Sibling Cats Fighting--sister Sick--brother Spraying

[meow25]

I have brother and sister cats that are both five and for the most part they are BFFs. Last week they started fighting (Scary fighting!!!!) and I noticed one of them was urinating when they were fighting. The female cat was hiding under my bed and I couldn't get her out. I explained the situation to our vet and she thought the female cat was sick. I took her in. She had blood in her urine and "a lot of inflammation but no infection". I am now medicating her at home with antibiotics and pain meds. Because her brother was fighting her I have been keeping her secluded so she could rest and feel better.

While the female cat has been secluded, my male cat has been spraying----on my kitchen countertops/backsplash, my bed, and my 2 yr old daughter's crib!! (The cats both love the kids. we have a 2 yr old and 4 yr old. so them being around children is not a new thing!!) Now I'm wondering if the urine that was coming out when they were fighting was her or him??? The vet says the spraying with him is a behavioral problem and not a medical one.

I don't know what to do. I CANNOT have a cat spraying in my house like this with small children around. I'm terrified to reintroduce the cats. I'm worried the kids might get in between them when they are fighting or that I couldn't break them up or that one of them will urinate everywhere again. I adore my cats but I'm wondering if they would both do better if one of them found a new home??? PLEASE HELP!!!!

*I must add that they are spayed and neutered--have been for years.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It sounds as if this started as redirected aggression, and now we've added a trip to the vet and meds, BOTH of which change the scent of your female and trigger your male's territorial marking. You are going to need to reintroduce these two cats as if they were total strangers. Keep the female isolated until she is completely healthy again, and then start out with site-swapping, etc. I'm going to link a couple of articles on introducing strange cats to each other and such. That will give you the steps you need. It may, or may not, go faster because these cats are not strangers to each other. That just depends on the two cats in question. Patience is the key here. If you rush any of the steps, you can undo what you have already accomplished in a heartbeat.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Spraying: When Your Cat Uses Urine To Mark Territory
Re-directed Aggression In Cats

Make sure you find a good enzymatic cleaner for where your cat is marking so that he doesn't continually smell himself in those areas and go back to them.

I'm so glad that you found TCS, although I hate that it was under stressful circumstances. Let us know how your kitties are coming along! When things are calmer, please go to "New Cats on the Block" and introduce your beautiful cats!

 

[Ms. Freya]

Personally, I would keep them separated until you can get the spraying under control. If he's been checked out and the vet's sure it's behavioral, here are a few things you can try that have worked for me in the past:

• Let him see her, but not reach her. I found that blocking the door with a couple of baby gates stacked worked.
• Feliway. I know a lot of people mention this one, but the sprays and diffusers have always worked well for my guys

Is he spraying at any particular time of the day? Many cats spray due to a stressor. It could be that this is a case of redirected aggression - something's setting him off and she just happened to be caught in the crossfire...