Very Bad "Catitude"

[catdoc]

My ginger tabby Mac is almost two years old. He came to me via a friend desperately looking for a home for him and his brother Jack. They were both sweet little kittens and grew and thrived into playful young adult kitties. Lately though, in the last month, Mac has turned into a juvenile delinquent! He seemed to change overnight into a bully, harassing several of the other kitties, picking fights for no apparent reason (at least not to me). He especially targets the more gentle of the cats, terrorizing them and making their lives miserable. His attacks are random and whoever is unfortunate to be in his sights becomes his target. I have tried the Bach Remedy Vine, which is useful for kids (or cats) who bully others. It seemed to have a positive effect for a few days, but he is back to the bullying. Maybe he is upset he and his brother are no longer the babies as three other little kitties joined our family, the latest being three months ago. Are there any types of behaviour modification I can use to curb his bullying? It is so odd because he is a little cuddle bug at night, and loves to snuggle against my legs.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Sorry to hear about Mac's sudden nasty behavior change, Bonnie.

Yes, there are behavior mods. to use but you may want to address the underlying imbalance first. This may be the root of the change if nothing else is different in his environment or diet.

Any other lifestyle changes days/weeks before this started (other than the kittens 3 months ago)?

Did he get along with the kittens (before transforming into a bully)?

Any other emotional or physical symptoms that are different than his norm?

@Dr. Jean may be able to suggest other flower essences that you might want to use.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Feliway may help.
also Jackson Galaxy solutions has some specific ones for bullies. They are a combination of Bach and several other companies along with essences created by Dr. Hofve, so may be more effective than merely vine.

Be sure to use them a lot.

Dr. Christina

 

[catdoc]

Thank you Dr. Jeff and Dr. Christina. To answer your questions, Dr. Jeff, I really cannot think of any lifestyle changes (other than the new kittens) that could have triggered the behaviour change in Mac. He did not have much interaction with the 2 kittens until I finally let them out of their enclosure. That was probably about a month ago, however, Mac does not pick on either of them. His ire seems to be directed more toward the more gentle-natured of the kitty family. I cannot think or observe any other emotional or physical changes (other than being a bully) that have taken place. This is why it is such a puzzle. I do have some of Jackson Galaxy's Bully remedy but it must be close to 8 or 9 years old.

The best I can do is to place an order online and have someone "mule" it down to me as such items will never clear Yucatan customs if I have it shipped here. The Yucatan customs people turned back some allergy chews I bought for one of the cats for crying out loud. You would think I was a major drug dealer or something!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Kittens turn into cats around their 2nd birthday, so he may be growing into his adult-ness, which includes increased territoriality. I would recommend LOTS of Play Therapy, and using Ultimate Peacemaker from Jackson Galaxy Solutions (3-essence set with Bully, Peacemaker, and Self-Esteem for the picked-on cat)

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

The full essence formulas are listed on Jackson's website but doubt you'd have any better luck getting individual remedies there. You might be able to use something like Rife or Sanjeveeni broadcasting, let me cogitate on that.

 

[catdoc]

Thank you Dr Jean. Unfortunately, at the moment Jackson Galaxy is not shipping any product out of the USA (due to COVID apparently) so I am back to square one. I did want to order the triad you suggested, but no luck getting it shipped.