Costa Rica does not appear to be very cat populated. I recently spent a few days in San Jose, C.R. and neighboring towns. Although I encountered quite a number of dogs, the only cat I caught a glimpse of was from a window. However, I did run into a few ailurophiles from the states. One of them wanted to know how I worked with cats and people/ I was able to fill him in on a recent phone consultation. A young neutered male that had joined the family a year ago terrorized the client's older cat. She hung out in the kitchen on top of a cabinet, resisted affection and defecated in and about. It was a large apartment and the interloper sometimes kept his distance but was unpredictable. The third cat was neutral. I told my client that her cat, Cassie, was threatened and depressed by the younger cat. She felt betrayed. I advised her to put expandable kitty gates at the kitchen doorway so the cats could view but not touch each other.

When she or her husband needed use of the kitchen, they could adjust the gates. Once Cassie became her old self, they could place her food in front of the gate and the other cat's food in line with the gate so they could see each other without physical confrontation. Eventually, they could play with the cats on their respective sides of the gates. I emphasized that her husband should concentrate on the younger cat. Cassie was closer to her and had felt hurt and betrayed when she interacted with the younger cat. I felt she would once again become affectionate and not act out if this program could be followed. A couple of days later I received a progress report. 'The gates are in place, Cassie is once again very affectionate and she's litter box consistent. We want to thank you and arrange a house call in a few weeks to speed up the process.'

...Yes, they were off to a good start. The behavioral program was being followed and when I did the actual phone consult, Cassie's tension started to defuse as she was sensitive to her person's body language and tone of voice which was positively affected by my behavioral process. This process would be intensified when I made the house call. It's clearly gratifying for me when there's such speedy and healing progress-a win-win situation for all involved.

Hi,

I have a 14 year old female cat and a 2 year old female and male (siblings). Tuesday evening I stepped on the tail of the 14 year old. She let out a yelp and turned away to leave. The 2 year old female jumped on her with terrible aggression and proceeded to fight and bite my older cat. I was shocked and finally pulled off the 2 year old. It was awful! These cats were good friends! WHY did the younger cat do this?

I called my Vet and he suggested to keep them separated 24 hours, which I did. When I brought the two cats together it was like nothing happened (with the 2 year old). She went up to the older cat and licked her head. Now the 2 year old wants to play and wants things the way they used to be. The older cat isn't so sure about this and hisses at t he 2 year old. What should I do?? Can I trust the 2 year old now, not to do this again? I'm afraid to leave them alone. Would the 2 year old only do this if the older cried out in pain again? I have never experienced this before. The 2 year old is a very sweet and loving cat, however, she likes to be in charge of everything and everybody. She's very brave and stands up to her brother who is 3 lbs heavier. Your help would be appreciated. (The younger and older cats weigh about 10 lbs each)

~ Thank you, Jo Erickson


Dear Guardian Jo,

Your younger cat was spooked by your older cat's angst and attacked her out of her OWN angst. She attacked the SOURCE of her discomfort. In a sense it wasn't personal. That's why she was able to interact freely and easily once they were re-united.

Sounds like your younger cat has to be in control and that incident threw her out of control. To build up her tolerance of stress or sudden surprises, when you drop things or there are sudden noises or movements, stroke her and calm her with your voice. If her companions act out because of fear, distract her or separate her briefly. Do this with affection. The break will give her time to wind down. ALSO, Give her frequent play sessions to work out her energy. Try a potion of lavender potpourri or oil as a room scent to create a touch of serenity. If you need more advice, you can e-mail my web site for info about a phone consult or house call.