My Cats are Fighting

I have 2 cats, Bunion (age 7)and Furlough (age 5). Bunion had the run of the house his first 2 years. then I got Furlough. They learned to tolerate each other, but there is no love lost between them!! They occasionally hiss and swipe at each other but nothing major. Yesterday, I had them out on the porch, and Furlough spotted a stray cat on the grass. Fearing that they would try to jump the railing, I picked them up and quickly put them inside, next to each other. Next thing I know they are hissing loudly at each other, and start to fight. I quickly separated them, almost getting bit myself, and kept them separate for about an hour. When back in the same room, they immediately start fighting again. I tried this 2 more times (at longer intervals), with the same results, fighting and hissing. That night I put Furlough in the cats room and let Bunion have the run of the house, hoping that things would be different in the morning!! No such luck, Bunion wouldn't even eat in the same room (and Bunion loves to eat!!). I decided to let both of them have the house, instead of separating them, hoping that with a little time they would be better. They are constantly hissing at each other when anywhere near the other. Is there something that I should be doing differently, or should I just hope that in time they will get back to how they were??? Any advice would be appreciated. Bets

What you did was right, but you usually need to seperate them say overnight when something like that happens. It was aggression induced by the strange cat and they took it out on each other. You should keep them seperated and try to reintroduce one another. Also, get some Dr Bachs rescue remedy at the health food store for when you let them see each other again. It helps to calm them. I would start by making them smell the same. Bathe them in the same shampoo or use some kind of cover up. It may take ahwile, but you can usually get them to forget the stranger and make up.

sandie,
Thanks so much for the advice. What exactly is Dr.Bachs rescue remedy?? I've never heard of it before, but I'm very curious. My older cat (Bunion), has a heart murmur, and the vet is extremely careful about any medications that he might have to take. But if not okay for Bunion maybe it would be fine for Furlough. Let me know if you have a chance. Thanks so much. Bets

It is all natural. It takes the edge off for people as well as animals. It is only made up of some flower essence. If you pick some up for Furlough you can run the ingredients by your vet first for Bunion but I don't see that there should be a problem unless he is worried it may relax him too much.

I may try that remedy on my own tribe! They sure get testy with each other sometimes.

I had the same problem recently. My two boys were fighting because of seeing another cat outside. The youngest hadn't been fixed yet-so that made the problem worse as he was raging w/aggression. He attacked me thinking I was the cat-it was pretty bad. Don't be alarmed-it was a once in a lifetime thing-unfortunately for me! The younger one getting neutered was a big help. They did have a brawl the other night-they saw that cat again. I seperated them overnight and all was well in the morning. I've just learned to live w/it having ground floor windows. I have used a screen in the bedroom door so they can get used to seeing each other again. Give that a shot. Can't hurt!