Will things ever be the same again? (long)

As I sit here tonight Jordan is locked in the bathroom. There is a cage in my bedroom where Levi will spend the night. Jordan will come out of the bathroom & Isaac will sleep in the bathroom. I'm not 100% sure what happend, but Thursday night I came home to find Isaac cowering under my bed, growling & hissing. He had pooped in a couple differnt places. Then Jordan went after him & he began to scream in a way i've never heard before. Jordan Levi & Maggie were all fine, but the best I can figure someone had a back caught around there neck and the freenzy that insued led to a fight among my boys. At about 3AM on Friday morning Isaac was asleep under the bed, Levi & I were asleep on the bed. Jordan must have gone up to Isaac. Isaac started growling, hissing & screaming. Then Levi started to growl & hiss & scream. At that point Jordan went after Levi. I was able to get Isaac in the bathroom & the conflict between Levi & Jordan got better for a while. Through out the day yesterday the conflict went up & down. I went to the pet store & took Levi with me, to buy a comfort zone plug in. I put Jordan in the bathroom & let Isaac out. Levi & Isaac seemed so afraid of each other that they just stayed away from each other. So I went to do my laundry. On my sisters suggestion, I stopped at the shelter to pick up a cage. Keeping Levi in the cage at night seemed to help things cool down between him & Jordan. I learned today , the hard way of coarse, that Levi, Jordan & Maggie can interact no problem; Levi, Isaac & Maggie no problem. As soon as Isaac & Jordan are in the same room a fight occurs. So far the only damage I have found is a scratch under Levi's eye. I'm so sad & worried. The four of them have lived together very peacfully for a long time. Levi & Jordan have been together since they were kittens that's 6 years. Isaac was added 5 years ago & then Maggie 4 years. My plan at this point is that at night Levi sleeps in the cage, Isaac in the bathroom & Jordan & Maggie are free; during the day Jordan lives in the bathroom & Levi may have to stay in the cage with Isaac & Maggie free. If this continues for a week I will have to change my bedroom layout so that Levi & Jordan can live together in there & Isaac & Maggie in the front room. We have never had this problem. I'm so worried that we are going to have to continue to live this way. I know it's only been a couple days, but I'm sitting here thinking how much I want to be with all 4 of my cats. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing or any suggestions to make things better?

Originally Posted by laureen227

i think that sometimes a healthy cat will go after an ailing one... is there a possibility that Isaac is sick? especially since Levi is avoiding him, too?

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I had the same thought, maybe a vet check is in order, sudden behaviour changes could mean somthing is up



I hope the peace returns to your home soon!

Something similar happened in my house and now it's kind of a funny story. I'll share it to give you a giggle and then tell you the end result.

I found Seti when he was a kitten. Something had tried to eat him (he had teeth marks on his back leg) so I took him home even though we already had 3 cats, a dog and husband who said we were full. I don't listen well. Two months later, on Halloween in fact, Seti was neutered. I took him home and made him comfy.

Later that night after I'd gone to bed I heard a big commotion and my husband yelled, "He's stuck!" Seti had gotten his back leg caught in the handle of a paper shopping bag that I use to store Halloween decorations. He totally freaked flipping and spitting. My husband grabbed him and immediatly got bit. I waited for a clear shot and scruffed him. The handle was wound really tight around Seti's thigh (do cats have thighs?) so my husband went to get a pair of scissors.

In the meantime, the other cats had come to see what the fuss was all about. Kit loathes Seti. She's about six years older and a hell of a lot meaner than he is. Seeing him in such a desperate situation she moved in to attack. The only problem is that I was in the way, and this is the embarrassing part; I'm prone to sleep in only the suit God gave me. Kit launched herself at Seti and bit me right on my butt. It felt like I'd been stabbed. I never knew she was there. My butt poured blood. I had four deep fang wounds and scratch marks from where she grabbed me. We went to the vet to be sure nothing was wrong with her. She got Prozac (it only lasted a week before I tossed it) and I got cookies and I began a new medical treatment that I like to call "Oreo Therapy." I had to explain later to my massage therapist why there were bite marks on my rear. Imagine that conversation.

To answer your question, while we love and adore our pets it's easy to forget they are animals and have some very deep instincts. When one is in distress like stuck in a bag it's not uncommon for the others to attack. The vet and I chatted about this when Kit and I went. If Isaac got stuck in a bag when you weren't there the same thing may have occurred in your house as mine sans rear-end bite. Thankfully, after a week or so everything went back to normal. Of course, it helped that Kit was on Prozac then (and never again) but your cats will go back to normal too. Give them lots of Feliway and try to get them together in happy situations like feed them all tuna. It may take a bit because of the severity of the trauma but animals don't hang on to things as much as we do.

I'm so sorry this happened to you and your kitties.

I'm so sorry! I'm agreeing that it was the bag/attack problem. I really hope the Feliway and the separation will help, and that within a week or so things will calm down and get back to normal. If not? Then I would consider getting Isaac to a vet.



Laurie

Originally Posted by howtoholdacat

To answer your question, while we love and adore our pets it's easy to forget they are animals and have some very deep instincts. When one is in distress like stuck in a bag it's not uncommon for the others to attack. The vet and I chatted about this when Kit and I went. If Isaac got stuck in a bag when you weren't there the same thing may have occurred in your house as mine sans rear-end bite. Thankfully, after a week or so everything went back to normal. Of course, it helped that Kit was on Prozac then (and never again) but your cats will go back to normal too. Give them lots of Feliway and try to get them together in happy situations like feed them all tuna. It may take a bit because of the severity of the trauma but animals don't hang on to things as much as we do.

I'm so sorry this happened to you and your kitties.

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Thank you for this, it helps to know that someone else has been where I am and that it does get better. I am preety sure that the bag thing is what happend. Over the coarse of the weekend, I've noticed that Isaac is the one that is very fearful, mostly of Jordan, but a little bit with Levi too. I was very supprised that Levi was involved at all because he is so meek, but I guess sometimes instinct just takes over. Your right I do forget they are animals, but I know that Jordan can be agressive when he is afraid.

Thanks to everyone for the support, I do plan on calling the vet today as I wanted to get Jordan completely off his prednisone, but I'm not sure if now is a good time or not. If the vet wants to see any of the cats, I will definatly be taking one or more in to him.

Well we had a positive event last night. Isaac came out of the bathroom & ate dinner with the others. He used to eat right next to Jordan with no problems. I moved his plate further away from Jordan's, but he ate like a champ no problems. So after that I quickly put him in the bathroom so that it was a positive experience. This morning he was not willing to do the same thing, but I think it has to do with the fact that at night they get wet food & in the morning dry food. So I didn't push him, I moved him to another room. He ate OK, but didn't finish his breakfast. Then walked up to Jordan & hissed at him. So we are making very slow progress. When I talked to the vet last night he mentioned that if it was necessary Jordan could be put on meds to "reduce" his agression. I will not do that, the problem is not soley Jordan. I am debating about setting up the appartment so Levi & Jordan can live in 1/2 & Isaac & Maggie the other 1/2.

Just another update. Last night all 4 were hanging out together for several hours no problems. Isaac even let Jordan mount him with no problem (I know it's bad, but Jordan likes to establish his dominance & Isaac doesn't seem to mind) Well I stupidly went to bed thinking they would be alright. I was wrong. About an hour after I fell asleep, I was woke by Levi screaming. Then Jordan chased him to the front room, Isaac followed & Jordan turned on Isaac. I separated them quickly & this morning they were all fine again. I separated them before I left the house to avoid anything bad happening. The funny thing is after Jordan ate his breakfast he went & laid down in the bathroom. I'm wondering if he enjoys being separated from the others for the day? I was so hoping to be able to take the cage out of my bedroom, but I guess it will have to wait. I am also now a little leary of leaving Levi & Jordan together unattended.

I wonder if you should consult with a behavoirist? Sounds like Jordan is super dominant. But if this all just started to happen I wonder why?

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

I wonder if you should consult with a behavoirist? Sounds like Jordan is super dominant. But if this all just started to happen I wonder why?

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I did go on a web site for a behavioral group; Cats international. It sounded like I was doing the right thing by separating & reintroduction. I may have to e-mail them. I'm not sure if there are any cat behaviorists in Wisconsin. My vets solution is of coarse medication, and I'm not doing that.

Yes Jordan is my dominant boy. I too wonder why after 6 years with Levi & 5 years with Isaac this is becoming an issue.

Well I took a chance last night & left every one together when I went to bed. Last night went well. I think I heard 1 or 2 hisses, but that was it. Everyone seemed to sleep through the night & no fights. They are separtated again today just to be on the safe side, but things are getting better.

This is an article on a redirected aggression case study & treatment, but it sounds similar to what's going on in your house. http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...sionacasestudy

I hope things continue to calm down for you, it sounds terribly upsetting.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

I did go on a web site for a behavioral group; Cats international. It sounded like I was doing the right thing by separating & reintroduction. I may have to e-mail them. I'm not sure if there are any cat behaviorists in Wisconsin.

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There are behaviorists in Wisconsin. Cats International is based in Madison, I believe. I remember they had a few options for consults.

Has the kitty who was attacked had a checkup? The last time we had that kind of aggression was when Raven had cancer. Stimpy just wouldn't leave him alone. When we lived in the 1-bedroom apartment before moving back to Wisconsin, we had to seperate them during the day at times. They would take turns having the day with Nabu. To be honest, I think it really helped when we got the 2-bedroom, 2-story townhouse we had before we bought our house. We still had the occasional issue, but they could get completely away from each other if they wanted.

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

There are behaviorists in Wisconsin. Cats International is based in Madison, I believe. I remember they had a few options for consults.

Has the kitty who was attacked had a checkup? The last time we had that kind of aggression was when Raven

had cancer. Stimpy just wouldn't leave him alone. When we lived in the 1-bedroom apartment before moving back to Wisconsin, we had to seperate them during the day at times. They would take turns having the day with Nabu. To be honest, I think it really helped when we got the 2-bedroom, 2-story townhouse we had before we bought our house. We still had the occasional issue, but they could get completely away from each other if they wanted.

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No one has gone to the vet as of yet. It is not clear exactly who was attacked. I appears it was Isaac, but Levi was also attacked as he has a scratch under his eye. Mainly it was King Jordan who was doing the attacking (he rules with an Iron Paw).

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

There are behaviorists in Wisconsin. Cats International is based in Madison, I believe. I remember they had a few options for consults.

Has the kitty who was attacked had a checkup? The last time we had that kind of aggression was when Raven

had cancer. Stimpy just wouldn't leave him alone. When we lived in the 1-bedroom apartment before moving back to Wisconsin, we had to seperate them during the day at times. They would take turns having the day with Nabu. To be honest, I think it really helped when we got the 2-bedroom, 2-story townhouse we had before we bought our house. We still had the occasional issue, but they could get completely away from each other if they wanted.

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Oh gosh! I hope it's not that one is sick.

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

Oh gosh! I hope it's not that one is sick.

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I don't think so, but when I get my tax return I plan on taking Isaac in for a badly needed dental cleaning. I will have a full check up done at that time.

So things had gotten better. Then last night they had a small tiff, then this morning right before my alarm when off they started again. So Levi is back in the cage & Isaac in the bathroom. They seem to be OK until something sets them off. I was asleep this morning & I think one was laying on me & another one jumped on the bed and startled the one that was asleep. I was thinking things were fine, but apparently we are not totally out of the woods yet.