angel cat, devil cat

I have two six-year-old cats that I got from the local shelter when they were kittens. They are sisters, but could not be more different! The first one is about as sweet and friendly as any cat could possibly be, and the other is very territorial and can be extremely aggressive toward people and other animals. Both these cats have had exactly the same life experiences so I'm not sure why they are so different!

The problem is with the aggressive kitty. She had been the more aggressive of the two since the day I got them, but it has gotten progressively worse over time. If anyone walks into my house she will snarl and growl at them the entire time they are here. I'll often put her in another room, but if I don't lock her in she'll be right back at them in minutes. Meanwhile, the other cat is climbing all over them trying to get petted!

It has become progressively harder to take the aggressive kitty to the vet as well. She will become hysterical if anyone else even tries to touch her, and will become so hysterical that even I cannot get near her. When she is in an exam room at the vet you can hear her screaming from the front waiting room! She will attack anyone who gets near her and it is very difficult for the vet to treat her. (Meanwhile, the nice kitty will be making friends with everyone.)

She is now even becoming more aggressive toward my other cat and dog as well. She does have some health problems, and the vet said that if we can't get her calmed down that her health problems will likely only get worse.

Does anyone have any suggestions?!?!

I too have a cat who's aggressive to visitors. I know it's no fun. In his case it's a behavior issue. I've found that a lot of it centers on me. If I fuss at him for acting nasty he only gets worse. If I hold him while guest are here he's as happy as a clam. (What does that mean, happy as a clam?) I usually just shut him in a bedroom since he's annoying and it's impractical for me to hold him all the time. He likes it because he feels safe. He's pretty nasty at the vet too.

What type of health problems does your cat have? That could be a contributing factor to her behavior. Maybe she's in pain or just wants to be left alone? If so, that makes her behavior much more understandable (my naughty boy is reading this as I type).

Once you know why she does what she does you can take steps to correct it. In the case of the vet, do you have a mobile vet in your area that could treat her at the house? That would decrease the stress on her.

Hello, thank you for your message. My cat has IBD, but she's had aggression and stress issues since she was very young. The vet thinks the IBD is aggravated and probably also triggered by her high stress level. He said that some cats are just wired differently and there's no telling why she is so fearful and aggressive while my other kitty is so sweet. She even hisses at me sometimes - it just seems to be part of her vocabulary! But it has become more and more of an issue lately when she's had IBD episodes and had to spent time at the vet's. (He's really great so I would hate to switch vets.) The vet said that her stress level is only making her sicker, so he said I may have to start doing what treatments I can on my own at home if she gets sick again. (I switched her food though, and so far that seems to help with the IBD.)

She gets really upset and loudly aggressive if anyone comes over, and too many people at my house (or having to go to a strange place, like when we were moving) just drives her over the edge. You wouldn't believe how she can freak out!!! Nothing seems to calm her down either, so I'll usually just lock her in a bedroom. She still knows people are there though and will be very aggressive and stressed out (meanwhile, the other cat is the center of the party!). I don't have lots of people over often, but at times such as the holidays it is inevitable.

Have you ever tried phermones for high-stress kitties?