Aggressive behavior getting out of control

our3girls

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Some of you may know that I have 3 cats very loving and affectionate towards me and the mrs but aggressive and mean at times with each other.It wasn't always this but lately it started to get worse.Our oldest cat the one on my avatar pic will see one of the other cats laying down in a certain spot.She will get jealous and do something towards one of the other cats that's laying in the spot where she wants to lay.They are just like children always fighting with each other over a certain spot.It might be a pillow on the couch,a box or my coat.Its turning into a vicious circle with the older cat most of the time being the primary aggressor.The other 2 cats are the same age 7 and the oldest is almost 15.I have seen in some older cats that get realy aggressive and quite mean towards their owners and their other companions.Im not sure if this is whats going on with cinnamon or not.I know someone mentioned not to use a spray bottle but Im at my wits end with this 3.It also could be that because its cold now we don't take them outside on their leash walks very much anymore.Our place is kinda small also could this be part of the problem that they don't have enough space for their own territory?Some helpfull advice please thanks.
 

betsygee

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Has Cinnamon been to the vet lately?  Sometimes when they don't feel well they get irritable.  You made a good point about them not getting out on their leashes--do they have toys to play with so they don't get bored?
 
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our3girls

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yes cinnamon has been to a vet and she is fine.They have plenty of toys including catnip socks to play with.We also use the lazer light for them to chase around along with chasing string around.From what I can tell all 3 of them are jealous of each othe.What one gets the other one wants also.They act like they don't get enough attention but they are all 3 equaly loved and spoiled.
 
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our3girls

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I haven't posted on this thread in a while as Ive been concerned with another problem cat has.Inderectly it may be related to the problem here.She is suffering anxiety I guess cause shes getting old.One thing Ive noticed what leads up to the aggression is the cats trying to play but one of the others takes it the wrong way as a aggressive stance instead understanding the other cat wants to play.the other cat lovergirl our largest one.It kinda starts out as a friendly swat like tag your it.Cinnamon being the dominate female thinks its the other cat starting a fight which it eventualy leads to.Cinnamon will swat back at lovergirl then Lovergirl es her monster size and weight and lunges at cinnamon.We then have to break them up and tell them to go to their neutral corners.
 

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Is she drawing blood during the fights? I have a couple of cats who will occasionally "fight" each other, especially if Anya (our oldest) sees me giving too much attention to Alexei (the newcomer). She will run at him, start a "fight," but then she will hiss or meow to let him know when she's had enough. Surprisingly, he actually leaves her be until she starts it up again. They've never drawn any blood on each other or removed any hair though, and I think that's what's more important - at least from everything I've read. As for anxiety, you can get some treats that have l-theanine in them to try to get her into a more relaxed state. I like l-theanine because it doesn't knock the cats out, just relaxes them but no major sedation. I use high grade l-theanine powder rather than the treats since it's an amino acid and doesn't absorb as well when food is being digested. Hell, my husband and I both use l-theanine when we're feeling overly stressed out. There's also the option of kitty valium, but I've seen that stuff make cats pretty lethargic, which is why I prefer the l-theanine. I'm not a big fan of having doped up cats stumbling around!
 

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I forgot to ask if you've tried the pillow trick too. When my cats are play fighting but it escalates, I throw a pillow next to them. I make sure they can't see me throw it so once it falls down, they disperse immediately and are even hesitant to start messing with each other again. I imagine they're looking at each other like, "DUDE did you see that? WHAT WAS IT? WHERE DID IT COME FROM?"
 
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our3girls

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Throwing  something like a pillow at my cats is out of the question but works better is throwing a piece of string at them.
No there has not been any blood drawn from the fighting but there has been some yelping from cinnamon as lovergirl lunges her 20+ lbs at here.For being a declawed cat shes learned how to defend herself in a house hold where theres two other cats that aren't.
 

coquelicot

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Throwing  something like a pillow at my cats is out of the question but works better is throwing a piece of string at them.
No there has not been any blood drawn from the fighting but there has been some yelping from cinnamon as lovergirl lunges her 20+ lbs at here.For being a declawed cat shes learned how to defend herself in a house hold where theres two other cats that aren't.
Well I don't mean throwing it at them, just in an area next to them as a distraction. As insane as this may sound, the fact that there has been no blood drawn suggests your cats have pretty good self-control despite the current situation! And oh yeah I believe it - cats are survivors and are especially vicious when they feel threatened. I would definitely try some l-theanine treats for all the cats as a short-term solution while you figure out what is going on.
 
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our3girls

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Maybe part of the problem is there just isn't enough space for all of them to have their own separate territory.Our place is about 800sqft then with the furniture its much smaller.We have been trying to move to something bigger but landlords are becoming increasingly strict on renting to people who have pets,that's another topic of its own.One thing that's kinda getting on my nerves is if theres a spot on the couch with a small pillow she has to run the other cat/s off so she can have it.Children they need to grow up and start acting more mature lol
 

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Do you have cat trees? You can create more "territories" by adding vertical space in the form of cat trees or shelves.
 
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our3girls

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Yes I have a cat tree with several teers and it stands over 6ft.All 3 cats share it.
One thing that's starting to change is that cinnamon is starting to bond with lovergirl by grooming her more often and then they are now laying side by side.Im thinking that Lovergirl has now became the dominate out of the two.
Sometimes lovergirl will take this affection by cinnamon and a spat will start I snap my fingers and tell them to break it up.Im dealing with some very intelligent cats.We can tell cinnamon to go lay on her pillow after a spat and she will go lay on it..Also lovergirl will want to go into the bedrooms one which is off limits one isn't except at night time.She will reach up and grab the door knob and try to turn it.I believe if she had claws she might actualy be able to open the door.
 
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