I Have A Problem, Please Help!! (long post)

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paulena

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Let me start out by saying that I have 4 cats inside. (2 males and 2 females) All 4 usually get along until recently. The 2 females (Abby and Sassy) have started having little spats which didn't normally amount to anything. UNTIL, day before yesterday Sassy was using the LB and Abby was waiting for her when she got out. Abby jumped her and it was fight on, hissing, growling the whole bit, until I got up and intervened. Sassy doesn't even want to be anywhere around Abby at all. Ok, so this morning I was on the computer and I heard something and Sass was trying to eat and Abby was in a distance waiting, until I came in the room. Intervened again, I think she has Sassy so frightened that she won't hardly go and eat or use the box. This morning I found a pile of poop on the rug where I keep their food and water setting and Sass trying to cover it up. Sassy has never had any and I stress ANY LB issues at all. She camps out on top of my stove, which is a smooth top or on the counters and won't hardly even budge. She won't even come down to eat or go to the LB. She got over in the kitchen window while I was preparing dinner tonight, but just as soon as everything was off the stove, she went right back to it. She's all relaxed and stretched out on top of the stove right now. I can get her and put her down and tell her no no and she will stand in the kitchen until I walk out and she jumps right back on the counters and goes to the stove top and lays down.

I really don't know what to do at this point, I am kind of at wits end here and would be glad to hear what you guys think.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks,
Paula

sorry it is so long, but I didn't know any other ways of describing what was actually taking place.
 
nekomania

nekomania

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Do you have a room with her very own litterbox that she can be confined in for a few days?

Or perhaps you should confine the aggressor Abby for a little while until Sassy feels comfortable in her own house again?
 
skimble

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Have you already taken Sassy to the vet when this started? A behavior change is said to be the first sign of a health issue. Might be a good start to get her checked and rule that out first.

I hope things settle down soon.
 
rang_27

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First step is a vet trip to make sure that Sassy is healthy. Sometimes cats will prey on a cat that is sick.

If her health checks out the next step is separation with slow supervised reintroductions. It is a pain, but I just went through this in the spring. In my case it was my boys (all 3) that were having difficulty. In my case there was no clear agressor, but it was obvious that Isaac was terrified. Something set them off one night when I wasn't home & it took a month or two to get things calmed back down. I had to borrow a cage from the shelter due to being in a small appartment, but here is what I did. I started by keeping the boys separated at all times. One in the bathroom, one in the cage & one loose in the appartment. I would rotate them when I came home & when I got up for work in the morning. Once they had calmed down, I would allow them out when I was there to supervise. If something happend I would immediatly break it up & separate them again. I continued to rotate them between the cage, bathroom & free roam. It was a big pain, but it was better than being woke up in the middle of the night by the horrible screaming & fighting. In your case you would want to make sure they were separated in a manner that they could not see each other. I do think that rotating is important as it make sure no one feels like they are being punished & it allows the scared cat to become more confident in the open areas of the house.
 
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strange_wings

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I suggest you take Abby to the vet, too. If there has ever been the slightest question about hierarchy in the home and something is wrong with Abby, she could be reacting to the easiest cat to go after.
 
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