Male cat found 14 miles away after 3 months, after 6 weeks still fighting!

[jbendotnet]

Nipper is neutered - though none are chipped (he will be before he's allowed out at all).

[jbendotnet]

Hi guys,

first, thanks for all the responses!

I should explain, I work from home so they are not on their own often at the moment. Also, they don't fight all the time, just enough to annoy us! They do all rub their faces on the furniture around the house, and can stay in a room together if we're there - so think maybe you're both right and it's boredom - setting them free might be the key!

the girls have never run further than the end of the garden (in either house), so they won't run off - it's just nipper we're concerned about.

will let you know what we decide/the outcome!

thanks,

Jon

[Rosella moggy]

  to Purrs

Stupid question maybe but is Nipper neutered?  Did all 3 used to get on together well before the move?

Assuming the answer is a definite yes, I agree with Gill that things may relax a bit for the felines (altho initially maybe not for you and OH) when they are allowed out again. Need to ensure they are all micro chipped of course.  Meanwhile lots of play may help the 3 to interact better.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am sure that someone says that the feliway takes about a month to work and I have not been in this situation.

Are the cats all being played with a lot?

My gut feeling and maybe wrong is that you should let them all go out if they want now cos 6 weeks should be enough for them to know this is home and that may allow them to get on better.

Trouble is that Nipper has tried to go back to your old house once already although that was some time ago now. He doesnt sound happy and neither do the other 2, being shut in the house and again my gut feeling is that this is making the situation worse.

However I am no expert and what ever you do is a risk unless you have a way of keeping them in the garden.

Are you insured, if so most insurers have a part for behavioral treatment but you need to be referred by your vet............dont do it privately cos there are some sharks out there on the internet. Its worth speaking to your vet and see what he says.

[Dawn F]

not sure what to say, how long have you had the feliway, its takes a little while to kick in, you can't be the first person this has happened to, hopefully somebody will be able to advise

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hi &  to Purrs

Sounds like you may need to re-introduce the cats to each other as though they were strangers, I haven't got any experience of that I'm afraid but I'm sure others who have will be along soon enough.  I'll move this to the Health & Behaviour board too.

[jbendotnet]

hi,

We have 3 cats, our eldest male cat 'Nipper' is 6, and we have 2 sisters from the same litter who are 3.

Nipper went missing after we moved house, he managed to escape out of the patio doors after only a week. Thankfully after an exhaustive search, he turned up 14 miles away (half way back to our previous address) and he's now been home for about 6 weeks.

In this time all 3 cats have been confined to the house, Nipper at first confined to a room on his own. They are now free to roam the house, and eat together most of the time, but Nipper still has a separate litter tray in the room he originally stayed in.

The girls hiss and growl at nipper a lot, nipper gets aggrivated, I guess largely through boredom - he used to be out-and-about a lot. We've tried 'Feliway' plugin, which worked a bit, but hasn't solved all our problems. My girlfriend won't consider letting them/him out again until they are all settled and happy together - so it appears the status quo will continue!

We would really appreciate some advice on what to do, what to expect, possible time frames etc.

Thanks,

Jon + Rachel