Adult Cat Attacking Other Adult Cat After New Kitten Introduced:
I hope someone has experienced this -- as I haven't ever been in this situation. I've been a cat lover and owner all my life and have always had a multiple-cat home. My husband and I were commenting recently how lucky we've always been to have such a happy cat home. Well... spoke too soon, it seems.
We have 2 adult cats, Bandit - 4 and Cochise - 3; they have been together since Cochise was a kitten. Our boys are all neutered and inside only. We brought a new rescue kitten home a week and a half ago; his name is Levi. Levi is about 18 weeks old. Both Bandit and Cochise welcomed Levi easily, well as easily as a new kitten is ever welcomed. After a few days of isolation and getting to know one another under the door, etc., Levi "came out" to join the others. All went well for several days.
But here is the strange part. Cochise started attacking Bandit on Sunday -- with "the big tail" and the low menacing meow, the salivating/"smacking" behavior -- and eventually, the high-pitched scream and then jumped on him with fur flying and all. It's like two tomcats outside at night -- only one is doing all the caterwauling.
The vet recommended Feliway -- and we got 2 diffusers for each end of the house. This doesn't seem to have any effect on Cochise at all, at least not any calming effect. The aggression has escalated very rapidly to the point that anytime Bandit and Cochise are in the same room, Cochise goes after Bandit within just a few minutes. While this behavior began when the kitten was around, it now happens whether or not he is "out." (I still "put him up" several times a day, so he'll calm down for a nap, etc.)
HELP PLEASE. Does anyone have experience with this??? Thanks much... life is stressful for all of us.
I hope someone has experienced this -- as I haven't ever been in this situation. I've been a cat lover and owner all my life and have always had a multiple-cat home. My husband and I were commenting recently how lucky we've always been to have such a happy cat home. Well... spoke too soon, it seems.
We have 2 adult cats, Bandit - 4 and Cochise - 3; they have been together since Cochise was a kitten. Our boys are all neutered and inside only. We brought a new rescue kitten home a week and a half ago; his name is Levi. Levi is about 18 weeks old. Both Bandit and Cochise welcomed Levi easily, well as easily as a new kitten is ever welcomed. After a few days of isolation and getting to know one another under the door, etc., Levi "came out" to join the others. All went well for several days.
But here is the strange part. Cochise started attacking Bandit on Sunday -- with "the big tail" and the low menacing meow, the salivating/"smacking" behavior -- and eventually, the high-pitched scream and then jumped on him with fur flying and all. It's like two tomcats outside at night -- only one is doing all the caterwauling.
The vet recommended Feliway -- and we got 2 diffusers for each end of the house. This doesn't seem to have any effect on Cochise at all, at least not any calming effect. The aggression has escalated very rapidly to the point that anytime Bandit and Cochise are in the same room, Cochise goes after Bandit within just a few minutes. While this behavior began when the kitten was around, it now happens whether or not he is "out." (I still "put him up" several times a day, so he'll calm down for a nap, etc.)
HELP PLEASE. Does anyone have experience with this??? Thanks much... life is stressful for all of us.