Desperate for Help!

Long story short.  We are in a campground where there are other ferals and/or throw aways that roam this property.  There was just a cat-fight outside one of our windows where both our boys were listening/watching.

They were sitting side by side watching intently .,. then all of a sudden our oldest (2yrs) went after our 1yr old, barely drawing blood on his nose.  I got scratched up pretty good getting them apart.  I don't care (although I will have it checked out) about me ..

I sprayed Feliway everywhere, shut all the windows.  The oldest seemed to calm down - body language wise - however, after sniffing his little brother two more times, starting the low growling and went after him again.

I NEED HELP AS FAST AS POSSIBLE PLEASE.  What can I do?  This can't happen in this small a space.

Thanks to all with help.

A large towel or blanket is a quick way to safely gain control over an upset cat.

"A cat can't see, he can't fight."
Adapted from Rule Three of the Quick Silver method from The Karate Kid, Part III.

Have things calmed down at all?

I'm assuming you're in a camper and don't really have the option of putting one cat into another room for a little bit. Though, is the bathroom safe? Do you have a separate car with you that one of you can take one of the cats to? Do you have carriers for them there, that you could stick them in for a little bit, and perhaps cover up with a sweater or towel or something so they can calm down? A small, dark, quiet place can work wonders.

About your scratches - have you had a tetanus shot in the last 5 years? If not, the doctor will probably want you to get a booster.

I'm by no means an expert, but I would think the best thing to do here is separate them for a while whenever they start to get hostile again.  Is there any place you can put one of the cats?  A bathroom or bedroom with a door or some kind of closure?  I would put the most upset cat in there for a few hours and make sure he has calmed down before he is let out again.  If hostilities continue, you may be in for a long trip of continuing to separate them every time the battle flares up.  I have read several stories recently about this kind of redirected aggression and it seems like some cats get over it immediately and for others it can take weeks of work (and keeping the cats separated) to get the cats to be agreeable with each other again.  I guess it depends on how bad it is and the personalities of the cats involved.

Also, I would suggest that the next time a cat fights breaks out outside the window, try to distract your cats from it so that they don't get worked up again.  Maybe high value treats or favorite toys would work.  Just do it carefully in case one of the cats decides to take out some anger on you.

First off, yes, we seperated them just like we did when we first introduced them.  Little guy in the bedroom with Daddy and his own litter, food, water.  Big buy in the living area of our camper with me and his food, litter, etc.  Fortunately our camper is 300sq ft (40 feet long) so we can seperate.

The bad part is the ferals are of course, still outside, still raising heck from time to time so the big guy is still quite in tune to that.  Although he has curled up on me on the sofa and slept and purred like always.

I'm trying to just distract him from the noises that I hear outside with something else.  TV volume, my voice, etc.

And yes, we do have carriers if needed and also I have had a tetanus in the last 10yrs.  In fact I had two back to back accidentally in the past 10yrs because we could not remember when I last did after going to the ER over a (non-cat) related puncture wound in my hand.

Thank you for all your input here. I hope sooner than later is how it works out for us.  We decided to keep them separate over night and even let us calm down.  I can't even express how badly that scared me and to even see it happen.  I was trying to get the window they were sitting at closed because the noise was so loud outside from those other cats it unnerved me.

Our oldest was approx 8mos old when we rescued him right here off these river banks in 2013.  So he was used to fighting

The youngest was adopted from a shelter at 3.5mos old so other than play fighting, he's never known that life and was so freaked out and scared it just broke our hearts.

But the oldest boy took to him when we brought him home within 60hrs of proper intros and they have been thick as thieves.  Groom each other, sleep together on our bed nightly and so on.  They play chase and wrestle all the time but as all cat owners know, there is serious play and then this - redirected aggression.'

Hoping the morning brings a new and better day for all of us.

Well, 7+hours later and they played 'paws' beneath the bathroom door like they did early on.  I decided to get something they both love - kibble - set their places in the usual spots across from each other, but not facing each other.  Just trying the 'normal routine' around here.

The oldest inspected the back of the house, wandered around, sniffed the youngest's rear end, etc.  No sign of anything at issue. 

But the oldest inspected the back bedroom again, youngest still snacking on his kibble, oldest walks by, youngest looks over his shoulder at him and the oldest air-swatted at him not making contact, then was just about to go into that low growl when I quietly scooped him up, letting the little guy (and when I say little the youngest is 15lbs) head back to the safety of the bedroom.

Still the middle of the night here in Louisiana but and I will slowly try again in the morning.  This is absolutely nerve wracking.  Both cats have slept more than the husband and I tonight.

I'm going to try to use Simple Green and even wipe down our carpets & window screens in the back at daybreak.  I think during the outdoor cat fight our camper had to have been sprayed and that may be contributing to the older boys second reaction after re-exploring our bedroom.  They were both long ago neutered, so I'm hoping it was neither of them spraying inside too.  It just sort of has a funky smell back there now. 

I will send the DH out in search of the Miracle cleaner but where we are staying/working, there are no big box-type pet stores like Petsmart or Petco.  Tractor Supply may have it tho.

And another friend suggested putting a couple of those motion-sensing sprinkler heads outside the camper that could possibly help keep the ferals away from our camper.  We one of only 2 campers in this section which is right in their squirrel/varmit hunting territory.  Unfortunately we don't have the option to move either since we are already in a 'worker' site and the rest are filled with other workers.

Just wondering if anyone does anything for the feral?  Are they spayed/neutered or being fed?  Their fighting may be a result of territorial issues and cats not being neutered.  Maybe there is a rescue group in your area that could help do TNR with the cats.  This would greatly reduce the spraying and fighting outside.

Redirected cat aggression can be difficult to deal with.  If/when they see the ferals again, it might bring on another battle.  You might want to keep them away from the windows for awhile and close all the blinds at night.

ShadowsRescue said:

 
Just wondering if anyone does anything for the feral?  Are they spayed/neutered or being fed?  Their fighting may be a result of territorial issues and cats not being neutered.  Maybe there is a rescue group in your area that could help do TNR with the cats.  This would greatly reduce the spraying and fighting outside.

Redirected cat aggression can be difficult to deal with.  If/when they see the ferals again, it might bring on another battle.  You might want to keep them away from the windows for awhile and close all the blinds at night.

Click to expand...

I'm worried sick about them too.  I know 50% is some serious screaming between the two outside, but they were banging against all the metal under our RV fighting.   I asked the local vet here (who fixed our oldest boy up and neutered him back in 2013) if I could get a discount on TNRing any that I could catch.  I asked him again this year when I saw so many more beautiful, abandoned cats.  He referred me to the only lady locally who TNRs and she just does not have the funds to do this for roughly 25-30 cats.  I'm certain none are neutered.  Everyone that works here has witnessed some sort of scrabble between cats.  This is a huge property and yes, even I have fed them, but I was only feeding & trying to get them familiar with me in the even the TNR lady could help out, even with donations from me.  I have not been lucky in that department & it breaks my heart every day that no one cares. 

Quite frankly this is an enormously depressed economic area and I have to look away often from the dogs on chains in back yards, etc. much less these poor felines.   Even our manager here tells all of us seasonal workers "don't mention those feral cats around the GM" .. he calls the city and the city will shoot and kill them.   Makes my guts churn, and my brain can't even process the horror of that statement.   The only shelter across the river, in this area is a kill shelter.

We do close the blinds at night but there is really no way to keep them from seeing (much less hearing the caterwauling) of a feral strolling by during the day.  We have always kept our windows open to get a nice breeze through the RV, but that will stop today.  I will just run the air conditioners for the noise as the ferals come and go throughout the day.  We are inside a levee right on the Mississippi River where those cats hunt squirrels, etc.

I would add too that up until this real cat fight out the window last night, both boys have sat side by side in every open window in here watching and listening to those ferals off and on since we got here in November with no issues at all.  They just run from one window to another watching.  They don't even chatter or caterwaul back to them. 

It seems to strictly be that outdoor fight that set our oldest off.

Bluebird Gal said:

 
I would add too that up until this real cat fight out the window last night, both boys have sat side by side in every open window in here watching and listening to those ferals off and on since we got here in November with no issues at all.  They just run from one window to another watching.  They don't even chatter or caterwaul back to them. 

It seems to strictly be that outdoor fight that set our oldest off.

Click to expand...

Yes.  It is called redirected cat aggression.  Something set him off that he saw or even smelled.  He took it out on the closest thing to him; the other cat.  I hope your two come to terms quickly.  Here is an article on redirected cat aggression.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/re-directed-aggression-in-cats

I am so sorry for the ferals.  Do you have a local or county Humane Society or ASPCA where you could get some help?

I will look around today for an ASPCA option.

Since it's going on 9hrs I got the hubby out of the way in case I needed to grab the big guy.  Let him enter our bedroom while the little guy was on his bed on our bed.  Si jumped up on a counter, sniffered around and then looked over at the little guy and his pupils dialated so I gently, but quickly removed him from the room.  But he did hiss at him on the way by.  Man this is tearing my heart out.  They are usually playing chase after breakfast right about now.

The little guy show no aggressive behavior at all.  I'm sure he's still shell shocked at why his friend would do this

Try reintroducing them from scratch scent swapping the whole nine yards as your eldest boy has really got his hackles in a bunch over those ferals! Try playing calming music and lots of feliway spray it on just about any surface that will take it. I'm sorry your eldest boysin such a bunch i hope they are thick as thieves again soon x

StephieDoodle said:

 
Try reintroducing them from scratch scent swapping the whole nine yards as your eldest boy has really got his hackles in a bunch over those ferals! Try playing calming music and lots of feliway spray it on just about any surface that will take it. I'm sorry your eldest boysin such a bunch i hope they are thick as thieves again soon x

Click to expand...

Thank you Stephie.  That is exactly what we are doing.  Luckily I kept everything we had originally purchased separate for little Monty.  It's just difficult to say the least doing this in an RV.  I feel like this has just set me back an entire year.  A whole year of them just loving one another totally.  Even to our surprise at how fast they took to each other.

I have rotated them to the opposite rooms now where the other spent the night.  And I am making use of my Feliway spray throughout.

I really feel for you I am in the process of working on my hubby letting us get a second feline and when/if he decides its acceptable I am not looking forward to intros.

StephieDoodle said:

 
I really feel for you I am in the process of working on my hubby letting us get a second feline and when/if he decides its acceptable I am not looking forward to intros.

Click to expand...

Thank you Stephie.  Our intros between an 18mo old and a 3.5mo went awesome actually.  It is just heartbreaking to see I need to start all over again it seems.

We tried a couple of hours ago, with each cats attention directed to some high value treats and although I didn't see the oldest boys pupils completely dilate he did start the low growl while glancing over at his little brother, so back to separate rooms.  Little brother remains oblivious, except to the fact that they are separate and he does not want to be.

Erm.. Well, I'm not an expert, but when they do fight, it might be best to just keep them away from each other  for a while. I'd also recommend that, when the cats do fight, instead of trieing to get them apart that way, get something, like a blanket, to put in between them. Then, you can maybe pick one up by the neck and quickly get that cat somewhere else? idk.  ..that probably wouldn't work. Because you have to hold the blanket at the same time as picking up the cat.

That's all I can think of, and it might not be very good. So sorry about that. You could choose none of them, or choose which ever you think is best. It's up to you!

Sorry about those scratches of yours, by the way.   

Cassthecatlover said:

 
Erm.. Well, I'm not an expert, but when they do fight, it might be best to just keep them away from each other  for a while. I'd also recommend that, when the cats do fight, instead of trieing to get them apart that way, get something, like a blanket, to put in between them. Then, you can maybe pick one up by the neck and quickly get that cat somewhere else? idk. 

..that probably wouldn't work. Because you have to hold the blanket at the same time as picking up the cat.

That's all I can think of, and it might not be very good. So sorry about that. You could choose none of them, or choose which ever you think is best. It's up to you!

Sorry about those scratches of yours, by the way. 

 

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input!  Fortunately after getting a good luck today - my adrenaline was as high as their last night.  They are not near as bad as I expected even after waiting 1/2 a day to look.   I had to get sleep worse than anything.  I dozed off for about 30min last night on our couch with the oldest (fight starter).

Today I continued what we originally did - let them glance at each other around the bathroom door with me firmly blocking any burst of action through the door.  They played paws.  There was no growling.  And they were clearly making eye contact.  Since they both love playing in our shower, I let the fight starter get into the shower, closed the glass door, then let the little guy in to mosy around.  They were face to face then, and again no growling or erratic behavior.

I do have a good, heavy flannel jacket that I will use to separate again if need be.

We did let them wander around the length of the RV with me very, very closely following.  Petting both, talking very calmly to the fight starter about what a good boy he was being.   There was no posturing from him at all.  He was, of course, very interested in Monty.  And it is quite obvious Monty is fearful of him right now even though he wants to be near him.

Once Monty headed for our bedroom, and tucked into a cubby under the nightstand, that was when Si peered around the corner looking for him and let out a low growl.  I gently shooed Si back into the bathroom area, closed the door and that will be it for tonight. 

Bluebird Gal said:

 
Thanks for the input!  Fortunately after getting a good luck today - my adrenaline was as high as their last night.  They are not near as bad as I expected even after waiting 1/2 a day to look.   I had to get sleep worse than anything.  I dozed off for about 30min last night on our couch with the oldest (fight starter).

Today I continued what we originally did - let them glance at each other around the bathroom door with me firmly blocking any burst of action through the door.  They played paws.  There was no growling.  And they were clearly making eye contact.  Since they both love playing in our shower, I let the fight starter get into the shower, closed the glass door, then let the little guy in to mosy around.  They were face to face then, and again no growling or erratic behavior.

I do have a good, heavy flannel jacket that I will use to separate again if need be.

We did let them wander around the length of the RV with me very, very closely following.  Petting both, talking very calmly to the fight starter about what a good boy he was being.   There was no posturing from him at all.  He was, of course, very interested in Monty.  And it is quite obvious Monty is fearful of him right now even though he wants to be near him.

Once Monty headed for our bedroom, and tucked into a cubby under the nightstand, that was when Si peered around the corner looking for him and let out a low growl.  I gently shooed Si back into the bathroom area, closed the door and that will be it for tonight. 

Click to expand...

You're very welcome! I'm always here to help people who need help, even if I'm not an expert. 

That's all good news. I'm glad they seem to be getting on a bit better, and I'm glad you have that flannel jacket. Might come in handy!

That's the only trouble about having two cats - they'll sometimes fight. I don't have two cats, only one, but I have a neighbor who has two cats, and one of them does not get along with Sooty at all. They'd often have big stand-offs with each other, and sometimes Sooty would come back with a scratched nose. But things seem to have got better since he was neutered, though.