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Feline Follies - Cat Behavior
Cat to Cat Fighting
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Preliminary steps to correcting cat-cat conflict
Begin by having the cats separated and re-introducing them with "sniff" contact underneath a closed door. Give them catnip and treats. Then move to visual contact by cracking open the door an inch and stoppering it so it can't be forced open wider. You also can put them on opposite sides of a window screen. Again give praise and treats. When that goes well (no hissing, growling, or lunging) proceed to the following program.
Second Stage: Dog-Cat or Cat-Cat Conflict Resolution
1. For the duration of this program, only give the pets attention during these sessions. This will reinforce the notion that good things happen only when they are together and behaving.
2. Bring the cat into a large room by itself, sit down at the spot farthest from the door and start its one-on-one catnip session, giving it praise and treats as you dole out the goodies. If you are working with two cats, choose the least aggressive of the two for this role.
3. Have another person bring the dog or the other cat into the room. A dog should be on a leash and an anti-pull collar. A cat should either be on a leash or in an animal carrier with a metal mesh door through which it can see the cat that is already in the room. If you are working with a dog, as you approach the cat, have the dog do several sit-stays – every five to ten feet – until it is next to the cat.
4. If the dog breaks its stay, growls, barks or snaps, blast it in the face with water and say "Off!" After a five-minute respite, resume the session. If a cat begins to show aggressiveness in its body language (ears flat back, tail quickly swishing, crouching, hissing, etc.) redirect the cat to a positive distraction, like a ping-pong ball toss or cat nip toy. If this doesn't work and the aggression is escalating, squirt the offending cat and say "Off!" Separate the animals, wait five or ten minutes and try again. You want to at least get to the point where neither pet is growling, hissing or striking out at the other.
5. Start with short daily sessions of five minutes so you don't overwhelm the animals and too severely test their tolerance for one another. During the sessions, give both pets copious amounts of attention, petting, playing and treats. They should gradually become positively conditioned to want to be in each other's presence for increasing lengths of time.
6. As the days go by and incidents of aggressive body language and behavioral displays become fewer, lighten up the restrictions. Take the cat out of the carrier or off the short leash and put it on long leads. Only when they both show consistent signs of being tolerant (if not overjoyed) to be in the presence of their housemate should you allow them to roam freely in the room where the sessions take place.
7. If after a few weeks one (or both) of the animals just doesn't seem to be adjusting and still appears overly anxious in the presence of the other, consult your veterinarian about using an anti-anxiety medication in conjunction with this counter-conditioning program.
After 12 to 16 weeks of counter-conditioning, the animals should be looking forward to being with their housemate and there should be no signs of aggression. They should at the very least tolerate one another, and in some cases might become best friends.
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