# Last resort advice before rehoming!



## bogie (Jan 12, 2012)

Hi everyone
Just after Christmas, we rescued a 10 year old Persian cat. She had had a traumatic few months in a rescue place, spending the last few weeks in a foster home where she was bullied by the resident cat.

We already have a laid-back British Shorthair cat, Henry, who is 4 and a neutered male. I read up all I could about socializing cats before we got the Persian and hoped I could make it work.

Unfortunately she arrived with anxiety cat flu, which meant we had to delay any face to face meetings with Henry for several weeks. She had antibiotics and decongestants from the vet, and I have been giving her lysine supplements (and to Henry too) She's fine now.

I have kept her in the dining room, with everything she needs in there.
She could see Henry through a frosted glass door at first, then we did many 'hello' peeks through a gap in the door.
She has also seen him while in a cat carrier several times too. 
All with much hissing on both sides!

I have let her roam around rooms with Henry locked away, and let Henry in her room with her shut elsewhere. 
I've distributed scent around the house on towels too.

Then we built a wire grid over the dining room door so they could see each other properly and safely with the door open and for weeks they have been eating either side of it.
Henry was terrified at first, but gradually he came around and can now eat only inches away from her. We have also used Feliway and rescue remedy.

Once this was all routine, we started to try to do the introductions.

My fear was that Henry, at twice her size, would attack her, but I couldn't have been more wrong!

As soon as she came out, she ran at Henry and attacked him. But instead of squaring up to her and saying 'this is my home', he just ran and she chased. We've lots of places high up for him to retreat to, so he goes upward but she tries to follow.

We've only tried this a few times, always after meals so there is no food aggression, but she has run at him every time. They both ignore any attempts to distract with play! We sprayed her with water when she went for him, which worked a couple of times, and they had, once or twice, an uneasy truce in the living room for a few minutes, but as soon as he starts to move, she goes for him.

The last time, she just ran through the water spray to get at him, and my husband had to grab her just as she was leaping up at Henry who was cowering on top of his perch. 

He was so frightened, he started choking. It was awful. I have refused to try it again since then as I can't bear to upset him.

Luckily, he recovers once she is back in the dining room. He's very 'head in the sand' about it. If he can't see her, he feels secure and is his normal self. There hasn't been any stress-grooming or spraying on his part.

This can't go on though. I've more or less said she will have to leave, which is heart-breaking as we have won her trust. She was fearful when she came, and now she is fussy and just loves being on our laps and purring. She just wants us all to herself!! 

I won't take her back to the rescue, even though they would have her, as she not only had a rough time out being fostered, but she had fleas and her fur was badly matted. 

I just wondered if I had done something terribly wrong, or if anyone has any last ditch pieces of advice we could try? 

I'm not willing to put Henry through a chase situation again so am pretty sure we have to, somehow, find her a new home. 

I grew up with Persians and know them to be pretty laid back customers, so I'm really surprised. This one has also lived with other cats all her life too. I just think perhaps the trauma of the foster home and the smell of Henry's fear, is making her stake her claim to us and the house.

Any advice greatly received!


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

Sorry no useful advice  sure others will be along shortly with some

Can you not keep them separated?


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Oh gosh what an awful situation for you.
Hopefully carly or another experienced Persian owner will soon come on to advise.
I can understand you not wanting to take her back to the rescue she came from, but maybe you could consider contacting Rushden Persian rescue where they specialise in these cats and would most certainly be able to find her a suitable home as an only cat.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

What a shame - you have invested so much time and love in her, but you are right - you can't let Henry suffer.

There are some very experienced owners on here - and some have particular knowledge of Persians. They may (I hope) be able to help you persuade her to settle, or at worst will be able to recommend a specialist rescue who can be trusted to find her a good and loving home.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Bogie, it sounds as though you did all the right things when introducing the two cats to each other, in fact everything that I would normally advise.

Unfortunately when you have a cat who likes to chase, and a cat who reacts by running instead of standing his/her ground, it sets up a 'feedback loop' of behaviour which can become a habit that is very hard to break. You would need to change the behaviour of both cats for a fair chance of success.

Henry is a laid-back male whose survival instinct in response to a threat is to 'flee' not 'fight', which would be a wise choice if he met up with such a threat outdoors, but not so good when the threat is in his own home. But that is his nature and I doubt you could change him.

But it does seem a real shame to have to rehome the Persian Cat (PC) though, and only feasible if you are lucky enough to find a nice home for her where she can be an only cat.

It sounds as though PC has been through some hard times before you adopted her, and it could well be it has influenced her behaviour and made her feel so possessive/protective of her wonderful new-found resources (the home + the kind humans within it) that she cannot bear to share these resources with any other cat. PC's survival instinct is therefore to try and chase poor Henry out of his home.

As you rightly say the situation of Henry being chased and attacked in his home cannot be allowed to continue, as it would be very unfair on him and the stress could affect his health. So I would definitely go back a step and start keeping the two cats separately again with the wire door between them, so they can see and sniff each other, but have no contact.

There is a possibility if you keep them like this for several months that PC
will become more accepting of Henry, but it is by no means certain, and I wouldn't recommend ever leaving the cats to share the same space in future unless you were 100% certain Henry was going to be safe.

Some people (me included) have kept a territorially aggressive cat separate in the house permanently. It would mean PC being given her own area of the house, to which Henry has no access, (and vice-versa) then PC being allowed out, or into the rest of the house, while Henry is shut into one room. It sounds complicated, but is workable once you get into a routine, though it does mean constant vigilance when going in and out of each cat's area.

If you decide your only option is to try and rehome, I agree you shouldn't 
put her back in an ordinary Rescue, but there are some Rescues that specialise in rehoming Persian cats. e.g. Rushden Persian Rescue, if you are anyway near that part of the country.

RUSHDEN PERSIAN RESCUE

EDIT: cross posted with PP


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I do know that Patsy at Rushden has recently homed a lot of cats and the rescue is currently fairly quiet. 
You could at least call her and ask for advice....she is a lovely lady and there is not much she does not know about Persians. She has a very good rate of re-homing and I am certain she would be able to find a home for this cat.
I applaud those who manage to run households keeping cats completely separate, but it cannot be easy for them or ideal for anyone/cat involved so if there is an alternative I would look into it.


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## Pasuded (Feb 13, 2015)

bogie said:


> Hi everyone
> Just after Christmas, we rescued a 10 year old Persian cat. She had had a traumatic few months in a rescue place, spending the last few weeks in a foster home where she was bullied by the resident cat.
> 
> We already have a laid-back British Shorthair cat, Henry, who is 4 and a neutered male. I read up all I could about socializing cats before we got the Persian and hoped I could make it work.
> ...


I think it is wonderful that you rescued a cat. Unfortunately, not all cats get along. I'm very happy to hear that your current cat is neutered. You did good by researching feline socialization! Cats are often thought of as nervous creatures. Cats are sensitive to their environments. When a cat finds something in her environment to be threatening, whether it is truly a danger of a perceived danger, her brain goes to work producing a chemical that prepares her to either fight to danger or to run from it. A cat's anxiety can manifest itself in symptoms that include vomiting, constant meowing, pacing, trembling, over-grooming, weight loss, shyness, urinating and defecating outside the box and more. Your veterinarian my prescribe anti-anxiety medication for your cat, especially in times of acute stress.

Cats hiss or growl when they are either feeling disturbed or threatened by something. If your cat is hissing and growling, but appears to be staring off into space, check to see if it might be looking out a window at something outside. Cats aren't typically perceived as social animals, at least to the extent that dogs are. If your cat hisses or growls when you pick it up or pet it, it could be a sign that the animal is in pain.

Take the cat's temperature: Begin by taking the cat's temperature rectally. Examine the cat's gums: a cat's gum color should be pink. Is the cat lethargic? Is the cat eating and drinking?

While it may seem like your older cat has lost his mind and is attacking your younger kitty for no reason, there are many triggers for attacks between cats that appear to come out of nowhere. The primary cause of attacks by one cat on another for seemingly no apparent reason is redirected aggression. As your feline friends age, they develop medical issues which make them feel uncomfortable or even affect their cognitive abilities. Cats are territorial -- especially socially mature felines who are between 2 and 5 years old. Slow and careful introductions are an important part of establishing your cats' relationship with each other and in preventing fights between them.

There is a reason we have the term "cat fight." Separate the cats, if necessary, and slowly reintroduce them over a period of several days or weeks. Engage the cats in play therapy to burn off aggressive energy and improve the cats' self esteem. Give the cats a reason to like each other by giving them a treat and praising them whenever they are peacefully in the same room together. Distract the cats if you think one is about to attack the other. Pay lots of attention to both cats, both when you are alone with one or when they are in the same room together.

Cats are not pack animals. List the problem behaviors you are experiencing. Identify resource and territory problems related to the behaviors on your list. Reduce the scarcity of any resources causing problem behaviors. Address any possible hormonal component to the behavior.

If you can't care for her, please take her back to the rescue. I don't know what it is like in the UK, but here in the US, if you cannot keep an adopted animal, then it must legally be returned to the rescue center or you can face criminal charges.

Feed your cat the good stuff - avoid generic brands. Don't give your cat bones and avoid uncooked food.

Cats have many moods and behaviors. Crouching down is one way cats show submission. In addition to crouching down, a submissive cat may lower its tail as a sign of non-aggression.

SPRAYING A CAT WITH WATER IS ANIMAL ABUSE! IT SHOULD NEVER BE DONE!


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## bogie (Jan 12, 2012)

Wow!
When I saw there were 18 replies to my post, my heart raced with hope that there would be lots of things I could try! Instead I found a debate about US law and a post which called me an abuser, and didn't even appear to have read my original story properly   

Anyway, I'm not in the US. I signed no contract. I have no obligation to return her anywhere.

Many thanks to those of you who gave me genuine, relevant advice and have sympathized. I'm really grateful  I think I'll give Patsy a call at Rushden.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

I do hope she has some suggestions for you - of course, it may just be due to her past that she needs to be an 'only'

(my Mia would be much better as an only and, if she'd been here first, I'd never have got a 2nd cat - sadly she was the 2nd to come so there was little I could do about it)

It is possible to live with them separated as CM and others have suggested - it can be a PITA at times but generally works really well once you've got the routine established

Let us know how you get on


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Just closing this to tidy it up  You can have it back in a few minutes


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Right lets keep this on topic now please.


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear about the situation you are in 

Sorry I cannot advise as I have no experience but just wanted to say I really hope you can try to work something out but if not Patsy at Rushden is lovely and I'm sure she'll be able to advise or help you out xx


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

Sorry I have not any advice to give.
I have been to Pat's Rushden Rescue. 
I met her Daughter and she showed me round and I saw all the Rescue cats.
Lovely people and nice place too. I do hope she can help.


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## Halo1 (May 22, 2014)

This might not be a good idea, but thought I'd throw it in just in case, you never know. Next time you allow them to be in the same room, you could put the girl on a harness so that she can't physically chase him, he would be in no danger as you'd be in control of her.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

So sorry you are in this position, I can tell you love her.


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## bogie (Jan 12, 2012)

You know, halo1, I had thought about a harness. I have got a proper cat harness for walking the other cat in the garden (which he hated and I had to stop )
It's almost exactly what it feels like I need just to hold her back from launching herself at him. 
She's not aggressive in any other way towards him through the wire frame. She just sits and looks at him curiously. It's only once she is free and in the same room.
It just feels like we are so close and yet falling at the last hurdle!!


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Some cats are simply not cut out for life with other cats. At risk of anthropomorphising, they are jealous of the other cat and any attention it get plus all those other not-good cat on cat things they have lurking in their heads.

I've been through this twice, each time I rehomed one of the cats.

I did consult a behaviourist the first time and in essence the advice was:


Start by separating the house in two and don't let them see each other at all. That meant sticking cardboard up at the living room windows and door.
Get a screen door installed so the cats in the two parts could see and smell each other.
Play lots with the aggressive cat to try to wear her out a bit. and put her on Zylkene
Start feeding the cats involved each side of the door.
Gradually feed closer & closer togeather still with the door shut - move the bowls slightly closer as they get happier about each other
Start scent swapping by exchanging bedding between the two halves of the house
Start feeding & playing with the screen door open
Don't leave them long enough for aggression to develop
Gradually increase the time they are with each other.

If there's a setback you have go to back a step or two. It was hard work, the aggressive cat was determined to kill the new kitten (brought as a breeding queen) come what may and when I rehomed her everyone - the rehomed cat, the kitten, my other cats, me - was so much happier.

EDIT: Of course I forgot a few things. You need plenty of litter trays, high-up shelves and hidey holes in both parts of the house.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

bogie said:


> > I had thought about a harness. I have got a proper cat harness for walking the other cat in the garden (which he hated and I had to stop ) It's almost exactly what it feels like I need just to hold her back from launching herself at him.
> 
> 
> I'm afraid the only way a harness would be likely to work in these circumstances would be if you were always prepared to have her on the harness whenever she was in the same room as your other cat.
> ...


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## Halo1 (May 22, 2014)

bogie said:


> You know, halo1, I had thought about a harness. I have got a proper cat harness for walking the other cat in the garden (which he hated and I had to stop )
> It's almost exactly what it feels like I need just to hold her back from launching herself at him.
> She's not aggressive in any other way towards him through the wire frame. She just sits and looks at him curiously. It's only once she is free and in the same room.
> It just feels like we are so close and yet falling at the last hurdle!!


It's worth a try, good luck. Would taking them both outside on a harness work? Our cats aren't keen on the harness either but needs must sometimes.


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