My cat is behaving so strangely regarding his adopted brother that he's known since they were 4 months old

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Last summer, or thereabouts, my cat Boaz's relationship with my brother's cat Asher, fell apart. The two boys are from different litters but they're only a few weeks apart in age and they've lived under the same roof since the age of 4 months.

Outdoor feral cat activity has DRAMATICALLY increased on our property over this past year, so I think our cats are mad that they can't make the intruding outdoor cats go away, thus taking out their frustration on each other instead.

Boaz's scrappy attitude towards Asher has gotten so bad that now I have to keep him separated from both Asher and Posie, my dad's cat who's the same age as Asher. (Boaz & Posie haven't gotten along for years.)

Now, just recently, Boaz has really begun treating Asher like Asher is a stranger to him. This afternoon, as I was petting Asher in a separate room, Asher rubbed his head all over my hand (not unusual since he is a lovebug). I went into my bedroom to pet Boaz shortly thereafter, and Boaz furiously sniffed my hand and gave it a slight nibble. He usually only sniffs my hands like crazy if I came back from petting an animal unknown to him.

When Boaz sees Asher through a window, Boaz will often stair at Asher, stalk up to the window, and chatter at Asher! He acts like he's "hunting" Asher or that he's never seen Asher before! I try to get Boaz to play with his toys so he can take out his hunting instinct on those, but he's never been much of a player. He'll hunt IF FOOD IS INVOLVED.

Does anyone have any idea what's the matter with my cat? I've never known such a difficult cat in my life, and I've seen a lot of cats in my family!

 

[Alldara]

It sounds like a case of deffered agression. You can attempt to back up and re-introduce your cats to one another, but what would help the most is seeing if you could find some support to reduce the feral cats in your area.

Sometimes local rescues can help trap and neuter/spay and find homes. It's really appreciated if local individuals help with this as rescues are frequently overwhelmed to begin with. However, you can reach out if you have local lost and found pet groups (like on FB or other social media etc) to find support there also.

In the meantime when this happened here we kept the curtains closed frequently and tried to discourage the other cats from coming too close to the house, used feliway and cat-calming music to reduce them hearing cats outside...even the radio works.

 

[Furballsmom]

Outdoor feral cat activity has DRAMATICALLY increased on our property over this past year, so I think our cats are mad that they can't make the intruding outdoor cats go away, thus taking out their frustration on each other instead.

I agree with Alldara, you need help with the feral cat population. Until that is taken care of, your cats will continue to have difficulties with each other.

 

[ArtNJ]

It doesn't bother all cats, but for a subset of them, merely seeing a feral cat through the window, even more if they can smell them, really ups the stress level. It can sometimes lead to an immediate fight between cat friends. That is probably what started all of this, although I suppose a generally elevated stress level could be responsible even if there wasn't a singular incident.

At this point, you have two things going on -- (1) the feral cats are still around elevating stress levels; and (2) because your two have likely had fight(s), or at least spats, because of the feral cats, the relationship is not what it was. Its like if a human couple fights, it doesn't always matter what started it, it can last on its own.

You could try isolating the cats for a while for a reset. Maybe even gradually reintroduce them like you would with new cats. should help with issue (2) above, the relationship damage. However, as noted, as long as the feral cats are still roaming, further incidences seem likely.

If you can't get the feral cats addressed, you could try keeping the shades down or adding full window decals.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

I agree with Alldara, you need help with the feral cat population. Until that is taken care of, your cats will continue to have difficulties with each other.

Ugh! I was afraid of that. Yes, help with the feral cat overpopulation is badly needed out here and our local animal rescue group does help us with TNR as often as they can, but it's not enough. One of our neighbors is a cat hoarder, so her place is a currently never-ending cat factory that causes problems for the whole neighborhood! I'd put more effort into reintroducing our cats to each other, but if I never address the reason WHY our cats' relationships fell apart in the first place, I fear that reintroducing is like treating the symptoms rather than the "disease" itself.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

It doesn't bother all cats, but for a subset of them, merely seeing a feral cat through the window, even more if they can smell them, really ups the stress level. It can sometimes lead to an immediate fight between cat friends. That is probably what started all of this, although I suppose a generally elevated stress level could be responsible even if there wasn't a singular incident.

At this point, you have two things going on -- (1) the feral cats are still around elevating stress levels; and (2) because your two have likely had fight(s), or at least spats, because of the feral cats, the relationship is not what it was. Its like if a human couple fights, it doesn't always matter what started it, it can last on its own.

You could try isolating the cats for a while for a reset. Maybe even gradually reintroduce them like you would with new cats. should help with issue (2) above, the relationship damage. However, as noted, as long as the feral cats are still roaming, further incidences seem likely.

If you can't get the feral cats addressed, you could try keeping the shades down or adding full window decals.

I appreciate your words. We have so many windows and glass doors that it's nearly impossible to keep our indoor cats from seeing the outdoor cats at one time or another.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you put window coverings on the glass, just high enough so your cats can't see out? Similar to a privacy window film, but just covering the lower part?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KQ139Y7/?tag=thecatsite

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Can you put window coverings on the glass, just high enough so your cats can't see out? Similar to a privacy window film, but just covering the lower part?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KQ139Y7/?tag=thecatsite

No, there are too many windows and doors. Plus, we appreciate being able to go about our business with plenty of light, so I don't think my other family members would be on board even if we did have sufficient covering material.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Another thing to consider are ways to deter these outside cats from coming onto your property. Maybe some ideas from these articles that you can try?
How to Keep Stray Cats Out of Your Yard | Family Handyman
How to Keep Cats Out of Your Yard (7 Possible Ways) | Hepper

 

[danteshuman]

Besides window coverings, can you try things like a motion activiated sprinkler? Back the barbarians at your gate a ways away from your home?

I would separate them & do site swapping until things calm down..... then reintroduce them. They sell frosted or stained glass window film you can apply to let the light in but block direct line of sight. I would try it with one window & see if works. (Your cats can still hear/smell them.... it is why I suggested the motion actviated sprinklers.)

Meanwhile maybe your stressed cat would benefit from calming things like a Jackson Galaxy Safe Place Solution or cbd oil or calming yreats if he will eat them.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Besides window coverings, can you try things like a motion activiated sprinkler? Back the barbarians at your gate a ways away from your home?

I would separate them & do site swapping until things calm down..... then reintroduce them. They sell frosted or stained glass window film you can apply to let the light in but block direct line of sight. I would try it with one window & see if works. (Your cats can still hear/smell them.... it is why I suggested the motion actviated sprinklers.)

Meanwhile maybe your stressed cat would benefit from calming things like a Jackson Galaxy Safe Place Solution or cbd oil or calming yreats if he will eat them.

No, a motion-activated sprinkler won't help. We have almost 2 acres of land; that's part of the reason why it's so difficult to keep cats out!

 

[Alldara]

Yes, reintroducing is treating the symptom, but not the cause, however, you're expressing limited ability to treat the cause (which happens, it did with me!)

There's a couple articles with different approaches, but personally, everything was a stop-hold until I kept the cats out of our yard.
Cat Behavior Problems - Aggression Redirected

Redirected Aggression in Cats: Recognition and Treatment Strategies | IAABC Cat Blog.

 

[Alldara]

No, a motion-activated sprinkler won't help. We have almost 2 acres of land; that's part of the reason why it's so difficult to keep cats out!

You don't necessarily need to keep them out of your whole yard, just the area closer to the house.

 

[danteshuman]

You don’t have to keep them out of the acres just away from your house! Making them stay away even 30-50 feet from your house would help do much!

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

The other issue is funding. Our funds are better suited elsewhere at the moment. I'll research ultrasonic alarms that irritate cat ears and see what I could afford in the near future. Actually, I'm anticipating my local animal rescue doing another TNR run one day soon, so I don't want to do too much to keep the outdoor cats away at a time that I'm wanting to increase my chances of trapping at least one of them.

 

[danteshuman]

You can do one motion actviated sprinkler you move around every few days. Do it without pattern. The ultrasonic would probably annoy the crap out of your cats. There are also things you can do to make your area around your house less appealing to cats (like covering loose soil with river rocks.) In the meantime covering your windows (wrapping paper?) might be a good stop gap.

Talk to your tnr people about borrowing a trap. Ironically a set feeding schedule for the cats helps you trap them (& not feeding them that day.) For tips on trapping watch My Cat From Hell season 10 episode 12 Philly’s Forgotten cats. You can start taking photos of the cats & identifying them for TNR. Plus you can ask your neighbors if 1 of the cats belong to them.