Cat Fights

[michalann65]

HELP HELP HELP!  I have a multi-cat family and they all get along amazingly well for the most part..  But I have 2 males, both neutered and one literally hates the other.  We have had Puck for about 3 years now.....and he is sometimes an entitled cat.  If he thinks one of the others is getting too much attention he noses right in for petting, will nose in ahead of them when they are eating.....but there is no aggression.  If one of them pushes back he just walks away.  Blackie came to us as a stray about 1 & 1/2 or 2 years ago.  Seemingly very sweet, docile and loving cat.  After about a year we noticed that he and Puck would circle each other, growl, hiss and flex their proverbial cat muscles and then walk away.  One day it became the cat fight of the century.  Blackie instigated it.  I got them separated, put one downstairs and the other upstairs and worked on reintroducing them.  What is strange to me though is that there are days when they meet in the hall or in close proximity, they touch noses, sniff each other and walk away.  No growl, no hiss, no fight.  This morning I could tell Blackie was just looking for a fight.  He was circling Puck and making that low whiny growl they make.  I tried to get to him but wasn't quick enuf and he attacked Puck and I just about could not get him off of him.  He will now have to spend his days in our basement (finished) until I can rehome him.  I know I cannot do the humane society because they would most  likely put him to sleep.  I do not know what to do to try to help the situation in the meantime. And Blackie knows when he does wrong because in other instances when he tries to start a fight, as soon as he sees me he goes to the basement on his own. I forgot to add that he likes to wrestle and play but then he gets too rough.  If one of the cats he is playing with growls at him then that will sometimes set off aggression on his part.  He does not like to be growled at.

Please, any suggestions?

 

[p3 and the king]

I faced a similar situation.  I have a 20lb Maine Coon boy, King Arthur and a 7lb Persian girl, Phoebe.  They have always gotten along.  Phoebe was  like a 2nd mother to King Arthur as a kitten.  My cats are affectionate with eachother and cuddling and loving is common.  Well, out of the blue one day, Phoebe attacked King Arthur (she may be little but she is fierce if pushed too far).  It was bad!  Talking about screaming and fur flying and Phoebe walking away smugly and victorious.  King Arthur lost control of his plumbing and cowered in a corner.  King Arthur is very much a gentle guy and passive. 

I thought it was a one time thing.  He probably did something that ticked her off and that'd be the end of it.  It wasn't.  She started attacking him every chance she got.  It got to the point where he was afraid to come out of his hiding and if I went to get him, he prefferred to be up high rather than on the floor near Phoebe. 

I took them both to the vet.  It turns out King Arthur had an infection and we think Phoebe could smell it rather than him and she would attack him as an intruder. 

I would also crate Phoebe whenever she would attack him for about 10 minutes.  It got to the point where all I had to do was say "Phoebe, NO." if I saw her about to attack him and she would turn the other way and walk off.  A lot of members may not agree with this method but she was in no way punished or abused.  She needed to cool off and see that she is not to bully poor King Arthur. 

Now, they are getting along and KIng Arthur is back to having the full run of the house comfortably again. 

I would say take them to the vet and make sure they're OK.  There's also the Rescue Remedy, Feliway, the Calming Collar.  All of these could help a lot to some degree.  If not and it continues, you may need to consider rehoming one. 

 

[michalann65]

Thank you.  I have already started trying to rehome Blackie.  I think their fights are too fierce and while his attacks are the most fierce against Puck, he still will go after any and all of them, male or female if they look at him wrong or growl at him.That is usually just hiss and spit but still intimidating..  Puck had just been to the vet because he had an infection in his foot.....I imagine it came from one of their fights and Blackie had just gone to the vet for his eye.  We have fought an eye infection with him since we got him.  We just cannot clear it.  It keeps coming back.  I can see where that would perhaps put him in not the best of moods but would not explain why he just mostly attacks only Puck, or at least badly.  

Whether this has anything to do with it I don't know, but  we think Blackie was abused because often when you go to pet him and get anywhere around his head, he ducks and moves away.  We think he was probably struck by people before he came to us.  But I don'tt know what that would have to do with his treatment of the other cats. As far as humans are concerned, even with maybe being abused he still loves humans and will sit for hours in a lap if he can.  But he needs to go to an "only" cat home.

 

[catwhisperer1]

The fact you say that for a year the two got along before the problems started. says that SOMETHING happened about six months ago that caused the sudden change in Blackie's behavior.  The fact that Blackie's behavior problems are intermittent also points to the fact that SOMETHING is causing Blackie's behavior.  Definitely have Blackie vet checked. 

Tell your veterinarian about Blackie's behavior problem, the fact that it is intermittent, and about his head ducking and anything else you think may be relevant.  Be sure you give the veterinarian the history of how you got Blackie, the fact that he got along with your other cat for a year before his behavior suddenly changed.  Does Blackie start acting different in any other way or show any other signs that he's going into "attack mode?"  If so, make sure you tell the vet about it. It's very possible Blackie has a brain tumor or other neurological problem, has developed impaired vision, impaired hearing, or other serious medical issue that's causing his behavior especially since it first began six months ago after the cats were together a year and also since the problem is intermittent.  If Blackie also started the head ducking at about the same time he started the aggression, the head ducking is probably related to whatever is causing the aggression problem. Other possibilities include pain caused by bad teeth, sinus problems, eye problems, ear problems, infection or other problem.

If the vet rules out all possible medical causes, then there are medications that a vet can give you or prescribe that will calm a cat and help with modifying the cat's behavior and one of these medications along with some behavior modification techniques, may be the answer for Blackie.  I have a strong feeling though, that there may very well be a medical issue at the root of Blackie's behavior,  hopefully one that can be treated or controlled with appropriate medications.

You can also crate Blackie in a extra large dog crate with his bed, food, water, and litter pan where he can see the other cat and interact with the other cat safely

 

[michalann65]

Thank you for your indepth reply.  The only health issue he has had (& we have been taking him about every 10 days for a while) is an eye infection that we cannot get cleared up.  Our vet is really stymied as we have used practically all the traditional medications and we think it is clear and back it comes.  We have fought it since he came to us.  I had considered talking with her about medication.  I noticed the other day he was pulling his hair out in chunks.......we had another cat several years ago and she put him on Prozac I believe and he changed almost immediately.  Becausen initially it was just Puck that he went after I thought maybe a case of redirected aggression but he has been going after some of the others too.  And you are right, when he goes into that mode it is almost as if he can't hear or see.....he is just focused on the fact that he is going to attack and it is seemingly unstoppable.  I have put in a call to our vet because I have to control this somehow because it is going to result in a serious injury to one of the cats.  I have had cats all my life and never encountered anything quite like this.  I have had kitties that didn't like each other but usually it just resulted in the "hiss and spits" I call it.

I will let you know what our vet thinks and what she finds.  Again thank you, I never even thought in those terms. .

 

[michalann65]

I took Blackie to our vet for a physical and thorough checkup.  Everything seems to be in order.  She has put him on Prozac to see if that makes a difference.......it was a big help to one of our other cats who was a highly anxious and sometimes aggressive cat so we will see and hope for the best. 

 

[orientalslave]

I have read that cats reach social (in cat terms) maturity generally between 2 and 4 years of age, and when that happens cats that previously got on well can fall out.  Could this be what is happening for you?

 

[michalann65]

That is interesting that you ask, I was thinking about that this afternoon.  I put the kitty up that he usually goes after and let him join everyone this afternoon and he stalked and went after one of the females.  So it appears now that it isn't a male against male thing.....