Behavioral Issue between 2 cats

[judith141]

Any help is appreciated!  

I have 2 cats, Falco who is 14 and Lily who is 3.  Lily and Falco used to play together.  I got Lily as a kitten so she grew up with Falco around.  

About 2 months ago, Lily and Falco were in a horrible fight - like a cat fight you'd see between 2 unneutered males.   Both Lily and Falco are fixed.   I thought Falco was the aggressor, but I was wrong.  I put Falco in time out but the minute I let him out of the time out room, he and Lily went back to fighting.  Long story short, Falco is still in the time out room (spare bedroom, with a litter box, food, windows, etc) and he will not come out.  I found out Lily was the aggressor and now he's terrified to even see Lily.   I open the door to the room he's in hoping he'd get used to her again, but no luck.   When he sees her, you can see the anxiety -  he licks his lips, swallows hard, and he's surveying the room to ensure Lily diidn't come in.  If she does enter the room, he hides under the bed.

I don't know what to do.  Both cats are healthy - they've been to the vet and have clean bills of health.  There hasn't been a change in the environment.  Nothing has changed that I can tell, only that Lily likes to go after Falco, and Falco runs scared and hides.  

Falco is now on prozac for the passed 2 weeks and that hasn't started helping yet.  The vet told me to give it a month to see results, but I see absolutely no change.  I hate that he's on meds, but I don't know what else to do.   

I've also tried spraying Lily with water when she gets aggressive towards Falco and that doesn't work.  She's just learned to run out of the room when Falco gets vocal and before i get there.   I've got Falco's scent on a towel and put it where Lily lays.  I put Lily's scent on a towel and put it where Falco lays.   No luck there.    I've tried playing with them both at the same time, taking turns with one than the other.  that didn't work either.

The only feline behaviorist in the area is at the Vet School, and they charge a $600 consultation fee, which I can't afford..

 Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[jag007]

Not sure about the cure for the problen but I know Rescue Rernedy is great  stuff to provide peace until you or they can figure out the answer-its not cheap but DOES work- you can put few drops in water- on their toungue- or rub on ears & you will see kitties relax real fast

 

[Columbine]

It sounds like it was probably a case of redirected aggression. That's the most common reason for two previously friendly cats to fight. The best thing you can do is separate them and carry out gradual reintroductions - just as if they'd never met before. It can be a slow process, but it will pay off in the end.

Don't continue with the spray bottle - all that will do is create more fear. The best thing to do if Lily gets too intense is to block the line of sight, thereby breaking the eye contact between them. A sturdy sheet of cardboard is ideal for this, but a thick blanket works well too. You can the use the barrier to facilitate Falco's escape.

Rescue Remedy is a good idea. Feliway Multicat diffusers are definitely worth trying too. You could also talk to your vet about trying Composure, a (non prescription) food based calmer. Normally, I'd have no hesitation in suggesting this, but I'd want to check whether it would interfere with the prozac first.

Daily interactive playtime is a great stress buster, and it will help rebuild Falco's confidence too. It's also the best way to channel any excess energy positively.[article="32390"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="32680"][/article][article="29726"][/article][article="30274"][/article][article="30307"][/article][article="30316"][/article][article="32758"][/article][article="32493"][/article][article="29678"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="0"][/article] Good luck. I really hope things start to calm down soon

 

[aislinn]

I definitely think this is a case of redirected aggression.  One of them saw something outside - raccoon - or stray cat - and since they couldn't get to the outside animal, they turned on the closest animal - their cat housemate.  Please let us know how everything is going now.  Redirected aggression is a serious problem, and both cats need to be slowly reintroduced, as though they had never met before.  It's a long process.  I wish you the very best.