I've heard that a high-pitched "meep" or other appropriate kittenish sound when you're aggressed against can discourage a cat from hurting you. It's probably worth a try.
I spent a fair amount of time telling Ra what a big tough cat he is (not a word of it true), and he did eventually start standing up to Gillian. When he did, I backed him up, moderately. Now, I'd say she's still dominant (though she was never as aggressive as Princess), but not enough to restrict Ra's life significantly.
On the other hand, it didn't solve any of the litterbox problems with him. Maybe I should put more time telling him that he's a nice civilized cat with good manners.
Also, (though I'm not quite as careful about this now), when a new cat comes in, I make sure that everyone within sight gets petted, so as to discourage jeaslousy.
So far as unscientific methods go, try visualizing how you want your cats to behave. I don't know whether it's telepathy, or just that visualizing makes your body language and tone of voice more communicative.
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nancylebov.livejournal.com at 07:55am on 10/11/2006![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I spent a fair amount of time telling Ra what a big tough cat he is (not a word of it true), and he did eventually start standing up to Gillian. When he did, I backed him up, moderately. Now, I'd say she's still dominant (though she was never as aggressive as Princess), but not enough to restrict Ra's life significantly.
On the other hand, it didn't solve any of the litterbox problems with him. Maybe I should put more time telling him that he's a nice civilized cat with good manners.
Also, (though I'm not quite as careful about this now), when a new cat comes in, I make sure that everyone within sight gets petted, so as to discourage jeaslousy.
So far as unscientific methods go, try visualizing how you want your cats to behave. I don't know whether it's telepathy, or just that visualizing makes your body language and tone of voice more communicative.