Litter mates had encounter with outside cat, now hate each other

[Jcatbird]

Here is the link to the other thread I promised. Keep in mind that she was introducing to unrelated cats that had never met. There were health issues and a Neuter too so it took awhile. I don’t expect your situation to take this kind of time but it’s very, very important not to rush the kitties. They were in fear for their lives with that other cat. Give them time to get over the shock. I hope reading through this may help you to find that you are not alone in your anxiety ir stress. Many of us have been through similar situations but it all worked out.,The process of introductions works very well if you can follow it. Sending good vibes along with the link!
I Have More Trust Issues Than This Feral..

 

[frenetic mango]

May I step in to offer something? You are so stressed. Both of you. I have been working with wild ferals for a long time and with socializing then to people and other cats. Slow and steady is the key. I know access to the room is irritating. Can you get a large cage instead? That might be easier for you. Resisting the carriers can be handled too. Give each kitty the carrier as a bed, a sanctuary and a place to have treats , petting and play. If it seems a place of bad vibes, they will resist. Make it a happy place to go for safety. Have you tried Feliway diffusers? I really don’t see any need for renominates. There are many here who can walk with you through this process.Please be positive. This can be handled. Behavior is what everyone here deals with. At the end of this I am going to give you a link to a thread of someone who was very anxious and going through great stress as she tried to integrate two cats that had never met. Not only did they all survive but the two males have bonded. The parent has not completed the stressful events and the cats respond to that. They are totally calm until Mom is really stressed. A small scuffle may happen but mostly, it’s a happy family all the time. If you can hand on, you and kitties will get through this just fine. The thread also mentions Bach’s remedy and the calming products this lady used with great results. Jackson Galaxy products have been reported to work well. Take note of this! A large pice of stuff cardboard is something I always suggest as a barrier when cats fight. It is a safe way to stop them without getting scratched.
One very important thing that may be affecting the kitties, if the outside cat is leaving a scent outside, every time you pass it, you bring it inside. The kitties can smell it through the outer door too. Try spraying a citrus spray around the door outside. The intruder will not like coming around that. If he no longer leaves a scent mark, your kitties may calm right back down. That other cat terrified them. They need your love and reassurance. You are the only parent they have. They need you to show them that they are safe again. Give them time. Speak calmly and in a loving tone. They really are your children.
Another thing you can do between your two kitties is scent swapping. Use a towel or soft brush on one cat and then transfer the scent by using the towel or brush on the other cat. Do this regularly.
I feel the reintroduction went too quickly. I would rather you take it slowly. At first let them smell but not see each other. They are confused and unsure if their litter mate attacked or caused the attack. Once they re recognize their litter mate as a loved one, peace will be restored. I’ve reunited cats and kittens that were separated a long time and when that look of recognition comes on their faces, you’ll have tears of joy, It’s an amazing and beautiful sight to see the love between l family members that, to them, were lost. I can show you photos of this if it will help in any way. Oh boy, I could tell you some amazing stories about the strong love between kitties. It’s still there with your babies. Don’t give up. Separating them permanently would be truly tragic.

I am really trying to calm down, but I have just never dealt with anything like this before. The outside cat came back last night, one of them was blocked into the bedroom with the big window, she could see him clear as day and absolutely lost it screaming her head off and hissing. The other one ran straight toward the sound as though to fight off whatever it was, hissing and bottle brush tail, I had to herd her away into the bathroom with a pillow while my partner slipped out to shoo away the outside cat. We've now blocked the windows. They caught a small peek of each other before that and seemed fine with it, but I'm afraid we may have been set back again because of the encounter. We are washing both carriers right now because one of them is peeing absolutely everywhere when something scary happens, including in the carriers. I hope we can make them a good thing again, as we've already spent so much money trying to deal with this and can't really justify buying more. I absolutely agree that the introduction was rushed, but I didn't have control over that and can't change it now. I just wish my house was more well suited to this process, it is absolutely the worst place we could have had this happen. I am really just heartbroken that the loving sisters I adopted are so so vicious at even the sight of each other. Neither backs down, neither runs away, they both just go for blood, it's terrifying and extremely saddening to see. If they were to get at each other one would certainly be seriously injured. The caterwauling afterwards is also extremely disturbing. They are both still extremely affectionate with me and my partner, which is also saddening as I know it's partially from being locked up and sequestered so much of the time. I just want everything calm as quickly as possible, and have been told by multiple people that prozac or valium is extremely helpful in resolving things more quickly. Thank you for your kind words. I just hope I can do this. My studies are falling by the wayside at the moment because I just can't think about anything else. I want my house and my life back. I want my happy harmonious home back. I abhor violence and can't deal with it, and never have been well equipped to do so. Thank you for your kind words. I'm going to try my best. I haven't dealt with anything this stressful in many years. I would love to read your link, but you seem to have forgotten to add it?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Giving you the link Jcatbird had provided, just in case you can see/access it this time: I Have More Trust Issues Than This Feral..

 

[frenetic mango]

Outside cat is back again this morning. There is no good way to keep both cats away from the front door if I need to get out and he's here. I think we may need to move.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Outside cat is back again this morning. There is no good way to keep both cats away from the front door if I need to get out and he's here. I think we may need to move.

Your best bet is to remove them from the area when you have to leave. Is your front door in a covered entry way? If so, buy some cat repellent spray and use it all around your door - even place a welcome mat out and spray it. If not, you might consider getting some chicken wire and placing it in front of the doorway. Most cats don't like to walk on it, so they will avoid that area.

 

[Jcatbird]

Maybe you can try using a citrus spray to keep the outside cat away. Lemon furniture polish may work. Home Depot seeks n orange citrus spray too. Ssssscat is a product sold to keep cats from
Places we don’t want them. I have not used that but have read here of others using it. It seems to be effective and may work to keep the other cat from your home. Did you find the link? I truly feel for you all. The babies are really scared. I can tell this is very traumatic to you. I’m so sorry. If you can try to maintain your usual routine it would probably be helpful to you and the kitties. Blocking their view out the window was perfect! You did exactly the right thing. If you can get some time passed between the fight and having a calm interior, they may learn that the outside cat can not get to them. We’re all going to be here for you if you just need to release some of the tension or anxiety.,

 

[frenetic mango]

Maybe you can try using a citrus spray to keep the outside cat away. Lemon furniture polish may work. Home Depot seeks n orange citrus spray too. Ssssscat is a product sold to keep cats from
Places we don’t want them. I have not used that but have read here of others using it. It seems to be effective and may work to keep the other cat from your home. Did you find the link? I truly feel for you all. The babies are really scared. I can tell this is very traumatic to you. I’m so sorry. If you can try to maintain your usual routine it would probably be helpful to you and the kitties. Blocking their view out the window was perfect! You did exactly the right thing. If you can get some time passed between the fight and having a calm interior, they may learn that the outside cat can not get to them. We’re all going to be here for you if you just need to release some of the tension or anxiety.,

Thank you. I'm currently using my Ssscat to keep my cats away from the baby gate barrier I set up. I may need to just buy a few more for outside. The crazy thing is that they've seen many cats out the window before. I don't know why this one freaks them out so incredibly much. I've got feliway going, I've got the baby gate situation happening, they seem calm on either side of it for the moment, I just worry about leaving my partner here alone with them with just baby gates between everyone. He's locked in the kitchen by baby gates. I feel vaguely like vomiting for the last couple days. I need to be better about scent swapping them, I'm having a hard time keeping up with it with all the chaos in the house, but maybe it's not really time for that yet? And I have homework and an exam due tonight at midnight, which is super helpful.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm currently using my Ssscat to keep my cats away from the baby gate barrier I set up.

Sorry to add to your frustration, but using Ssscat is probably not a good idea, especially if you plan to use the baby gate during a introduction process. All you are doing is training them to fear the gate and being anywhere near it. It might be advisable to pursue your initial thought and ask if you can install a door by which to keep them separated. Or, as I said, get two sets of baby gates and affix cardboard to the one that you leave between them when you are not able to keep an eye on them. I would seriously consider stopping the use of the Ssscat on these two cats.

 

[frenetic mango]

Sorry to add to your frustration, but using Ssscat is probably not a good idea, especially if you plan to use the baby gate during a introduction process. All you are doing is training them to fear the gate and being anywhere near it. It might be advisable to pursue your initial thought and ask if you can install a door by which to keep them separated. Or, as I said, get two sets of baby gates and affix cardboard to the one that you leave between them when you are not able to keep an eye on them. I would seriously consider stopping the use of the Ssscat on these two cats.

You're probably right. I put them there because all we have to cover is blankets, and they can stick noses and things through various places no matter how I pin them.

 

[frenetic mango]

This outdoor cat is peeing on EVERYTHING. We left a laundry basket with the things we needed to wash outside last night after the debacle with the outdoor cat because it was very late and we needed to sleep, and now it smells like pee. I have no idea how we will ever get all the pee out of everything. What a nightmare.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens – Cat Articles

 

[frenetic mango]

How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens – Cat Articles

Not the clothes, the basket itself. And the house. And the concrete. All the things. Smell like pee. It's gonna be a long night of cleaning.

 

[Furballsmom]

I personally think you're only putting band-aids on everything and no real progress will be made until you are able to deter that outside cat. Your cats, even if they can't see it, can smell it.

Since it's being so uber territorial and peeing on the entire area outside your house, more than likely you are looking at having to trap it, other methods will be ineffective.

Can you contact a rescue or TNR group and talk to them about the best way to proceed/enlist their help?

 

[FeebysOwner]

How To Remove Cat Urine Odor From Your Home – Cat Articles
How To Get Cat Urine Smell Out Of Carpet: Effective, Non-toxic Solutions – Cat Articles
Maybe some other helpful ideas here? The basket may have to go, but you could try soaking it in the bathtub with a mixture of white vinegar and water, then rinse and use dish soap and baking soda for a second round. I have also heard that SCOE10x or Fizzion works well on hard surfaces of any kind, including wood and concrete.

 

[frenetic mango]

I personally think you're only putting band-aids on everything and no real progress will be made until you are able to deter that outside cat. Your cats, even if they can't see it, can smell it.

Since it's being so uber territorial and peeing on the entire area outside your house, more than likely you are looking at having to trap it, other methods will be ineffective.

Can you contact a rescue or TNR group and talk to them about the best way to proceed/enlist their help?

That's not a bad idea, but the program would just return the cat here after they neuter him. I suppose it's a step in the right direction, but I need him to go away away. All the way away. Until I can move.

 

[Furballsmom]

Neutering would be a huge step in the right direction, and then you may find that other methods of deterring outside cats have a much better chance of working (citrus scents, motion detection sprinklers or air, etc).
This really is your only chance. Your inside situation won't improve, and getting rid of one of your inside cats won't gain you anything as long as this outdoor cat is unneutered and present.

 

[FeebysOwner]

That's not a bad idea, but the program would just return the cat here after they neuter him. I suppose it's a step in the right direction, but I need him to go away away. All the way away.

If this cat isn't already neutered, that might actually go a long way with the spraying. However, you could also ask about rescue centers who have volunteer fosters that help socialize and then get a cat adopted afterward. If that were possible, you would not see him again. And, the other thing is if this cat just recently showed up he could have been dumped or ran away from his home - that is another thing to mention to the TNR groups/rescue centers so that he can be checked for a microchip, just in case.

 

[frenetic mango]

Do you think once he's out of the picture, things will be easier for us?

 

[frenetic mango]

If this cat isn't already neutered, that might actually go a long way with the spraying. However, you could also ask about rescue centers who have volunteer fosters that help socialize and then get a cat adopted afterward. If that were possible, you would not see him again. And, the other thing is if this cat just recently showed up he could have been dumped or ran away from his home - that is another thing to mention to the TNR groups/rescue centers so that he can be checked for a microchip, just in case.

He has been around the entire 6 months we have lived here. Things just came to a head last weekend.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Do you think once he's out of the picture, things will be easier for us?

It is highly likely. But, if that is not possible, go back through the more recent posts here for some ideas on what else you can try to get the cat to stay away. Like posts #45 and #46, for example.