5/2 Jonesy AMPS 387-3.5u :( 294@+9; PMPS 338-3.5u

Darcy and Jonesy

Darcy and Jonesy

Member Since 2015
Morning,

Sigh . . . I know I come on here each time and just whine. I'm normally a ridiculously positive person. But the whole cat drama situation really has me at my breaking point. Last night my Vinnie chased my old girl Fiona. She normally defends herself well, REALLY well :rolleyes: But it went on long enough that I had to intervene. So my fear is that Vinnie's frustration at not being able to "get at" Jonesy, he's redirecting his frustration onto Fi :(

I'm going to wait for the Jackson Galaxy stuff I've ordered, but mentally I'm already thinking it is time to rehome Vinnie. The guilt I'm feeling is overwhelming. But I know it is not healthy for Vinnie either, to be in a constant state of "hunting". He's not happy, he can't be . . .

I believe it is now a good part of why Jonesy's numbers are so damn high. That week right after the move, Jonesy's numbers were lower, plus at a lower insulin dose (around April 5th-10th when Vin came home)

Ugh. Thanks to whoever is reading this. I think in a sense this forum is my "secret confession" spot! LOL

Stay well, have a lovely weekend all
Darcy

Friday http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/5-1-jonesy-amps-360-3-5u.229033/#post-2564888
 
Darcy and Jonesy said:
my Vinnie chased my old girl Fiona
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arghh sibling rivalry - what is Vinnie's story? What is Jackson Galaxy?

I remember reading some members on here use a product called Feliway https://www.feliway.com/ca_en to help with aggression. You might want to ask about the experiences to see if it will help Vinnie chill out a bit.

Disregard - I read your post from a few days back and see you tried Feliway already. I'll keep reading to learn a bit more about Vinnie.
 
:bighug::bighug:and prayers for you & your situation. :bighug::bighug: And...we all need a place to let it all go, and for me & Nova, this is the place. Hope you come to the best decision that's right for you.
 
Oh I'm sorry they're not getting along. Sometimes it's just that way - they're going to spar until someone reaches dominance and then they should keep their distance...if it turns into an all-out cat fight, then they may have to be separated...not the best option...

I had a friend who used to have to keep her two separated...only one cat could be upstairs with them at a time, while the other was in the basement - then after a while, they'd switch places....it was the only arrangement they could think of to keep the two sparring cats apart and peace in the home.

Unfortunately, my friend passed from ovarian cancer and I'm not sure what happened to her kitties. I hope her husband kept them in the family after her passing. You have to do what you have to do. If all else fails, perhaps ask all your friends and acquaintances if anyone would like to adopt one of the kids...

The forum is a sounding board....whine away! Sending hugs your way to support your choice - whatever it may be. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thanks all, your support is appreciated more than you can know.

@Judy and Freckles , Jackson Galaxy is a pretty famous cat guy. He has a TV show called "My Cat from Hell", you can probably find full episodes on Animal Planet on youtube, he's amazing. He's not just a "talk the talk" kind of person. He used to volunteer at cat shelters, and really learned about cats there. Now that he's become more successful, he has an entire line of products (Hey, if Kim Kardashian can . . . LOL) But I have heard good things about the items. They're in transit now, so who knows.

I do have two Feliway diffusers going in the house. Vinnie is VERY jealous. When he joined my household, he was never "top cat". He was always the low guy. My old cat (my first diabetic, Lebowski) was Alpha, then my girl Fiona, then Vinnie. He and Lebowski were absolutely the best of friends. When he passed, it was just Fiona and Vinnie, and Vinnie is less than half her age, so he's got more energy.

I play with him as much as I can, but he gets bored or distracted. He's already on two Flouxetine (prozac) a day for his aggression. It used to help, but not anymore.

I did post on Facebook today that I would rehome Vinnie, if the RIGHT person came forward. But I'd have to know them, or REALLY trust the person who knows them. Until then, I'll do what I can. I've also considered changing the prozac to something else.

It is even worse that Jonesy TOTALLY 'turtles", he won't defend himself. He's fat and slow and arthritic and Vinnie just beats the crap outta him. This has happened THREE times in nine months. Jonesy is terrified of Vinnie :'(
 
Ok. If you go with operant conditioning theory, what is Vinnie getting out of his behaviour when he goes after Jonesy? Does he get attention for it? Is Vinnie's attack predictable? Look at the antecedent (what happens before the behaviour) and consequence (what happens after the behaviour).
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Ok. If you go with operant conditioning theory, what is Vinnie getting out of his behaviour when he goes after Jonesy? Does he get attention for it? Is Vinnie's attack predictable? Look at the antecedent (what happens before the behaviour) and consequence (what happens after the behaviour).
Click to expand...
Morning!
"Getting out of his behaviour" . . . hmmmm, I'm not sure. Let's use his "sitting at the glass door" for example. I've got an old storm window, hinged, between my living room and the hallway to the two bedrooms/bathroom. It basically divides the main floor in two. This is about five feet tall. I then have a sheet thrown over it, and which ever side Jonesy is on, is where the sheet goes down to the floor.

When Vin is fixated on sitting at that door, and trying to see if he can see Jonesy at all, or smell him under the door, I try to distract him with play. Either a dangley toy or a laser pointer. But it rarely works. I DON'T pick him up and coo at him and love him up. I don't want him to associate that with getting love.

Does it make any sense that I think the only thing he gets out of it, is to frighten Jonesy? I DO KNOW that Jonesy is too submissive for his own good. He doesn't fight back. He turtles. He'll run and pee. He does his best to defend himself, but he can't match the fury and energy of Vinnie :(

"What happens before" . . . it's hard to say. If I've got Vin on one side of the house and carry Jonesy into that area and lock HIM away, then Vin will spend the first 20 minutes smelling for him all over the house. He won't settle down until he determines that he can't find him to get at him.

"after the behaviour" . . . It depends on whether you mean an actual fight, or his daily routine of hunting Jonesy. In nine months there have been three major fights. (This past week was the third. I was bitten and went to Urgent care for meds) After a fight, Vinnie gets locked away to cool down. I NEVER yell at him after the fact, I focus on getting myself calmed down, then will put him in his room on his bed at the window. Then I'll go check on Jonesy.
If not after a fight, then it's a matter of him just deciding to no longer focus on finding Jonesy and he'll find a window, or if he comes to me I'll cuddle him.

So that't it in a nutshell . . . any brilliant suggestions? ;) I'm open to any and all theories!
 
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