Related cats all of a sudden not getting along

I adopted 3 cats (2 females, 1 male) that were abandoned on my friends doorstep as kittens. The got along great the first year and a half or so and were practically inseparable. They have all been fixed, but for the last month one of the females has been having severe behavioral problems.

It seemed like after I got her fixed she was still acting like she was in heat. She would meow for hours and hours non stop. Almost to the point of not being able to meow anymore. Finally that stopped, but she has major aggression towards the other cats ESPECIALLY towards the male cat. If he gets within a couple feet she will growl and hiss like crazy. They have no problem eating together, and will often eat out of the same bowl at the same time, but other than that shh is very mean towards him. Whats the deal? Also, I had her checked to make sure she was spayed properly and not still in heat, and the test came back as not in heat.

That's a mystery to me, but as long as they aren't harming one another, I wouldn't worry too much; if they do come to blows, could she be given a time-out in a separate room (with litterbox, food, water, bed, and toys)? Also, you could try one of the pheromone sprays such as Feliway, in either the manual spray or the plug-in version. These help cats to feel safe, serene, and calm, and they sure work around here! Good luck, and THANK YOU for rescuing three precious lives and loving them!

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

That's a mystery to me, but as long as they aren't harming one another, I wouldn't worry too much; if they do come to blows, could she be given a time-out in a separate room (with litterbox, food, water, bed, and toys)? Also, you could try one of the pheromone sprays such as Feliway, in either the manual spray or the plug-in version. These help cats to feel safe, serene, and calm, and they sure work around here! Good luck, and THANK YOU for rescuing three precious lives and loving them!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the idea. I do have some extra bedrooms so I can definitely try that. I will go pick that spray up as well, and mention this to the vet on their next scheduled visit which is some time in the next week or so. It is really strange these cats used to sleep on top of each other all the time. I will try the spray too and see how that works. They are inside cats and have been since I got them, however I will be letting them outside very soon. Maybe this will help.

Letting them outside could most likely make the problem worse. When I heard of your problem, I thought immediately that perhaps she is seeing cats outside and is redirecting her aggression towards her siblings. You might try the techniques suggested in the introducing new cats thread. These are also used for cats that for some reason have a falling out with each other.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67321

Mellie is always growling and hissing at my two boys. Sometimes she bats Twinkie around. Other times she bumps noses with them. That's just the way she is. When they were young, Mellie and Rocket would cuddle together. So, I don't know .... maybe that's how your cat is, too. Just a grump.

If they have been inside for a year and a half, and since one of them has begun to have behavior problems, I would not make the big change of letting them all outside. This will just introduce more outdoor cats into the picture and it will take away all the structure and security they feel inside right now. It could make the aggression worse for your kitty and even worse yet, if you have any males, they may wander too far and get lost.

When my cats become aggressive and territorial it is usually because they have displaced agression from something they see outside, or from some inside new smell (etc.), like MOM said, or they are bored and really need a super play session to get them exercised and also to get attention from me and their dad LOL. My cats get most aggressive after we've been on vacation and they are really missing us.

My one female kitty is crabby to one of our kitties. I watched them closely and found that the one she is crabby to, has a little game of dive-bombing her and startling her when she is sleeping or otherwise just hanging. It could be that your male kitty plays too rough or engages her when you don't see it.