# Urgent help - cat fighting and moving house



## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Hi,

Really hoping someone can help as I'm worried about my cats fighting and they seem to be really hurting each other.

To cut a long story short, we currently have 3 cats in a fairly small 1 bedroom flat. This isn't be design or choice - we had two (mother and son) who got along okay who were strays we took in. Mum went missing and two months later we got a young Bengal as a replacement. Shortly afterwards mum was found extremely ill and near death. £4k later and a miraculous recovery we now have 3 cats in the flat. 

They don't get on. At all. The Bengal is now 14 months old and clearly dominant, and mum spends her time beneath our chest of drawers in the front room. Whenever she comes out she gets attacked - she has cuts in both ears. We feed the cats completely separately and during the day the doors are shut so mum can relax. During the night mum sleeps with us which she loves.

We are due to move house next week to a much bigger flat - 3 bedrooms and a lot more space. Does anyone have any advice on how I can basically reset this relationship and get them to relax in the same room without the Bengal tearing strips off her? I'm willing to try / spend anything as I really love all 3 cats, but it's not fair one hiding all day under a cabinet and getting attacked whenever she comes out. We have access to the flat before we move so was thinking about moving mum over a night early and letting her pick a spot...

(Have tried Fellaway but it doesn't seem to help much).

Thanks!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I am sorry this is probably not what you want to hear, but if things have got the to stage where the Bengal is physically injuring the female cat, and she is so petrified she is hiding all day, it is going to be pretty much impossible to mend the relationship I'm afraid. 

Bengals are very territorial cats, and the one you have is evidently very much a dominant cat. He feels there is a threat to him from the female cat, who after all was not living there when he moved in with you. 

As you are moving to a larger flat then I suggest dividing the flat up, perhaps with a glass door or screen door, so that the Bengal has one part of the flat as his territory, and the female cat has the other part. (Your other cat could probably move between the two territories.). This would work. 

However, if you are letting the cats outdoors I would certainly not allow the Bengal out at the same time as the female cat, or he may chase her away, prevent her getting back into the house, or seriously hurt her. There have been incidences of some Bengals doing a lot of physical harm to other cats, even killing them in a few cases. (this has all been well reported in the media).

Of course I am not saying your Bengal would/could be as fierce or vicious as that, but like all Bengals the potential is there, and he has already shown he can do damage to another cat. It is not worth taking the risk, especially as he is not even fully grown yet, and may become even more fiercely protective of his territory once he is an adult. 

(I assume he has been neutered btw?)

If you are prepared to run your household in the way I describe as 2 separate territories, on a permanent basis, then it can work. I know of households with several cats which are run this way, to prevent fighting. But you will have to be very strict about keeping them apart, and if you have visitors they will also have to be instructed to be diligent too. 

If you feel it would be too much to cope with, then I honestly feel it would be much kinder to the cats (particularly the female cat who is being bullied mercilessly) to find one of them another home. As the female was the last to arrive/return perhaps you should re-home her. She would have a much better quality of life in a quiet home where she is not bullied and attacked, and your act would be an unselfish one.

Sorry, I can't be more positive.


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Sorry, should have clarified - both are female cats. None go outside. All are neutered. Whilst she has damaged the ears it doesn't look too bad and am not sure if any blood has been drawn. 

The mum cat comes out from under the chest of drawers when the door is shut and the Bengal doesn't have access, and is very happy at night when the Bengal is locked out.

I don't think there is a way to divide the house into two in the new flat - it's basically a long corridor with every room branching off it. 

I have read elsewhere about putting the cats into the same room together but putting one in a dog pen area, and keeping them together and swapping them round everyday until they calm down. I don't need them to be friends but able to be in the same room without the Bengal attacking her is necessary.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Maledict said:


> I don't think there is a way to divide the house into two in the new flat - it's basically a long corridor with every room branching off it. .


I know not everyone likes Jackson Galaxy but there was a show recently where the layout was as described he did get then to install a screen door in the corridor - it can be done if you are prepared to try and make it work.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Now I understand the protagonists are both female I am afraid this makes the likelihood of the Bengal tolerating the other cat even less. Females can be immensely protective of their territory when it comes to other females, and can be awful bullies to any female they perceive as a threat. This applies even when both the females are spayed.

Using a dog crate for introductions can work when the 2 cats have not met each other before, and not had the chance to develop an antagonistic relationship as your two have.

But if you want to try the dog crate method of introduction then put the Bengal in the crate, and leave the other female loose in the room, as it is she who needs to establish some ownership of the (shared) territory. You don't want the Bengal gaining even more power than she already has. So definitely do not swap them around in the crate, not at this stage at least when one of the cats is so crushed and frightened.

You should expose the cats to each other for only short periods, say half an hour at a time. Be aware both cats may get very stressed by the experience, and it may achieve nothing, as the less dominant female may just hide in the corner of the room, and refuse to go near the crate. To be effective she needs to move around the room easily and show the Bengal with her body language that she also has rights to the territory.

In view of the current poor relationship between the two cats you'd need to do this gradual exposure for a number of weeks, possibly months, to have any hope of changing both cats' behaviour. And it goes without saying whilst you are going through these re-introductions the 2 cats would have to be kept apart the rest of the time, or it would be self-defeating.

Even if the damage to one cat's ears is as you say "not too bad", the fact is that she is living a life where she is terrified much of the time, and this is causing her a great deal of stress, which may lead to stress-related illness or behavioural problems. Do you think this situation is fair on her? 

As far as the layout of your new flat goes, as Cookieandme says, it sounds ideal for dividing in half. It'd be a very easy DIY job to install a screen door or a glass door half way along the corridor between the room doors. If you're not good at DIY buy a ready made glass door or screen door and ask a carpenter to fit it for you. 

EDIT: I'd give the non-dominant female a course of Zylkene, which is a supplement that helps calm cats who are stressed and frightened due to territorial issues. Open capsule, mix with food. Give daily for a month to see any benefit.

http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/zylkene-capsules-priced-per-tablet-75mg.html


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

I agree completely that if I can't resolve it then I will have to give one of the cats up - probably the Bengal because despite the cost and her amazing personality I love the mum cat far too much, especially after her miraculous reappearance and recovery. It's not fair on her at the moment. 

I'll look into the screen door thing and the supplements. My plan based on your advice is to:

I) until a screen door is sorted out (which can't happen until after Christmas) I'll keep mum cat in the bedroom completely separate from the Bengal. I would rather the other way around but if put into one room the Bengal literally cries constantly - she is very dependant on company. 

Ii) will start the dog crate training in a separate room that none of them have access too to make sure it's not either cats territory. 

Iii) will sort out the herbal supplements for mum cat ASAP. 

Should I be in the room when putting them together, or leave them to it? Is feeding treats to them both during this time a good idea to try and help things along? (They normally don't ever get treats ever). 

Would you suggest doing this daily for a couple of months and see how it goes?

Thanks so much for your help - I will obviously do whatever is best for the cats but would really like to do my utmost to fix this before giving up.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Maledict said:


> Ii) will start the dog crate training in a separate room that none of them have access too to make sure it's not either cats territory.
> 
> .


 if they are in a separate room there doesn't seem much point in adding the crate. The crate training is so that the mum cat can move around the flat while the Bengal is confined.

I would be prepared for a whole lot of noisy protesting if you confine the Bengal as from what I understand she isn't going to take to the confines of the crate, as they have a huge amount of energy.

Try and find the episode of My Cat from Hell on the internet and see the look at the division of territory one. I would try and do this as soon as possible - after Christmas is another month of problems.


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

There's literally no way to install the door / screen before Christmas unfortunately. I'll need to get a workman in to do it and we are moving from unfurnished to furnished - it's just too close to Christmas unfortunately to get someone in at this point. 

I thought the point of the crate training was to (slowly) get them to tolerate each other's presence in a room where they can't just run off and hide - hence Chillminx's suggestion of doing it for short periods of time at first. I presumed that was something I do in addition to dividing the territory and keeping them completely separate.

And yes, the Bengal does have a lot of energy and is very shouty! Am not looking forward to the time when she figures out she can't get into the bedroom anymore...


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Maledict, it is possible to use the crate for the 2 cats to have exposure to each other for short periods of time in one room, say half an hour. I have used this method myself, and otherwise kept the cats apart. It is a safe way of allowing the cats to see and smell each other without being able to fight. 

But there is also the method which Cookieandme refers to - where the Bengal would be crated for a longer period, say 2 to 3 hours, or half a day even, and the purpose would be to give the mum cat safety to move around the flat instead of being confined to one room. With this method you would not confine mum cat to the same room as the Bengal in the crate. 

To have periods of more freedom would definitely be beneficial for the mum cat, but as CandM says, the Bengal may not accept being crated for such periods, though she may accept it more easily than being shut away in a room where she cannot see you. 

Thinking about it some more..... I now feel maybe you would be best to use that particular crating method for now, as it will likely bring better results sooner, in the mum cat's self confidence levels. At first Mum cat may not choose to go into the room where the crate is, but as she gets more confident the Bengal cannot get at her, she may become bolder. However, for the mum cat to feel she has freedom to roam the flat, the Bengal would need to be crated for 2 or 3 hours (as said). 

Once you feel Mum cat is more self confident you could move on to shutting the 2 cats in the same room together for short periods, with the Bengal crated of course But I fear if you were to shut her in the room right now with the Bengal cat crated, Mum cat's anxiety levels may get even worse. 

Be aware that even if the Bengal is quiet in the crate it does not mean she is backing down. When I used the crate method with my alpha male and a new cat I'd adopted, the a/male was fine in the crate, but as soon as he was let out he re-directed his aggression onto the 3rd cat in the household (his brother) and attacked him viciously. (The new cat was back in his safe area by then). This is what happened every time after a crating period - my a/male remained very angry. 

And when I put the new cat in the crate the a/male circled the crate like a wild animal, making a howling noise and frightening the new cat so much he crouched in a corner shaking. So for those 2 cats the crate method didn't work. 

I wish you the best of luck though, and would love to hear how things go.


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

As usual perfect advice from Chillminx!

I just have one little thing to add:
How much do you play with the Bengal so that she gets rid of her energy? The more stimulation and energetic play time she has the better.

This might help too with any aggression towards other cats.


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Thanks Chillminx, that makes sense.

Fortunately we're now off work for the next 3 weeks so can try the extended caging periods. Would you suggest using a neutral room to put the crate in to avoid territory issueS? (They won't be able to go into the sitting room in the new flat unless we are present)

How long would you suggest trying the crating method before giving up hope, and if that doesn't work other than dividing the house into two sections is there anything else I can try? How do you feel about giving treats to each cat after these sessions?

Thanks again for the help!

(Nightkitten - yes, she has tons of energy. We never planned on having all three cats when we got her so the idea of a bouncy, hyper intelligent cat that wanted to play and have fun all the time sounded perfect. We do play with her but not as much as I suspect she would like, which seems to be approx 24 hours a day. I will put more time into playing with her when we move as well to try to help things out).


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## imogenmc3 (Nov 25, 2013)

Given that you're about to move and this in itself is a very stressful period for cats may I suggest something completely new?

How about sending your Bengal to stay at a cattery for 4 weeks starting the day before you move. Once you move install a couple of the pet remedy plugins (the ones with valerian in I think?) and start mum cat off on some Zyklene. Give her 4 weeks of adjustment and to gain back some control in her new surroundings. Let her have access to the entire flat along with her son. No doubt their bond has also suffered so it will be good for them to reinforce this too.

Then once the 4 weeks are up bring your Bengal home again, and try the suggested crate introductions then. Confine the Bengal to one room and then try daily intros with the Bengal in the crate. Starting off with only brief meetings increasing the time over time. Try it in weekly blocks, so 5 mins for the first week, then 10 the second and so on. Be sure to have one of the plugins in the Bengals room.

Bengals are a very energetic breed so one issue you will have with her being confined is her pent up energy. So may I suggest you find some toys that will wear her out and be sure to wear her out as much as possible before each intro. I've had my eye on one of the giant wheels for my kitty for a few years, and I wonder if this would be a great solution for your Bengal. Here's a Bengal using one that I found on youtube Flash and Pixel on Their New Wheel - Bengal Cats at Play - YouTube they look great!

The benefit of sending your Bengal to a cattery is that it will hopefully be like starting from scratch with them all. Plus it will be one less stress during the move and settling in period for mum cat. And your Bengal can make as much noise as she likes at a cattery ....... lots of reasons when you think about it.

Sorry forgot to add, it will be a good idea to find a cattery that has the option of having a plugin in her pen. Also visiting her a few times a week to take blankets to her from home and take hers back home to do on going scent swapping during her stay at the cattery. It will be hard work but worth it if it works. x

Just an idea, would be nice to hear other peoples input as well


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Not sure if I would be able to put her in a cattery over the holidays at this short notice unfortunately. It's certainly an interesting idea although the idea of her not having our company for a month is deeply sad! 

On the plus side for some reason mum seems to be slightly more confident this week. She came out to watch me playing with the Bengal last night and didn't run away in the morning so it gives me some small hope the situation is repairable.


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

I am not sure if I would agree to putting a Bengal into a cattery for 4 weeks. As said, they are highly energetic and who would play with her in the cattery?

You could end up with her being even feistier than before as she has not been able at all to get rid of all the energy.

You need to play with a Bengal for at least 2 hours a day and have her running around properly. Best toys for this are laser pens, DaBird/Flying Frenzy and cat wheels (although I wouldn't get a Maclaw wheel  ). Only stop playing with her when she is completely exhausted. You will know when she is exhausted when she does not jump after the Flying Frenzy for example. Normally this should take about 30 minutes to completely wipe her out.

I would actually have the play session before any introduction sessions. This way your Bengal is hopefully tired and happy and will therefore be more relaxed when meeting mum cat.


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## Josephine82 (Dec 10, 2013)

I know from experience that Bengals are the dominant cat. They will tolerate kittens and as a kitten, are fun but when they hit an adult age, their temperament will most likely change. 

It is highly unlikely that your bengal will ever get on with the mum cat, the house is the bengal's territory. A bigger house may elevate some tension but not all.

I suggest that when you move, you get a few tall cat trees, give your bengal somewhere to climb and have some 'me' time.

My bengal was loving towards my moggie but once my moggie turned a year old (bengal is 2 and a half), she put her foot down. What's hers is hers and what's his is hers. I'm lucky that my moggie pretty much ignores her. In my bedroom, they are fine and will cuddle but the rest of the house, is hers.

Closing a bengal away will not make it easier, it will most likely effect the bengal. Bengals like to climb and chill, cat trees (ceiling ones) are good for this, or put up some shelves, high up. If he/she is not an outside kitty, then try a harness and taking for a walk. If a bengal has enough attention to occupy it's time, things might settle. 

Get those cat pole toys with danly things or a dabird, they love them!


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

We have on giant cat tree already and will probably get another. And if our cats had the relationship you describe I'd be incredibly happy - ignoring each other in a room would be great!

Re. Energy - she is very frisky, but also obsessively possessive over laps. She will often crawl into my lap and sleep for hours, and no matter what you do she *will* stay on your all. No idea how she does it...

The bedroom will absolutely exclusively be mums territory when we move, at least for a few months until hopefully the temperaments improve.

Edit : I don't know if love is strong enough to describe her relationship with the feather on a cat pole. She jumped higher than my head last to get it which I didn't think possible. Mum cat came out to watch the chaos and clearly had a look of 'what the hell is going on?' on her face...


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## Josephine82 (Dec 10, 2013)

Ahh the most important information there is 'She'.....females are the dominant and can be arses with territory. When you move, can you get a cat bed each, give her her own things and the other cats get theirs.

Teach her to try to play fetch, those small balls with tails or feathers, my Rori (bengal) goes manic for them.......as well as rubber, elastic bands and a habit of pinching charity wrist bands 

It's not so much 1-on-1 time with her, it's giving her, her own space. If she is an indoor/outdoor cat, try to see what she is like outside, if she is playful and not bothered, then it defo is a house territory issue and a 1 bedroom with 2 cats (1 being a bengal) is far too small. 

Does she share her food ok? or will she eat whilst the others are, with no issue?

Does she share a litter tray?

Pretty much with bengals, the more places to occupy the better.

My girl flips out for dabirds (dangly toys), goes nuts for them lol


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## imogenmc3 (Nov 25, 2013)

nightkitten said:


> I am not sure if I would agree to putting a Bengal into a cattery for 4 weeks. As said, they are highly energetic and who would play with her in the cattery?
> 
> You could end up with her being even feistier than before as she has not been able at all to get rid of all the energy.
> 
> ...


There are ways around it, the original post could visit daily and play with the Bengal, and if she found a good cattery and explained the situation, maybe even paid a little extra they might go out of their way to play with her too.

I know it wont be nice to go a month without your Bengal, but if it worked it could mean the difference between a month parted or a lifetime.

It's a unique opportunity to do this while you're in the process of moving which wont happen again. With Bengals being so unique and so highly strung it will take drastic measures to have any hope of things working out. x

One more thing, please do not consider letting her out ever. She would terrorise the other neighbourhood cats and reek havoc with the local wildlife.


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

They each have their own litter tray, food tray and area. Space is very cramped right now but will be much more relaxed in the bigger house. At the moment they don't have at beds (or rather, the Bengal does but doesn't use it and the other two never have) but one of the aims of moving house is to be able to give them all their own toys and space. 

All are indoor cats - mum because I am terrified she would vanish and get really sick again (and she doesn't seem bothered anymore) whilst the other two have always been house cats.

Feeding is completely separate, each has their own bowl and is fed in a different room. Bengal would (and has!) eaten anything so she's on a careful measured diet. Two feelings a day and no treats for her!

Edit: the next door neighbours in the new flat appear to have a silver Bengal without a collar who roams outdoors. He has already terrified a lot of the areas other cats so it's doubly certain ours won't be going out.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

Cookieandme said:


> I know not everyone likes Jackson Galaxy but there was a show recently where the layout was as described he did get then to install a screen door in the corridor - it can be done if you are prepared to try and make it work.


I love him! Don't understand why some people don't like him really.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Maledict, I very much agree with Nightkitten and others who have advised a lot of energetic play with your Bengal every day; also giving her lots of climbing opportunities. Some great ideas here:

cat shelving - Yahoo Image Search Results

She will have less energy for arguing and fighting with Mum cat if she is satiated from play activity.

Also, ensure you are feeding her often enough as she is still growing and may have a big appetite until mature. She will do best on a high meat protein diet, avoiding foods which contain grains and sugars (i.e. carbs). Carbs will cause peaks and troughs in her blood sugar and make her moods edgy. Meat protein is digested more slowly, which is much healthier for cats.

I rather like Imogen's idea of taking the Bengal out of the equation for a short while when you move house. This would certainly give Mum cat and son the chance to establish some ownership of the new territory, and would also enable Mum cat to regain some much needed confidence.

However I wouldn't put the Bengal in a cattery for 4 weeks. I think that's
far too long, seeing how stressed many cats get being penned 24/7 for even 2 weeks whilst their owners are on holiday. I don't think it would be fair on her to keep her from her family for that length of time.

If you were to consider using a cattery I would put the Bengal in for a week, starting the day before you move house, and visit her every day. A week would be long enough for the other two cats to establish their territory in the new house.

If you were going to adopt this as a method of re-introduction, you'd need to keep the Bengal and the Mum cat apart from each all the time from now on, not allowing them sight of each other. Then there is more chance of them *forgetting* about each other a bit by the time you move house.

Then when you bring the Bengal into the new flat, you can start again with the slow introductions, using a dog crate, and looking for ways to reinforce Mum cat's No 1 position in the cat hierarchy. e.g. your idea of making your bedroom Mum cat's *special place*, out of bounds to the other two cats, is a good one. (As long as she doesn't spend all her time in there of course! )

Whether Mum cat will be able to grasp the No 1 position or hold on to it, is another matter. As a previous poster has said -- Bengals are very dominant cats, females especially so.

Another idea that was mentioned was taking the Bengal out in the garden on harness and lead. I like this idea providing you can commit to doing it regularly.

I would only take her into a private garden, not on the road, or public park, and only use a MYNWOOD harness, which are made to measure. (They are not expensive and are worth every penny as all other harnesses I have tried are too easy for a cat to wriggle free from.)

Let us know how things go?


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## Josephine82 (Dec 10, 2013)

My Bengal doesn't terrorize the neighborhood, although neighbors do know who she is and they do invite her in. I have had words with them all and asked them not to feed her rubbish, even gave them all her fav treats and said to give a little. Mind you, I live in an area that is pet savvy. 

TBH the reintroduction isn't worth doing in a tiny 1 bed flat, I'd wait until you move, as it will have to be done all over again.

I really would try walking your bengal on a harness, even if it is just to sit outside and let her have a sniff.

BUT and here is the big BUT. You may have to look into rehoming the bengal or the mother kitty. In all honesty, you won't know how things pan out until you move and it can take a few months for the bengal to settle down. By months, I would put 6 months as a target. Yes, it does sound harsh but Bengals, especially if an early generation or I would say up to an F5 or even F6, can be hard to readjust too.

If you can give your bengal her own space, a place to retreat too, it may well work. I had Rori's mum, she was 6 when I got her but once Rori hit a year old, her mum just suddenly turned, wasn't the happy kitty she was before and very moody. It did turn out that she had a non-cancerous lump, in the end. BUT I transformed a kitchen walk in cupboard to her safe haven, bed, litter tray, food etc and she thrived in it.

But with 3 cats and 2 kids, I made the heart wrenching decision to rehome Honey (mum bengal). She now lives in a home with an elderly couple and is happy. 

But all this can't really happen, until you move. Removing a bengal to somewhere, will be stressful. Bengals are a bit like dogs, that they tend to rely on their owner. Putting her in a cattery will only make her worse.


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Unfortunately I won't be able to get her in a cattery for a week at this time of year - however there is an alternative. Our current flat will be completely empty for a month and will have all our existing furniture in it (we're buying everything new for the new place). Given it's only 5 minutes walk away we could leave the Bengal there for a week and visit daily to play with her whilst the other cats settle into the new place, and then do the dog crate technique and treat them as new cats a week later? 

We do have a custom fitted harness for her but she wasn't too keen on going outside - *loved* the actual harness and looked so smug with it on, but not a huge fan out the outdoors. The new place has a private garden through so will be much more suitable for that type of fun. 

I will look at doing something in the kitchen for the Bengal as well. The current plan is now quite complicated given the physical build of the flat and how we can't seperate the flat into two until after christmas. Mum will have the bedroom at all times, and the bengal will never get in there. During the day, mum will be in the bedroom and the bengal roams elsewhere. At night, Bengal has a home in the kitchen and mum gets to roam. Each day we'll do the crate trick for a few hours and see how that goes. That's my best plan until the new year when I can look at dividing the place in two.


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## imogenmc3 (Nov 25, 2013)

That seems doable  

Have you looked at the pet remedy plugins? the cat wheel? You could get some valerian filled toys off ebay now to try her and see how she reacts to it. You may find she goes ballistic for it at first, but afterwards is much calmer.

Will you be able to put a run in the garden of the new place?


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## Josephine82 (Dec 10, 2013)

I have a pet remedy plugin and it does seem to keep rori sweet.

If you can do it, an outside enclosure is a fab idea, bengals are nosy buggers


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Update time!

We've moved house, and brought the two original cats wth us (mum and son). The move and terror seems to have brought them together in a way I haven't seen for years (if ever - she was never keen on him!). The house is full of Feliway, the cats are on the zykaline, and slowly they seem to be adjusting. The plan hasn't worked out exactly as rather than the main bedroom they have occupied and made home in one of the much smaller bedrooms, but we can live with that.

The Bengal is obviously non too pulsed with the current state of affairs, and missing company and us. We've visited everyday and played, but clearly she needs to be with her family. We plan on bringing her over tomorrow night. 

So, what's next? We have the large dog crate, we plan on putting the Bengal in the kitchen whilst the other cats have the the run of the house so how exactly should we do this? Keep the Bengal in the kitchen (with bed, food and litter tray obviously) and have a session with the dog crate every day? The other cats are still quite uncomfortable with moving house so am not expecting miracles from them (whereas the Bengal will happily go exploring as soon as she can!). 

Thanks again for all your help!


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## Maledict (Dec 8, 2013)

Hi folks,

Update and some questions!

The cats are settling in quite nicely. Mum and son roam the house, and the Bengal stays in the kitchen. So far we've been putting the Bengal in a dog crate every evening for approx 20 minutes, and then using treats to get the other cats close. This has gone well - whilst the Bengal shouts a lot, mum doesn't seem perturbed and was even sniffing her through the bars yesterday. In addition when the kitchen door is open and the Bengal looks out mum doesn't run off or look scared at all, she just sits there watching her. 

My question is, what's next? Should I keep putting the Bengal in the dog crate for slightly longer periods of time for a while longer? At what point does the idea of putting the two of them in a room together (Bengal in dog crate) and leaving them there for a while start? 

So far things have been going well but really want to continue with the training and make sure I get it right as we only get one shot at this...

Thanks.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Maledict, Pleased to hear things are going well with the re-introductions in the new house:thumbsup: Well done!

I should carry on for a while with the current stage - the Bengal in the dog crate for periods (maybe half an hour) and mumcat and son roaming free.

You might now try and interest mum and son in some games in the same room as the Bengal in her crate. e.g. Da Bird/Flying Frenzy. If mumcat shows interest in playing near the Bengal's cage it will be a good measure of how relaxed she is. Also dangle the toys near the crate so the Bengal can swipe and them and feel included.

Continue feeding all of them treats near each other.

Shutting the Bengal (in her crate) and mumcat in one room will not necessarily achieve anything. Mumcat is likely to feel at her most confident when she has an escape route (an open door). Shutting her in could be counterproductive. If it were me I would make the next stage having them both loose and letting them see each other (and sniff noses) through a screen door (perhaps put up something temporary - a DIY job if you are good at it - either across the hall, or across the entrance to the Bengal's room.

If a screen door is impossible then you can make do with a slightly open door so so they see and smell each other but cannot get at each other. 
If you're going to use this method you need to buy a large hook-and-eye door fastener, so when the hook is fastened the door will stay open a little way, but can't be pushed open by the cats. Put the fastener high up on the door/door frame, so they can't get at it. You'll need to supervise until you are certain none of the cats can squeeze their way through the gap.

Feed the cats their meals either side of the gap in the door, in sight of each other.

I'd carry on with that stage for a few weeks, and if all goes well, you could start short supervised periods of face-to-face contact with the Bengal and mumcat both being loose. Remember to continue with the play sessions with both cats in sight of each other, and use treats as encouragement.This is very important as a means of establishing a playful/friendly atmosphere between them.

If, at the first face-to-face with the Bengal Mumcat reacts with fear and wants to run off, please *do not restrain her or shut her in the room with the Bengal* If you do, all your hard work building up mumcat's confidence will be undone in a second!

So if mumcat is fearful at that stage, you'll need to back to the previous stage: to them interacting through a gap in the door (or screen door). You may need to stay at that stage for a few months, until you feel Mumcat is confident enough to try face-to-face contact again.

Good Luck, please let us know how things go?


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