tired, let him in with the others.

Allow them to tell him off when he gets too much or intervene yourself, pushing him off them and distracting him with a game with a toy.

Return him to his room and repeat as often as you can. After a while, you should find that he becomes better behaved with them and learns to play more gently.

If you continue to have difficulty with him, you may like to consider professional help before you take the drastic step of rehoming him. Contact the The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Question: I have a 12-month-old cat and have just taken on a new kitten. However, I have had to separate them because they fight. How can I stop the older cat being nasty to the kitten?

Answer: Cats are often nasty to kittens because they do not want any involvement with them or they are scared of them, and have no other way to stop the kitten approaching them.

To introduce them safely, you will need a big kitten cage. A large dog crate will do but it needs to be large enough for the kitten’s bed and litter tray and some space for playing. Put the kitten in this as often as possible and have the adult cat in the same room (the rest of the time, keep them in separate parts of the house). In this way they will get used the sight, sound and smell of the other.

You can help speed up the process by transfering their scent to the other by stroking them with the same soft cloth. When your adult cat is a bit more calm about the cage and kitten, place her food bowl closer to the cage so that she had to approach to eat. Do this gradually over a period of days, increasing the distance if she is too worried to approach.

After a few weeks, allow the kitten to come out while you are on hand to stop any approaches to your adult cat which it may find unacceptable.

Allow the adult cat to get up high and try to distract the kitten with a game with a toy. Continue with this, never forcing the issue and letting them come together in their own time, until they are tolerant of each other.

Question: We have a four year old female cat and 6 weeks ago we adopted two kittens (1 male, 1 female) who are now 14 weeks old. We took great care to gradually introduce them and not show any favourites.

Most of the time she tends to ignore them and keep out of their way. They all eat together with their bowls been about 1 foot apart (any closer and she won't eat or goes away). They have been trying to 'make friends' with her.

What I find strange is that sometimes when they are walking past or are asleep she will wash them but as soon as they look at her she spits and 'smacks' them. She is more tolerant of the female as she will sometimes sniff nose to nose with her. The male has now started to chase her up the stairs. Why does she blow hot and cold with them and is there anything else we can do to help them get along?

Answer: Cats are, by nature, solitary creatures who don’t easily tolerate the presence of other cats unless they have grown up with them. They are usually more able to tolerate kittens, but even so, it may be difficult for her if she has had no experience with living with them in the past.

She can probably cope when they are quiet or moving slowly, but will find it quite worrying when they are approaching her, looking at her or moving fast.

She probably likes the female better than the male because she is less active and confrontational. Given time, your cat will learn how to deal with the kittens and it sounds as though she has made good progress already.

It is important that you don’t let her be chased by the male as this will set back progress. Interrupt him and get him to play a game with you instead. Keeping his games focussed on you will give her some peace and allow her the chance to get used to both kittens in her own time.

Question: I have recently introduced a new rescue cat into the house. Being 8 years old and having lived on her own for the last five years, she obviously isn't too good with people. However, we've had her for about four weeks now and she has made great progress with us.

She is still spending a lot of time hiding, but when encouraged she will come out for a stroke - she even sat on my knee for a long time. I am confident that, given time, she will be fine with us.

However, the real problem is with our original cat. The new cat is being very aggressive towards her, although no real fights have broken out. The original cat does not appear too concerned and seems happy to stay out of her way and ignore her.

My concern is that this behaviour will only get worse (as it has got worse over time, not better) and that Polly will become scared to be in her own home. Any help would be gratefully received.

Answer: Your new cat’s behaviour towards Polly is probably getting worse as her confidence level rises. It should reach a peak soon and stay at this level, so don’t worry too much.

Try to give them separate territories as much as possible so that they don’t need to interact with each other to get to key resources, i.e. food, litter trays, sleeping places, you and the garden. If they can go about their business and easily keep out of each other’s way, you will probably find that they do this rather than use aggression.

Give them plenty of hiding places and perhaps some walkways up high if you can manage this. Try swopping their scent by rubbing each with a cloth and then wiping it on the other. If all is going well, you can then begin to get them together gradually by feeding them in the same room and gradually bringing their food dishes closer – but never so close that they fight or go off their food.

Cats take a lot of time to get to know each other and, even then, may only every tolerate each other rather than become friends.

Introducing Cats & Dogs/Puppies

Question: I have read that westies don't tend to get along with other animals.
We have just got an 8-week-old westie and we also have a female house cat. Is there anything I can do to train my puppy to get along with my cat?
The cat is declawed and basically ignores him, but he has started to bark playfully at her. I don't expect them to be playmates, but I would like to teach him from an early age to get along with her. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: Well socialised and educated Westies get on with anything.
Problems only happen if they have not met other animals during puppyhood (the critical time when it is easy to socialise them is between 3 and 12 weeks old), or if they are not taught to respect other animals and behave well with them.

Being terriers, they tend to react to anything new and scary with aggression, which is why they readily get a bad reputation. If you have an 8 week old puppy, you should be able to teach him to be very good with your cat and even enjoy its company.

I’m not sure you will be able to help your cat to learn to appreciate your puppy, however. If your cat is declawed (an operation that is not done in this country but often done in the USA), it is likely that he doesn’t go outside (declawed cats cannot easily climb to escape from danger).

For this reason, it is important that you give him a safe place where he can easily get away from the puppy to rest and feel safe. Arrange shelving or something similar to give him a high place in each room where he can escape to, and use a stair gate to stop the puppy following him when he moves around the house.

It is important to stop your puppy chasing or pestering the cat.

Use a house line if necessary which you can step on or pick up to stop him chasing, and distract him whenever he begins to do anything with the cat that it doesn’t like. If he is never allowed to pester and chase the cat, he will never learn how much fun it can be.

Instead, make sure he plays lots of games with you and learns to get fun from chasing toys instead.

Question: I have had my rescue dog, Bob, for three weeks and am having trouble introducing him to my two established cats. They are currently eating together with Bob on a lead. I'm frightened to let him off because he keeps chasing the cats - what should I do?

Answer: You need to wait until Bob takes no further notice of them and accepts them completely before letting him off the lead. Even then, it is a good idea to let him drag a line around so that you can stand on it quickly if he should decide to run after them. It can sometimes take months before a new dog settles into a household with other cats so be patient.

Arrange for a many controlled encounters between them as possible.

Ask your dog to lay down or tie him so that he cannot move around much. Encourage the cats into the room, perhaps with food, and allow them to settle and get up high if they want to. Talk to them and make a fuss of them to let Bob know that they are part of his pack, and make a fuss of him too when he behaves well.

After many sessions, Bob should begin to relax more quickly and no longer watch them so intently. Gradually you can allow him more freedom.

If you are in any doubt, muzzle Bob, but get him used to wearing the muzzle beforehand so that he doesn’t associate it with the cats. Swap scents between dog and cats by stroking both without washing your hands in between and swapping cloths placed in their beds. Be patient – it may take a long time, but if you do it slowly, you will build a trust between them and, gradually, they will begin to accept each other.

Question: Could you please give me some advice on how to introduce my 9-week-old kitten to my 18-month-old collie cross so that they get along with each other?

Answer: Nice and slowly is the answer, keeping control of both at first to ensure success. Keep them separate when you can’t supervise them so that they cannot cause each other concern or frighten each other.

Hold your collie on a lead so that it can’t chase or jump at the kitten. Let your kitten walk into the room in its own time rather than carrying it. Let it jump up onto sofa’s or high surfaces if it wants to and praise your dog for staying quiet and calm.

Make a fuss of the kitten too to show your dog that it is to be part of the pack and is not an intruder. Repeat these introductions many times until both animals begin to take no notice of each other.

Then gradually let your collie have more freedom, keep it on a lead for some time until you are sure they will get on and later keeping it on a longer line so that you can stop any chases quickly. If you have any concerns about closer introductions, a muzzle may be needed for safety, but they are not usually necessary.

If you take it slowly and steadily so that neither your dog or your kitten gets worried by the other, you should find they will be friends in no time.

Question: My Dalmatian, April, is 7 months old and I have had her for four weeks now. She is doing well with basic training but will not let my three cats into our house.
They will only come into the house if I block her off and all she does is chase them away if they are out in the garden.
I have tried to rub their scent on her and vice versa, I have tried to hold the cats so she can sniff/lick them and I have put them in a room together for a long time hoping she will get used to them. None of this has worked.
You are my last hope! Have you got any ideas as I love her dearly but feel that the only other option is to find her a different home.

Answer: This is difficult to solve via email and you may need practical help. Being young and lively, she will seem quite terrifying to the cats and it is not surprising that they keep out of her way.

The situation is not hopeless, but you will need to teach her how to behave when the cats are present. This involves restraining her, not the cats. Bring the cats in a meal times and make sure she is shut in another room for a while until they gain confidence about coming back in. Bring her into the room on a lead and insist that she lays down quietly.

It will help to exercise her well before hand so that she is tired any ready to lay down. Make her be still and quiet, tethering her so that she cannot get out of the ‘down’ position (make sure you teach her this slowly and gentle beforehand so that she doesn’t panic), or keeping her confined to a travel cage if you have one.

Praise her if she is calm and ignore her when she isn’t. Let her see you making a fuss of the cats and let them have the freedom of the house for while. Once she has learned to lay down and be calm in their presence, allow her a bit more freedom but keep her under strict control and put her into the ‘down’ again if she gets excited.

Progress in this way, bot inside and outside the house, until she has learned that she cannot chase the cats and has learned to behave well when they are around. If you need further help, please contact The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Question: I will be collecting my puppy, Solo, in two weeks time, when she will be eight weeks old. I have four cats, one of whom has a tendency to be dominant/aggressive towards the other cats. How should I go about introducing them, so that both puppy and cats are happy?

Answer: Cat’s primary sense is that of scent, and if you can introduce some cloths with the scent of your new puppy before he gets there, they will already be familiar with his smell. This will give the process a headstart.

The most important thing is that your new puppy should not be allowed to frighten or harass the cats at any time.

Cats are usually quite sensible and keep out of the way at first, unless they have enough confidence to make the puppy back off. Make sure the cats have shelves and high surfaces to jump on to or hiding places to get into where the puppy cannot go.

Keep a close eye on all meetings and restrain your puppy if he tries to approach the cats too fast or too closely.

The use of a puppy playpen when you are not there to supervise can prevent unwanted encounters and the use of babygates around the house will allow your cats an escape route while preventing your puppy from giving chase.

Make sure he has many games with toys and put a little line on his collar when he is in the same room as the cats so that you can prevent him giving chase and learning that cats are play things.

Question: My partner and I have recently acquired a border terrier puppy. We also have a cat, who lives inside as she is deaf. Her reaction to our puppy was extremely violent and we have to be very watchful.

Normally, you have to protect cats from dogs but this situation is completely the opposite.

Our puppy is extremely wary of our cat and stays in his pen whenever she is about. Is there anything specific that we can do to help them accept each other, or is it just a matter of time?

Answer: If your cat views the territory as hers and has enough confidence, she probably thinks she has to be aggressive since she cannot escape from the situation by going outside.

To prevent this, it is important to give your cat routes and passages that she can use so that she does not need to encounter your puppy so often and so that your puppy learn that is safe to walk and play in certain areas.

Cats like to get up high when they are worried so arrange for a series of walkways around the house via bookshelves, tree branches brought in from outside and tops of cupboards so that she can feel safe again.

Put her bed and litter tray up high and make it comfortable for her so that she has a territory that the puppy cannot get to. When your puppy needs to rest, shut him into another room and give your cat a chance to come down and get attention and games from you.

Gradually, they should grow used to each other, but it will take some time. Giving them separate territories within the same environment until then will help enormously since they can learn about each other from the safety of their own space until brave enough to risk an encounter.

Question: I have brother and sister cats who are just under one-year-old. We recently brought a stafford pup and heard that through gentle introduction they can become good friends.

Wilma, the female, is fine with him, however Fred, the male, has not really come downstairs in the two weeks that we have had Dino (the pup).

He occasionally ventures down but will not go anywhere near the kitchen where Dino sleeps. I don't want to force Fred down as I don't want to scare him anymore than he already is.

I've kept the cats in as I'm afraid if I let them out I may never see them again. Is this normal behaviour or is there anything I can do to get Fred back to normal?

Answer: Two weeks is not very long when trying to get cats and dogs used to each other. Unfortunately, puppies, especially staffie puppies, are quite wriggly and boisterous, and timid cats find them difficult to cope with.

Cats usually take sole responsibility for their own safety, particularly when it comes to dogs, and as far as your cat is concerned, he probably thinks his survival depends on staying away from the puppy. He may eventually come down of his own accord, although if he is very timid, he may not.

You can speed things up by arranging for him to observe the pup from a distance so he can decide that he may not be so dangerous after all. How you do this will depend upon the layout of your house. Cats like to get up high to keep safe, especially to get away from little pups that can’t climb.

I would recommend arranging a system of branches or shelving that would enable your cat to easily get up out of the way, either around the rooms downstairs or just in the living room. Put beds and food dishes up high too so that everything the cats needs is up high. Shut the puppy in the kitchen and tempt your cat down with food (this may take a few days).

Let the cat explore the house again, especially that new network of escape routes for several days at certain times of the day when the pup is shut away. Then, once he is relaxed in the living room again, bring the puppy in on a lead and make him stay still (it’s a good idea to have exercised him very well in the garden first).

Once the cat finds it can get to safety, he will be much more willing to begin the process of getting used to the newcomer. You will need to teach your puppy that he must not chase or bark at the cats and, gradually, they should get to know each other.

Question: We recently inherited two cats from some friends who have emigrated. Pepsi, who is two, and Errol, who is four. We also have a very lively seven month old border collie puppy.

We are currently having problems getting Pepsi to go to the toilet outside. She seemed okay for a few weeks after we first let her out of the house, but since then we have had problems with her urinating on our bed. This stopped when we put the cat litter out again, but we would prefer her to go outside.

We cannot put the cat litter anywhere accessible to the puppy, as he eats everything, (cat litter included).

Pepsi had never been outside before she came to us (she was an indoor cat) and we have an open plan living and kitchen area with a dog flap to the rear garden.

Answer: The problem is not so much that Pepsi needs to have a litter tray inside, but that she doesn’t want to go outside. The question is why?

Since she is new to the outside world, she is not going to be as confident out there as a cat that has always been able to get out. Any small disturbance that causes her to be insecure outside will inhibit her from going to the toilet there and cause her to need to go inside.

Cats like to be secretive about going to the toilet and so prefer dry, soft earth under bushes. Do you have somewhere suitable for her to go in your garden without her having to travel too far from the safety of your home? Is this kept freshly dug and clean? Does your puppy disturb her when she tries to go to the toilet, or try to chase her when she goes outside (if you have a dog flap, he will be able to go outside whenever she does) (also, if your puppy likes to eat everything, he may be following her, waiting for her to go so he can eat it! Naturally enough, this may be very intimidating for Pepsi.).

Or it could be that other cats in the neighbourhood have been intimidating her (this may not have happened during the first two weeks of her freedom). Finding the answer to the question ‘why’ and doing something about it from Pepsi’s point of view is essential if you want her to start going outside again.

Otherwise, I’m afraid you may have to accept that Pepsi will always need a litter tray indoor and it is easier to provide her with one than risk her finding her own unacceptable substitute.

Introducing Babies & Children

Question: Ever since we had our baby our cat, Smudge has been scratching at our bedroom door and meowing at night. Our house is open plan so we can't shut her downstairs. What do you suggest?

Answer: Babies take up a lot of time and attention and it is possible that Smudge has been feeling a little left out since your baby came into the household.

If she used to play with you a lot and now doesn’t, she may be still full of energy when she goes to bed, causing her to be awake at night. Or perhaps she always used to sleep with you and now cannot because of the baby.

Whatever the reason, try to find time to give her many short play sessions with lots of cuddles throughout the day. Fishing rod toys are good as they will give the cat lots of mock hunting activity without exhausting you. Give her lots of fuss in the evening and try to make sure she is tired when you go to bed.

If she has been used to sleeping with you, make her a comfortable bed outside your door, put a warm hot water bottle in the bottom and cover with a piece of cloth that has your scent on it. Then shut the door and ignore any scratching and meowing as rewarding her sometimes by giving attention will, ultimately, cause her to try this strategy for longer.

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