Cats Not Getting Along All Of A Sudden

Koetiker

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So, last year around this time our younger cat, Otis, started being really aggressive to our older cat, Milo. This lasted about a week. We separated them, sedated Otis with clamicalm. And worked with them every night giving treats and slowly bringing them back together. Eventually Otis came around and all was good. A few months later and it happened again. Again we repeated the process. This time it only took a couple days.

Last Saturday Otis went after milo again. This marks 3 times in one year he snaps and just hates him. Milo is more timid and kinda just a fat and happy cat. We are trying the same methods again but Otis now won’t take the clamicalm and after 5 days still is hissing at Milo. Only difference now is he isn’t chasing him.

We don’t know what to do anymore! Is it possible that these two cats just aren’t meant to be? Can anyone give me some advice?
 

abyeb

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Can you think of anything that changed in their environment recently? Have either cats been to the vet? Sometimes, if one cat goes to the vet, but the other one doesn’t, they’ll smell different afterwards, which can trigger non-recognition aggression: How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

Another possibility is that this is redirected aggression. Are there any outdoor cats in your area? If cats feel like there’s another cat “invading” their territory, they might get anxious and lash out at the other resident cat. This article explains redirected aggression further: Re-directed Aggression In Cats
 

blumarine916

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So, last year around this time our younger cat, Otis, started being really aggressive to our older cat, Milo. This lasted about a week. We separated them, sedated Otis with clamicalm. And worked with them every night giving treats and slowly bringing them back together. Eventually Otis came around and all was good. A few months later and it happened again. Again we repeated the process. This time it only took a couple days.

Last Saturday Otis went after milo again. This marks 3 times in one year he snaps and just hates him. Milo is more timid and kinda just a fat and happy cat. We are trying the same methods again but Otis now won’t take the clamicalm and after 5 days still is hissing at Milo. Only difference now is he isn’t chasing him.

We don’t know what to do anymore! Is it possible that these two cats just aren’t meant to be? Can anyone give me some advice?
Gosh I have this problem too early this morning. They were ok the night before then at 4am one of them attacked the other when she was using the litter box. Lots of hissing and angry meows. I had to separate them by locking one with me in the bedroom until morning. Just like Koetiker’s cat, my 2nd cat is fat, sweet and happy.

I hope someone can explain this.
 

FeebysOwner

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K Koetiker Hi. I truly believe that there is an event, or a trigger, causing Otis to become aggressive toward Milo - because it is not behavior happening all the time.

Were there any brief medications (seasonal allergy treatment, as an example) being given to Milo that would correlate to the time of the incidents? Sometimes, meds can cause a cat's scent to change, and Otis picks up on this. Maybe Otis is the one with a seasonal allergy issue, causing him to act up?

Do they generally get along well, and hang out together - or, just tolerate one another?

Same kind of thing possibly for blumarine916 blumarine916 ?
 

blumarine916

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K Koetiker Hi. I truly believe that there is an event, or a trigger, causing Otis to become aggressive toward Milo - because it is not behavior happening all the time.

Were there any brief medications (seasonal allergy treatment, as an example) being given to Milo that would correlate to the time of the incidents? Sometimes, meds can cause a cat's scent to change, and Otis picks up on this. Maybe Otis is the one with a seasonal allergy issue, causing him to act up?

Do they generally get along well, and hang out together - or, just tolerate one another?

Same kind of thing possibly for blumarine916 blumarine916 ?
My cat Meffy is currently in a cone for the 3rd week now due to abcsess on her bum. That could possibly trigger her sudden aggression. I’m just so shocked that she suddenly attacked the other cat when they were doing okay for the past 2 weeks (after Meffy’s vet visit).

Thankfully they weren’t fighting when I returned home from work. The laundry basket is overturned though. Sigsn of a kitty scuffle perhaps?
 
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