I have 2 cats, a 7 yr old male-Rusty & a 1 yr old female-Jinxy. They get along most of the time these days except when it is time to eat. Jinxy becomes so aggressive towards Rusty as I am getting their food. She jumps on him & he hisses at her & they swat at each other too. I rescued Jinxy from the street in Dec & it took a long time before Rusty would accept her. Most of the time they get along now except when it is time to eat. As soon as they both get their food everything is OK. I'm not sure what is going on. Will time stop this?
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Aggression at feeding time
- Thread starter vbocchino
- Start Date
I just recently introduced a 6 week old female kitten to a 9 month old male neutered cat. I had them eating in spearate rooms so that both of them would feel secure and be sure that there would always be food for them. Things went surprisingly well and they learnt to get along so I moved the bowls in the same room but separated by a bookshelf so they knew the other was in the room while eating and not feel suddenly confronted with another cat eating. Things again went well so I now have the food bowls in the same area. They now eat out of each other's bowl and share bowls.
But I'm lucky for now. You might want to separate the cats in different rooms when you're getting the food to save aggression and feed them in separate rooms. And slowly bring them together in the same room.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks for the advice...I am going to separate them before I even enter the kitchen to get their food prepared. I still don't understand Jinxy's aggression everytime. They both get the same food & they always have dry food available too. Sometimes I think she is still in the mind set of when she was a stray kitten living on the street & eating whatever she could. Do you think she feels that she won't get any food? Rusty is so passive though. It's a mystery to me but I love them!!
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- Sep 29, 2002
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My four kittens fought over food quite frequently just weeks ago. They were born to a very sick stray who was not feeding them well, and they were all very underweight. When we found them, they were old enough for solid food....but they appearantly didn't think they were going to get enough food.
I have found that they still overeat, and I just have assumed that it is because of their previous condition. But before I give them their food, I fill each cat's bowl out of their sight. I lay all four bowls down at the same time, each in the same place as it was previously. They have stopped fighting over food, as they all see that they are getting the same kind and amount of food (if that matters to them?!
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Not sure if this helps any; I'm no expert, but it could just be one of those typical territorial cat issues that is only temporary.
I have found that they still overeat, and I just have assumed that it is because of their previous condition. But before I give them their food, I fill each cat's bowl out of their sight. I lay all four bowls down at the same time, each in the same place as it was previously. They have stopped fighting over food, as they all see that they are getting the same kind and amount of food (if that matters to them?!
Not sure if this helps any; I'm no expert, but it could just be one of those typical territorial cat issues that is only temporary.
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- Feb 1, 2002
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My cats are the opposite. They get upset if they have separate bowls. They spend all their time trying to push each other from their separate bowls. So now, I just give them one flat plate to share. Cats are strange when it comes to food.
