3 cats...1 attacks...so stressed..please help!!

Thanks to all who take time assisting each other ..this is a great community, I have been lurking for a while reading threads, but now I have a problem that I require help..

I have 3 cats, all from the same litter, all male, 7 yrs old, all fixed with claws.. Jag, Taz, and Pinto ..they have lived and played together with no problems for the last 7 yrs, 2 weeks ago, Jag started attacking Taz, this is the first time we have seen this behavior, there is nothing that we can see that prompted it….and he only seems to attack Taz and seems ok with Pinto.

When Jag sees Taz, he makes his back long and flat, and starts stalking him, going for the attack, I was able to get Jag in mid attack…., that’s when he starts hissing also the strange meow sound, he also sounds like he’s purring but it’s a different scary sound, we have had to keep them separate in different rooms.

I figured it was just boys playing ruff, so the next day I brought them all out for treats, and they seemed ok, I assumed the worse was over…I was wrong, about 2 hours later, he went for him again, I was quick enough to get him before his attack.. Taz looks so scared, he just freezes up, and doesn’t know what to do, Jag gets real aggressive as mentioned earlier… I have done this twice with the same outcome, they eat ok, then Jag waits and starts the attack.

We took Jag to the vet, and the vet said he thinks it has to do with another cat scent he is picking up, that confused me, why would one cat pick up the sent but the other 2 don’t, also we can leave Pinto and Jag together with no problems, he is only going after Taz, like he has taken a disliking to him…I carry Taz in my arms and try to bring him to Jag, but Jag just ignores him, no interest…doesn’t even look at him…

So I let Jag and Pinto out , while Taz is in the room behind the door, then bring Taz out and lock Jag, so he and Pinto can play, then lock Jag and Pinto, and let Taz roam free…this is now 2 weeks, and stressing me out and I cant sleep and function with all this drama, please help, really concerned..as their all brothers ...its causing quite the stress on my nerves.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post..

Duxx

Take Taz to the vet and have a complete medical exam for him. Cats often pick on other cats when they are ill, and cats that are ill are very notorious for hiding their pain. Do blood work and have him listen to his heart very closely at a minimum.

A similar thing happened to me with 2 littermate brothers at 8 years old. It turned out that Tigger had cardiomyopathy. It is most common in male cats about 7-10 years old. Don't panic - it is very treatable if you catch it early enough.

If you can rule out a medical reason for the attacks, then you can look at strictly behavioral things. Is there another cat outside that is prompting Jag to redirect his aggression at Taz? Did something scary happen to Jag when Taz was in the room and now he thinks that Taz did it?

"Is there another cat outside that is prompting Jag to redirect his aggression at Taz? "

We live in an apt, so i assume no.

"Did something scary happen to Jag when Taz was in the room and now he thinks that Taz did it? '

Thats a good question...nothing that I can remember, but if so, what to do... will it go away, do I have to reintroduce them again slowly?

I'm going to take Taz to the vet to rule out any medical issues, any other ideas would be great..thanks again..

Duxx

Originally Posted by duxx

"Is there another cat outside that is prompting Jag to redirect his aggression at Taz? "

We live in an apt, so i assume no.
Duxx

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It could even be a stray that hangs around outside your building. Some cats can be overly sensitive about this stuff all it would take is for Jag to get a whiff of the other cat's smell for his aggression to start.

If the vet rules out an illness for Taz, try something like a feliway plug-in in the room they would hang out in to see if it calms Jag down.

Originally Posted by duxx

Thats a good question...nothing that I can remember, but if so, what to do... will it go away, do I have to reintroduce them again slowly?

Click to expand...

Once you rule out medical issues, that could be a very good idea. There is a thread about introducing cats. The one tip that stands out in my mind is the vanilla extract trick. You put a dab of it on their chins and base of tail (where they have scent glands). It makes them all smell the same and cats are very much scent oriented.

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

ok update...took Taz to the vet all ok, used some vanilla on all 3 cats, all seemed to be ok, had them all together with no problem, every now and then Jag would start , but we would lock him up, and after a while release him, all was ok, untill last night, Jag went after Taz real bad, so we kept them apart for the night, this morning, it started again, now all 3 cats were hissing at each other, this is getting crazy, Jag seems to attack Taz, when Taz bothers Pinto, so after close to two weeks with all of them together, were back to square one..Im going to now take Jag to the vet...but im so stressed..even Pinto is starting to look at Jag in a certian way...please help any ideas...??

I had a similar problem a few months ago with my 3 female cats after 2 of them has been spayed.

I tried the vanilla extract, this seemed to help slightly but I would suggest you go to the vet and get some feliway spray or diffusers. They take a while to work so keep the cats seperate when your not a home and keep an eye on them as much as possible when you are. Have a water pistol handy to break up fights but don't aim at their heads as it could cause an infection if they get water in their ears.

It will take time and can stressful and sometimes upsetting but it will be worth it once they start getting on again

Thanks, alot of people dont recommend the spray water, when I have tried it before it just made Jag even worse, more mad....but regarding the other portion of your post, yes Im going to try the feliway diffusers...any other ideas..??

Im taking Jag today to the vet, to test his blood and urine.

No, sorry.

I used the feliway diffusers, the vanilla extract and a water pistol. I found that gave them a shock and made them stop fighting long enough for one of them to make her escape.

Patience is the only other thing I can recommend