Cats Suddenly Attacking Each Other, Need Help!!!!!!

[katiecatTPP]

Hey everyone, I desperately need some advice!

2 1/2 years ago, I rescued two baby kittens (had just opened their eyes) from an abandoned house. I bottle fed them and they are my whole entire world. They are siblings (1 boy and 1 girl) and have always gotten along wonderfully.

Fast forward to 4 months ago, I found an abandoned kitten in the dumpster. I decided to rescue her too. I introduced the new kitten to my other two cats slowly over two weeks by separating them, switching rooms, baby gates, etc. They all got along great and sleep in a pile together. The kitten is playful and "attacks" them but never any hissing or puffy tails, usually seems playful. They all eat out of the same bowl together with no problems, they all use the same litter boxes with no problems (I have 3 but they all use all of them). They play with the same toys.... literally no issues.

They were all getting along great up until 3 weeks ago. My 2 1/2 female cat suddenly began getting really stressed from separation anxiety (I had a change in work schedule) and was in the litter box 30 times in 10 minutes. The vet gave her an anti-inflammatory medicine and suggested I get a feliway diffuser, which i did. Fast forward a week and a half and the same cat is super stressed out again and in the litterbox non stop. I bring her back in and the vet decided it was from stress again and gave her an anti-inflammatory and a prescription for prozac.

We started giving her the prozac 7 days ago and at first, she seemed super high... she wouldnt get off her cat tree, her eyes were huge, wanted nothing to do with me (VERY UNUSUAL). However, in the last 2 days, she seemed to be getting better and wanting to snuggle with me (not as much as usual though) and walking around to all her favorite spots in the house.

NOW, my other two cats (her male bother and the new kitten thats about 5 months old) wont stop attacking her!!!!!!! When I say attacking, I mean hissing, yowling, puffy tails, blood drawn. I dont understand what is happening! Is it possible the prozac is changing her scent? Is the feliway diffuser making them all territorial??

Might be worth mentioning: I got them a new cat tree a week and a half ago that they all love. I also give my female cat the prozac in wet cat food

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I think you might be on the right track that something changed her scent.

However, if I may suggest, keep an eye on her in case her litterbox issues are more than stress.

Also, it could be that there are animals outside causing all this redirected aggression back and forth between everyone. Are your cats able to see alley cats and/raccoons at that dumpster? Can you close the shades to that?

Also, try some other calming treats for your other kitties, --there are a lot of different products with all sorts of different ingredients on the market, even CBD oil.

 

[katiecatTPP]

Hi! I think you might be on the right track that something changed her scent.

However, if I may suggest, keep an eye on her in case her litterbox issues are more than stress.

Also, it could be that there are animals outside causing all this redirected aggression back and forth between everyone. Are your cats able to see alley cats and/raccoons at that dumpster? Can you close the shades to that?

Also, try some other calming treats for your other kitties, --there are a lot of different products with all sorts of different ingredients on the market, even CBD oil.

Thanks for the reply! The litterbox issues have resolved both times within a day of using the anti-inflammatory!

I just found a whole forum dedicated to the Feliway Diffuser causing the opposite reaction that it's supposed to. Im reading posts from people that are saying the diffuser caused territorial issues and that all cats became agitated and started fighting with each other! Im thinking it might be this! None of my cats want to go into the bedroom (where the diffuser is) which used to be their FAVORITE room...... Im thinking its the diffuser so I unplugged it and hopefully the scent disperses soon and I can see if thats the problem.

 

[Furballsmom]

Good for you, hang in there and good luck! Let us know what happens

 

[katiecatTPP]

Good for you, hang in there and good luck! Let us know what happens

Thank you!! Hopefully others have good ideas too... Not sure how much more I can take!

 

[Jem]

I'm not a vet, but I know that one of my cats will attack the others if they smell "off" or are sick. So it could very well be the medication that is making her "new" to them.
Is your kitty feeling better/peeing normal again? Is the medication at least making her better?
You may need to do a "re-introduction" of her to the other cats, so they associate her new scent as normal for her, especially if she will be staying on the prozac long term (although, I hope she does not need it long term)
If the meds are only short term, you could keep them separate until her scent "returns to normal" and then re-introduce them in stages.
If your change in schedule was the cause (stress), I'm sure with time she will adjust, just try your best to make a new routine, and stick to it to limit the stress you cat feels.
If the re-introduction is semi-successful, where they can at least see each other and be around without attacking her even if their not "friends" yet, you could start feeding and treating them while in the same room, slowly putting their bowls and treats closer together. (when the three of them are together and calm, they get good stuff!!!)
It took over 6 weeks to get two of my cats to get along again after one of them had a medical issue. But they are fine now. And this was after the youngest (Hank) grew up with the sick one (Chewie - the victim) for 8 years!!!
Our cat got cystitis due to stress from a bad bear season (they were coming up to our windows and doors, leaving scat everywhere) He was terrified. While he was recovering we made him his own room, with all the necessities, and even played a CD specially made for calming cats, used the feliway diffuser and spray, he was also on 5 medications (he was in really bad shape). He has not had a single relapse and gets along with our "resident bully" again.
Don't lose faith, It will get better.

 

[javannalynn]

One of my male cats has stress peeing problems. George gets upset and starts going to every box and peeing tiny puddles or nothing. The first few times it scared me so bad because my other male has crystals. I took him in and they gave me antibiotics and everything cleared. as soon as they were gone he started again. we had his urine cultured to see what was going on and absolutely nothing grew. The vet told me it can be stress related. I honestly thought he was crazy and just didn't have an answer. He did offer me prozac but said he did not recommend it because it really changed their personality. He recommended trying some of the stuff available otc first and see how that works. I did try some of the calming treats and such but nothing really seemed to work. So we started playing with them more. Running more energy out of them has helped a lot. The others don't attack like they did before and George hasn't been spending too much time digging and peeing. I'm surprised your vet jumped to prozac with all the otc options out there.

 

[Jem]

I have to ask, but did the vet do a urinalysis or just assume it was only stress. The reason I ask, is that sometimes if cats aren't eliminating they are not "cleaning" their urethra. She may have developed a UTI because of not peeing due to the stress. Just like ladies are supposed to pee after a bath or "relations" to ensure no UTI, a cat that does not pee well could have the same thing happen. Maybe she needs an antibiotic as well as the anti-inflammatory?

Also, if she is not eliminating her bladder completely, the "stagnant" pee in her bladder could start to developed crystals, still caused by stress but the crystals can develop after the fact, which would cause even more inflammation and stress due to pain (reason for the relapse).
Are you feeding her only wet/canned food? I would really recommend a wet food only diet from now on. Once a cat has a urinary issue, no matter the cause, the risk of re-occurrence is greater.

I also wanted to mention, going back the the UTI point, that Hank, our cat that attacks the others when they are sick or smell "off", is actually how we know before Toby even shows symptoms, that he has an infection. Our cat Toby, is 19 and has CKD, which makes him prone to tooth/mouth infections. But because of his age and health he cannot have surgery. So we simply need to treat with antibiotics when he gets one. The reason I mention this is your cats could be attacking her because they smell "infection" in her, just like Hank does. When he sniffs Toby and hisses at him, we know it's time for a new round of antibiotics.

Another thing is sometimes, when a cat gets stressed, they lose their confidence, add to that, that her family is attacking her, and her confidence is even lower, which makes her "easy prey" for the attackers (a vicious circle). Try your best to make her confident again. Playing, lots of high, safe places to relax, praise and love.....Not only does that help her confidence but also lowers stress levels.

 

[katiecatTPP]

One of my male cats has stress peeing problems. George gets upset and starts going to every box and peeing tiny puddles or nothing. The first few times it scared me so bad because my other male has crystals. I took him in and they gave me antibiotics and everything cleared. as soon as they were gone he started again. we had his urine cultured to see what was going on and absolutely nothing grew. The vet told me it can be stress related. I honestly thought he was crazy and just didn't have an answer. He did offer me prozac but said he did not recommend it because it really changed their personality. He recommended trying some of the stuff available otc first and see how that works. I did try some of the calming treats and such but nothing really seemed to work. So we started playing with them more. Running more energy out of them has helped a lot. The others don't attack like they did before and George hasn't been spending too much time digging and peeing. I'm surprised your vet jumped to prozac with all the otc options out there.

Thanks for the response! I think my cat is having the exact same thing! It seems like the little stress will cause her to just panic and use the box. The vet did a urine screen both times and decided it was due to stress. We are getting ready to move in a month so that was the big push for prozac. Although we havent started packing or anything, my vet thought the move would completely frazzle her so it would be better to start the prozac now since it takes a couple weeks to kick in! Right now she seems really uninterested in toys.. Ive tried to use all of her favorite toys and nothing seems to help.

I will look into the calming treats... i think the calming treats for the other two cats would help!

 

[katiecatTPP]

Je

I have to ask, but did the vet do a urinalysis or just assume it was only stress. The reason I ask, is that sometimes if cats aren't eliminating they are not "cleaning" their urethra. She may have developed a UTI because of not peeing due to the stress. Just like ladies are supposed to pee after a bath or "relations" to ensure no UTI, a cat that does not pee well could have the same thing happen. Maybe she needs an antibiotic as well as the anti-inflammatory?

Also, if she is not eliminating her bladder completely, the "stagnant" pee in her bladder could start to developed crystals, still caused by stress but the crystals can develop after the fact, which would cause even more inflammation and stress due to pain (reason for the relapse).
Are you feeding her only wet/canned food? I would really recommend a wet food only diet from now on. Once a cat has a urinary issue, no matter the cause, the risk of re-occurrence is greater.

I also wanted to mention, going back the the UTI point, that Hank, our cat that attacks the others when they are sick or smell "off", is actually how we know before Toby even shows symptoms, that he has an infection. Our cat Toby, is 19 and has CKD, which makes him prone to tooth/mouth infections. But because of his age and health he cannot have surgery. So we simply need to treat with antibiotics when he gets one. The reason I mention this is your cats could be attacking her because they smell "infection" in her, just like Hank does. When he sniffs Toby and hisses at him, we know it's time for a new round of antibiotics.

Another thing is sometimes, when a cat gets stressed, they lose their confidence, add to that, that her family is attacking her, and her confidence is even lower, which makes her "easy prey" for the attackers (a vicious circle). Try your best to make her confident again. Playing, lots of high, safe places to relax, praise and love.....Not only does that help her confidence but also lowers stress levels.

Jem, thanks for both replies! Yes, the vet tested the urine both times I brought her in and they found nothing. The vet decided it was stress because the urine and blood tests were normal.

That is a super interesting point about the cats being able to smell if things are off... im calling my vet Monday to problem solve this. I also thought about the confidence issue but even when i try to play or love her, shes uninterested. The prozac seems to make her want nothing to do with anything. BOO

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry it's the stress going on with your cats that brought you here.

I don't have any actual advice, however, TCS does have a few articles that might have some helpful info for you.

Also, we have a New Cats on the Block forum if you would like to "formally" introduce yourself and your cats.

We like pictures, btw.
https://thecatsite.com/ams/how-to-add-a-picture-to-your-forum-post.33824/:camera:

Here's the links to the articles:
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
You, Your Cat And Stress
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

Re-directed Aggression In Cats
Separation Anxiety In Cats