My Girls Suddenly Hate Each Other ! Help Please !

jurgy

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Hi folks, I have 2 girls roughly 18 months old who until 2 weeks ago were best friends. Arriving home from work one day I was shocked to find they were hissing, making that weird aggressive noise they make and occasionally lashing out at each other. The smaller of the 2, fuzz, constantly hisses at the other (Wuss) without Wuss being aggressive, just hanging around. After a bit of reading I understand that they or one of (probably little fuzz) has had a fright of some kind causing this behavior. Anyhow, my mother ( a living saint) took them to her place for 5 days to reintroduce themselves to each other as she has time to be with them all day. After a few days everything was back to normal, lots of cuddling, preening each other and so forth. Relieved i collected them yesterday and to my dismay after being home for an hour it is world war 3 again. I / we have used a recommended pheromone spray in addition to playing with them both at the same time which may be helping? It is very distressing to see these guys like this. Note that the larger cat Wuss doesn't start the aggression, it is the other who doesn't let her near by without hissing and carrying on. Please help if you can. Thanks !!
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi! Since you say they were both fine with each other while at your mother's house, it sounds like something went on in your house or maybe right outside that upset Fuzz and she is taking it out on Wuss (re-directed aggression). Whatever went on is still either present, or at least present in Fuzz' mind.

Can you go back to when this started and see if you can determine what was happening in and around your house at that time? Construction work nearby, stray cat hanging around outside, a change in furniture/carpeting, anything that changed the environment inside or immediately outside the house, etc? Finding the source and correcting/changing it might just be the entire key to resolution.

Also, how did you mother handle them to distract both of them from Fuzz' aggression when they first got there? If you can employ the same actions/distractions that she did it might help to get them settled back down in your house.

You could try dabbing a drop of pure vanilla on each cat, so they will smell the same, just in case that might override whatever is going on with Fuzz. Here's a link that explains how to do it: Ode to vanilla extract

I hope other members come along soon and offer you some other tips you could try as well.!!
 
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jurgy

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Hi! Since you say they were both fine with each other while at your mother's house, it sounds like something went on in your house or maybe right outside that upset Fuzz and she is taking it out on Wuss (re-directed aggression). Whatever went on is still either present, or at least present in Fuzz' mind.

Can you go back to when this started and see if you can determine what was happening in and around your house at that time? Construction work nearby, stray cat hanging around outside, a change in furniture/carpeting, anything that changed the environment inside or immediately outside the house, etc? Finding the source and correcting/changing it might just be the entire key to resolution.

Also, how did you mother handle them to distract both of them from Fuzz' aggression when they first got there? If you can employ the same actions/distractions that she did it might help to get them settled back down in your house.

You could try dabbing a drop of pure vanilla on each cat, so they will smell the same, just in case that might override whatever is going on with Fuzz. Here's a link that explains how to do it: Ode to vanilla extract

I hope other members come along soon and offer you some other tips you could try as well.!!
thank you so much!
 

Furballsmom

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Hi! How are things?
Sometimes the pheromone can have the opposite effect. Maybe try some musicforcats . com, and also take a blacklight and check around your outside foundation and maybe put up a camera - you may have feline or other intruders that is frustrating your cat and is causing some redirected aggression.

Re-directed Aggression In Cats

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

For cleaning if you do find urine spray, try Fizzion or Scoe 10X or maybe The Equalizer. To deter stray/feral cats, try spraying small pieces of cloth with lemon scented furniture polish and scatter those around the yard.
 

Lisannez

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I know this is not going to be fun, but can you give both of your cats a bath? We use a hand sprayer from the shower, they don't like it but they tolerate it. We have two female cats, both 12 who have been together since they were six months old. Our ragdoll is very sensitive to non recognition aggression. Her sister the Tuxie could care less. If we put them both in the car no matter where we go Ragdoll will hiss at her sister for a week, sometimes even growl. If they both go to the vet, two weeks, if we visit my mom a week, and most recently Tuxie had surgery and had stitches and the hissing and growling went on for almost a month or until the stitches were removed and we gave them both baths. Since your cats are younger, they make take to baths if you start early. Ours have been being bathed since they were 6 months old. Sometimes this aggression can last over a month. So I think you may have jumped the gun by trying to "reintroduce" them by taking them to your Mom's and now that is compounding the non recognition aggression. One of your cats (the one being hissed at) likely faced some sort of stress that caused her to express her anal glands and the other cats is continuing to smell this causing the aggression issues. I don't know why some cats do it and others don't, it's just how it is. We are used to it by now. They HATE the pheromone sprays they make it 100 times worse.
 

Lisannez

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Hi! How are things?
Sometimes the pheromone can have the opposite effect. Maybe try some musicforcats . com, and also take a blacklight and check around your outside foundation and maybe put up a camera - you may have feline or other intruders that is frustrating your cat and is causing some redirected aggression.

Re-directed Aggression In Cats

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

For cleaning if you do find urine spray, try Fizzion or Scoe 10X or maybe The Equalizer. To deter stray/feral cats, try spraying small pieces of cloth with lemon scented furniture polish and scatter those around the yard.
One of our cats has serious issues with the non recognition aggression and the sprays made it 100 times worse!
 
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jurgy

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I know this is not going to be fun, but can you give both of your cats a bath? We use a hand sprayer from the shower, they don't like it but they tolerate it. We have two female cats, both 12 who have been together since they were six months old. Our ragdoll is very sensitive to non recognition aggression. Her sister the Tuxie could care less. If we put them both in the car no matter where we go Ragdoll will hiss at her sister for a week, sometimes even growl. If they both go to the vet, two weeks, if we visit my mom a week, and most recently Tuxie had surgery and had stitches and the hissing and growling went on for almost a month or until the stitches were removed and we gave them both baths. Since your cats are younger, they make take to baths if you start early. Ours have been being bathed since they were 6 months old. Sometimes this aggression can last over a month. So I think you may have jumped the gun by trying to "reintroduce" them by taking them to your Mom's and now that is compounding the non recognition aggression. One of your cats (the one being hissed at) likely faced some sort of stress that caused her to express her anal glands and the other cats is continuing to smell this causing the aggression issues. I don't know why some cats do it and others don't, it's just how it is. We are used to it by now. They HATE the pheromone sprays they make it 100 times worse.
thanks for that. little fuzz has always been nervy and now it seems her nerves are completely shot. Despite all of this, they sleep cuddled up and then when they wake Fuzz's hissing starts up again upon Wuss getting close to her...i've just applied some vanilla essence so helping that helps. Shower would be hard as they arent fans of water. Thanks everyone !!
 

Furballsmom

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I glanced at your thread and didn't see mention of this (apologies if I missed it) but you could try MusicForCats . com, there's an app called Relax My Cat, and even classical harp music is known to help cats be more calm :)
 

Lisannez

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thanks for that. little fuzz has always been nervy and now it seems her nerves are completely shot. Despite all of this, they sleep cuddled up and then when they wake Fuzz's hissing starts up again upon Wuss getting close to her...i've just applied some vanilla essence so helping that helps. Shower would be hard as they arent fans of water. Thanks everyone !!
Oh our cats are no fans of water either but they tolerate it. Like I said our girls have been together for 12 years and they do cuddle and groom each other but at least once a week they squabble. It’s 99.9 percent or the time the rag doll that starts it. She hisses and sometimes they fight for a minute or two but then it’s done. No one ever gets hurt. Who knows what they are fighting about? They are just like all siblings .
 
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