I'm hoping someone can help me. My boyfriend and I have two male cats that are brothers and have lived together their whole lives. They are 8 years old. They have always gotten along very well. They play together, cuddle, lick each other, etc.
But recently, things have changed. One of the cats has been attacking the other and it is not playful. He will jump on the other cat and bite him so hard the cat will make this painful sounding little yelp. This has never happened before and the "victim" cat will run and hide afterwards and looks traumatized because he didn't do anything visible to provoke the attack. I have watched it happen and it is completely random (or at least seems that way to me). Nothing has changed in the environment, or at least nothing that I can decipher.
We have been trying to keep them separated, but that is not a viable long term option because our place is very small. We have tried to play with the offending cat more to give him more exercise and have been taking him outside to play without the "victim" present but this is not helping. Does anyone know why the one cat keeps attacking his brother when he has never done this before? He is normally a very sweet cat. We fostered a kitten last year and he was very sweet to her. We also had a neighbor's cat come to our door and even when the neighbor's cat hissed, our "attacker" cat did not hiss back or get aggressive at all. And again, he has never had any issues with his brother. What changed and What can we do to make him stop?
But recently, things have changed. One of the cats has been attacking the other and it is not playful. He will jump on the other cat and bite him so hard the cat will make this painful sounding little yelp. This has never happened before and the "victim" cat will run and hide afterwards and looks traumatized because he didn't do anything visible to provoke the attack. I have watched it happen and it is completely random (or at least seems that way to me). Nothing has changed in the environment, or at least nothing that I can decipher.
We have been trying to keep them separated, but that is not a viable long term option because our place is very small. We have tried to play with the offending cat more to give him more exercise and have been taking him outside to play without the "victim" present but this is not helping. Does anyone know why the one cat keeps attacking his brother when he has never done this before? He is normally a very sweet cat. We fostered a kitten last year and he was very sweet to her. We also had a neighbor's cat come to our door and even when the neighbor's cat hissed, our "attacker" cat did not hiss back or get aggressive at all. And again, he has never had any issues with his brother. What changed and What can we do to make him stop?
. Please take both cats to a licensed veterinarian you trust for a medical work up.
