Can ‘Tiger Woods’ learn to get along with his cat-mates?

DEAR JOAN >> We have five feral cats that we have had since they were born. They are all fixed and are a part of our family.

Some friends in Clayton had an abandoned cat wander into their yard. They went on Nextdoor hoping to find the owner, but no luck. They named him Tiger Woods, but he did not get along with their two outdoor cats, so we took him.

Well, Tiger is not getting along with our cats, either.

I posted on Nextdoor hoping someone could give this guy a forever home, but so far no response.

I know that rescue groups won’t help, and we fear that our only logical next step is to drop him off at the Martinez animal shelter.

He is a beautiful cat, about 4 years old, very friendly with people but a bully around other cats.

Any advice? — Jennifer Wright, Clayton DEAR JENNIFER >> You don’t say whether your cats are indoor, outdoor or a combination, but any time you introduce a new pet into the mix, there can be territorial battles.

Outdoor cats tend to be more fierce in establishing and protecting territory, so if Tiger had been an outside cat brought into a new community, he could be aggressively trying to establish his space.

I’d hit the restart button and reintroduce Tiger to the fantastic five. Allow the other cats, especially the more passive ones, to claim their favorite spots, then bring in Tiger inside a carrier or on a harness. Take him to meet the other cats, one by one, and judge their acceptance of him.

Keep him in the carrier or segregated from the other cats for a few days, allowing them supervised interactions.

To avoid territorial conflicts, make certain to have several feeding stations, scratching posts and litter boxes.

Consider buying an infuser that releases pheromones in your home. You won’t be able to smell them, but the cats will, and it can be calming for them. You can get one at any pet food store.

Tiger might never like his house mates, but if he can learn to tolerate them, and they him, I’d consider that a win. When I had two cats, they never got along — the male would sometimes pick on the female, which was never a smart thing to do — but they did learn to coexist, and on colder days, I’d find them curled up together on my bed.

It will take time to make this work, but in the meantime, if fights break out, don’t try separating them yourself. Instead, stand out of their eyesight and make a loud noise or toss a soft pillow at them. Distraction usually breaks up the battle.

DEAR JOAN >> In regards to your column about front porch bats, we have had bats at night on our porch for two decades, off and on.

Each time I would drive them off with a cold spray from my hose, what looked like a single little brown bat turned into two as they flew away. Was sex rearing its messy head? Sure looked like it.

They only show up for a few weeks and then are gone, but not forgotten, because they leave behind a mess on the wall and floor. — Ken, Alamo DEAR KEN >> It could be mating, especially as they appear for only a short time. Once they have paired up, they pick secluded places to do the deed. It would appear your porch is a romantic spot.