Redirected Aggression - Lingering problems

cherie0129

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I am kind of sad to hear i am not alone in this messy situation. I moved to Chicago from mass back in march, and for the first time ever in 9 years my 2 cats got along however upon returning to mass 6 most later a huge fight broke out. We had been in our new place for over a week when Levi ( 9 ) attacked Wendy (16) fur flying fight Levi even tried to get undernthe couch with Wendy to keep fighting. And this is hard for me also, about any ago I was living in a garden apartment and apparently something spooked Levi to the point he attacker Wendy and I . It was horrible !! He attached himself to the front of my leg with a paw on either side of my calf. Well a friend came and got him from under my bed and we put him in my spare room, about a day later I went to open the door and he charged right at it. I now get nervous when they fight. So the vet put him on kitty prozac , nothing for Wendy who I fear may be emotionally scared. All of this makes me wish I had stayed in Chicago, place was a miracle for them. I am also doing the baby gate thing andnits good, I don't free feed as suggested by Jackson galaxy so when ingot home they eat together but together time only lasts about 30 mins. Wendy gets pissy, starts growling which of course puts Levi on the defense ....its been a month now. I do have a split level 1 bdrm apartment so she was upstairs and he has been downstairs with me....I have a divider at the bottom of the stairs. Kitchen and living-room upstairs, bath and bedroom with small 3 ft hall downstairs. Tomorrow I am going to talk with a cat behavorist, we have been emailing and talking i have also been taking pictures and video. I have had many many cats in my life ( I am 56 ) NEVER NEVER EVER have I encountered such anything. I also am using the plug in and calming collars....hmmmm not sure what I think
 

aislinn

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Oh, cherie0129, I feel so horrible for you. This is definitely a case of redirected aggression - something I knew nothing about until it happened to my two. You can be sure that something spooked Levi and you may never know what triggered his attack, but I assure you, he saw, heard, or smelled something. It's going to take time for things to get back to normal. Try to be patient. At least they can smell and see each other for brief periods. Wendy is rightfully scared of him, so she behaving as the victim will only incite Levi to act as the aggressor. Is there some sort of calming medication that you could give Wendy as well? She needs to overcome her fear of Levi in order for things to progress, I believe. A behaviorist will be a good help. As long as you're comfortable with the living arrangement the way it is, give it a long time to resolve. I went through it for a month, and threw in the towel. I gave my male cat back to the rescue, but was so heartbroken over my decision that I took him back after 3 months. He and his sister are still separated. Finn, the male, is taking Elavil, which is an anti-anxiety Med. So far, I'm not ready to reintroduce them as his sister hisses like a mad woman when she smells him under my bedroom door. My only advice to you is to hang in, and be patient. Hopefully, 4$3 Prozac will calm Levi enough to start a reintroduction. Please keep us posted. It's a horrible thing to witness, and something I never in a million years thought could happen to two happy cats. I'm thinking of you and praying for a miracle.
 
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cherie0129

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Thank you so much Aislinn, I noticed today that Wendy did better when I had her upstairs and Levi downstairs so tomorrow I will be sure to mention that to the vet/behavorist tomorrow. The clinic I am switching to is strictly for cats, they mentioned putting Wendy on gabbapenten 2 to help her which I thought was an arthritis med ( my mom takes reg gabbapenten). I was getting so excited when they actually ate together, sadly short lived....she growled after the food was gone about 15-40 mins
 

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She's still frightened. With more exposure to each other, under positive circumstances, she will trust him again. Poor Levi didn't realize what he was doing. He was just being a cat, and Wendy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think that perhaps the meds that your vet mentioned may have some anti-anxiety properties. You might want to ask your vet about side effects just so you're aware in advance. Don't lose hope. Just take baby steps. Hopefully, they will become desentized to each other over time. Please keep us posted.
 
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cherie0129

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So the vet is very nice we talked for about a hour, she looked at the video's and suggested that Levi and wendy have a complete separation for a few days. I'm not sure how I feel about that idea. She definitely wants to put wendy on a anti-anxeity medication to help with how stressed she feels around Levi. Then a crazy thing happened when I got home, I could not find Levi. Well when I did I was suprised. .he was locked downstairs with Wendy. He was hiding in the bathroom and wendy was on the bed. Hmmm soo I fed them, left the gates open..he came downstairs and she hissed and growled a bit. Then he started to meow a bit so I took him back upstairs. I have noticed wendy had more confidence when she was upstairs. Still not sure how I feel about starting over
 

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Cherie, from what you just wrote, I think you're better off not separating them completely. In my case, I think complete separation made it worse. By the time they saw each other, they were complete strangers. I think with Wendy on meds,she will relax around Levi more. Keep doing what you're doing. It sounds like it's going in the right direction. Trust me. I've lived it and still am. Please keep me posted.
 

aislinn

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If 30 minutes is her limit, then definitely separate them when she's reached her limit. I do believe in time, she will slowly begin to trust him again. The poor little thing. It's so hard to see them stressed. The medication will help. Good idea not to keep them completely separated. Good luck and please post updates!
 
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cherie0129

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Today is my day off and we have been all hanging out together, little bit of hissing and growling from wendy but I decided today we were going to spend more time together
 

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It's probably a good thing that you're with them. Wendy needs a bit more confidence around Levi. Let me know how it goes!
 
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cherie0129

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Yesterday was a great day. We all hung out all day, when it came to bed time Levi and I went back to the bedroom with the divider up. We all know how mischief cats can get at night [emoji]128513[/emoji]
 
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cherie0129

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So everyday I have been leaving the cats to run free and it went nice and smooth for 80% of the day....until Friday, Wendy got a hair across her butt and a fight almost broke out. Thankfully Levi lets me pick him up to take him back downstairs. Ugh when will it stop?
 

aislinn

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It's going to take time. Wendy still doesn't trust Levi. Just keep doing what you're doing, and eventually Wendy will overcome her fear. Baby steps and lots of patience. They're almost there. Frustrating, I know, but you're way ahead of the game at this point. Hang in there!
 
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cherie0129

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Hello there, things are so much better Wendy still growls but not as aggressive. Levi is still sleeping down stairs with me and the divider is still up at night we all know cats get mischief at night lol. Thank you for asking.
 

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Wonderful! I am so happy to hear this. It's almost back to normal. Great news. Thanks for the update.
 
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cherie0129

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Just wanted to pop in and say happy holidays to all the great supportive folks here. And thank you
 
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cherie0129

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With a sad heart we had to say goodbye to Levi he had his 2nd battle with a uti and I just couldn't watch my little man suffer .
 
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