Can't We Just Get Along?

Poor Curry.  Sometimes her brothers pick on her.  It could be worse.  Actually, it was worse.  When Willie first came home we had some behavior issues.  Curry explains:

"My mom got this wild idea to get a new cat last April.  Zorro and I had gone through a rough time losing our older siblings to cancer, and I was very depressed.  After a while, mom thought it would be good for me to have a young cat in the family.  What can I say?  She's human and she's flawed.  I didn't like being so sad and lonely, but I'm not sure if adopting Willie was the best thing.  He was young and full of testosterone (even though he had just been fixed).  He strutted in here like he owned the place, with no regard for Zorro and I living here first and being a few years older than him.  Willie endeared himself to mom immediately.  He acted all cute and lovable and slept in the bed his very first night.

By morning, we saw that there was going to be trouble.  Willie had declared himself the alpha male and started a war of aggression on my poor, sensitive brother Zorro.  Now, I've told you about Zorro before and if there is anything that Zorro is not, it is aggressive.  Zorro couldn't care less about status and authority; he just wants a comfortable life and a little bit of love.  There was absolutely no reason for Willie's full-on attack of Zorro.  And I do mean attack.  Not only would Willie pounce on Zorro when they crossed paths, but Willie would purposely go find Zorro and pick fights.  Poor Zorro!  My big, black & white brother either never learned how to fight, or he just believed in turning the other cheek.  He never fought back and so Willie won every fight.  Of course mom broke up the fights whenever she could, but I was still very nervous about what was going on, and there was nothing I could really do to protect Zorro.  Occasionally, Willie even lashed out at me.  The only difference was that I fought back.

Our Aunt Christine suggested a solution to mom and within a few days I saw these little things plugged into the outlets in the living room and bedroom.  They looked like air freshener, but that's not what they were.  Mom couldn't smell them, but to us cats they gave off the most soothing, comforting aroma.  And slowly but surely, Willie calmed down and stopped being quite so aggressive.  The boys get along great now.  You can even see Zorro grooming Willie in this picture (I'd never do that)."

So, what is this miracle potion that Curry mentions?  Feliway.  Feliway is a synthetic cat pheromone that relieves feelings of aggression, territoriality and unease in cats.  You know how cats rub their faces on objects to mark their territory?  They are releasing pheromones that say "this is mine" to other cats.  Feliway tricks cats into believing their own pheromones have already been released, and really does make a difference in the way they interact with each other.  When I got the Feliway diffusers, I noticed a change in Willie's behavior almost immediately.  And over the course of the next few weeks he became less aggressive and more accepting of Zorro.  It was amazing to observe.  It also relieved my own stress, as I had become concerned about Zorro's safety and happiness.  I didn't know what to do because I loved all the cats (Willie was never aggressive with people).

Feliway can not only help cats adjust to other animals, but can ease their transition to a new environment, and can reduce or eliminate other behavior issues.  You can link to Feliway products through the Curry's Favorites Amazon box on this page.  There are several other Amazon vendors that sell the Feliway diffusers, refills and spray in different quantities.  (Feliway is also sold in pet supply stores, but is much more expensive than through Amazon.)  The spray is a more portable product that's great for taking cats in the car, or for spraying on furniture to say "keep off," but for general home use, I recommend the plug-in diffusers.  Give Feliway time to work; results may not be immediate like they were for Willie.