Cats suddenly not getting along--NEED Advice!!

Hello All,
I found this site to hopefully get a little advice about a problem that has recently begun with my two cats. I have Trinity who is 4 years old and is fairly skittish but is definitely my alpha cat, and I have Pooka-Mari, who is about 1+1/2 years (guess-she was a stray) and is very much my hyper kitty. We have had Trinity for 4 years now and Pooka for 1 year. They adjusted to each other fairly well, but they have started to have some problems that have made me fairly concerned. Within the past two months or so Pooka has been playing too rough with Trinity. We thought that maybe it was just a dominance challenge and that they needed to work it out themselves. Trinity would always have *a lot* of scratches around her neck and face, so I put soft paws on both of them. But then in the past week Trinity has started going bald around the base of her tail. I thought at first that Pooka had done this too, but Trinity has coughed up three *HUGE* hairballs the past two days. So now I think that Pooka must have driven Trinity to start over grooming. I don't know what to do about this problem! I LOVE both of my cats too much to get rid of either, unless there is just no other options. It seems that Pooka is just a really high energy cat with a super strong play instinct. Most of the time it doesn't seem like she is trying to hurt Trinity. But Trinity just doesn't want to play anymore. I was wondering if getting Pooka a play mate might help. (all of our other pets are at least 4 years old so she doesn't have anyone to play with) But I don't want to make the situation worse. Can anyone out there please give me some suggestions or advice--I am worried about the stress that Trinity is undergoing.
Thank you!
Michelle

Welcome to TCS Michelle & crew!

I first suggest a vet visit & check-up for them both. The vet can help you address the overgrooming, & with any behavior changes it isn't a bad idea to get a vet check.

Second, start 15-30 minutes of interactive playtime with Ms. Energy 2x a day, when you get up & right before bed.

Overgrooming is caused by stress....has anything in your house, routine, etc changed recently?

One thing I didn't understand (surely my problem, as I'm a bit tired) - are they both female?

In response to both replies (and Thanks by the way for the quick responses) nothing has changed and yes they are both female. Neither have been spayed but they are both inside only. I will try to run a little energy out of Pooka-Mari but that may be impossible! Do you think that a kitten would help Pooka? So that she will have someone closer to her age to play with?

Thanks!!
Michelle

I think the problem is that neither has been spayed. They are being territorial as is expected. Getting them both spayed is best for them. I encourage you to read this thread:
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...hlight=spaying

I may be the wrong person to ask, since I have 5 kitties. But there is some validity to thinking of adding a third kitty (I would add a male) to the mix. BUT...first, I would try and figure out the reason your older cat is overgrooming. I have an older cat that's just overgroomed for so long that I think it's a habit.

Have you tried using Feliway diffusers? I would hate to recommend adding a third cat, only to have the stressed cat get more stressed.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I think the problem is that neither has been spayed. They are being territorial as is expected. Getting them both spayed is best for them. I encourage you to read this thread:
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...hlight=spaying

Click to expand...

I totally agree about spaying--I just never seem to have an extra $200 to get it done. (my husband and I are on a tight budget) That is why they are inside only! I don't want to add to the kitty population. I also always try to adopt strays or cats that are about to go to a shelter if the person can't find a home for them.