my 3 yr old female tuxedo was beat up by a cat twice her size. On our deck no less. Black and white fur everywhere. I got the other cat to leave but Rosie disappeared. Hours later she literally crawls on her belly into the house. She lost hair but thankfully had no injuries. Now she is extremely skittish. She jumps at everything. To make matters worse, we adopted another cat the day Rosie was in the fight. She takes one look at Sadie, hisses and runs away. She is so traumatized that everything freaks her out. How can I get her to feel safe? I need to introduce Sadie to her safely but that is out of the question until she calms down.
Hi Julie
Thank you for getting in touch with us. I’m sorry to hear about the recent incident on your deck.
Since Sadie's arrival, Rosie must be hypervigilant, which may have exacerbated the antagonism.
Making your environment as safe as possible will be important as giving Rosie lots of space, a sense of control, and time.
Create a calm environment to lessen Rosie’s trauma and startling response from loud noises by keeping the TV on low volume, playing relaxing, calming music and avoiding having strangers in your house for a little while. A Feliway diffuser may help so as calming treat. Increase indoor hiding spots using cat condos, boxes lined with blankets, a safe nook in the closet or under the bed, a cat tree with a deep hammock for hiding and comfy carriers. Delay introductions to Sadie until she is fully relaxed.
Minimize exposure to the outdoors and neighborhood cats. Only allow supervised outdoor time when Rosie is calm. Desensitization and counterconditioning may also need to be applied.
After consulting with your veterinarian or an animal behaviorist, behavioral medication may be helpful.
Please give Rosie time for all her symptoms to subside, which can take a few days to a week.
I hope this helps.
Melina
@juliesteinke Keep up the good work, Julie! Celebrate the success but be ready for little setbacks. One day at a time. I hope Rosie will be back to herself in one month.
My pleasure, Mel & Simba
Hi Melina,
Thank you for your insight.
I did get a calming collar for Rosie. I have kept her inside since the incident too. I've made my room her safe place. And installed baby gates in my room and my mother's. Rosie jumps it but Sadie doesn't. It's been 2 weeks since the incident. Rosie is still easily frightened but I think she is making progress. I found her sitting outside Sadie's gate yesterday. She wasn't hissing or yowling. I count that as a win. I'm taking it one day at a time. Next step, hiding places.
Thank you again,
Julie