If he were a child, I would bust his butt!!!!

Oscar is about 9 months old now. He has been neutered. He loves to play with my other kitties, all females.
The problem is, when the play gets a little too rough for him, he gets vicious. This has only happened twice. The first time, he attacked Sandy and chased her down and kept going at her. I intervened but he still didn't stop until I smacked his rear and screamed at him. He was seriously attacking her. If I hadn't been there, I don't know that the fight would've ended. She wasn't fighting back, just trying to get away but he persisted.
Today, the same thing happened with Diddy. They were playing, zooming up and down the stairs until I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I saw Oscar chasing Diddy up the stairs, fur flying. He kept trying to attack her even though she had stopped playing and was just trying to get away. He wasn't just chasing her away. He was trying to hurt her. The only way the attacks will end is if I scare him to death by screaming and stomping and smacking his rear.
I don't know what to do. He hasn't turned on Sui yet but he is much bigger than Sui and if he turned on her he would really hurt her. I would hate to give him away or make him an outside cat but I can't let him hurt any of my girls. Anyone have a similar situation? Any thoughts or suggestions?

First of all do not hit your cat in any way shape or form. It will only teach it to see you as an enemy. You can try a few things.

First of all buy a Feliway plug in from a pet store like Petsmart or order one online. These are really great but a little pricey. People here use them religiously and they work really well.

Second, put a little bit of vanilla extract, not an imitation, on each of their necks and base of the tails. This way they smell the same that hopefully they recognize each other quicker.

Third, some people here don't like to do this, but if nothing else, buy a squirt bottle and fill it with water and squirt his butt when he does this. JUST BE SURE you don't squirt him in the face or let him see you squirt him. If you do then this could be just as bad as smacking him when he is bad.

If necessary, seperate them and start the introduction process all over again. Are you POSITIVE they are not both just playing? My cats do this all the time, where one is the agressor and the other acts like she is being attacked. I have witnessed my cats do this often and at first I thought they were fighting. But I soon realized, the next day the scenario would be the other way around and soon after they would be sleeping or something.

As long as they aren't drawing blood or scratching each other, they are probably ok. Cats play rough sometimes.

I only smacked his rear to stop the attack on my other cat, who was recovering from lipodosis. He was on top of her ATTACKING her. I don't regularly hit my cats. (I'm not a cat beater )

I know they are just playing in the beginning. It starts out very innocent but when the girls get a too rough, he goes for blood. He did scratch Diddy today. It's really not rough play at that point. He was screaming, Diddy was screaming, he was trying to hurt her. It looks like a dog chasing a cat, he's seriously a psycho when this happens. They've been living together for 6 months now and everyone gets along wonderfully until Oscar has these little lapses. (it's only happened twice)

I do have a spray bottle that I use when they misbehave but when cats are screaming and one of them is being hurt, your mind tends to race and you don't really think about finding the spray bottle. All I can think about is protecting the one being hurt. I'm not sure I communicated how bad the attacks are.

I think that he used to fear the girls so much when he was young (they never picked on him, though) that he goes into survival mode. Maybe something inside him just snaps. I will try the feliway, though. It may have some kind of overall effect

I've got no suggestions Kelly but a lot of sympathy- that has to be very upsetting to see and very worrying for you! I hope you can find some ways to settle the situation down, and that your girls stay ok while Oscar's getting some anger management skills pinned down!

Well, I've got Oscar separated from everyone now. I've cracked the door a few times and Diddy sniffed him through the crack but she's still a little scared (or mad) . Sui has been confined in another room b/c she's in heat and the commotion scared the crap out of her. It took me like half an hour to calm her down. Poor Sandy must remember when he attacked her b/c her tail was fluffed out and she freaked out for a little bit. Afterwards, she went in to comfort Diddy by giving her a good ole tongue bath. I just don't know what to do. All of my babies are loved, pampered, and treated equally. Oscar must've had something happen to him early on to create this defense mechanism. He was a dumpster kitty for his first 4 months so I imagine he went thru a lot. I think maybe he would be better off as an only cat but I think he would be miserable without me. I am the only person he totally and fully trusts. I'm going to give Feliway a try like Jenn suggested. If that doesn't help, it's off to the vet. I just don't anyone getting hurt or traumatized any more!

Awww Kelly don't hit Oscar

Sophie, even though she's two years younger than Rosie can play rough at times which can make Rosie cry out, but i give them a "Hey hey hey!!" and they part.

I hope the Feliway works for them.

Originally Posted by Kellyyfaber

Sui has been confined in another room b/c she's in heat

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I am no expert but could this be some kind of trigger? Is this normal behaviour for Oscar or did it just start or start happening?
Just wondering why Sui isn't spayed (not an accusation! Just wondering)

Hope things settle down soon!

Theres a thought?!

You need to redirect the aggression, not add to it, and spanking a cat, even just one time will create aggression. I also wouldn't go adding anymore cats into your home, for the message is clear Oscar is alpha and he doesn't like sharing his turf. You have to create more space for him so he is easier on sharing his territory with others. And please stop smacking his rear-

If you don't have any cat condos, cat ramps or window perches, you need to either make some or buy some. You can create space by clearing off a closet shelf and putting a cat bed there, or clear off the top of bookshelf and let him go there.

Feed him first, before all the other cats, feed him from an elevated perch, near the others, but after his bowl has been placed down, then put the other bowls down.

Play with him every day one-on-one with an interactive toy in a room by yourself, no other cats around-

Have one litter pan per cat, plus an extra-

All this will stop the threat he feels about so many cats in HIS home. He is just mega-alpha and you are punishing him for something that is not his fault, instinct drives him, not mischief or aggression.

Also I highly recommend these two books:


cat-vs-cat and Outwitting Cats

Feliway does not always work, yes, you can try it, and it may help but not everyone has found it to be a cure all.

I am wondering about the heat too. ...why isn't she fixed?.... and that could be a major reason for the issue.