HOW TO STOP MY CAT FROM BULLYING MY OTHER CAT?
You have two or more cats you may be asking yourself: how to stop my cat from bullying my other cat? Amongst cats, there could be a cat who doesn’t like his territory invaded by others or want to be dominant. But, in this case, many problems can develop, like fights and cats hurting each other.
To stop one cat from bullying the other, you could use training, calming sprays or scents for cats, separation of their areas, periods of supervised interaction where they play and do things together, and pheromones.
Let’s go into details.
HOW TO STOP MY CAT FROM BULLYING MY OTHER CAT? 5 ADVICE
A bully cat is a scenario one can expect in a multi-cat home. It is essential to know how to deal with the situation if this is ever going to happen. I did run into this situation when I had to move in with my brother: his male cat wasn’t too happy about my male cat.
My cat is a shy cat and not aggressive. Therefore he was always the victim, and he kept being bullied. But besides my personal case, a bully cat can be found more often than you think.
Cats have an innate territorial instinct. They use to mark their territory and have ownership over it. In nature, it is how cats live and survive. Keeping a cat indoors can make cats more relaxed about the territory instinct, but they are still cats, and they have ownership over their territory, aka your house (and cats allow you to live in it!).
I am going more into the cause of cats aggression below; for right now, let’s get into some practical advice to resolve cats bullying other cats:
- A PERIOD OF SEPARATION
If your cat is aggressive toward another cat, it is better to keep them separated for a period. In this way, you can re-introduce the cats and try to resolve the issue.
Keep them separated into 2 different house areas and have them have separated litter boxes and food bowls. So they have both times to cool down and relax a bit.
- RE-INTRODUCE THE CATS SLOWLY
Have the cats interact daily, smell each other, and be in the same room with supervision. This could be playtime, petting time for both, with the other cat in the room, treats time.
In fact, you could give them both treats near each other. The purpose is to get them used to each other.
It will probably take quite some time to get them used to each other and stop the bullying. In some cases, bullying is not going to stop completely.
But, at least, they can learn to tolerate each other presence and get along with each other rather calmly. Some incidents can still happen, but both cats learn to avoid each other and know that the other cat will not leave.
- DISTANCE BETWEEN CATS FOOD AND LITTER BOXES
Avoid incidents and make your cats feel better and less stressed by keeping separate litter boxes and food areas.
I have observed that a cat who sees another cat using their litter box can attack that cat, even while using it. The poor cat may never have the chance to use the litter box. I have experienced it first hand.
In this way, your cats can get along better and don’t feel all the time that the other cat is invading their territory.
The litter box is a very sensible area for cats. They know what smell should be in there, mark it with their scent and claim ownership of it. If they find another smell in there, it could be a problem. If you can’t keep their litter totally separated, clean them often.
- USE A CALMING AIDS
Some scents and products can help cats keep calm. The best is to try to use natural products. One should read the labels and find the ones that do not contain chemicals.
Those products have a relaxing effects on cat, calm the hunting instincts and aggression. Here some ideas of products you can use:
All-natural: Contains only natural ingredients. Pheromones have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, help relieve nervous tension and anxiety of pets.
It contains: Water, Pheromones, Citronella Oil, and Lavender Oil.
Works great to provide:
- cat anxiety relief
- cat stress relief
- cat calming aid to reduce cat aggression
- calming relief for cats
3. Comfort Zone Multicat Calming
Drug-free solution that helps to calm your cat, reduce destructive behaviors, and helps your cat feel more comfortable in their environment.
- NEUTERING OR SPAYING
Neutering and spaying cats can reduce aggression and territorial issues in cats. If you put two male cats together, it could create a bullying situation and territorial issues if they are not fixed similarly if you put two females together.
Putting together male and female cats can create problems as well. The best is to reduce the chances of fights between cats with neutering and spaying cats.
Male cats are particularly inclined to a territorial and aggressive behavior in case of other cats’ presence.
WHY ARE CATS BULLYING OTHER CATS?
We know cats can be unpredictable and may react differently. They also have personalities unique to each cat. If you are lucky, cats get along with each other; if not, cats fight.
A combination of instinct and behavior combined with how they grew up, would effect present time behavior in cats. I have given a perfect example, which is also a personal experience in this article: CAN A CAT BE EVIL? CATS HAVE A SECRET AGENDA.
I firsthand the reality of what a wrong upbringing can do to a cat in terms of aggression. If a cat is neglected and not used to socialize, that cat has more chances to develop aggressive behavior.
A socialized cat, despite natural territorial instincts, is more prone to get along with other cats. My cat got used to the first kitten when he was one year old.
He made a fuss for a week. The second kitten that entered his territory went way easier. He made a fuss for 2 hours only. I did not even have to separate them.
It is not always in this way for all cats, but I thought it gives an idea. Cats are territorials. If a stranger enters their area, they have all the rights to protect their territory. Out in the wild, they have to act in this way to survive.
Indoor cats are still going to display this behavior, but the good news is that we can help them be more inclined to socialize.
HOW TO BREAKUP A CATFIGHT?
What happens if one cat bully the other and they start fighting? Cats’ fights are not pleasant. They scratch, bite, and make a lot of sounds while doing it. It sounds like there are ten cats in the house suddenly.
Cats’ fights are also dangerous for cats since they may get really injured one another. My cat lost half of his fur fighting with my brother’s cat.
I do not advise you to jump in there trying to break them up since you may get hit, and both could attack you.
Some advice to use a water bottle. Water may disperse them. I was more inventive and took the broom and place it in the middle. They both disappeared.
You could try distracting them with some noises, perhaps turning on a vacuum cleaner. I know my cats disappear when I am vacuuming. I haven’t tried yet. But it could be an idea.
Whatever noise you use, or whatever tool, make sure to leave them space to calm down. If you pet them and see if they are ok too soon, they may still be pissed off and could try hitting you.
Let me know what you have tried in the comments below. Let’s create a compilation of advice to break catfights.
WHAT CATS BULLYING BEHAVIOR LOOKS LIKE?
Cats acting like bullies can be obvious. They would hiss, attack, growl, hit with their paws, and meow at the other cat.
There could be less obvious bully behaviors going on with indoor cats. Cats can be mischievous and try to bully the other cat with sudden moves. It can be that the bully cat would not let the other cat pass through a corridor or door. It can also be a cat that punches another cat while he is sleeping just for fun or a cat that would kick out another cat from your hips so that he can sit there.
He could decide to hit the other cat with a paw, run away, steal his toys or food, and more.
Cats can do this with dogs too. They behave like small kids out to provoke other kids. A bit for fun, a bit for revenge.
SHOULD I PUNISH MY CAT FOR BEING A BULLY?
I am not sure more aggression is going to help. You can tell him “NO” and teach him the meaning of the word no. Each time he does something wrong, say “NO” and make him stop. Eventually, he will learn that “NO” is something he should not do.
If cats do not feel threatened, they have no reasons to attack others. The best is to provide a lot of love and attention to your cat, a safe environment, stress-free, noise-free, quiet, where he can feel safe. Then, teach him to socialize. With time that cat can learn that it is not so bad to live with others.
I would not scram or use myself an aggressive behavior toward an already bully cat. It can only worsen his behavior.
HOW CAN I SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATS FIGHTING AND CATS PLAYING?
Believe me, if two cats are fighting and not playing, you will understand it immediately. Cats fighting swing at each other like professional boxers, they make many sounds, and they use their nails while attempting to bite the other cat with force.
When two cats are playing, you can see that they do not use nails; they do not growl, hiss, or meow. They are soft with each other. Yes, they jump on each other, but it is playful.
Cats fighting also have physical characteristics. You have to look at their tail, eyes, ears, and bodies. Flattened down ears show an angry cat.
If they become all puffy and their tail becomes like a flow of electricity going through them, your cat is making himself bigger to scare off an enemy.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, your cats are getting along. If not, try the advice in this article. Let us know what happened or if you were able to use another method with success. If you have a question or want to add anything, leave it in the comments below.
