Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Adding to our kitty family ... when is time ...?

We think its time to add a kitty sib to our family.
Buddha has taken to biting ... not cute little love gnaws, but outright pouncing and attacking. He usually does this in the morning or when we are in bed ... but sometimes he just does it whenever. I've tried everything, but he just wants to keep doing this. LIKE RIGHT NOW . he ran up and just pounced on me teeth and all . OUCH
So we are wondering if he needs an outlet ... a playpal ... another cat that he can rough and tumble with ...
If we do decided to get another kitty ...
should it be a brother or sister ...
should it be just a bit younger ...
Buddha is part bengal (thus wild and crazy) but we can't afford another bengal ... what other breed might be a good match for our big boy buddha?
Thanks much!
Answers:
Call your vet. Luck from brian %26stimpy. Sorry, but I would go for professional advice on this one.
Wow- are you keeping him indoors? He sounds unhappy. Of course, he may have a health problem that's causing him pain but it sounds to me like he wants something and can't get you to understand, so he's getting aggressive.
Plus, the breed...ugh. Too smart %26 too "wild" to keep inside.
Find out what's wrong before you complicate the situation with another cat. Also, I would highly recommend going to a pet store (or drsfostersmith.com it's cheaper) and getting a feliway plug-in called Comfort Zone.
Worth the expense.
You can't smell it at all. But cat can. It mimics a cat's natural "feel-good" pheromone and should calm and reassure him a bit. If he wants out, you may have to either let him (some cats are that way) out (He'll be fine esp. due to coat color) unless there's a road. A cage if you can't let him out. As for a good match- try a bengal rescue (find online) and really be careful choosing a cat because a timid animal will not work nor will another agressive cat. You're cat is neutered? If not that's a part of your problem. He's trying to tell you something. If he's bored another cat might be okay but it's really risky. Get your cat at the pound or from a rescue- they usually have background on the animal.
Maybe you want to rethink his name, too...haha.
If you can get one about the same age/size that would be best. Isidore wanted to play with me ALL THE TIME til I got him a brother. (now mommy isn't worth the effort :P)
Hope that helps
Yes, cats need a partner in crime! You will be the partner and pounced on, attacked and dived upon, until they have someone else to pick on. It sounds like you have a blanket monster in you bed. When my cats were kittens, they were the best blanket monster trackers you could have. Blanket monsters live under in covers when you are in bed and look like your feet. It is important for the cat to find and distroy these powerful beings.
I had one kitten that found that another way to get attention was to climb your panlt leg using every claw they had. Until you get a same sexed kitten, or have your kitten fixed, you will be the victem of blanket monsters and climbing poles.
good luck
Don't get another cat until he settled down.
My ex-housemate's female cat (Ginger) was behaving the way you described when she addopted a kitten. Ginger behaved very violently towards the kitten as soon as it arrived. We would come home from work and find the kitten shivering %26 hidding covered in it's own blood %26 pee.
I had to insist the kitten was given away when 1 day Ginger got the kitten by the neck once and would have killed him if we didn't get there in time.
Cats can be very violent when displaced.
When did Buddha start bitting? Was there a change in your household? Did you move, change your household, have a new guest? Was he spayed recently? (I realized now that Ginger started behaving badly not right away but a month after she was spayed.)
If something's been disrupted give him time to calm down, another cat will make things worse. Be firm and say NO! in a loud voice when he bites you.
Use a cold water spray bottle to squirt him if he won't listen. (Always works and isn't violent.)
Only when he has stopped, look into another cat.
When you do get another cat, get one roughly the same size and strength. Make sure he/she has a good temperment and is used to being around other cats.

The new cat has to have it's own space, a different litter tray, bowl etc, until they get used to each other. There are more tricks to make cats get on with each other quicker but that will make this answer too long.
Good luck and kisses to Buddha.
Hi! I have both and Michael was the same way. Molly came first ( 6 months old)and she would run away at first. Now at 6 she lets him have it if he plays too hard. However, Babi (Tripod-missing 1/2 hind leg) was only 3-4 months when I found him. Michael would pounce on him and gently roll him over to play fight. He NEVER ever hurt him, like he knew he was just a baby and couldn't play fair. Once you cat has an outlet, he may stop using you as a target. Animals "mouth" in the wild and he may not have learned from his littermates how hard is too hard. Often the mother will bite them back if they bite her too hard. They learn how much pressure to apply before stopping. Sounds like you guy needs this lesson. Also most cats are fakers. Once the other starts to get too rough, they other will cry and run away. Then they make up. Molly finally bit Michael in the ear when they were about 1 year and he cried and then went and licked her face. He has been doing that since. So let they duke it out "supervised" and NEVER leave them alone until you are sure they are at peace or make friends. Please make sure you consider a good size rescue, NO need to spend alot of monies. If you need any other help, let me know. And remember, keep saying "play nice" over and over. My guys know if I say that, they are getting too wound up and need to calm down. It works great. Sometimes a time out room will also get the point across. THEY HATE being seperated behind a closed door. It kills them that they miss something LOL Marie
is he neutered?? if not getting him neutered should help with the agressive energy. as he is part-bengal he should not be used for breeding.
was he declawed?? declawed cats frequently become biters - its a well known side effect and was 100 % human caused..
how old is he? its generally best to get cats around same age for feeding reasons - a kitten needs kitten food - an adult needs adult food - and since cats need dry food all day - how are you gonna feed them seperate?
introduce them slowly - keeping new cat in a room to itself for 2 weeks - they will sniff paws under the door..
select a cat from a shelter who has been around other cats - rather than one that has been solitary.. it will adjust easier
male or female, wont matter as long as its fixed.
never bring an unvaccinated cat into your home.
You need to put a stop to this type of behavior. One of my bengal males starting biting at a cat show (aggressive males everywhere). I put him in the bathroom and when he tried to bite, I yelled NO NO and ran my finger down his throat. This happened once. The second time all I had to say was NO NO. He never bit me again and I showed him at age 2 and he showed like a dream. The judge was very impressed with him and gave him 2nd best cat. I would not get any type of cat until his aggressive behavior is corrected.

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