# Composure for cats



## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Hello,

I tried not using the Feliway for a couple of days to see how they would do, but my cats started fighting more. Although Feliway works, it is quite costly over time. My Little Pumpkin has been living in fear again hiding under the bed and running for her life when my "bully", Baby Oreo goes after her. I am thinking of trying Composure but not sure which is better, the liquid or pill form. Do you use both Feliway and composure at the same time? Any advice is appreciated!


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## Snarfums (Dec 28, 2010)

How long have your kitties been living together? Maybe this is just a hierarchy transition stage?

I haven't heard of Composure before, but I have tried Feliway and I think our cats like the smell of it. I'm not sure if it's helping with their anxiety around the dog, but it doesn't seem to bother them much. It is very expensive and it comes in such a small container so I don't use it much. I have also tried the Rescue Remedy for pets, I just put a few drops in their water and they don't mind at all. I think that using Feliway is good for establishing relaxing safe zones for your kitties, and from doing some research Composure looks like it is good for stress and nervousness reduction. The two together might help you out a little. I like to use the Rescue Remedy because it has more natural ingredients. I got mine online for about $11 and it comes in a little dropper bottle and you can add 2-4 drops of it to their water every day. I guess it doesn't hurt to give it a try, maybe some other people can share their advice

Oreo does look like a bully in his picture haha! I hope everything turns out well for your kitties.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Ive used Composure Liquid by Vetri Science with great success. I have always used the liquid form. Ive never tried the pills or the composure treats. Composure is a natural liquid so not to worry like you would with other treatments that would be like an anit depressant. 

Feliway works about half the time for me. The plugs in have greater success than just the spray. But you have to make sure of the square footage for each outlet of the Feliway.

Ive had less success with Rescue Remedy. My friend has found good results with the Spirit Essence products. I like thier product because you can put it on the skin of the cat. When putting homeopathic drop in water your never sure how much the cat is consuming so the effectiveness is limited.

How long have your cats been together or is this a new introduction? 

Here is Spirit Essence website and also an article of Safe Spaces Spirit Essence that might help.
Spirit Essences - Holistic Remedies for Animals

The Making of a Spirit Essences Remedy: Safe Space for Cats | Little Big Cat


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## Auntie Crazy (Dec 10, 2006)

Have you tried buying your Feliway refills from Amazon? Not only are their prices much lower than Petsmart / Petco, you can buy in bulk and pay even less.

Amazon.com: Feliway 48-Milliliter Plug-In Refills, 6 Refills: Home & Garden


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Thanks for all your responses. I have had Oreo for two years, she is about 3 years old and Little Pumpkin I adopted 6 months ago, she is a little over a year old now. Prior to Little Pumpkin I had two elderly cats that passed away. Oreo bullied them too when they were alive and this is why I adopted a younger kitty who I thought Oreo could play with as my elder cats never wanted to be bothered by her rambunctious ways. 
When Little Pumpkin first came here, the introduction was done slowly following the advice from the other Cat Forum members and the Little Big Cat Intro article. After a couple of weeks, they both seemed very intrigued to meet and Oreo as usual started going after her. Little Pumpkin would stay in her safe room for most of the time. It took about two months before she would set foot in the other parts of the house. Oreo chased her any time she saw her and always pounced on her just like she did with my elderly cats. 

I then decided to try the Feliway diffuser plug in from Amazon and thought that maybe when it came close to running out, I could see how they would do without it. Well the first time I unplugged the Feliway diffuser from the outlet, a couple of days later, found Oreo's ear bleeding a little. I had posted a pic of her ear and most of the Cat Forum members said it looked like a bite mark. I had put some neosporin on it and it healed in about two days. The cats began fighting or playfighting rough again so I ordered the Feliway in bulk on Amazon. Then when my new batch of Feliway came in, I immediately plugged it in and they seemed to calm down again. Well, when my last feliway refill was almost depleted, I unplugged it just to see if they could once again get along without it. Well this time, I found Little Pumpkin with a bite mark on her ear. I could not believe how mean they can be, to actually bite each other. Not only that, but my sweet little innocent Pumpkin had started hiding under the bed again and shortly after, she ripped out some of the bedding underneath the boxspring of the bed and made a little home for herself. It was almost like she was looking for a real hiding spot from Bully Oreo. They constantly chase each other around the house and they each take turns being the aggressor but Oreo does it more. Oreo will walk right up to Little Pumpkin and smack her on the head while she is sleeping. I think since Little Pumpkin has gained weight and is now slightly bigger than Oreo, she is beginning to stick up for herself more. But I hate seeing them biting each other. So now the Feliway is plugged in again and they are getting along better. But they still play fight just no blood on the ears. I am sure Little Pumpkin is stressed from having Oreo bother her so much. What would be the best thing, just keep using Feliway plug ins? Or use it with another product such as Composure, Rescue Remedy, Spririt Essences remedy and which one, the one for bully??


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## Snarfums (Dec 28, 2010)

Does Oreo pounce on the other cats with the intent to hurt them, or does she just want to play chase and kind of rough house with them?

When I brought Kimba home (our Savanah), she went straight to chasing Cruncher (our Maine ****), right after we let them into the same room after a few weeks of quarantine. Cruncher is was used to being the boss with the cat she grew up with who is now passed, but since Kimba came in they butt heads every once in a while since they both have a dominant personality. Kimba would chase Cruncher up and down the stairs and around the house, but I think her intent was just curiosity, not to harm Cruncher. Now they get along pretty well, but they sometimes have their moments and it's been about 6 months.

Maybe your girls are still trying to establish some sort of hirearchy but Oreo just won't let up. Pumpkin probably is very scared of her since she only knows that she will chase her when she's in sight. 

Cruncher hates our dog and is sometimes very afraid of her since she is so large, so I sort of know your situation. She has her own parts of the house where she can be alone by herself or with me and I think that puts her a little bit more at ease. Maybe when you get up in the morning have Pumpkin with you in the same room while you're getting ready for work or taking a shower. Shut the other cats off in another part of the house so she can have some alone time with you and that will give her a chance to feel safe and more bonded to you. Maybe establish a place where you give her treats every morning so she is happy to be with you. That will probably help reduce some of her stress.

As for getting Oreo to stop bullying her, maybe you could try scolding Oreo when you catch her in the act of doing something mean? I'm sure you've tried that, but maybe add a squirt bottle to the mix and give her a squirt on the butt when she's being unruly, or when you can tell she's getting ready to chase or smack Pumpkin. Don't even let her think about it!

If they get more used to being around eachother maybe try feeding them their favorite wetfood together, or try playing with them with a feather toy in the same room. Try to get them to bond together. Rub Pumpkins cheeks with a towel to get her scent on it and then rub the towel over Oreo so she gets used to her scent. Every time I pet our dog or Kimba I go straight over to Cruncher and pet her too so their scents mix together. I'm not sure if it does anything to help her get used to the other animals, but it's worth a shot.

Maybe I will try getting the diffusers and I'll let you know if it helps with my kitties too in conjunction with Rescue Remedy.

Good luck with your kitties, keep us updated!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Spirit Essences - Holistic Remedies for Animals

Go into the Spirit Essence webpage. They have different mixtures for each set of issues. Pick out the one which address the issues. 

I know in Tucson they can do specialized mixtures of what ever you are dealing with at the compounding pharmacy 

I would give the bully cat the composure. He needs something to calm him down. I would try the Compusure with the Spirit Essence together and see if that helps.

Feliway is so expensive that is why Id try the other two together first.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

For Snarfums: 

_Does Oreo pounce on the other cats with the intent to hurt them, or does she just want to play chase and kind of rough house with them?_

I believe since Oreo was from the streets of NY, she is either a stray or semi-feral. She is a delightful cat with only me but she just doesn't get along with my other cats. At first, I thought maybe she didn't like the elderly cats because they never liked to play, they would rather sleep all day. But when I adopted Little Pumpkin, who was just 7 months old I figured they would enjoy playing or playfighting. I think when the Feliway is plugged in, it is mostly playing or playfighting. However, when it is not plugged in, it becomes real fighting with them biting each other. It only happened once that I know of to each of them. The bite marks were both by their ears, were small, and healed within a couple of days. 

I am now awaiting shipment of the Composure and my new batch of Feliway refills, which I use in two rooms, where they hang out the most. I also have the spray which I intend to use when transporting Little Pumpkin to the vet. She is a rather skittish scaredy cat. The ironic thing is, Little Pumpkin is not scared of my boyfriend's Yorkie dog but Oreo fluffs up like a porcupine whenever that dog comes to visit. It's hystertical to see a tough bully from the streets kitty Oreo be so afraid of a dog that is actually smaller than her. Whenever the Yorkie comes over, Oreo is on her best behavior and sits quietly staring at him all day. As soon as the dog leaves, Oreo is back to chasing Little Pumpkin again. I think for now, I will use the Feliway diffuser plug in and the composure treats (since I already ordered them and it is in transit) and see how that works.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

For Mitts & Tess: I already ordered 6 Feliway refills but that will go quick as I use two at a time in different rooms. I also ordered Composure which is on it's way too so I will give that to the bully. Should I not give to the scared kitty that is getting bullied? I was going to try giving them both the Composure to see if it calms them both down. 

As for the Spirit of essence, I looked on their website and the Peacemaker one seems like something I would try. Also, the bully one. Should I try both or just one at a time?

Thanks for all your suggestions!


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## Snarfums (Dec 28, 2010)

Do Oreo and Pumpkin scream when they are fighting, or is it just a hissy-fit? I know that when Cruncher screams that means she is very upset, but when she hisses she's just being a drama queen.

Maybe your solution would be to get a dog! If Pumpkin seems okay with one and Oreo is more cautious then maybe that might straighten her up a bit haha! Who knows!

Just curious- how long do the feliway diffusers last? I might try getting one as long as they last at least a few weeks -fingers crossed-


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

The cats usually hiss at each other, things may fall on top of them because they are running so fast. When the Feliway is plugged in they are much calmer with each other. Each refill lasts about 3-4 weeks. My last refill is almost out and I am awaiting my next shipment of Feliway. We just had a big snow storm so there is a delay in delivery. But I really hope I get it soon because in a couple of days, the Feliway will be totally depleted and I am not looking forward to seeing them fighting or finding blood on their little ears. nekitty

As for getting a dog...well I am not much of a dog person and my boyfriend's dog is cute but requires way too much attention (very spoiled) and it would really interfere with my cat time if I were to get one of my own, I would think. I am just a total cat lover and will tolerate dogs only as necessary. LOL :kittyturn


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## Snarfums (Dec 28, 2010)

Maybe they just need to get used to eachother over a longer period of time. I went downstairs a few minutes ago and I found both my cats cuddling right next to eachother on the couch because it's cold and snowy here too! I have never seen them together that close before, they must have known that the could keep eachother warm and that was worth tolerating one another!

Good luck on getting your shipment, I hope your situation gets better over time.

I am the same way- I'm much more of a cat person than a dog person. The only reason I have a dog is because my husband wanted one haha. They do need lots and lots of attention... Th can be great companions, but they are constant companions and they do need a lot. 

Good luck!!


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Update on Composure for cats:
I was planning to only use Composure treats for just my bully cat Oreo but she didn't really like it. I had to crush it up and put it into her food. My bully cat Oreo turned into a little mush walking past the other cat without putting her paws on her. Then a piece fell on the floor and my shy nervous cat, Little Pumpkin gobbled it up like it was candy. She went from being a skittish little thing to wanting to be pet by me. She even jumped on my bed for the first time making herself really comfy and allowing me to lay next to her. She doesn't seem to be afraid of Oreo anymore.

Then, the other day I had some work done in my apartment so I had to keep them locked up together in the only available room. They were in there for a whole day and I was really nervous but it seems that the Composure helped them get along in that small room. I think between having the Feliway Plug-in and the Composure it has significantly reduced the amount of fighting. Now I don't even recognize them but it is for the better!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I'm glad to see things are improving with the combination of Feliway and Composure. Also, if Composure treats caused your skittish cat to become more affectionate, I will have to try them on Muffs!


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