Customer Reviews

Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My cat had taken a serious disliking to my boyfriend: clawing, biting, and hissing at anyone nearby, provoking brawls with his littermate, howling through the night and urinating in all his hiding spots. He'd rub against our legs one moment but lash out violently when we reached for him. I was crushed at the thought of having to give away my beloved pet; then I found this book.

Author Pam Johnson-Bennett knows cats. She offers a complete dictionary of how cats communicate their mood, where problem behavior starts, and simple solutions to ease tension and modify behavior. She offers several strategic checklists for anticipated situations as well as existing problems. Don't be fooled by the title either; Pam offers excellent advice on cat-human interactions, too.

We made three little changes and enjoyed INSTANT success. The urinating stopped immediately. Within a week, the violence decreased to a minimum. A month later, the cat was taking treats from my boyfriend's hand and, two weeks after that, sleeping in his lap. It has been several months now without repeat of a major incident. There is no silver bullet, but with this book, you will be well-armed.

I am struggling with a number of feline behavioral disorders in my own family, but this book truly shed light on methods to correct these issues. From the beginning, Johnson-Bennett takes the standpoint of analyzing cat behaviors in the context of a multicat household. She covers issues such as litterbox use, timidness, aggression and dicipline.

From reading this book, I added many new regimes to my treatment plan for remeding with cat-cat interaction - using catnip, increasing playtime, training methods, etc. Armed with the knowledge from this book, I went forth and began working to help my cat through her behavioral problems, and after only a few short weeks the issues were resolved! I completely credit this book with giving me the knowledge and understanding to better tackle this problem and create a peaceful environment for both my cats and my family.

The book is an easy read and chocked full of information for multi-cat households. I would recommend it to anyone struggling to find resolve to behavioral issues of their feline friends. If you're looking for books specific to single cat families, she has also written "Think like a cat: How to raise a well-adjusted cat, not a sour puss" which contains training information from kittenhood to senior life (also a great read).

we have three cats in our house hold because we just added a new kitten. Since the older one didnt take the last new cat too well. we thought we better look into this. I found out that for the last two cats we indroduced them very well. however there was a lot of insight about hierarchy, toys, and food and litter preferances that we didnt know about. Also the feliway plug in thing is a LIFESAVER!!! Our old grumpy cat has turned into a calm cat who we rarely ever here hiss anymore. He used to hiss when he thought about the other cats. Now he even lets them sniff him and he doesnt mind. He also stopped spaying inside. Now he still gets into fights outside, but while he is inside we know he is happy!

The "HOW-TO BOOK FOR MULTIPLE CAT OWNERS!" This book has lots of valuable information for the multiple cat owner! I've had cats for 35 years and I wish I knew the helpful hints included in this book years ago. It is heartbreaking to hear of people who have to give up their newly adopted felines because they can't get along with the established household cats. This book will help prevent these types of problems. I have two eight-year-old cats and four two-year-old cats. This book is very helpful even now but I wish I had it when I adopted my four "newbies." It helps you understand how a cat thinks and why they react like they do in different situations. I haven't tried the feliway plug-in yet but I intend to. SUPER GREAT BOOK!

This book made me see my cats in a new light. I originally picked it up because our first cat (Shadow) has never accepted our second cat (Parker), and it's not a passive kind of rejection unfortunately. Shadow was relentless in attacking Parker, and Parker could never relax while both cats were out and about in the house. We were planning a move, so I picked this book up thinking we could take advantage of the change in territory to give the cats a fresh start, and I'm very glad I read it. Every person with a cat in their family should read this! I actually developed more respect for their cat-ness because of this book.

While we're not quite doing everything the author suggests (it's a struggle to fit in just one interactive play session on weekdays let alone multiple), we're still learning. We plan to get a cat tree to increase vertical territory and maybe some nice window perches since our new home doesn't have windowsills wide enough to sit on.

The good news is that the new home has served as a more neutral territory, and I think our daily play sessions have helped stimulate both kitties so they're not so anxious. We haven't had any fights in the new home, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll stay that way!

Before I purchased this book, I was at my wits end. I have 8 cats and my husband and I were seriously considering getting rid of at least half of them. It was the last thing we wanted to do and we really struggled with it. We had a HUGE litterbox problem (among other things) and I'd become embarrassed to have anyone over because the urine smell in the house was just awful. Some cats had stopped using the box altogether even though I was cleaning them regularly. Everything I'd read about online and discussed with other cat owners and even veterinarians wasn't working. I tried different litters, moving the boxes, buying more boxes and anything else I came across but nothing was working. We also had an issue where 2 of the cats weren't getting along at all. They couldn't even be in the same room together or there'd be a violent confrontation. Also, my carpet, wallpaper, furniture and even door frames were being shredded on a daily basis. About a month ago, I came across this book online and decided to purchase it as a last ditch effort. We decided this would be our last attempt at correcting the problems and the next step was getting rid of them. The day I received the book, I immediately began reading it. There was one suggestion the author gave about litter box problems that I'd never heard before. In fact, I'd always heard the opposite! Anyway, I put this suggestion into play the very next day and I've never looked back! All of my cats are using the boxes and my house smells fresh and clean again. In fact, the problem was fixed immediately. I used to clean up urine and feces several times a day and I swear, I haven't had to clean up either since I got this book! Also, the issue with the 2 feuding cats has improved greatly and all the cats are now scratching where they're supposed too. The 2 cats still don't get along but we've found away around it (as suggested in the book) and everybody is much happier. I don't think I could even put a price on this book for what it's done for our family. With what I was paying for carpet cleaners, steam cleaning, paper towels, litter, more boxes...etc., this book has paid for itself a hundred times over!

If you're having "unsolvable" cat problems BUY THIS BOOK!!!! It will allow you to keep your cat if you're at your wits end. I work at a large animal shelter and Pam Johnson-Bennett's books have made life for the cats much easier. Applying her teaching means we can house 4 adult cats (who didn't know each-other before) in a 5x7 foot room without incident and our volunteers are safer because we can explain many of the quirks of our "moody" kitties. We're also able to give better troubleshooting advice and have been able to prevent several relinquishments simply by recommending Pam's methods. If you work in cat adoption, if you're having behavior problems, or if you're adding a new cat this book will be you & your cats' best friend.

Good advice in this book, even if you already have experience with cats. I have kept cats for many years and have previously tried some of Ms. Johnson-Bennett's suggestions for keeping them sane and happy, but this book helped me to understand WHY some of things I did were welcomed by my kitties as well as why some backfired. The author's explanations helped me to get a better grasp on my cat's view of the world.

Your mileage may vary but I have to disagree with the negative reviewers' conclusions. First, the reading level is appropriate for the general public. Second, you don't need to take this as a title of biblical importance; it's a guide.

Most important to this reader, as noted previously, was not so much that the author recommended some techniques I already knew, but that she offered me a better understanding of why those techniques worked, why my cats are doing what they are doing, and for good or bad, why they react the way they do to what I'm doing.

Pam Johnson-Bennett's main message, to think like a cat, is as simple as it is invaluable. Once you get good at this, you can't go very wrong when it comes to your cats. This particular book by her contains a good amount of information on cat behavior and tips for avoiding potential problems in multi-cat households.

I would recommend though to take many things in this book with a grain of salt. Cats can be highly idiosyncratic, they will each have things that are important for them, each their likes and dislikes. Every cat I knew or know, deviates in some way or another from what is described as normal feline behavior. Some cats for instance *will* in fact prefer the cheap carpeted scratching posts and not touch the more expensive sisal covered ones. Also, based on my own experience, some of PJB's tips and checklists are just unnecessarily work intensive. For example, I don't know anyone who scoops the litterbox several times a day (and I know some big cat lovers). You may need to do it for a special case, but most cats will be fine with scooping less frequently than that.

Overall I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for good information about living with more than one cats.

Put me midway between those praising this book for its valid observations (how cats determine their heirarchy) and those disparaging it for its suggestions that would indeed chew up most of your spare time.

I eagerly sought out this book to explain why our older cat, Casey, disliked our younger cat, Olivia. Well, there is an incredibly tedious description on how to introduce new cats to each other involving many days of separation and gradual contact. This may be valid in part but I really think kittens and young cats drive dowagers crazy no matter what you do.

When we next bought baby Hanno home, he and Olivia hissed at each other for one day and then began best play buddies. Casey is allowed to retire to her favorite blanket in relative peace while the "young people" wrestle and romp.

Do read this book but realize it may not solve personality problems or conflicts when one cat has vastly higher energy than another.