Mother-Cat Aggression in Multi-Cat Household

I bought a 2 year old female Bengal and unknown to me at the time she was pregnant. A few weeks later I bought a 13 week old Bengal male. She was EXTREMELY aggressive toward him and would attack him any time she saw him. Once we realized she was pregnant we understood why.

That was several months ago. She had the kittens, they were all healthy and have been given away to good homes.

However, the female Bengal is still extremely aggressive to the male Bengal. He is so terrified of her that he will stay on the kitchen counter 24/7. He will pee and poop on the counter or in the kitchen sink.

I have even taken to keeping the female Bengal in the bathroom with her own litter box and water and food, but he is still afraid to come down from the counter, and whenever I let her out she goes straight for him and attacks him.

I just am at my wits end at what to do about this. Not only is the male Bengal using the kitchen sink for his litter box, but the female Bengal's behavior has not changed and she is still as aggressive as when she was pregnant and nursing her kittens. This has been going on for several weeks since the last kitten was given away.

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Has anyone else had an experience close to this? What was the solution? I really don't want to have to get rid of the female Bengal, but I can't keep them separate for the rest of their lives.

Please help!

- CatKingCole

I very rarely (like twice ever) say this but it might be in your best interest and the cats' to re-home one of them.

If you want to try to keep them both (and super big kudos to you if you choose to) I'd be content with keeping them separate for now. Mama might still have some hormone issues going on and we know how that goes. In the meantime, read up on the threads about introducing new cats and expect to go very slowly with these two. I'd also get some Comfort Zone Diffusers going in each space to help them chill before reintroductions.

I'd go to the breeder's forum on this site and ask the pros how long you can expect Momma cat to act protective. They'll have a better understanding of that than I do!

Realize too that you've got a lot of retraining to do with your male whether you keep the female or not. He's learned the counter tops are his territory and safety net. He won't hop down just because the other cat is gone.

If he's going to the bathroom up there anyway I'd put a box up for him and get him used to using it. Then I'd put it on the floor next to the cabinets or even in one of them. Not great I know but it beats him using your sink and it's the first step in retraining him. I'd give him treats when he uses it too. Something awesome like chicken. I wouldn't "punish" him (i.e. water bottles, etc.) if he doesn't take to it right away. That will only make him more afraid which is the problem. You'll have to build his confidence with praise and reassurance.

I sure hope I've been able to help you some!