Sudden Aggression

Hi all,

My two cats generally get on very well - they groom each other, play together, sleep next to each other etc. 

Nicky is about 1 and we've had her since the beginning of July.

Toby is 5 months and we've had him for about a month.

They are mother and son.

They were introduced in the correct fashion, and as I said do get on very well. There is the occasional hiss from Nicky, but these are increasingly rare, and there is lots of positive behaviour between them.

Today, however, we took Toby out into the garden for the first time in his cat harness. What happened next surprised us.

Nicky was already in the garden, and when she saw him entering the garden she puffed up her fur, made noises, ran at him, and attacked him. We separated them before any damage was done, and they are now inside and back to their usual selves - no aggression between them since they've come back in.

Was this a case of Nicky defending the garden, which she saw as her territory, or something else? 

A second question - they both seem to prefer either the covered litter tray by our front door with views up the stairs or along the main passage, or else the one in our back sitting room. They never use the litter tray in the upstairs back room - we feed them in the next room along, but that is all - can anyone think of an explanation?

Thanks.

The backyard seems to be Nicky's territory and she may not be willing to share it with the kitten.  Even though it is her son, the territory is hers.  They may fight over it if you are not careful.  It might be best to just keep the kitten in the house or just use a harness or enclosure for the kitten.

I hope since the cats are allowed to be outside that the female is now spayed and the kitten will be neutered.

Thanks for this.

Yes, they are both spayed/neutered - no worries there!

We came to that conclusion, but it would be a pity if they could not share - might it perhaps be a good idea to let them into the garden at different times?

Thanks again.

NickyToby said:

 
Thanks for this.

Yes, they are both spayed/neutered - no worries there!

We came to that conclusion, but it would be a pity if they could not share - might it perhaps be a good idea to let them into the garden at different times?

Thanks again.

Click to expand...

I think allowing them time out separately might work.  Just watch closely to see if there are any issues once one of them returns inside.

Glad they are both spayed/neutered!!!

In time they might learn to share.  Just watch them closely.