Susan54
Savannah Adult
Z is 7 years old. I inherited him from my son, whose wife has 2 cats Z never got along with. However, I don't know they tried too hard.
Savannah Cat Chat - THE Place for Savannah Cat Talk
Welcome to the Savannah Cat Chat Forum! Our forum has been in existence since 2012 and is the only one of its kind. We were here, serving the savannah cat community before Facebook and Instagram! Register for a free account today to become a member! Please use an email program other than Hotmail, since Hotmail accounts are blacklisted by many servers and ISP's. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site in some of the forums by adding your own topics and posts. But in order to take advantage of the full features, such as a private inbox as well as connect with other members ad access some of the larger topics, a donation of $2.99/mo or $25/yr is requested. This will allow us to continue running this forum!
In Quarantine help
- Thread starter Susan54
- Start date
Z is 7 years old. I inherited him from my son, whose wife has 2 cats Z never got along with. However, I don't know they tried too hard.
Susan54
Savannah Adult
That's a great idea - thank you!
Rafiki
Site Supporter
Sorry about that....not sure where I got the couple of days from!
If he is 7 and did not get played with very much, he might be out of practice. It sounds like you may have to work the food angle instead and finding out what treats make him swoon may take a lot of trial and error! If you put "treats" in search, you should come up with a few threads on what other SVs have liked. My 2 cats only like the freeze dried meat ones. Jammu did like the freeze dried shrimps for the longest time but one day he decided that he had had enough. Neither of my cats would touch the fish ones.
Susan54
Savannah Adult
No problem. You guys are great!
Rafiki
Site Supporter
Paying it forward. This site was a godsend to me when my baby had health issues.
Sorry if you've already mentioned this, but why is Z still in quarantine after six weeks - is it because he's unable to get along with your other cat? If so, what have you done to integrate them? There have been several threads on this site that has addressed introducing a new cat/pet into the household, and many techniques to consider - hopefully one or more of them will work for you.
Susan54
Savannah Adult
Long story - yes, it's because he and my DSH do not egt along. We started off doing the socks rubbed on a kitty's face, then given to the other kitty. I tried moving my DSH's food dish closer and closer to Z's door so they could eat on opposite sides of his door. But his door is across a room and up seven steps. But right after he arrived, he escaped twice and went after her and since then she's (understandably) terrified of him. I could get her food dish to the steps, but she (Rheya) refused to go up them. So that hasn't really worked.
I had tried room swapping a couple of times, but Rheya was very unhappy to be in his room. Marilyn suggested I put Rheya in a different room, just so Z could get out some and that has been OK.
I had also put each cat in a crate, then put them in the same room, though not close. Neither one was very happy. And then one evening, I put the kitties in the crates, sat down on the floor between them, with a toy, and opened the doors. In my mind, the cats would come out cautiously and I could use the toy to distract them from focusing on each other. This was a huge mistake. Rheya was cautious, Z was not, and as before, he went straight for her. Rheya now has very much a "victim" attitude, which is not helping.
So - that happened maybe three weeks ago? I managed to find Marilyn and setup a Skype session with her for this week. In the meantime, we've just been treading water until I can get some guidance from her. I can't wait - Z and I are ready to get him out (Rheya not so much.)
Any and all advice is welcome!
Rafiki
Site Supporter
Z now knows that Rheya will run like prey and he wants to give chase so much more. When trying something like this, you need to be able to restrain the dominant cat. Z would need to be on a harness/leash so that he cannot lunge at poor Rheya.
Yes, unfortunately a pattern has now been set with poor Rheya fleeing every time she sees Z. I think you will need to work with them consistently - a couple of times a day if possible. I like the idea of putting Z on a harness and leash (if you have one that fits securely so that he can't get out of it) and allow Rheya to come out and explore while he is restrained on the leash. This could take hours a day, so not an easy or quick resolution. I would try keeping Rheya safely secured in a room by herself while you let Z out to spend time exploring and hanging out in the rest of the house.
Try dabbing a drop of vanilla on each cat's nose - this supposedly helps suppress their ability to smell the other cat, which is one of the triggers that can set a cat off. Feliway diffusers or spray may also help calm the situation. I suspect Marilyn will suggest clicker training as well, another activity that can be time consuming, but rewarding when it works.
Try dabbing a drop of vanilla on each cat's nose - this supposedly helps suppress their ability to smell the other cat, which is one of the triggers that can set a cat off. Feliway diffusers or spray may also help calm the situation. I suspect Marilyn will suggest clicker training as well, another activity that can be time consuming, but rewarding when it works.