When cats aren’t getting along, it’s stressful for the whole family. How do you handle those feline feuds? Here are some tips:

·          Create a friendly environment. Cats are territorial and need to feel they have enough elbow room. Even in a small apartment, you can create more territory through vertical space. Cat trees and window perches increase territory and help maintain a peaceful pecking order. Include hiding places as well. Use Feliway Comfort Zone in the environment to increase feelings of security.

·          Increase the number of litter boxes. Even if you’ve bought the jumbo-sized litter box, your cats may object to sharing. Add an additional box in another area of the house so one cat doesn’t have to cross the other cat’s turf.

·          Create a peaceful feeding station. For feuding felines, sharing one bowl can increase tension. Give each cat his own bowl. If necessary, set up additional feeding stations in other areas.

·          Give the cats a reason to like each other. Offer treats and increase praise, petting, and playtime in the presence of each other, so each cat sees that good things happen when the other cat is around.

·          Clicker train. It’s the perfect way to help cats learn good behavior because they’ll be getting a reward. The clicker is a little noise-maker that lets you mark the exact behavior you want. A treat immediately follows.

·          Do a reintroduction if necessary. If the hostility is serious, give each cat a breather by separating them and completely reintroducing them as if they’re meeting for the first time. They key to success with this step is to remember step #4: give the cats a reason to like each other!

For more specific information refer to the book Cat vs Cat.

© 2009 Cat Behavior Associates, LLC