Cat Brawls.....

I have 3 Cats. A male and 2 females. Angel and Squeak where here first and then i found KitKat outside skinny as a rail and brought her in. Well she has been here maybe 2 months now and i have started noticing that my 2 cats are picking on her alot. Angel and Squeak have always fought but since the new cat came in they are being mean. There is hissing and growling and crying. I am pretty sure it is all coming from KitKat. I try to shoo them away when they are picking on her but they just come right back. So basicly do you think she would be better off in a new home? I mean she is very loving and comes and sits on my lap whenever she can and the other cats aren't around. She is still pretty skiddish around loud noises and such. I just don't know what else to do. I really never ment to have 3 cats in the beganing and it is getting more expansive. any thoughts would be helpful




I don't know if this belongs under behavior but it was as close as i could think of.

I'm guessing the pictures are of KitKat? She's absolutely gorgeous

Primarily, has KitKat been throughly checked over by the vet since you brought her in? Is she spayed?

Did you follow the introduction process to allow slow integration into the household - initial isolation, exchanging scents (swapping of blankets to let the others smell her and vice versa/damp towel rubbed on the chin, shoulder blades and base of tail), supervised meetings, Feliway?

If not, don't worry, you can always start the reintroduction process again if that's what you choose to do. There's a really good sticky at the top of this forum with instructions.

From my experience, It can take a fair while for cats to adjust to each other. The original cats feel as though their territory is being invaded and the hierarchy is upset with the new addition and it's possible that the new addition hasn't been accustomed to living or interacting with other cats.

When my Willow arrived, he had no idea how to react around Tibby and Molly, choosing to spend his time with me. Although they all got on pretty well for a while, Molly decided that her position in the pecking order was being jeopardised and began a power struggle with Willow - which often led to Tibby joining in. The group could change by the day and the 'bullied' varied greatly.

Feliway and Vanilla Extract (dabbed on all cats on their scent regions), under the chin, base of tail and between the shoulder blades helped a lot. But we did need a lot of understanding and patience, which admittedly can be rather trying at times

I also provided a great deal of hiding spaces, high spaces, feeding areas and litter trays to ensure that nobody felt they lacked their own territory or were being bullied away from fundamental utilities.

Things aren't plain sailing here, but there has been a vast improvement and we continue to work at it, learning together!

I think that if you are financially and emotionally able to give this a go, it would be well worth a try Two months isn't a very long time to expect such complex creatures to adjust

ETA: Often, shooing isn't an effective method as it's possible to make the cats more angry at each other. If the brawls are getting very heated with teeth, claws and fur flying, throw a heavy blanket over the fighting cats and remove the aggressor from the situation, checking both for any injuries.

That is great advice from Sarah! I must remember the vanilla extract myself!
KitKat is really beautiful! I hope that you can get her introduced to your other cats! Keep us posted!

I honestly have tried and i will be moving by the end of summer at the very latest and i have a feeling a new apartment isn't going to help at all. they are fine together most of the time but my 2 cats are still young and fiesty and she is older and i think she is not willing to fight with them. I just think she would be a better in a one kitty household. My roomate was origanally supposed to take her but he is being a pain about it and i am worried he won't take good care of her because he has a big problem taking care of himself. she would starve or never have a clean litter box. i just know it. The vet told me she MIGHT be fixed he said he really wasn't sure but he thought he saw the scar but he also said it could be from something else but no heat yet. I really just can't afford this if something where to happen to all three of them at once. luckly with the 2 i have when something happened to them when they were still really little the vet only charged me one vet visit to bring them in together. Now i am more prepared for something like that but still not ready for 3 cats. I can take care of her i have been doing it for this long but it would be nice to not have to spend the extra on food and litter when i am already strapped for cash.....i don't know......

Please can you claify whether they are fighting or initiating play fighting?

Cat's in a hierarchy battle can sometimes benefit from a move - especially where more space and social aspects are provided. (we have recently moved and it has helped ease many tensions)

Having said that, it sounds as though you don't feel financially ready to take on a third cat at the moment. If this is, infact, the case then I suggest you do some research into no kill rescues who may be able to help you with finding KitKat a suitable home (I wouldn't necessarily say that she should be an only cat, as she may very well get on with other less feisty cats)

You have done an excellent job by taking her in and I'm sure that you'll find a wonderful home for her.

Please let us know how things develop

it sounds like you have basically made up your mind to not keep KitKat, which is fine.

but for what it's worth, Sneakers has basically been a one-cat-in-the-house-kitty. When my folks brought in Cooper, a ragamuffin, Sneakers and he "fought" like crazy - chasing each other, pouncing, sparring, growling, hissing. but it wore off after a few months. then they were fine until Sneakers developed a behavior my parents could tolerate and I took him in.

Again, Sneak was an only kitty and didn't seem to miss Coop. In February, hubby and i brought home another kitty - Punkin - who was rescued from our co-worker.

The boys hissed, growled, sparred, pounced, chased, etc. I even caught Sneak running right up to Punk and bite him on his side near a shoulder blade! I thought these guys would never get along.

But now, they are doing better about sharing the sofa and the bed. i've even had each one on either side of me so I could give them lovin's at the same time.

speaking of which, i did notice that Sneak's behavior became more aggressive toward Punk when i was giving Punk more attention. i'm more balanced in my attention to the kitties - it's just hard to maintain balance when you're trying to reassure the newest addition to the fur family.

hope some of this helps.