Cat aggressive with dog.

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a very unusual situation! It's strange that Mojo is showing such unusual behavior just over the last month. I can't say that this is a common occurrence in multi pet families.

I have a few thoughts for you that may be helpful.

The first would be to consider getting something called Feliway. I wrote an article about Feliway which you can read here. This product is a pheromone that relieves anxiety in cats. Now, usually when I say this, the response of my clients is to say, "My cat is not anxious!" But, the type of behavior you are describing certainly makes it sounds like Mojo is anxious about something. Why it is connected to Fontaine, we may never know.

Feliway comes in a plugin that you can put in your wall and it releases a pheromone into the air. Or, you can also buy it as a spray. It would be great to spray a bandana with it and then put it around Fontaine's neck. (The dog will not be able to smell anything as it is a pheromone that only cats can sense.) I would repeat the spray once or twice a day. After a few days, Mojo may start to feel a little bit more relaxed around the dog.

If that doesn't work, you could consider a period of time like a month or so where the animals are totally separated from each other. This many mean having them take turns in isolation in a private room. It may seem a little extreme, but keeping them totally separated for a month could break the pattern where Mojo gets upset every time she sees Fontaine. Then, you could give them some supervised time together. And really make a big deal of praising and petting Mojo when this happens.

If this were my case I would likely also be suggesting some medication on top of this such as Reconcile, Clomicalm, or Amitriptyline. These medicines help relieve anxiety in cats and really do work well. They are good at helping with a number of behavioral issues. In many cases we can put a cat on medicine for a few months and then, as the behavior gets better we can wean them off of meds. This is something you'll need to talk to your vet about.

And one final thought - You mentioned that Mojo had just had a physical exam. Even though her exam was ok, I have seen some cats that show sudden aggressive behavior because of hidden pain. (It's a little bit strange that it's directed just at one dog. But, it's possible that the first time Mojo felt pain (say, back pain for example), Fontaine was nearby and therefore she associates the dog with pain.) One thing I may consider, if this was my case would be a trial of a week or two of pain medication just to see if it makes a difference.

I wish I had a more concrete solution for you! It definitely is an unusual situation.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Interesting! Thanks for the update! Pets can be so in tune with changes like you mentioned. It certainly could be becuase of your daughter's move.

When I was in college years ago, my dog would vomit every time I had a stressful exam coming up. It really affected him when there was stress in the air!

So glad to hear that things are better.

Dr. Marie.