Cat Growling Problem

[Sylvashia]

So we have 3 cats. Pepper (15yr male), Omen (2.5yr male), and Abra (2yr female). Pepper has been with me for all of his life while Omen and Abra were both adopted around a year ago (not together though). Pepper is just a grumpy old man that tolerates them but wants nothing to do with them. Abra seems to have a napoleon complex so sometimes she will try to assert her dominance over her two brothers. Now Omen is a gentle giant, hes large compared to the other two but hes super sweet. He play fights with his sister but usually just lets her beat up on him. He unfortunately has tried to initiate play fights with Pepper which gets him hissed at. If they get in Peppers space he will sometimes swat at them or give them a hiss. We had 2 incidents where we didn't see what started it, but Abra ended up chasing Omen after screeching loudly. She would seem extremely pissed but pretty quickly calm down once we shooed her away. Omen would just hide and cuddle up to us after.

The main issue is that suddenly after 11months Omen has started growling. 90% of the day will be fine, they eat together, sleep near eachother, walk around the same areas and just coexist. Abra and Omen do play fight sometimes. But then the other 10% will be Pepper suddenly walks into Omens sights and Omen will start growling. Its not an aggressive growl either its SCARED. Pepper usually isn't interested and will just walk away but other times because Omen is growling and scared Pepper will take interest and treat him like prey and go after him.
There have been a few times I've seen him growling because Abra is around and also times hes been growling while NEITHER cat is around.

Omen seems to be causing his own problem but he gets so scared for seemingly no reason. His heart rate is super fast, his breathing is fast, and he wont stop looking around everywhere to see if something is going to jump out and attack him. Then hours later they coexist just fine until Omens next panic session.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. The only thing that came to my mind was a stray/outdoor cat or other animal wandering close by your house and Omen senses its presence. That would explain why he doesn't necessarily have to be around your other cats to start behaving strangely, and why it is only at certain times. When Pepper does react to Omen, it could be that he happens to sense the outdoor animal as well, and redirects his aggression toward Omen. I would see if you can look for animals outside when these incidents occur.

Hopefully other members will come along soon with some additional ideas!

 

[Sylvashia]

Thank you for your response! The only reason I don't see this being the case is we live on the basement floor. So the only windows are egress windows which are covered to keep animals out/don't allow them to see much. There are cats on the main floor that they are separated from but none of the incidents happen near the door. Part of my worry is that we are set to move in a month and I'm afraid with moving stress these little spats may escalate. I'm so excited to be moving where they'll have real window access and tons of sunlight, I don't want them fighting the whole time.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I see your point, but still wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility that they are able to sense animals outside those egress windows. Their senses are far superior to ours. At any rate, something is provoking a reaction from at least Omen, and it is happening intermittently or else Omen wouldn't be OK at other times. New or different noises outside? Construction/building renovations/etc? Things you might take for granted, but poor Omen can't!!

Also, slightly off topic of your original post, but if you haven't already seen these TCS articles, they might be helpful for planning the move with your cats.
How To Move With Your Cat To A New Home In A Safe Way
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home
9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment