Cats got in a fight, not reconciling

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Yesterday two of my cats got in a rather nasty fight. I wasn't in the room so I'm not entirely sure what happened, but now they both DESPISE each other. Gizmo is terrified any time either Garris (the offender) or Talia (offenders sister) comes into my room. I have had to lock the cat door so that they can't come in and disturb Gizmo.

I'm positive Talia didn't do anything, she never fights with the other cats and was even really scared yesterday when the fight broke out. So there's really no reason for Gizmo to be having such an issue with her? It could be possible that he can't tell them apart (they're both solid black) and maybe thats the issue?

As for Garris, he has always bullied Gizmo ever since he was old enough to start throwing his weight around. They've gotten into a few scuffles but nothing major before this. I can understand why they're still upset with each other, but how long until this should blow over?

They used to sleep and play together and it's really breaking my heart that Gizmo is getting upset every time he so much as hears Garris. It also makes me want to cry every time I hear Garris meowing at my cat door wanting into my room. He has spent every night in here for the past year, and he's really upset that he can't be with me right now.

Also one last question. How should I be reintroducing them? I've been bringing Talia in by holding her (I can't bring Garris because he'll scratch me and try to get to Gizmo), and Gizmo doesn't seem to be feeling any better with her.

I know that the whole thing is still very fresh but like I've said before this situation is really killing me inside. I already really miss them in my bed together and I miss seeing them in the cat tree.
 

Zara12345

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Hi! I am so sorry that this is happening. I totally understand what it feels like to separate cats from each other because they're fighting.
Unfortunately I don't know much about reintroducing cats to each other but I would definitely advice that you separate your cats for a day or two until they have all calmed down. And then you could maybe try reintroducing the sister Talia to Gizmo and slowly take it from there?
Because eventhough Gizmo isn't fighting with Talia she's still not comfortable around her so let her get comfortable with Talia first and then you can try reintroducing her to Garris.
You could also watch one of Jackson Galaxy's videos on cat reintroduction. Link below:
 

di and bob

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It was most likely that Garris was upset or scared by something and attacked Gizmo because of redirected aggression. it can happen especially when a strange cat/dog is seen through a window, or only one cat is taken to a vet and smells different. These things blow over, though it usually takes a few days, maybe you could give them a towel to sleep on and then swap it to get them used to each other's scent again. Keep them apart for a while, at least 24 hours, the let them in the same room but strictly supervised. Or try putting Garris in a kennel or wire cage so he can get used to seeing Gizmo again. I would give Gizmo a lot of reassurance and strokes, the same with Garris, they WILL get back to normal soon.....
 

ArtNJ

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Sometimes they can fix something on their own, sometimes they need a separation of hours, sometimes a day, sometimes a couple of days, sometimes a full reintroduction process. Since you can't really know until you get started, its reasonable to just separate them for a while. Since you said it was a "nasty fight" then I agree that at least a day would be a reasonable first step.

One can't always know why these things started. di and bob di and bob identified one common cause. Another is some sort of misc medical issue -- something to more strongly suspect if it reoccurs or wont improve. When cats are in pain, they don't let you know directly, but it often manifests in other ways, such as being hostile with other cats. So something like arthritis can really screw up inter-cat relationships! When you don't know, the first step is a separation, and you can schedule a vet visit if you can't resolve it that way or it reoccurs.
 

Anchoress

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Let time pass... keep them safe apart. Time really is a healer and no critter can maintain an acute high of emotion for ever. It may mute to avoidance.
 
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Thanks guys! Although I wish it was redirected aggression I am pretty sure Garris is just mean. He tries to play but when Gizmo doesn't want to play it quickly just turns into aggression from Garris. I assume it has something to do with them both being males, even though they're both neutered. It's been about 36 hours since the fight so hopefully they'll have calmed down a bit by now.
 

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Its very rare, but some cats just can't deal with getting hissed at. Years ago I had a cat that just wanted to play, but this triggered the older cat to hiss. At some point, around when the younger cat turned one years old, a swtich flipped and he decided that being hissed at meant war. I never thought it was meanness per se, since the cat in question really did just want to play until he was hissed/growled at. Rather, it seemed like some broken/instinctive response to being hissed at. I've read about this a time or two since then -- rare, but it does happen.
 
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Thats definitely a possibility!! Whenever a cat hisses at Garris he freaks out and gets extremely aggressive.

Also, luckily it seems like they're somewhat ok with each other again? Garris got stuck in my room today with Gizmo and when I got home everything was fine. Garris was sleeping in my chair, Gizmo in the cat tree. When they had the big fight my room was a disaster from them chasing each other around, and today it was the same as I left it.

I've been leaving my door open so they can come and go and hopefully Gizmo will eventually get more comfortable with them. When I found out he was in there, Gizmo was unhappy that Garris was in there but no growling or hissing.
 

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lol.. they know what they are doing more than we do. Rank has to be established! More so with males. Going through this here with acclimatising the latest refugee . But with him I AM TOPCAT so I pull rank on him. And he is so docile with me. Gentle old boy
 
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Things are not resolved. They're still fighting and things seem to be getting worse. I don't know what to do with them.
 

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Separate for safety. Then check both cats for hidden injuries?
 
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