# Pack mentality?



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

I've had cats round me for most of my life, not as many as currently, but I've never seen behaviour like this before.

Here's the story..........

There's a scruffy old (not neutered) black tom who's been visiting my garden for well over 9 months now. I'm assuming he's a stray as he had a nasty ear wound that went untreated and even tho' he now ventures into the house and must know I'm no threat, he hisses and spits at me if I get too close. I'd say he's had little to no human contact, at least not for some time anyway.

I try and make sure he has a good meal each day, but I either have to distract him with one hand before putting food down or just drop it as near to him as I dare or else risk a clawing.......it's no idle threat either, he *really* means it 

Up till a week ago none of my lot were bothered about his presence, inside the house or out, but suddenly #3 cat Max, my adoptee Bosley, but particularly #1 cat Bola have all taken a real dislike to him and will all try to pick a fight as soon as they see him. All this seems to coincide with the stranger becoming very chatty, he's gone from barely making a sound beyond hissing/spitting at me to chirruping away, tho' it's usually a mixture of all 3.

It's not just my lot who now go for him, other cats who visit my garden have started doing it as well and I feel really sorry for him being picked on like this. He doesn't appear ill or injured, tho' I know it can be hard to tell unless there's obviously something wrong, but if he is ill/injured in some way is it likely the others have picked up on any weakness to attack him like this?

Ian


----------



## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

If you hadn't said he was so chatty, I'd have plumped for the fact that he's getting ill. Often in multi cat households you'll see the other cats begin to really pick on one who's unwell for some reason. As a long shot, this boy could be eing more chatty with you because he's in pain hence his personality change. Cats often become more vocal when in pain or unwell, and his lack of trying to claw you to ribbons could be because he doesn't have the energy to want to do it any more. They hide illness pretty well. I take it there's no chance of having him checked over by a vet?


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

Having just spent £800 on #3 cat, Max, a vet visit is unlikely sadly, at least by my hands. My assumption that he's a stray is based on his untreated ear wound and reaction to me, he may have a home but is just badly neglected. He's not stopped trying to claw me, if anything it's worse which could easily point to him just being extra defensive if he is ill/injured, tho' there's no sign of the latter.

Having seen him *in action* it'd take someone far braver than me to try and handle/cage him. Beyond becoming chatty he's the same as ever, his appetite is fine, but there could easily be something wrong that I just can't see from looking at him.

I set out to rescue him from another tom yesterday morning but I needn't have bothered, in a one-to-one fight he can more than hold his own.

I won't leave it long before contacting the RSPCA to see if they can help, it's pointless contacting my local CP as I'm still waiting for a return call made 3 years ago about a injured cat.

Ian


----------



## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

That was going to be my next suggestion. Hopefully they can lend you a trap so that you can get hold of him, but far better for him to go and be checked even if the only thing wrong with him turns out to be that ear.


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

His ear healed nicely by itself, tho' more by luck than anything else.

I had thought either his mouth or teeth were troubling him, but the way he demolishes chicken wings and crunches Kibbles say's not. He strolled into the living room this afternoon, still chirruping away, jumped onto the windowsill to get at the kibbles there then jumped down after he'd filled his face, so it would appear he's not injured anywhere as his agility is fine.

I guess him being so chatty could be nerves if he's expecting to be chased out each time he sees me. A trap here would be hit and miss with the amount of cats who visit my garden, if he sees one caught he's likely to avoid it himself.

Ian


----------



## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

Good luck with the RSPCA. We had a similar situation in our street and a few neighbours rallied together to try and catch the cat to take it to the vet. Phoned the RSPCA and all they said was we'll only come out if you can catch it first. We couldn't. So they didn't come.

I don't have much faith in the RSPCA to be honest.


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

I haven't much faith in them myself tbh, but more than in my local CP.

Ian


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

I think Tatty Tom is fine, judging by his reaction to sneaking in and finding a toy in the hall this afternoon anyway. I don't know for sure, but I'd say it's a long time (if ever) since he's seen a cat-nip toy, let alone a valerian cat-nip knottie, he was in raptures with it, so much so he totally ignored the chicken wing I gave him  

He's also got a near identical *twin*. I heard him growling in the kitchen and assumed it was at one of my lot, but thought I was seeing things when I went to intervene as it was another black cat just sat there. The *stranger* is slightly bigger and has a few white hairs on his chest, but at first glance they seemed identical. I don't recall seeing this other cat before, tho' it's more than possible I have and mistook him for Tatty.

Ian


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

Tatty Tom is definitely ok and surprised then shocked me earlier today. 

I spotted him at the side of my house and was taken aback when he came when I called him, surprise enough but when he started the usual mixture of chirruping/hissing at me then started leg winding I was gobsmacked :eek6: He followed that up by rolling about in the sun, totally oblivious to Bola and Max glaring and hissing their dislike of him.

If the leg winding was a  what happened this afternoon was even more so. Again he came when I'd called him after seeing him in the garden, but not happy with just leg winding (still chirruping and hissing at me) this time he stood on his back legs and put his front legs on my thigh. I don't know if he wanted me to pick him up, but I wasn't about to find out, just in case :lol: 

Ian


----------



## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

awww little man - it makes me sad when i think that he's missed out on toys and human affection for so long so it seems. 

glad he has you to look out for him


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

catlover0581 said:


> awww little man - it makes me sad when i think that he's missed out on toys and human affection for so long so it seems.
> 
> glad he has you to look out for him


Going by appearance he's getting on a bit so that could be quite some time now. I see him at all hours, he was waiting for brekkie just now (6am) when I opened the door, so I'm assuming he spent the night in a box in my shed. He may have come into the house overnight but probably not as I wasn't woken by my lot picking on him.

Ian


----------



## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

Ian B said:


> Going by appearance he's getting on a bit so that could be quite some time now. I see him at all hours, he was waiting for brekkie just now (6am) when I opened the door, so I'm assuming he spent the night in a box in my shed. He may have come into the house overnight but probably not as I wasn't woken by my lot picking on him.
> 
> Ian


assuming you want to keep the fiesty little one...is there no way to shut your cats away when he's about,and try to catch him. then you could try introducing them via a cage and he could get used to 'home'?

i think he sounds like he could be house broken, and become a friendly thing - maybe never confident around humans, but a happy friendly kitty


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

catlover0581 said:


> assuming you want to keep the fiesty little one...is there no way to shut your cats away when he's about,and try to catch him. then you could try introducing them via a cage and he could get used to 'home'?
> 
> i think he sounds like he could be house broken, and become a friendly thing - maybe never confident around humans, but a happy friendly kitty


I couldn't afford to take another one on having 3 of my own plus 2 semi adoptees. I'll carry on making sure he has at least one regular meal a day, but I won't be making him welcome here. He won't be chased out if I find him inside (as I have done a few times) but he won't be encouraged into the house. It won't be so bad for him from now on with the weather getting better and he's always got the boxes in my shed to use if he needs shelter.

I've just been met with the not so great smell of cat pee in the dining room  tho' I don't know it was him but it seems likely if he was in overnight. That said, he's never done it before so perhaps not and there are other cats who sneak in looking for food or a place to have a snooze.

His eyes tell me he's happy with his lot in life, not one I'd like for any cat but he's probably used to it by now and just accepts it.

Ian


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

Unusually, I found him on a chair in the living room first thing yesterday morning, he gave me the by now expected hiss/spit greeting and jumped down but had a poorly paw. He wasn't putting weight on it at first as he limped into the kitchen for brekkie, tho' did so as he grabbed a chicken wing and bolted thro' the flap, but that was the last I've seen of him and judging by the lack of yowling outside, none of my lot have seen him either.

I can only hope I've been wrong all along and he has a home nearby and he's been kept in or better still, taken to the vets, but somehow I doubt that. I tried calling him a few times, if he's around this is normally enough for him to make a appearance, but nothing yesterday or today so far :sad:

'EDIT 8.25am'

I'm pleased to say he's just turned up without the limp and seems fine.

Ian


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

After his vanishing act yesterday he's been the opposite today, hardly wanting to leave the house till 90 minutes ago, the trouble is he *insisted* on being in the same room as Bola, Max or Bosley, who all _*hate*_ him with a passion. It was hard work stopping things getting beyond the hiss/back off stage tbh, so he had to be shown the door eventually. He could have slept on a chair in the living room, but oh no, he had to push his luck with the others.

What is bothering me most, tho' I've no proof as I've not seen him ill as such, is that he seems a likely candidate for Max becoming infected with herpes if Tatty has it and they've actually been fighting.

Ian


----------



## catlover0581 (Jan 14, 2012)

hmmm that is a bit of a concern....have you called the vets and maybe sound them out on the issue - my vets and nurses are quite happy to offer a bit of advice over the phone for general enquiries...just a thought?


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

catlover0581 said:


> hmmm that is a bit of a concern....have you called the vets and maybe sound them out on the issue - my vets and nurses are quite happy to offer a bit of advice over the phone for general enquiries...just a thought?


Yeah, I mentioned it to the vet while Max was being treated but there was nothing constructive she could offer, beyond contacting the RSPCA, CP, etc.

He came in at gone 2am this morning and seemed dead set on being in the same room (spare bedroom) as Bola and Bosley, both of who let the entire road know he wasn't welcome. I had to get up and persuade him back downstairs then get a chicken wing to tempt him outside, after which the flap was locked. I don't like locking it as my lot are used to 24/7 access, but I didn't want him coming back in.

I get the feeling he's not being confrontational with my lot, just trying to be friendly, but it's not working if that's the case. It's strange, Bosley has always disliked him but Bola totally ignored him prior to Max becoming ill, as did Max himself, it's as tho' they can sense Tatty is ill and are trying to get rid of him.

Ian


----------

