Friendly cats now fighting, please help!

[mramf]

My wife brought home two kittens from the same litter on Tuesday night. We've isolated them in a separate room, but now our two older cats (who used to be best friends) are fighting with each other!


History: My wife and I have two female cats (Daisy and Delilah). We got Delilah when she was 8 weeks old; she was a stray we rescued. When she was older, we brought home Daisy (foster-raised) from a shelter so they could be friends (they were both around 6 months old at this time). It took some time for them to adapt. We isolated them, had them play paws, exchanged scents, fed them on the sides of the separating door. We followed the "book" and they soon became close friends. They will playfully chase each other occasionally and they cuddle and sleep together from time to time.

Well, my wife brought home two 6-7 week old kittens (both female), and now Delilah will have nothing at all to do with Daisy. She hisses and growls and runs away, but Daisy will keep running after her (kind of like saying, "What's wrong, sister? Why are you hissing at me?"). Daisy is super friendly and super sweet and keeps crying out for her sister. Right now, we've been having to isolate our two older cats as well otherwise they run all around the house hissing and growling.

I'm just not sure what to do! Is this a normal reaction and should we keep separating them? Our home is very small, so we have the kittens in our closet while we have to put one of the older cats in the bathroom (we try to switch who is in the bathroom once a day, so they aren't feeling punished). Or should we try and keep the older cats together?

I'm just worried that their friendship is going to be ruined because they've never acted like this before. It breaks me heart thinking we may have broken their special bond.

 

[bluerexbear]

It is all totally normal. I would stop isolating the older cats from one another and allow them to work out their issues - unless one of them is physically hurting the other one.

If the kittens have been cleared of any health issues (sneezes, diarrhea, etc), you can start letting them into the house to mingle with the others as well. They will growl and hiss and run and such for awhile, but they will work it out. They are just establishing pecking order within the pride.

Juno, my 3.5 month old came into the fold with my other 3 indoor cats a few days ago. She and Rex became fast friends. Chloe has just now stopped hissing everytime Juno comes near her, and Blue is hit and miss. Heck, sometimes Blue still gets hissy with Rex...but it is because Blue is old.

The only cat that will actually physically attack a new member is Momma Kitty, my outside cat. She is physically aggressive and prefers to be an only cat - hence the reason she and her baby (whom she does love and is best friends with) are outside/garage kitties. They would be miserable and stressed inside with 4 other furry friends.

Keep your chin up - stop isolating unless there are physical attacks, and you will see that things will calm down in the matter of a few days/weeks (depending on the cat).

 

[yosemite]

Cats go by smell so it might help to put a dab of vanilla on the top of their head and the base of their tails - all cats including the new kittens to make them smell similar.

There is also a thing out there called Feliway. You can get the spray or plug-in which should be available at any pet store. It has a calming effect on the cats for most people but it's not cheap. A few folks didn't find it helped but the majority did.

We only allowed Bijou and Mika supervised visits for about a month and then all was well.

 

[mramf]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I forgot to mention the older cats are 2 years old (not sure if that matters).

Yesterday we were able to get Daisy and Delilah to be in the same room together (supervised) for a time (no growling/hissing). We've rubbed towels on Daisy, and we know it is not a scent problem (as far as these two are concerned). However, Daisy keeps trying to get close to Delilah, which is what seems to be bothering her. The chasing is what becomes a problem because Delilah will hiss, growl, and yell while trying to run away as fast as she can, but Daisy won't stop chasing after her. We literally have to get in the way of Daisy to stop her, otherwise the two cats keep running all around the house making a ton of noise.

I'm afraid if we leave them out together full time, it might turn violent.

 

[bluerexbear]

Originally Posted by MrAMF

However, Daisy keeps trying to get close to Delilah, which is what seems to be bothering her. The chasing is what becomes a problem because Delilah will hiss, growl, and yell while trying to run away as fast as she can, but Daisy won't stop chasing after her. We literally have to get in the way of Daisy to stop her, otherwise the two cats keep running all around the house making a ton of noise.

I'm afraid if we leave them out together full time, it might turn violent.

I would still let them work it out. Supervise, but don't step in. They are likely re-establishing their pecking order since they know the new cats are in the house too now. Really, unless fur starts flying, let the cats deal with each other.

 

[mramf]

Update: Daisy and Delilah are starting to be okay around each other again, though Daisy still darts after her which causes hissing/growling. They've sniffed noses a couple times without incident.

However, they did get into a scuffle on Saturday and Delilah ended up getting scratched on the eye (superficial ulcer). The vet said it should heal in 4-5 days with eye drops.

We got a wire kennel from the store so we don't have to lock a cat in the bathroom anymore (and so we can use it to help introduce the kittens later). This way we the two cats can still interact and they can be near us, but also keeps Delilah safe while her eye is healing. Tonight, we are going to trim Daisy's claws and put on soft paws that we have, and then try leaving the cats out together. Delilah is good about not using her claws, but Daisy is not. We will also be trying the vanilla trick.

 

[jinxywinx]

Not to frighten you, but it is a possibility that they may never be truly best friends. We had this issue when we introduced the youngest kitten to our group, and the whole crew has never been the same (this was over a year ago). They don't fight all the time or anything, but there are certain pairs that you will never see in kitty piles and the best they can do is just co-exist.

Just out of curiosity, are your cats spayed/neutered? Are they all the same sex? Sometimes hormones can play a part in getting along!

 

[mramf]

They used to be super close buddies, but I do understand that it's possible their relationship will never be the same.

I'm just really hoping that isn't the case.

Both the 2 year olds (almost 2 and a half) are females and are both spayed. But all 4 (kittens included) are girls.

 

[jinxywinx]

I know it may not be much consolation right now, but once you have all of them spayed, they may mellow out some. That was the case when we brought the two middle cats into the picture.
It wasn't until we brought in the boy that they all started to dislike each other so much.

 

[mramf]

Update: Daisy and Delilah are doing much better. The past couple nights we have been able to keep them both out without any major incidents. Still some minor hissing/growling, but Daisy has learned to leave her sister alone when she is doing so. Delilah has started letting Daisy get pretty close to her without making a noise too.

Yesterday, they were chasing a fly together which seemed to distract them from each other (despite them getting very close to one another). Today is the first day we are leaving them alone together while at work, so hopefully they continue to be friendly.

Thanks again, to everyone for advice/place to vent frustrations.

 

[jen]

That is great they are doing so much better. Hissing and growling is how they communicate with each other, so that is all normal if one doesn't want to be bothered. I have a houseful of cats who have been together their whole lives and are all happy and healthy and fixed but there are certain ones that just freak when another gets too close. After all these years. Just gotta let them work it out sometimes on their own.

Remember it is almost always a scent related issue. Even if things seem the same to you. The house smelled different bc of the kittens so their little world is turned upside down. Seems the one cat was more affected by it then the other. That is why vanilla and Feliway were recommended. I would still suggest Feliway to keep the peace if you haven't tried it yet. It can be pricey but it works. Good luck!

 

[mramf]

One last update: Daisy and Delilah are still getting along quite well, though they haven't quite returned to their former ways (and may never). We haven't had to separate them at all, though there are still occasional hisses. Delilah still likes to be alone, though the two have sniffed noses quite a few times. She rarely hisses now, though she has swatted at Daisy a couple times (as she has gotten too close for her comfort).

Daisy seems to have learned to avoid her sister when this happens, though she is still a bit saddened. Delilah doesn't really play with her anymore, groom her, or cuddle like they used to, so I think she is feeling ignored/left out. I'm sure this will go away with time, either as their relationship improves or Daisy gets used to it. I'm still feel responsible and hoping that they eventually return to being best friends.

As we start to slowly introduce the kittens, I'm not sure how the dynamics between all the cats will turn out. But I am thankful that our two older cats have ceased fighting. Thanks again everyone for helpful advice.

 

[auntie crazy]

Hi, MrAMF! Welcome to TCS!

I've found the book, "Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett to be an invaluable aid to understanding what goes on between cats in a multi-cat household, and highly recommend it. The number of cats in my house has fluctuated for several years as foster come in and go out (or don't!

). I started with four siblings of my own, lost one to the 2007 pet food poisoning, added two more siblings three years ago from a foster litter of four and rescued a starving, abused kitty last February. This book really helped me maximize the chance for peace around here (hint - lots of levels!).

Good luck! I know just how frustrating it is when our fur-children don't get along!

AC