Younger cat wont stop attacking elder cat

[kikoandgus]

Hello everyone! I'm new here! My youngest Kiko(1yo) wont stop attacking my older cat Gus(4yo). They've been living together since Kiko was only 6 weeks old, so Kiko has known him his whole life basically. They are both intact (both appointments for them are in december.) So i know that probably has something to do with it. I think Kiko just wants to be the man of the house despite Gus being the elder. Is there anything I can do to stop this until they get neutered? If Kiko even gets to close to him now he constantly growls. Its mostly the younger one attacking him but I have witnessed it the other way around. I just hate to see them fight so much and dont want either one to get hurt. I live in a studio apartment btw.. so if Kiko attacks him I do try and put him in the bathroom for a bit so he understands he cannot do that. I'm just worried because Gus has a history of urinary blockage and I don't want Kiko to stress him out more....

Thanks for listening!v

 

[ArtNJ]

Try to move up those appointments. If they are fighting for real, as in trying to hurt each other, that is tremendously destructive of the relationship. If they are fighting for real, best to pretend they are totally new to each other, separate and gradually reintroduce them. Well, if you can move up the appointments, you could wait on trying to reintroduce them and just keep them separate. If you let them keep fighting for real (if they are) then by the time they get spayed and neutered, the hatred may be really set in. Cats that fight for real sometimes bite each other as well, and that can be a vet care issue due to infection.

 

[Furballsmom]

I agree, if you can get sooner appointments that would be good.

Is this just growling, or has it progressed further to swats with claws out, fur flying, blood drawn?

Try things in this article (especially the baby food soup--my Poppycat loves that ) and also take a look at Hydra Care;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

 

[FeebysOwner]

Getting them both neutered, and the starting over with the introductions afterward is probably the best way to go. And, as mentioned above, the sooner the better.

Tell us a bit about your studio so that maybe we can come up with some ideas on how to keep them separated from/visible to each other, if possible. There are DIY barriers/blockades that can be built for such an arrangement. You will need something like this from now until they have both recovered from their neutering.

 

[kikoandgus]

Getting them both neutered, and the starting over with the introductions afterward is probably the best way to go. And, as mentioned above, the sooner the better.

Tell us a bit about your studio so that maybe we can come up with some ideas on how to keep them separated from/visible to each other, if possible. There are DIY barriers/blockades that can be built for such an arrangement. You will need something like this from now until they have both recovered from their neutering.

Thank you to everyone who answered! I'm new here so unsure on how to respond to each one of you at the same time.

Sadly, I can't move the appointment up, I made the appointment 3 months ago and it was the soonest all the clinics in my state had.

With that said. My studio is relatively large but the only place with an actual door is obviously the bathroom (and i just feel so bad keeping either one in there for an extended period of time!) The kitchen is pretty separate and I could put a gate to block one off from the rest of the apartment but I can imagine it would be very easy to jump or climb over.

I'd say half the time it's just Kiko swatting at Gus and him growling a lot but I have witnessed lunging and legit attacking now that Gus has a missing fur patch around where a collar would be placed. I think he might be bullying Gus a lot more when I'm not home due to Gus' increased growling if he even gets in his vicinity. Do you think maybe a pheromone diffuser would help until the appointment?

 

[kikoandgus]

I agree, if you can get sooner appointments that would be good.

Is this just growling, or has it progressed further to swats with claws out, fur flying, blood drawn?

Try things in this article (especially the baby food soup--my Poppycat loves that ) and also take a look at Hydra Care;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

Thank you so much for the article!! Gus is on a prescription Hills c/d diet and I always add water to the food because he REFUSES to drink from the bowls in the house

 

[Furballsmom]

Do you think maybe a pheromone diffuser would help until the appointment?

I thought about that, I just wish they weren't so pricey because sometimes they can make things worse. With that said, I admittedly haven't read reviews for a year or so, and feliway has one or two additional products so it might be worth checking out.

Do you use filtered water for them? That could help too

 

[kikoandgus]

I thought about that, I just wish they weren't so pricey because sometimes they can make things worse. With that said, I admittedly haven't read reviews for a year or so, and feliway has one or two additional products so it might be worth checking out.

Do you use filtered water for them? That could help too

Okay I'll check them out then! But curious, how could it sometimes make things worse?

Also I actually don't! I just use my sink water. I'm guessing I'll be investing in a Britta!

 

[Furballsmom]

It can have the opposite effect of rather than calming the cat, they become even more intense.

My personal experience with my Poppycat, at a vet clinic where they used it in the air vents, was that it just made him hunch into himself. Here at the house, it was the same thing and with Comfort Zone, he left the room.

However, there are numerous threads where members have had excellent results and swear by it, so it really depends on the cat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe you can build a divider with shelving and zip ties. The shelving can be found at many home-improvement stores. The shelves are set on their side and connected with zip ties. And when zip tied together, they act like a folding door, meaning you can open and shut them easily. They can usually be cut the length (in this case height) that is needed. The sides of the folding door can be secured to walls/doorways with Command strips with more zip ties to hook over the strips - also easy to release for access to the other side of the divider. For illustration purposes, see an example pic below.