[earl237]

I have three cats and two dogs and one of my cats is often bullying and chasing and biting the other two cats. Even the dogs don't get too close to him. I always tell him no, and lock him in another room when he attacks the others, but he always does it again. Neutering him didn't change him at all. Most of the time he is OK but he often misbehaves.

[Akoue]

How old is he?
How long have you had him?
How does he compare in age and size to the others?
How does he attack them? Is it rough-housing or is there hissing and growling and the like?

My first thought is that this sounds like youthful playfulness. If he's in the 1yr to 2yr range, this is pretty normal.

[earl237]

Thanks for answering. I got the aggressive cat as a stray about 6 years ago when he was less than a year old. I saw someone abandoning him on the street, so I took him home. The others are about 11 and 8 years old. The other two are a bit heavier than him but the bad one is longer and much stronger and faster. He often chases the others which I don't mind, but he sometimes bites them on the neck or back and they yell so it must be very painful. I was hoping he would outgrow it but he still acts up fairly often. He also jumps around, knocks things over and gets into things that the others would never do. He even looks like a wild cat. I'm not sure if cats can be hyperactive or have attention deficit disorder, but he sure seems to sometimes. He acts up more at night. He may be bad, but he is still part of the family and we accept him for who he is.

[Akoue]

Thanks so much for the additional info. We hear so many horror stories that it's wonderful to hear from someone who took in a poor abandoned little guy and who loves him despite his maniacal ways. I have one who's very similar.

Honestly, it sounds to me like fairly standard kitty rough-housing. I have a cat who does the same things you describe. The biting on the neck and back, well, that's actually how they play as kittens, and it's how their moms train them and discipline them. If the others aren't getting too put out by it, then it's likely something that looks worse to us than it feels to them. I would keep on doing what you've been doing: discipline him when he gets carried away, but accept and love him knowing that he's probably always going to need to get scolded from time to time.

As for the jumping and knocking things down, I've had good luck with re-arranging things in way that make it difficult for them to jump where I don't want them to go. It is by no means fool-proof, and apart from lots and lots of repetition, I've never found a good way to teach them not to jump on things. Clapping hands works well when you catch them in the act, but that doesn't help much when you're asleep or at work. I have to confess, I just decided many years ago that the cats are more important than my knick-knacks and so many of them have been removed to boxes in the basement (the knick-knacks, not the cats).

One thing you might do is mention this to the vet. Some cats are hyperactive, and hyperthyroidism isn't altogether uncommon. You might ask the vet about doing some blood work to see if there might be something going on with him. Six years is a little old to be this rambunctious.

[Slimperfect]

My best advice is to hire an animal trainer. They have all the tools and knowledge to help you. If you want a faster cheaper solution, get rid of one cat.

[Akoue]

If you want a faster cheaper solution, get rid of one cat.

Lovely.