My cat is randomly attacking

petcrazy76

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I just joined minutes ago, but I was browsing this site first and can't find my exact problem. I have two cats. Peanut is almost 13 and we've had him since he was old enough to leave the shelter. He's a big guy but also a big baby. :)
Angel is around 6 years old and we've had her 4 years. She was the sweetest, most loving cat I ever met when we got her. She'd clean. Peanut and snuggle any of her humans that were sad.

We took at least a month to slowly introduce them at first and they got along very well. Then 1 year ago they were both laying on my bed when Angel freaked out. She started hissing out of nowhere and attacked Peanut. We kept an eye on it for awhile and finally had to lock Angel up because she was keeping Peanut cornored in the basement. It took 2 months, but we finally reintroduced them.

Occasionally Angel will still attack Peant out of the blue but by the next day (2days tops) she's fine again. It did take about a week after Peanut visited the vet.

Two nights ago she attacked Peanut because he wouldn't play with her. Next day she was fine until night time. Peanut jumped on the couch for our nightly snuggle and Angel hissed at him. I left the room and heard a horrible screaming and hissing fight. I found Angel cornering Peanut in the basement. When she seemed calmer I tried to pick her up. She ran and hissed at me a few times (that was new). Eventually she hid in a cat toy. When she relaxed I reached in, and rather than run out the 2nd entrance she started screaming, flipped on her back and clawed me like crazy.

The vet has done blood work twice and it's all normal. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to include everything. I'm getting scared for her to be around my kids, and Peanut is just not the same. I love her so much. Does anyone have an idea why this woyld happen 3 years after we got her?
 

mani

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Hi petcrazy76 and welcome to TCS...


This is a difficult one.. it still could be an illness yet to be found.  It could be redirected aggession.

Have a read through this and see if anything rings a bell (it is about aggression towards people, but the principle is the same): 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-aggression-toward-people

I'm wondering whether it would be worth going through the whole introduction thing again.. I know it sounds odd, after so long, but it can work: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

I would certainly consider just giving some Feliway diffusers as go, and maybe some flower essences.

No doubt others will be along with their ideas, and do keep us posted.
 
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vball91

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I have a few questions for you. Are they both spayed/neutered? Are they allowed outside at all? Have there been any cats outside when these episodes happened?

This behavior is common after vet visits since they pick up strange scents at the vet's, and the stay-at-home cat doesn't recognize them when they return. Scent swapping/mingling is good in these situations. It sounds like Angel has redirected aggression towards Peanut and now you, but it's hard to know what is setting her off. A common one is seeing a cat outside. I would try a Feliway pheromone diffuser which emits calm cat pheromones. That may help calm her down as may other calming agents like Bach's Flower Remedies or Spirit Essences.
 
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petcrazy76

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Both my cats have been spayed/neutered, and have never been allowed outside. Also, she is not usually by a window when the attacks happen. I had a cat as a child that would attack whem she saw another cat, so that was the first thing I looked for.

I will try the diffusers you both suggested. Hopefully that will help some. I also have a call into the vet to see what she suggests we try next. She has spoken about medication before but I always avoided it because I'm horrible at giving cats pills and she hates those pill pockets. If it'll help I'll figure it out.

I will start with the diffusers, read those articles and see if the vet has any ideas. Thanks
 
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petcrazy76

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Just spoke with the vet. She suggested that first we do some blood tests (I thought we had, but that was my other cat). She also suggested a diffuser, some alone playtime at night and a tall place to sit and view her domian. If the tests are normal she could suggest a behavioral specialist. Next step would be meds. Long road ahead.
 

vball91

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Sounds like you have a good vet. I think blood tests are always good to rule out a medical reason. Let us know how it goes. Good luck and many vibes for you and Angel.
 
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petcrazy76

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Angel had her blood tests today. Poor girl's a bleeder so she has a zebra bandage on. We should know tomorrow if she's healthy or if she needs more tests. Fingers crossed that this is something fixable.
 
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petcrazy76

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Angel is super healthy. So we know her agression isn't medical. Now we need to figure out the next step. The vet recommended pheromone plug ins, a behavioral therapist or kitty Prozac. All have pros and cons. Just have to decide what to do next. I think meds are a last resort though.
 
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petcrazy76

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After doing more research and watching my cats I really think the problem is territorial aggression. Every website I've looked at says to try reintroducing them (which we did when thing got really bad. Now they just fight when Angel wants more area or if Peanut invades her area) then they say if it continues the best thing to do is to give one a new home.

It's frustrating because I know there is more we can do, and the behavioral therapist hasn't gotten back to me. I know it's only been 2 days so I should be patient. I just want to do something and would rather have expert advice than blindly trying things.

Just needed to vent for a moment. :) I'm determined to find something.
 
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petcrazy76

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Well I had bought a cat tree and Angel & Peanut were becoming friends again. I put that in other posts. So exciting. Yesterday they had a big fight again. I'm not worried because I know I need to be patient.

The interesting thing is that when I went to get Angel to put her in the bedroom, she ran down there on her own and jumped on the bed. It's like she wanted some time to calm down. She spent most of the day in there and we have a pheromone plug in that room. When she came out she was snuggling my son and would collapse against his lap. She's a lover but has never snuggled with my son. He doesn't smother her with love like my daughter does.

I assume this was from the plug in. It makes me want to try one in the living room, but it's such an open area. I'm not sure it'll work.
 

shamblesandcleo

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Where do you buy the plugins? I have one cat that gets aggressive with people because she was abused before I got her. Wonder if they would help...probably worth the try!
 
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petcrazy76

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ShamblesAndCleo. Sorry I never responded about the plugins. Most pet stores around here carry them. But pay attention if you buy one because the less expensive ones seem to cover a smaller space and as they go up in price so does the area they will work in.

Also wanted to update on my furry buddies. We have tried a few things to help with the aggression. Blood work was normal, the behaviorist wouldn't return my calls so I gave up on her, the cat tree we got worked some but there was still some fighting.

Then we had the problem where Angel got the calming collar I bought her stuck in her mouth for several hours. She's ok but she was upset and exhausted from the experience for a couple days. Peanut used that as his chance to FINALLY try to take back some of the house. He hasn't ventured into our bedroom, but he took Angel's spot on the cat tree. And if he's not there he lays in the middle of the livingroom.

The weird thing is that even though Angel is feeling better, she has not challenged Peanut for her spot on the tree. She just picked a new place. I wonder if it's because this is the first time Peanut hasn't run from her. I feel bad I hurt her with the collar but it's nice tosee them both happy for now. I even got to snuggle with Peanut again the other night.
 

shamblesandcleo

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I'm glad things are returning to normal! Cleo has started to fight back to Shambles..not enough to hurt him but to send a message.
 
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