Cat Chat (please go to cat chat 2)

[The Lost soul]

Make sure nothing is left to chance. Make sure you are ready to swipe your dogs off the ground or cover Milo in a blanket to calm him down. He sounds like a cat out to murder... I hope it can get better with time, patience and training.

My methods are not perfect, so make sure anything you have doubts on, ask... like any area of safety I forgot...

Poor thing is gonna get himself in a heap of trouble if he doesn't get that sorted out... and your dogs. Man... our dogs have always been large so we haven't had to fear much with them... sounds terrifying and heart-breaking to see a cat you once knew turn into a vicious animal.

[FuzzyThePunkCat]

Make sure nothing is left to chance. Make sure you are ready to swipe your dogs off the ground or cover Milo in a blanket to calm him down. He sounds like a cat out to murder... I hope it can get better with time, patience and training.

My methods are not perfect, so make sure anything you have doubts on, ask... like any area of safety I forgot...

Poor thing is gonna get himself in a heap of trouble if he doesn't get that sorted out... and your dogs. Man... our dogs have always been large so we haven't had to fear much with them... sounds terrifying and heart-breaking to see a cat you once knew turn into a vicious animal.

One of my dogs is extra large (but still a puppy), one is large, one is medium, and one is extra small. I even fear for the large dogs because he can still hurt them very bad by hitting them, scratching them, and biting them.
He definitely is a cat out to murder. I think it is out of fear though, but I don't know why because he has never been attacked or chased by a dog or anything like that. But, the only dog he really knew was our old dog because I was young when we got him and my parents didn't socialize him with different dogs. It's even hard to explain because some people are probably thinking of a regular sized cat who scratches and bites and yeah it hurts, but it's not severe and most casts will eventually back off. But he literally hits soooo hard. He hits as hard as a person would literally. Once I went to hand him a treat and he hit my hand so hard the treat went flying across the room. His claws are extremely sharp and he is not just scratching or swatting, he is RIPPING and tearing like a wild animal. He is also not biting like a cat nips, he is biting like a medium sized dog would bite. He is also a Bengal mix, which just adds to his strength and size. He is 11 lbs, but he is skinny so he is bigger than you'd expect an 11 lb cat to be. He is also not yet neutered because my parents would never pay to get him neutered, but my grandmother is paying to have him neutered for me soon.

[The Lost soul]

Mm... I see.

I've been bit before, but it was because I wasn't thinking and went to pull a frightened cat out from behind a couch. Stupid move. Then there was taming Loki. He was a hissing, growling fit. He spent most of his kittenhood in his crate for time outs, but once he got over it, and realized his love, affection and toleration were rewarded, he became the best bugger ever.. for a while... he passed quickly one night. No confirmation on cause, but I suspected heart worms.


Unfixed males... they tend to be mentally healthier, but can have severe aggression issues. Fixing him without fixing the issue might just make it harder to cure him. If you can, help him before neutering him. It might help, but it might not. I have seens some cases where toms were fixed with behavior issues and now are locked into that mode of behavior.

I hope your cat gets better.

[undead]

So, we just took the Christmas tree down today.
I can tell Isis is sad. She loved that tree so much. To play in it.... To play under it.... To sleep at the top..... She loved it XD

[FuzzyThePunkCat]

Mm... I see.

I've been bit before, but it was because I wasn't thinking and went to pull a frightened cat out from behind a couch. Stupid move. Then there was taming Loki. He was a hissing, growling fit. He spent most of his kittenhood in his crate for time outs, but once he got over it, and realized his love, affection and toleration were rewarded, he became the best bugger ever.. for a while... he passed quickly one night. No confirmation on cause, but I suspected heart worms.


Unfixed males... they tend to be mentally healthier, but can have severe aggression issues. Fixing him without fixing the issue might just make it harder to cure him. If you can, help him before neutering him. It might help, but it might not. I have seens some cases where toms were fixed with behavior issues and now are locked into that mode of behavior.

I hope your cat gets better.

Thanks, I hope I can eventually help him x.x

[Saracirce]

I disagree with wrapping him in a towel so tight he can't move and forcing him to let the dogs sniff him. You're essentially flooding and are going to cause him to panic. I don't think flooding is a humane technique to use with someone who can't consent. Also, as I've said before, I dislike burritoing an animal unless it's already in a panic and it's the only way to calm it down. With my own experience, it can simply make the cat even more stressed then it would've been in the first place. It sounds like Misty scared him and now he's scared of all larger dogs. The stress of living in the house with the dogs, even if he's not constantly in contact with them, has built up to the point he's taking it out on whatever he can. Possibly having too much energy and being understimulated isn't helping.

If you're not doing so already, I suggest 15 - 20 minute play sessions with Milo followed by feeding him. Does he have a cat tree in the laundry room and a toy like a ball in track that he can play with by himself? If not, I highly suggest giving him those things.

Far as the dogs go, start with the door closed and have one person feeding Marty on one side of the door and Milo being fed REALLY SUPER DUPER high value treats on the other. Seriously, he needs to think the food you're giving him is the absolute best thing ever. Once he seems calm with that, I would put enough baby gates on the door so that it's completely covered and he can't possibly get out. Start Milo out on the opposite end of the room but still able to see the door and feed him his meals while Marty is standing on the other side (have your other dogs, especially Misty and Wolf, outside so there's no chance of them wandering over and ruining everything). You can work him slowly closer so they're both right next to the babygates and then you can take them down and let them meet. Feed Milo the super tasty treats again periodically if he's being good or calm and keep Marty distracted but calm. If he shows any sign of aggression, take a step back to where he had been acting calm.

After that, you'll need to repeat it with each dog, especially Misty and Wolf. Those two are going to be your biggest problem I bet. Don't ever let any of the dogs get into Milo's face even if it's just to sniff him and don't let them paw at him. They're going to have to learn that this cat is not a playmate or friend. He should simply just be there until Milo decides otherwise. Even once he seems fine, he should have a space all for himself where he can get away from the dogs and they can't follow him.

It's going to take a long time but this method will be a lot less stressful on Milo and a lot less likely to end with someone being scratched, bit, or hurt in anyway.

[The Lost soul]

Sure thing, Sara.

I use the towel because it is for safety. Am I saying don't let him move cause it is so tight? No, that would definitely be a mistake, but enough to make him feel like you're there, keeping him safe.

I tried the door trick with some animals... it's good for some certain cases, but others it can cause issues with protectiveness over food, space. The cat feels like that it's his territory, and the dogs are trespassers and it got worse. I went ahead and comforted the cat while the dogs sniffed from a good distance and made sure that when I felt the cat start to get agitated, that we have some time-off. I would sit and pet him. Food was not on the cat's mind at the time because stressed animals can go to a point where food is the least thing they want in their agitated state. Food is key for less severe cases, but not when an animal gets to this point. It's like when a feline is stressed because of moving or a change in the house. They might not eat, and might become extremely centered around a certain area of comfort.


Fuzzy can choose whatever. It all depends on how Milo's feeling, how he reacts... I would try to collect data but to be thorough data, I'd have to be there, seeing his reactions and his body language. That's nearly impossible when trying to keep people anonymous on the internet.

Exercise is definitely key. An unfixed tom has more muscle, energy and is more active then most fixed toms, so getting his energy down before every session is a yes. I forgot that. Thanks, I'll add that in there. I knew something was missing in there...

[♡ A l l y C a t ♡]

That's exactly what Peanut did when we moved. She would not come out of my room for months, her place of comfort. If she was scared, she would hide under my bed for hours and only I could calm her down enough to come out. Eating was definitely one of her last concerns. Sometimes she would go a whole day without even looking at her food.

[Saracirce]

That's why you don't let the animal get agitated to the point they don't want to eat and you also use whatever they think is the bestest food ever. When I'm working with my dog on her fear, I use pupperonis or Blue Stix or hot dogs. Whatever I can get my hands on the time. I keep under her threshold, meaning to the point she is only moderately worried and not barking or growling or tense or with hackles up. If that means I have to start giving her the treats when the person is still 20 feet away, so be it. Same thing I did with mom's bf's dog when she was living with me but with cheese and hot dogs. For most animals, food, especially scrumptious food, is an excellent motivator.

That's why I suggested the door trick as well. Milo will likely feel safe behind a solid closed door and, once he's used to hearing and smelling a dog outside his door, you open it with the baby gates as a barrier and you back him up as far as possible. He should still feel safe having the gates between him and Marty. It's also why I suggested Marty first. He's small enough to where it sounds like Milo isn't that threatened by him but he's also big enough where he can't seriously injure him as easily as Kiba.

[The Lost soul]

I know why you suggested it, and I'm not shooting it down. It does wonders sometimes, but Milo seems to feel like his world is being invaded, which usually results in territorial prowess which is one of the few times, with a certain condition, that the door trick doesn't work. Now, you're works on a wider range of animals then mine does. Mine focuses in a subsection of the area you are thinking about.

With Our dog Miya, I have to sit her down , stand over her and place my hands on her chest. It makes her feel safe when she gets too scared of maybe a baby strolled going down the street or another dog. Food is more on my dog Sadie's mind. Of course, most dogs focus on food.

Our other cats feel safe in towels. I use it when I treat for ear mites. I wrap them in towels and give them attention before doing it. It's not a pleasant thing to have a liquid in your ears so they try and shake their heads or scratch it out. I keep them still so they keep the medication in there.