And Kitty Makes Three

by Daisy's Mom
(New York)

Thank you for hosting such an informative amazing website. I have learned a lot but I can't seem to find anyone with my same story- so I decided to add my personal cat frenenemy story and question. Here it goes: I have had Daisy my black and white rescue for about 6 years now. The shelter estimated that she was around 3 years old when I adopted her so that would make her 9. She is a sweet loving cat which is what drew me to her in the first place. The woman at the shelter told me they found her trapped outside in some sort of animal trap - I have no idea where she was before the shelter found her but she doesn't seem to be traumatized in any way. Her only quark is she doesn't really care to go outside. I keep her indoors and she's happy. She loves to cuddle, and she's quite a talker- meal time is her favorite time of day.
About 3 years after I adopted Daisy my fiancé and his Bengal moved in with us. We introduced them in the proper way and after a few weeks of hissing they began to tolerate each other. They even started to share the same spots on the window sill and occasionally play. We were one big happy family. Then last year I fell in love. On my way to and from work everyday I pass the animal shelter. That's where I met our third kitty Ryka. I couldn't resist bringing her home. When I introduced her to the other cats i made sure to do so in the right way- i kept her in her own room with her own food, litter, water etc. for about a week. Then we introduced her to the other cats and all was well- at first....
Ryka loves her big cat sisters- she follows them around from room to room and is constantly pouncing on and around them to try to get them to play. Casey ( my fiance's cat) seems annoyed by her. Although she is never aggressive towards the kitten. Instead she attacks Daisy- pretty violently. It's been a year now and Daisy spends a lot of her time sitting in the hallway watching for Casey. And it seems like the second she let's her guard down Casey attacks. Casey attacks her when she is eating, sleeping even when she is using the litter box. I feel terrible for poor Daisy. I bring her into the bedroom sometimes and shut the door to help her feel safe but I can't keep her in there all the time. Plus she has started peeing everywhere. I am not mad at her at all - she is afraid to use a litterbox because Casey might attack her. We have tried everything including Feliway but nothing works. What can I do to help them get along? Or at least help Daisy feel protected. As I mentioned before both cats are tolerant of the kitten - they only fight each other. Please please please help!! Thank you in advance on behalf of my poor cats!

RESPONSE:

Casey has displaced anger issues. Her instincts tell her not to mess with the kitten so she is taking out her frustration on Daisy. She needs to have her energies redirected.
First, make sure there are at least 4 litter boxes available so they do not have to share.
Make sure the kitten does not bother the other cats at mealtime. Feed her in a seperate room if necessary. Don't feed Daisy and Casey near each other either. Oppisite sides of the room usually works but you may need to feed them in seperate rooms also.
Increase play time. Play will help Daisy build more confidence and help Casey and Ryka burn off energy. Daisy may benefit more from play with you alone but Casey and Ryka should do well if you play with them together. Play with both of them until they are tired. A tired cat is a happy cat. Play should help Casey feel less inclined to pick on Daisy. When Casey starts to pick on Daisy, pull out a toy ball, mouse, string toy, etc. to distract Casey.
After play, provide treats. Cats normally hunt then eat so play then treats helps mimic this natural progression. Occassionally, give them all treats when they are in the same room and behaving. This will help them all associate good things with each other.
Be sure to clean up completely the areas where Daisy has urinated including the smell. Use a cleaner specially designed to get out cat urine. We use products from Planet Urine as we have found them to be the best at getting out the odor. Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean the cats can't!
You can also try using some Bach Flower Essences or Spirit Essences to help calm Casey. (Check the links on the left for more info)
Try these suggestions and see if it helps.

Good Luck!
Donna - House Full Cats Mom