Lora Lee 
We are all familiar with the fight or flight response to potentially dangerous situations. We sense danger and adrenaline kicks in. It is the innate sense of survival. This fight or flight response is even greater for our cats. It is definitely how they survive in the wild. Kill or be killed. Our sweet, domesticated cats can also experience this survival instinct. Over the past few months, we have been dealing with this survival instinct with Bodie, Hemingway and Zazzles. A very definite fear induced fight or flight.
Not a Bully
Almost 2 years ago, Bodie lost his very best friend, Monti. He picked Monti out of a litter of kittens that I was fostering, and they were the bestest of friends for 4 years. When Monti passed, unexpectedly, in 2021, Bodie changed. For those who think that cats don’t feel loss, or grieve, or mourn, you are completely wrong. Bodie grieved and mourned and he, definitely, felt the loss of his best friend. Just as humans deal with emotions differently, cats do as well. Bodie didn’t slip into depression and all that is associated with that. What he did do was express his sadness through aggression. He started acting like a bully.
He started going after Emmet. Nothing really major, just little sneak attacks and surprise pouncing. It took some time for me to figure out what was going on. Bodie and Monti would play for hours each day. They would participate in WCW (World Cat Wrestling) daily. And Bodie missed that. Deeply. he wasn’t being a bully to Emmet or Hemingway or Sloopy. He was trying to regain what he lost. Unfortunately, none of the other cats wanted any part of this type of play with Bodie. Their fight or flight response kicked in and hissing and running away was their response.
Just Scared
Last October, we moved Zazzles upstairs after he became deathly ill. Even though, everyone has had numerous interactions with each other, there was still some issues in the beginning. Zazzles wasn’t feeling well, and his innate fight or flight response was in overdrive. He felt threatened by the size of Bodie and Hemingway. Whenever, they would come around, Zazzles would go into fight mode. We had some really intense altercations between the three of them. Things eventually started to calm down somewhat. There were still issues between Bodie and Zazzles. Aggression and tension that was coming from fear.
Because we had some pretty scary interactions, between Bodie and Zazzles, in the beginning, there is now a deep level of fear between them. Fear kicks in the instinct of fight or flight. When Bodie is fearful of Zazzles, he goes into fight mode. He hunkers down, hissing and growling at Zazzles. Most of the time, I can intervene, ensuring both of them that they are safe, and it is ok. This seems to be working well. When Bodie gets into his fear induced fight or flight mode, Zazzles usually goes into flight mode, or actually stealth mode. He, cautiously, moves away from Bodie. On guard and alert to ensure that he can safely move away from Bodie. We are still a work in progress, but we have definitely been making strides in the right direction.
Moving Towards Coexistence
We are not living in perfect peace and harmony yet. In reality, I don’t think we will ever get to that point any time soon. We have made great progress by utilizing many resources and techniques. Flower essences, hydrosols, herb gardens and crystal healing. All have played a part in moving toward peace and harmony. What has worked the best is spending time with Bodie. Giving him some extra attention and play time. Having moments where I can connect with him and ensure him that he is safe and loved. Giving Bodie these moments has made a huge difference. It has allowed him to start to feel safe and secure and grounded again. And that has helped him to be able to coexist with Zazzles without fear.
“Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski
