I have 3 bengal cats. Lennon and Tabitha are from the same litter and are 4 years old and Ringo is our 11 month old kitten. They've all been neutered. Ringo wants to chase and play fight a lot of the time. Lennon enjoys the play fights with Ringo but will give Ringo a wack when he's had enough. Tabitha is a tiny tot and Ringo has grown much bigger than her. He is relentless in wanting to chase and play fight with Tabitha but she is getting very stressed with him.

I try distracting Ringo with toys but he keeps going back to chase and jump on/play fight with Tabitha. I also shut Lennon and Ringo in the outside enclosure for a couple of hours a day and keep Tabitha in the house to give her a break from Ringo.

Please could anyone advise what I can do to stop him from constantly attacking our baby girl, Tabitha? She is sooo stressed bless her.

How is your "catification"? Does Tabitha have high, easily defensible perches where she can chill out? I think that aggressors usually learn pretty quickly how pointless it is to attack another cat from below. That would be the first thing I'd try.

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The little monsters 3

Hi, Tabitha does climb up high to get away from Ringo but when she comes down he's ready to pounce again. He is also learning to climb up to the highest points to get to her. Any more ideas please?

How is she responding to Ringo when he jumps on her and 'play' fights her? Is she hissing, growling and running from him (ie acting like prey??)???

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Hi,

Yes she growls and hisses at Ringo and then makes a run for it. She's different with Lennon because she will instigate the playfights until he's had enough and gives her a wack. But Lennon does have a very laid back and gentle personality whereas Ringo tends to be more wild.

Any ideas please?

I kind of had this with my two (still do occasionally). I contacted a behaviourist (who specialised in Bengals) in the end as it was like living in a war zone. I also felt it was Jagger wanting to 'play' with Hendrix, who would hiss and growl and then corner himself under the dining room table when Jagger chased him. Why he didn't jump to the top of the kitchen units is beyond me as Jagger has never worked out how to get up there!

I was told Jagger had got too big for his boots. If Tabitha is hissing at Ringo she is warning him to back off because he's being aggressive towards her. I imagine because he's bigger than her, he is trying to put himself above her in their cat 'hierarchy'. I was told I had to believe Hendrix that Jagger was being aggressive even though we couldn't initially see it and thought Hendrix was being really grumpy... Humans don't speak 'cat' and the slightest eye movement can be a sign of aggression. I started to really watch Jagger and saw that he would stare at Hendrix with narrowed eyes. Staring is classed as aggressive in cat lingo.

Its worth getting Cat Vs Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett which helps you read a little bit of cat body language, with ear positions, eyes, whiskers etc

You need to be really firm with Ringo when he starts on Tabitha so she knows you have her back and Ringo understands this behaviour won't be tolerated. I was told to face Jagger (the aggressor) and push him away from Hendrix at the first sign of trouble. I was literally on their case all the time! I also had them both on Zylkene to help calm both of them down. Initially it was just Hendrix as I was told he was probably over-reacting by that point. But once you know what to look for, Jagger was tormenting him mercilessly so I put him on it as well.

Once the behaviour calmed, I was advised to keep them on Zylkene for a few more weeks to ensure the new behaviour was properly imprinted in their brains. Zylkene is just a calming aid that is totally natural as its a milk protein. But if you are unhappy about using that just focus on the gently pushing Ringo away from Tabitha and tell him no very firmly.

I was also told to keep them 'busy' which is easier said than done. Now the weather has turned I'm dragging out loads of interactive toys to try to keep them entertained!

I still get this now and again, but my two go outside and there is a bit of redirected aggression that gets brought indoors. There is a new cat on the block who is seriously aggressive which has been causing issues lately.

Hopefully some of this may help you. It definitely worked for me although I do need to keep an eye on Jagger as he thinks its great to pounce on Hendrix when he's least expecting it which tends to kick things off again. When they play in the garden, there is a definite engagement process. Hendrix will crouch down, Jagger will stroll towards him with his tail in the air and then Hendrix will chase him. When that process isn't followed things don't end well!

Good luck!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Just remembered! I was also told to get a Feliway spray, spritz my hands and then rub my hands on both of them pretty much straight away. This didn't go down well with Jagger though, he literally hated it!

I do also have the classic Feliway plugged in all the time and also I have the new Friends Feliway plugged in where they are most likely to interact (ie the kitchen for their food etc).

I was always sceptical of these things but have noticed that when they've run out and I haven't noticed, bad behaviour ensues!!!!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Hi Clare

Thanks for the tips. I will try them and see how it goes. I have just pushed Ringo away and said "No" in a loud voice and it worked! He's now occupied himself with a toy mouse. Tabitha is sat beside me purring happily. Lets up this continues ...

Make sure Ringo understands the word "NO." I've also taught Raiden "be nice" when it comes to the outdoor cat I take care of. Both of them love to rough and tumble, but things are better when I say, "be nice." Feliway might help. You could check out http://www.spiritessences.com and see if there is a formula there that might help you. Some people swear by them and others claim they don't make a difference. However, your Tabitha needs to feel safe from Ringo. Unfortunately, it was fate that he become larger than her. You do not want her to be bullied and lose any confidence because that's when behavioral issues start to pop up and it is much easier to nip this in the bud before that happens. I'm sure it's just like having three young children. Two get along, one doesn't. It happens with cats, too. Good luck.

Hi

Ringo certainly understands the word "no" because he stops in his tracks and his ears go back then I push him away if I'm near to him but he's still chasing and jumping on Tabitha at every opportunity.

This won't get better overnight. Ringo is testing his boundaries - you need to be on his case and be consistent until he starts to realise he isn't to torment poor Tabitha. It took a good couple of weeks for me to see any improvement and Jagger became more and more blatant during that time. Blocking doors/rooms, coming into a room purely to lift his paw and smack Hendrix, not let him near certain toys etc. He was a horror.

Try the Zylkene with them. It will help Tabitha calm down and hopefully not lose confidence and also might chill Ringo out a bit! We ended up with a broken cat tree when all this was going on and Jagger even tried to get at Hendrix when I tried to carry him through one of Jagger's blockades.

Just keep it up and be consistent. I allowed no play at all whilst this was going on as it was always likely to turn into hunter and prey.

Have you got any Feliway at all??

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Awww poor Hendrix! Jagger sound like he was a rapscallion like our Ringo.

I think there is a bit of wild in Ringo. He squirms and howls if you try and pick him up he just won't have any of it and wriggles until he is free but he is very affectionate too. He's got a lot of Lynx in his family tree so I don't know if they have any particular traits.

Yes we've got Feliway plugged in but I don't have Feliway spray. I will get some Zylklene and give it a try.

They sound very alike!! Jagger won't be picked up unless he wants to be picked up - and that usually involves him stretching up your leg and digging his claws in to ensure you understand his demand!! He is also incredibly affectionate though as well as a total scallywag!!!

Keep at it, you will get there and harmony will be restored!!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Do you know the F generation for Ringo? The other thing, too, is that Ringo is still a kitten and your other bengals are adults. This can make a huge difference. I'm sure this is driving you absolutely bonkers! I know it would me as well. Hopefully, this can get straightened soon. It sounds like Ringo needs to be played to death so he's exhausted all the time and won't go chasing poor Tabitha.