First real fight.

Well last night Isaac attacked Levi & pulled out a chunk of his hair. My poor Levi has a 1/2" x 1/4" bald patch on the right side of his back. At first I thought it was totally unprovoked, but then I figured out what happend. Every time Levi & Jordan are playing if Jordan lets out any kind of noise that sounds like pain Isaac runs in & chases Levi away. It has never resulted in any bodily harm to Levi. Usually Levi runs away & that's the end. Well last night Jordan had poop (sorry it's gross) hanging from his butt & I was holding him trying to get it off. Well he let out a meow & hissed at me. After I had already let Jordan Isaac went after Levi. I had my back turned so I didn't see it hapen, but by the hair left on the floor & the bald patch it was not good. Jordan is alpha Isaac is a close second, Maggie is 3rd & poor Levi is the bottom cat. I would never give either one up, but I was very mad at Isaac. So I'm trying to figure out how to stop this from happening again especially when I'm not around. My appartment is small & the only room that really has a door is the bathroom. It's a tiny room & I can't imagine making anyone stay in that room all day while I'm gone; however, if that's what needs to happen I can do it I'm just wondering who? I don't want Levi to feel like he's being punished, but I'm afraid it will only make Isaac more mad. I also don't want to make the rest of the appartment Isaac's territory & run the risk he won't let Levi back in. Help!!

Sometimes I think my two kitties feel like they don't have enough territory in my small apartment. I think that is what causes them to fight. That, and perhaps boredom. I think what helps the most is cat trees and toys. My kitties will spend a lot of time in their trees just looking outside. Also, I try to leave out some catnip mice for them to play with. Also, having a fish tank full of fish keeps them entertained. But, even with all this stuff, it doesn't completely prevent them from chasing each other around the house and fighting, there just isn't enough territory to be had perhaps.

Of course, the ideal thing for them would be to get a bigger place, but having $$ issues myself, it is not an option for me..

A friend with more than 10 cats kept them in one large room in her house. When I visited her I noticed one quiet kitty inside a cage like this one with some food, water, litterbox and toys. She told me that all the cats picked on the poor baby and this was the best way to keep it from harm when she left the house. She even said the kitty was quite happy with the arrangement. The cat could see the others and viceversa and she was also safe.
Now, I am not saying you do the same thing but you might think about it if you feel things get very bad for Levi.