Hi all!
I have a problem that might have gotten worse due to some human error.
I have 3 kitties: Benny, the neutered tomcat - 6yo, Bella - 5yo and Lizzie, daughter of the above - 4yo, both not spayed as of Friday.
They (especially the girls) have been "bestest buddies" forever.
Friday I came home and I found the two girls fighting (for real), with fur all over the house (and I mean in several rooms).
The usual clapping and shouting that would normally break up a play gone too far didn't have any effect, as the furball continued to rampage.
Then I made my mistake:
I tried to separate them with my bare hands, which resulted in some serious lacerations on my hands, including a thumbnail piercing (getting treated).
Bella, which has a more fiery tempeeament, continued the attacks, and I had to get a bit rougher to remove her.
Anyway, after closing all three of them in separate rooms and "licking my wounds", I started the damage assessment. The cats had no physical injury,
but Lizzie was in such a state of panic that she pee'd an poo'd on herself. Even after about two hours, when I took her in my arms to try to assess her
state, she pee'd at mere sight of Benny (who wasn't even involved in the fight), which indicates her panic level.
Since I couldn't find any obvious reason for their fight, next day I took the cats to the vet on separate trips (they still couldn't stand sight of each other) and he concluded that Bella's aggressivity was due to the fact that she was in heat, so I decided to have them both spayed on the spot.
After bringing them home and recovering from anesthesia, I took the decision too keep all three of them separated at least until after the stitches
are removed, and try to reintroduce them gradually. Right now (Tuesday) they seem individually OK, got back the cuddliness, but still spit and hiss if they glance each other.
My questions are:
1. Is there anything wrong with my plan? (I wouldn't want to make any more mistakes)
2. Can it be improved?
3. Is Lizzie's urinary incontinence going to come back every time she gets scared of somethting?
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Supposing eventually I get them to get along, can I trust them to be left alone while we're at work as before? (Another episode like this might shatter Lizzie, and I would like to keep them all, since I care about them immensely).
Thanks.
OFF TOPIC: please excuse my bad english, i'm not a native speaker
I have a problem that might have gotten worse due to some human error.
I have 3 kitties: Benny, the neutered tomcat - 6yo, Bella - 5yo and Lizzie, daughter of the above - 4yo, both not spayed as of Friday.
They (especially the girls) have been "bestest buddies" forever.
Friday I came home and I found the two girls fighting (for real), with fur all over the house (and I mean in several rooms).
The usual clapping and shouting that would normally break up a play gone too far didn't have any effect, as the furball continued to rampage.
Then I made my mistake:
I tried to separate them with my bare hands, which resulted in some serious lacerations on my hands, including a thumbnail piercing (getting treated).
Bella, which has a more fiery tempeeament, continued the attacks, and I had to get a bit rougher to remove her.
Anyway, after closing all three of them in separate rooms and "licking my wounds", I started the damage assessment. The cats had no physical injury,
but Lizzie was in such a state of panic that she pee'd an poo'd on herself. Even after about two hours, when I took her in my arms to try to assess her
state, she pee'd at mere sight of Benny (who wasn't even involved in the fight), which indicates her panic level.
Since I couldn't find any obvious reason for their fight, next day I took the cats to the vet on separate trips (they still couldn't stand sight of each other) and he concluded that Bella's aggressivity was due to the fact that she was in heat, so I decided to have them both spayed on the spot.
After bringing them home and recovering from anesthesia, I took the decision too keep all three of them separated at least until after the stitches
are removed, and try to reintroduce them gradually. Right now (Tuesday) they seem individually OK, got back the cuddliness, but still spit and hiss if they glance each other.
My questions are:
1. Is there anything wrong with my plan? (I wouldn't want to make any more mistakes)
2. Can it be improved?
3. Is Lizzie's urinary incontinence going to come back every time she gets scared of somethting?
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Supposing eventually I get them to get along, can I trust them to be left alone while we're at work as before? (Another episode like this might shatter Lizzie, and I would like to keep them all, since I care about them immensely).
Thanks.
OFF TOPIC: please excuse my bad english, i'm not a native speaker