Sudden fighting...?

Hi! First time posting, just joined today...

I've got a bit of a problem. My wife and I have four cats, who we aquired over a period of about two years. We bought Ramsey (female, now almost 4) first, then Boots (female, 3 years old), then Cleo and Sonny (brother & sister, just over 2 years old) last.

While initially we went through the awkward introductions, everything was great after a short while. The cats got along, played together, and often we would walk into our bedroom to find them all snuggling together. Very cute.

All of a sudden, Boots and Cleo are brawling. Cleo is a bit mischevious, but good natured. Boots has been the den mother to all the cats... It seems to be Cleo who starts it most of the time, and the incidents are getting increasingly nasty. Cleo will stalk Boots, Boots will start hissing, Cleo then goes in for the attack, claws firing.

Any suggestions to fixing this? Will it work itself out? We've noticed it over the last three or four months... They are all "fixed", and the only major changes have been a move last April (to a much bigger place), and my work schedule has been a lot heavier...

Thanks in advance for the help...cheers!

Inter cat aggression can stem from many things.
The first thing that you would need to do is take both of your cats to the vet because when one is sick, their smells change causing other cat(s) to become uneasy and often fighting with the sick one. Thats very important to find out because it very well could be something thats treatable. Even if only one these two are fighting and not the others.
Since cats hide sickness and pain so well, a vet would be the only one to rule out sickness.

Sometimes, cats who have cohabited peacefullly together and suddenly become aggressive is because there is another cat around, outside and has caused one of your cats to become territorial and taken it out on his house mate. This is called redirected aggression.

My suggestion would be to totally separate the cats at this point, so you can put a stop to the fighting and not cause permanent damage to their relationship with one another.
Take them to the vet to be evaluated and then go through the reintroduction process, just as they were new to each other.

There is a trick you can use to put pure vanilla extract at the base of their tail and under their chin, so they will smell alike. You can also feed them close together so they can start to associate each other with positive things. Starting out a good distance a part and slowly moving the dishes closer.

You can also get a screen door at Lowe's (if you have one near you) that does not permanently attach itself to your casings to allow them to see each other (feeding them with the screen between each other) but not being able hurt one another, as they adjust to each other associating to each other, in a positive way.

There are also a few products out there that can also help them in the process. One is called Feliway, which emulates friendly phermones in cats and helps to relax felines. There is also another product called Rescue Remedy that you either place into your cats water or even on their paws or ears that also helps to relax kitties. Both can be used at the same time, too.

You may not find out exactly why this fight started, but I cannot stress how important it is that you have their health evaluated first before you begin any of the reintro techniques.

It will take a lot of understanding and patience on your part to help them mend their relationship because out in the wild, one would just drive the other off, now they need some help in working it out.

Hi, Pam!

Thanks for the response...a lot to think about. I will definitely get Boots to the vet...she's the one who gets picked on by Cleo, vs. the other way around, so I'm assuming she's the one I should get checked out.

It really is a strange phenomenon...last night I came home and found the two offenders having a snooze together on the bed, no problem. This morning I woke up and got going, and they got into it again.

Just wondering about another possibility...given that cats are most active in the morning, and given what a stinker Cleo is (of course I say that lovingly), is it possible that this is just her trying to be active and playful, and Boots not being into it? I know that early morning is an active time for cats...and the personalities of Boots and Cleo are very different - Boots is a lover, not a fighter...hehe...

The fights are never ones that I worry getting beyond a certain point... Cleo stalks Boots, Boots hisses and spits, they have a climactic even where Cleo will go and take some swats at her (fast, repetitive, but probably most in the air), and then the event is over. They aren't screaming at each other, rolling around on the ground or anything...Boots just gets very hissy.

Aloso, given our work schedules, we've had less time to give the cats attention... Lots of love, for sure, in the form of treats and snuggles and pets, but not so much in the playing. Could this be an alternative reason?

I don't know why, but I'd rather be blamed for it than to think they are sick. We spend a fortune on food and things to keep them healthy, and they are 100% indoor cats, with no interaction with other animals.

Has anyone else gone through this? Sorry to be so wordy, just a little concerned...

Thanks!!

If the cats can see outside, they might see other cats and redirect their aggression against their housemates.

But it sounds to me like it may just be over-activity on the part of the aggressor, causing the attacked cat to fight back.

Originally Posted by NathanW

even where Cleo will go and take some swats at her (fast, repetitive, but probably most in the air), and then the event is over. They aren't screaming at each other, rolling around on the ground or anything...Boots just gets very hissy.

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If this is all they are doing, just hissing and swatting and then later laying together, that is not uncomon for cats to do, but since that is a new behavior with your cats, I would still have the vet look over them. Because cats hide pain and sickness, its a good rule of thumb that if there is a change in behavior, go to the vet. This is how you will be alerted to serious and non serious health issues with your cat.

It could be that one is just tired of the other doing something to him/her, that he doesnt want to be done. Cats let other cats and sometimes humans know they have reached their limit by swatting and sometimes hissing, but as I said, since this is a new behavior for you kitties, then an evaulation is certainly in order.

Originally Posted by NathanW

I don't know why, but I'd rather be blamed for it than to think they are sick. We spend a fortune on food and things to keep them healthy, and they are 100% indoor cats, with no interaction with other animals.

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I understand that, but there are all kinds of things indoor kitties can develop that have nothing to do with the food they eat or being exposed to the outside. They develop diabetes, thyroid issues, heart problems, skin problems, many many things. They are also exposed to things we bring into the house, as well.