But at other times cat harassment can be both subtle and misleading. We might be surprised to discover who the instigator really is, and why they are doing it.
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Communication between cats is 90% body language. So there could be signals flying back and forth that we won’t notice; unless we pay special attention. A cat could be a harassment victim, and we don’t realize it. Or a cat could be a harasser; and we are blaming the wrong cat.
When cats have difficulties with each other; staring intently with a lashing tail, giving someone a wide berth in the hallway, or trying to avoid certain places at certain times, we should observe the obvious sufferer first. They are a target of something another cat is doing, but if it’s easy to pick out the offending cat, this could be a communication breakdown that we can correct.
A cat who keeps asking the other cats for play might need a rousing game of spongeball or having a wand toy waved for them. A cat who guards the food might not know how to ask for it when they are hungry; so they hang out there, just in case.
We then work with the cat so they can have a signal to give us when they want something. Puffy was taught to use his Paw, and he used it for everything.
A cat who has trouble “refreshing their browser window” to pick up new information needs us to give them a signal. Some unique, imperative sound, such as from a clicker, can cut through their concentration and get them to refocus. Once they realize their efforts are not getting the desired results, they will start paying more attention to the feedback they are getting.
Some cats are so confident, even arrogant, they genuinely assume other cats are too. If they didn’t want to be pushed out of the window perch, why did they fall off of it?
Such cats require us to monitor their behavior and keep correcting it, since the other cats are not able to do so. Once they realize we are serious about enforcing our preferences for harmonious sharing, they will go along, and sometimes even learn how other cats will express similar sentiments.
It seems that the arrogant cat does not care; but usually we are attributing malice when it is actually cluelessness.
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There’s more about multiple cats in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See more posts on the MULTIPLE CAT ADVANTAGE.
I have one cat that when he was younger was mean to all other cats and I always thought it was because he didn’t know how to play nicely with the other cats. So he would beat them all up cause he didn’t get the response he wanted. Then I got some kittens and he put up with them very nicely. He didn’t play with them, but let them come up to him and even licked them sometimes. He was a stray that I took in, and I always thought he just never and any sisters or brothers to play with and learn the ropes.
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Hi there. We have a 3 year old black male declawed cat named Jeter, and yesterday, I just bought a brand new kitten for my 6 year old son, named Derek…
I am wondering HOW long it will be before Derek and Jeter get along!
Jeter, being the older one and dominant one, hisses at Derek every time they are near each other. Derek cows down to Jeter, as if he’s telling him :I know that you are the boss,” but Jeter is CONSTANTLY doing this.
He was used to other cats when he was a baby, and Derek is used to toehr cats and kittens.
How can I get Jeter to stop hissing at the new kitten and get them to be friends????
HELP! We love them both!
I have a whole section on introductions which should make it easier for them to get along.
Also, declawed cats are often defensive and have difficulty with other cats. I hope this was a “pre-existing condition” for him; it is usually a trauma for the cat.
I have two female cats, the female (dominate cat) is about a year older then than the heavyweight cat. The dominate cat has always bossed or controlled the other cat, but now the other cat won’t come up from the basement. (If she is forced to she soils herself) I have no idea what to do and I need help. The poor car doesn’t belong in the basement!!
Kate, I’m so sorry to hear you have such difficulties. However, it sounds like this cat has chosen the basement and is much happier there.
Her extreme reaction to leaving her comfort zone makes me feel that this is some serious cat conflict that is personality based and thus, difficult to eradicate. The basement cat is getting older, and has less tolerance for putting up with it. Is she happy there? Does she get visits?
We have 2 cats in our 4 cat home that just won’t get along after 2 years.
Crowe is a 3 y/o female dom shorthair who will hiss and growl anytime Chuck a 2 y/o male dom longhair gets near her. Chuck is very active and gets along with the others, often wrestling, with our 9 y/o male dom shorthair Cortez and is tolerated by our 8 y/o female torti Chica, but he seems to be treated like somewhat of an outsider with them.
Crowe loves to be with my husband and I and so does Chuck so we think they are fighting for our affection.
What can we do to help them get along?
I have 5 cats rangeing from 4years to 5 months. All are rescue cats and have been adopted over a 4 year time. The oldest Sammy has started peeing everywhere, and I mean everywhere since the newest member has arrived. Mostly on my things. I noticed he also pees on things that my 7 month grandson has been lying on or sitting at. Sammy has always been shy and the other cats don’t really bother him.He was not a solitary cat.He came from a house of 12 cats and I had 2 other when he came to our house.He was fine when Loki(male), Freya and Xena (both female) came as kittens but Ozzy (male) he just won’t tolerate. All have been neutered and spayed while they were young. I really don’t know what to do.He is such a sweet cat and Ozzy doesn’t bother him, or do the others. He still gets fed first and gets plenty of attention . I don’t want to have to find him another home. I’ve bought him a Comfort Zone collar and the pluggins which doesn’t help either. I don’t know what to do! How do I stop this?
The first step is to get Sammy into a room of his own, with a litter box, and see if the behavior stops. This also “turns down the volume” for him. Has he been checked for an infection or other medical issue? It’s possible that a new kitten and a 7 month old human makes him feel his territory has been invaded, and he’s trying to mark things to indicate that.
Cats compensate until they can’t any more. There might be too many changes lately. Putting them in a room where they are the only cat can reset their brain, and let them handle things better.
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Hi. We have two cats, female (11) and male (7). Our male, Radar, was fostered with dogs as a kitten. We had three dogs and he was very much in their social structure (So much so that he slept curled up next to our eldest dog’s tummy every night). Over the last two years, we’ve lost all three, the last two in June of 2011. Since that time, Radar has had issues with dominating our female cat. Meatball (the female) does not appreciate this and is taking it out on my carpet. She is mostly attached to me, and now Radar is vying for that spot. I’ve talked to an animal behaviorist and one suggestion he gave was engaging Radar in more play, and we have been doing that, but she is still having issues. Do you have any suggestions for me? My husband is at his wits’ end! Thanks!
I’m so sorry your dogs passed away. And to me it’s simple: Radar misses having three dogs to hang out with. He’s obviously highly social, and piling all of that onto Meatball is stressing Meatball out. I think he needs a buddy… who isn’t Meatball.