dominance/hierarchy in a pride of cats

[dTas]

i know how to raise a dog or a group of dogs. there's a definite order of things and dogs need to be shown who's the alpha (me) and so forth down the line.

but i was wondering if such a hierarchy exists amoung cats? this is one side effect that i'm noticing with my cats (this is tied into my cat scenting problem)

my cats are duking it out trying to establish their territories and my house is getting pee-ed on in the process. so i took them to the vet and found out that one of them had a slight urinary infection. but most likely my cats are being territorial.

well... i started antibiotics on my "most-offending" cat which ment having to hold her down and squirt an eye dropper of medication down her throat. needless to say she hates this. i'm not too riggorous with her medication, she runs when she sees the dropper coming so i only do it when she's "being bad".

so it seems that she's stopped pee-ing. i doubt that its the medication so i wonder if its because i'm being rougher with her and putting her in her place. so now she's realizing that she's not "top cat".

[Purr]

I think it exists with cats. Think of a pride of lions, where one male lion is the dominent animal. With a community of cats, though, I believe the females tend to be the dominent animals.

It's possible your female cat is recognizing you as the "alpha" cat. Are your cats using the litterboxes in the house?

(Is clowder the right word for a community of cats? :oops: )

[dTas]

i haven't checked my litter boxes lately but as of last week they weren't using them (but its only been a few days as of then)

i hope they're using the boxes. i'll be sure to check tonight and see what's happening.

how do you tell a cat to use a litterbox? especially when its used to going outside.

[Purr]

dTas wrote: how do you tell a cat to use a litterbox? especially when its used to going outside.

I'm probably not the best person to answer this question. :oops:

But, here's what I did with Purr when I brought her home from the Humane Society. I took her to the litter box and showed it to her. Then, I set her in the litter box, took her front paws and made digging motions in the sand. I let her jump out on her own. She looked at me like I was crazy, but she must have gotten the idea because she used the litter box from then on.

With the other cats I've had, Blaze & Mr. Kitty, I just showed them where the litter box was, i.e. pick them up and set them beside it, so they would know where it was. I did not actually put them in it. They knew what it was for.

[Larinda McRaven]

Well this sounds rather inhumane...however most cat breeders recommend it and I have even done it with great success.

Put the cat and the litterbox in a bathroom and leave her in there for several days. Obviously providing water and food. For some reason after being forced to use the box, they will continue to use it.

Also, don't give up on the meds. UTIs can have disasterous effects on cats. We had to put a cat to sleep when I was younger because the infection was so bad and had spread further up internally.

It might also be worth checking to see the cause of the UTI. I seem to remember (maybe :? ) that cat food that has a high ash content is a big culprit.

But back to the original question...I definately believe there is a ranking among cats. Our male cat won't let the female come hang out in the living room...it is his territory.

Good Luck!

[Purr]

Here's a link to an article that might be helpful.

"Kitty, Please Use the Litterbox!" By Marty Becker, DVM, and Janice Willard, DVM

From the June 2004 issue of CAT FANCY magazine.

http://www.catfancy.com/catfancy/detail.aspx?aid=13865&cid=3598&search=

[cocodrilo]

Spraying is not really urinating. Male cats tend to do this. I had a male cat who sprayed everything until I had him neutered. He was a housecat so this was necessary to put his hormones at ease and for me to keep my sanity. My female calico started spraying and her sisiter, a little tabby, was so vociferous I would put her in another room to keep her from "mow mow mowing" all night. I had them both spayed after one year and they are happy, playful and peaceful. They are also housecats.

[dTas]

my cat is most definitely urinating... we're talking CONTENT! enough to soak through two conforters on the bed or through jeans and a t-shirt in the laundry pile.

this seems to be way beyond scent marking to me.

[cocodrilo]

Neuter the dude!