She’s already confined at night - in fact, most of them are. She, Hammie, and Taffy have large crates, while Tiny and Maximus share the bathroom (as they have since the day they were born). The only two allowed out at night are Mick and Sassy, who are kind of my OGs and get along fairly well.
I’ll call the vet tomorrow and ask about the Prozac. She suggested gabapentin, but we’ve already tried that and it didn’t have any effect. Maybe Prozac would work better.
If everything else has been tried and exhausted, I would try Prozac. Hope things get better soon.
That’s just weird. I hope you can find a solution soon.
Duncan had to be put on Prozac and it sure made a difference in not only his life but the other cats’ as well. I hope it works for IB.
When Pilgrim really took a turn for the worse a few weeks ago, one reason I knew this was it was that every other cat inside reacted badly to him. No outright aggression, but they would pin their ears back and hiss at him. His last night, he slept in my bedroom and even scrambled up onto the bed, but I noted that not a single other cat was in that room. Unheard of; they all sleep with me. When I got up to use the bathroom, they came from the rest of the house and got petted, but nobody was getting in bed with Pilgrim. I had to wonder what they were sensing/smelling.
OP, I think Prozac is a good suggestion, and I really hope it helps. Hard one to deal with. I have had to rehome a cat many, many years ago for kitty aggression. He simply wanted to be an only cat.
How do you give the prozac? Is it still available in a form to put on the ears? I’m interested for my cat. Her aggression started after she was spayed.
Yes, the compounded transdermal prep can be ordered (by your vet) from wedgewood:
Thank you!
Since the aggressive cat looks a bit different to your vet, I’d think about a DNA test. It might reveal some information to be factored into the overall picture.
That’s an interesting thought. I wonder if cat/wildcat DNA testing is advanced enough to be relatively easy and inexpensive.
I think I remember @Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom saying the vet something about Itty’s wildcat look.
I remember that the vet made a comment about she doesn’t look 100% domestic.
Alex and Bodie’s Mom - Is she aggressive to all the other cats? Or will she leave them alone if they stand up to her or give it back to her?
Yes, this could be helpful. I thought about this after I shut my computer down last night. She could very well have some Bengal or some other more exotic breed in her.
Could it possibly be your boy-girl ratio?
Ralph loves Ella and they are the alpha male/female of the house. Bird and Dizzy(males) have Billie, who is their adopted mum and is respected by them. Johnny is the odd man out and he knows it, the other cats don’t really like him but they tolerate him. Johnny tends to bully Ella when Ralph isn’t around, she screams at Johnny then Ralph comes running and kicks Johnny’s ass.
Honestly, it’s a little hard to say. She tends to do this bullying thing where she’ll push a little, and if the other cat gives a little, she’ll push a little more. But I don’t see her doing it with everyone. I think that’s in part because everyone else just leaves the room when she arrives. If one of the bullied cats fights back, however, Itty Bitty is all-in; she takes that as a personal affront and goes after them. So standing up to her doesn’t seem to work.
I have 4 males and 4 females. All spayed/neutered.
I have seriously considered this. I just worry that IF she has something exotic in her, we may run into some kind of restrictions or permits necessary. When I was trying to research if, in fact, she could be part bobcat (never came to a definitive answer on that, but leaning towards not biologically possible), my state regulations require anyone who wants to own a bobcat to have special permits from the Department of Wildlife, and they have to be kept for educational purposes, etc.
Mail in tests are available, bypassing the vet. But who knows who has access to their database or if they have to report mixed breeds with bobcats. Anyone?
Are there any proven cases of bobcats breeding with domestic cats? I suppose they could mate but would they be able to genetically produce offspring?
There are anecdotal mentions of it, but nothing I consider concrete proof.
I would seriously not bother with this line of inquiry/testing. Even if possible it’s unlikely plus feline behavior is feline behavior.
I’ve been taught that ‘pack’ conflict with cats is almost always related to resources and their perceived scarcity, and also that most cats would choose to avoid conflict if at all possible.
Maybe observe the interactions with some fresh eyes? See if you can figure out a pattern as to what resource ( the favorite place to lay, litterbox, food, or even you!) the battle is over and adjust the environment accordingly to accommodate. Try to ensure as many ways for them to just avoid each other as possible ( which I totally get can be easier said than done)
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