Cat aggression getting worse

[chele]

I have two cats that have been living together now for 3 years. They have never gotten along, my female is timid and defensive and my male, who was with me first, is jealous, aggressive and sometimes violent. We kept them separated for about 8 months before they could even sit in the same room. He constantly stalks her, especially while she's using the litter box, or sleeping. We just got used to it and it got better as we would separate them when he was too violent, but lately, he's gone back to his ways, biting her to the point of tearing flesh out of her tail area, which led to a vet trip!! As soon as that had healed, he did it again. Now we can't leave them alone anymore, as soon as we turn our back, he attacks her. I am planning a trip to the vet for him, but has anyone else ever dealt with this? I have many cat lover friends, but all of their cats get along famously. I don't expect them to cuddle together, but I worry about her safety, it's like he wants to kill her!

Please help if you can!!

 

[hissy]

Are your cats neutered and spayed? Sorry I know it is a question that pops up on the boards a lot, but it has a lot to do with behavior issues when they are not.

Did you check the aggression thread in this forum to see if that might help you?

 

[chele]

yes, Berk, my male, was neutered before we got him. Stevie, my female, was a stray we took in and had spayed immediately. The girls I received Berk from said that he loved other animals, so I was excited to get a friend for him. Now I feel like poor Stevie is miserable here!

 

[hissy]

Oops sorry, I thought you were an older member, we have a chelle.

Check this link out and see if it helps you? And welcome to the boards!

Aggression

 

[valanhb]

Perhaps you could try a couple of scent tricks to help him accept her even though they already "know" each other. First, try the Feliway Plug In. Feliway is a synthetic scent that mimics the cheek scent of cats, which is a calming and soothing scent.

Also, try the Vanilla Extract trick. Take a bit of vanilla extract and put it under the chin and at the base of the tail (body side) on each cat. This tricks them by making them both smell the same. Since the other cat doesn't smell "foreign" or like that cat that he doesn't like, he may be more accepting of her. This also allows them to get used to each other's scents.

Another thing you can try is to take a blanket or towel that Stevie sleeps on and put it under Berk's food bowl. Keep switching out things that have her scent on them so her scent is strong when he goes to eat. This will help him to associate her with good things (food).

 

[chele]

That's funny you suggest the feliway comfort zone, my husband and I just went out and bought it! I'll try the vanilla too. Stevie sleeps in a little bed, in fact we can't get her out of it these days and Berk usually sleeps on our bed, so I'll try mixing up the blankets and see how that works. Thanks!