Please forgive the length of this. I could really, REALLY use some advice. There are three cats in this saga. Oliver is high strung, anxious, easily over stimulated, and has previously had issues with tail chasing and self-mutilation. Thor is a placid, easy going guy. Stark is extremely well socialized, loves everyone, and at the shelter was very cat social (he broke out of his cage to cuddle with the kitten next door.)
We had Thor first, then adopted Oliver. After a very slow introduction and careful redirection, they were able to coexist fairly well. They would have occasional fights, but nothing extreme or unmanageable and mostly just ignored each other. About a year after we adopted Oliver he started tail chasing and chewing on his tail. We discussed putting him on behavior medication at that point.
However, we ended up adopting Stark around that time. Stark and Oliver actually get along quite well (or at least they did!). They don't groom or sleep together, but they played often and very appropriately. After we added Stark, Oliver's anxiety improved to the point the tail chasing stopped completely. I know adding a new cat when there is existing anxiety rarely goes well, but with Oliver it was like a miracle overnight. He seemed more relaxed and happier, so we no longer felt medication was needed.
This week everything has just imploded. Over the past two weeks I had noticed Oliver was starting to have more conflicts with Thor. I monitored them more, stepped up enrichment, and made sure I fed them near each other. Things seemed to settle back down quickly. Two nights ago Oliver saw something in the backyard and had a terrible bout of misdirected aggression focused on Thor. Please keep in mind that prior to this point, Oliver has never had misdirected aggression. He's seen animals, including other cats, in the yard dozens of times without a response like this. He violently attacked Thor and it took me several tries to separate them. I had Oliver in a scruff hold and was carrying him to the bathroom to shut him away to calm down. Oliver was scream-growling like really angry cats typically do. Stark, who was not involved in the initial fight, proceeded to repeatedly leap into the air and try to bite Oliver while I was carrying him. Stark has always reacted strongly when the other cats vocalize, but normally he just comes running to check on them. He has never reacted aggressively before. When I tried to push Stark back so I could lock Oliver in the bathroom, Stark came at me. This is a cat who I NEVER would have expected to lash out aggressively.
I finally got them all separated and let them calm down until the next day. I carefully allowed Stark and Thor out together and they did fine. I am even more carefully allowed Oliver out. Initially just with Stark, and when that went well after another day I allowed him out with Thor. I was somewhat surprised that it went okay. Everybody seems fine together throughout the day- the three even sat in a little row right up against each other without any conflict.
The problem is happening at night. Oliver is still clearly seeming something outside- he becomes hyper focused out the window and will start racing between windows. I hadn't actually witnessed the start of the first fight, so I didn't realize that it was a bout of redirected aggression (vs. just regular old aggression). When he started that behavior on the second night I realized what was happening and was able to separate him before it escalated. I can't block off all the windows in the house, but I have been separating Oliver upstairs and blocking his access to windows as soon as night falls. That seems to have stopped the redirected aggression portion of this issue, at least for now. I have also ordered an ultrasonic device for the yard to hopefully drive away whatever critter is out there.
My main concern right now is that at night Oliver and Stark are starting to get into fights and Stark is the one starting them. If Stark is in the cat tree and Oliver gets too close, he'll attack him. If they are in bed and Oliver for some reason gets down off the bed in the night, Stark will jump him. These aren't terrible fights, meaning they aren't the horrible, fixated type of thing you see with redirected aggression, but they definitely aren't playing either.
I really, really want to nip this in the bud quickly before it gets worse and ruins the relationship between them. They did so well together previously and the relationship helped Oliver so much; I really don't want to lose that. I've ordered more Feliway dispensers, though it will take time to get them because of the slow mail. I've been giving them treats near each other and feeding them together. I try to watch closely and intervene if a conflict might be about to start. I've been clicker treating them whenever I catch one of them voluntarily getting close to the other without attacking
What else can I do to try to get them back on track? I'm considering revisiting putting Oliver on medication, though at this point he's not really the one starting the fights. Still, I worry that the redirected aggression happened because he's been more anxious then usual, as evidenced by his uptick in fighting with Thor. Should I separate them completely until the Feliway arrives? Should I use something like a shaker can with pennies when they do get into fights? I'm a little worried that might make Oliver more anxious, but maybe it would also be enough incentive to not fight in the first place. Or would it maybe make them both associate each other with something unpleasant? Should I not allow them to play at this point? They played together today normally for a bit, though it eventually started to get out of hand and I made them stop. Why is Stark only attacking Oliver for getting too close to him at night? It's just odd that they can be close without conflict during the day. I know the initial fight happened at night, but I didn't think cats associating *time* quite that strongly.
Seriously, ANY advice would be appreciated. I felt like we had a good balance before and I know that aggression, especially redirected aggression, can quickly keep escalating and become a huge ordeal. I will be heartbroken if Stark and Oliver lose their friendship.
We had Thor first, then adopted Oliver. After a very slow introduction and careful redirection, they were able to coexist fairly well. They would have occasional fights, but nothing extreme or unmanageable and mostly just ignored each other. About a year after we adopted Oliver he started tail chasing and chewing on his tail. We discussed putting him on behavior medication at that point.
However, we ended up adopting Stark around that time. Stark and Oliver actually get along quite well (or at least they did!). They don't groom or sleep together, but they played often and very appropriately. After we added Stark, Oliver's anxiety improved to the point the tail chasing stopped completely. I know adding a new cat when there is existing anxiety rarely goes well, but with Oliver it was like a miracle overnight. He seemed more relaxed and happier, so we no longer felt medication was needed.
This week everything has just imploded. Over the past two weeks I had noticed Oliver was starting to have more conflicts with Thor. I monitored them more, stepped up enrichment, and made sure I fed them near each other. Things seemed to settle back down quickly. Two nights ago Oliver saw something in the backyard and had a terrible bout of misdirected aggression focused on Thor. Please keep in mind that prior to this point, Oliver has never had misdirected aggression. He's seen animals, including other cats, in the yard dozens of times without a response like this. He violently attacked Thor and it took me several tries to separate them. I had Oliver in a scruff hold and was carrying him to the bathroom to shut him away to calm down. Oliver was scream-growling like really angry cats typically do. Stark, who was not involved in the initial fight, proceeded to repeatedly leap into the air and try to bite Oliver while I was carrying him. Stark has always reacted strongly when the other cats vocalize, but normally he just comes running to check on them. He has never reacted aggressively before. When I tried to push Stark back so I could lock Oliver in the bathroom, Stark came at me. This is a cat who I NEVER would have expected to lash out aggressively.
I finally got them all separated and let them calm down until the next day. I carefully allowed Stark and Thor out together and they did fine. I am even more carefully allowed Oliver out. Initially just with Stark, and when that went well after another day I allowed him out with Thor. I was somewhat surprised that it went okay. Everybody seems fine together throughout the day- the three even sat in a little row right up against each other without any conflict.
The problem is happening at night. Oliver is still clearly seeming something outside- he becomes hyper focused out the window and will start racing between windows. I hadn't actually witnessed the start of the first fight, so I didn't realize that it was a bout of redirected aggression (vs. just regular old aggression). When he started that behavior on the second night I realized what was happening and was able to separate him before it escalated. I can't block off all the windows in the house, but I have been separating Oliver upstairs and blocking his access to windows as soon as night falls. That seems to have stopped the redirected aggression portion of this issue, at least for now. I have also ordered an ultrasonic device for the yard to hopefully drive away whatever critter is out there.
My main concern right now is that at night Oliver and Stark are starting to get into fights and Stark is the one starting them. If Stark is in the cat tree and Oliver gets too close, he'll attack him. If they are in bed and Oliver for some reason gets down off the bed in the night, Stark will jump him. These aren't terrible fights, meaning they aren't the horrible, fixated type of thing you see with redirected aggression, but they definitely aren't playing either.
I really, really want to nip this in the bud quickly before it gets worse and ruins the relationship between them. They did so well together previously and the relationship helped Oliver so much; I really don't want to lose that. I've ordered more Feliway dispensers, though it will take time to get them because of the slow mail. I've been giving them treats near each other and feeding them together. I try to watch closely and intervene if a conflict might be about to start. I've been clicker treating them whenever I catch one of them voluntarily getting close to the other without attacking
What else can I do to try to get them back on track? I'm considering revisiting putting Oliver on medication, though at this point he's not really the one starting the fights. Still, I worry that the redirected aggression happened because he's been more anxious then usual, as evidenced by his uptick in fighting with Thor. Should I separate them completely until the Feliway arrives? Should I use something like a shaker can with pennies when they do get into fights? I'm a little worried that might make Oliver more anxious, but maybe it would also be enough incentive to not fight in the first place. Or would it maybe make them both associate each other with something unpleasant? Should I not allow them to play at this point? They played together today normally for a bit, though it eventually started to get out of hand and I made them stop. Why is Stark only attacking Oliver for getting too close to him at night? It's just odd that they can be close without conflict during the day. I know the initial fight happened at night, but I didn't think cats associating *time* quite that strongly.
Seriously, ANY advice would be appreciated. I felt like we had a good balance before and I know that aggression, especially redirected aggression, can quickly keep escalating and become a huge ordeal. I will be heartbroken if Stark and Oliver lose their friendship.
