NEED HELP with DOMINATING MALE, Has turned night into day, aggressive behaviour Options

[Sally-Anne]

Hi my name is Sally-Anne. I have 2 half year old desexed male, whom we bought into our home after finding him dumped on the side of road at 6 wks old. My problem now is that he is so dominating over me I am just at my wits end and if anyone out there can give me some advice that would be great. My story goes like this.... about 4-6months ago he has decided he wanted to be outside all night. His behaviour started with running through the house continually, jumping on us to wake us, crying, clawing and it had got to a point where he would with one claw poke me in the face. He got his way and was kicked out, simply cause we needed our sleep and had had enough. Now he has decided to wake us 2-4 times a night by clawing at the front door as if some one is knocking on it, cause he is hungry, I get up, let him in, he eats and is out again, if I go back to bed the behaviour continues until he goes out. I have tried putting food outside for him, he is not interested, he is so set in his way that he will only eat inside. I have tried leaving the laundry window open for him, the only way he wants in is through the front door. I don't see him at all through the day, he is sleeping. He has turned night into day and I need to change this but don't know how. Another problem has arisen over the past fortnight another cat has arrived in the neighborhood and is trying to make his mark on my cats territory, we have a new enemy. If anyone can give me some good advice that would be excellent. PS he can be a very aggressive cat with sometimes growling, hissing and spitting at me, I think he needs some vallium and sleeping tablets!

[fleabag]

I half suspect this other cat has actually been around longer and this is why your cat is behaving differently ..
But firstly ..you and the problem child need some rescue remedy in your water grin ..and he needs to be confined to a spare room with a snack,water and litter tray at night ..No more going out! That way this new intruder will be less of a worry to him. You also need to send this other cat packing somehow ..
It may not be easy to help him settle down ..but you need to be boss again! So no more going out...rescue remedy in his water and maybe a Feliway diffuser in "his" room.
See how you go ..good luck with him!

[Sally-Anne]

Thanks its going to be quite a JOB. I am not sure what rescue remedy and the diffuser is and where do you purchase these items. You may be right about this other cat, didn't cross my mind mmm .

[fleabag]

Rescue remedy is a natural anti-anxiety potion, you can get it in chemists or health food shops ..just a few drops in the water bowl ..yours and his ..lol or a few drops rubbed into his ears will help. Feliway is a synthetic version of " happy calm cat" pheromones ..and the diffuser is plugged into a socket and keeps this stuff in the air promoting a more peaceful environment in theory.
I'd recommend a super soaker with a dash of vinegar to send the other cat packing.
Good luck ..

[Clan Chattan]

Good luck with retraining your boy. Is it possible to build him a small enclosure so he can still go outside when he has learnt the errors of his ways. Hopefully he will be more relaxed and secure soon, maybe a Vet check at some stage would be helpful.

Elaine and Alex Siamese.

[daisy]

Hi Sally-Anne,

Wow, that sounds like a difficult situation. I've been reading up a fair bit on ways to understand and manage cat behavior - there is so much to it!

I completely agree with the previous suggestions of locking your cat up in a room at night.

Anyhow, here are a few other ideas (aside from the main point previously mentioned about the new cat in the neighbourhood)

1. Food rewards - If he knows he gets food when he wakes you up at night, this could be reinforcing his behavior by acting as a reward for him
2. Attention rewards - You mentioned that he is asleep all day and awake at night, this causes him to have no time with you to get your attention during the day - but he is able to get attention at night by playing up.
I play with my cat for about 10 mins just before feeding both morning and night, - this provides a little play time where all my attention is on him, then he gets his food.
3. Nocturnal sleeping pattern - He is asleep all day which means that at night he is completely awake, and ready for fun. Is it possible to have things that wake him up in the daytime so that at night he will sleep, also toys/ games for him to play during the day if no one is home?
My indoor cat has toys to play with, i usually give him a few of his toys and put the rest away, so that he doesn't get bored of them - then i cycle them.

Hopefully this makes sense - i know it all sounds so much easier in theory than it is

I really found the following books (available on amazon) helpful:
* Twisted Whiskers: Solving Your Cat's Behavior Problems by Pam Johnson-Bennett
* House Cat: how to keep your indoor cat sane and sound by Christine Church

I really hope things improve for you and your household :)

Daisy

[Sally-Anne]

I bought rescue remedy on Friday night I have given it to him for the past 2 nights where he has slept through and is now active through the day. rescue remedy allowed me to reverse his cycle. He seems more relaxed and so are we. thankyou all for your helpful tips I am definately taking them on board. Rescue Remedy definately lives up to its name!!!

[Heather Sharada]

That's fantastic news re the RR....but it is also great that he is getting back into being an indoor cat at night....it is so dangerous for them out there and even getting into a fight could be fatal if he decides to take on the intruder who could have the highly contagious Feline AIDS.

Well done you....I hope that you are able to keep it sorted....your experience with RR is excellent.

[fleabag]

Yay ..glad he's settling ...