Cats were friends, now they're fighting. Please Help!

I have two cats, a seven year old male and a three year old female. They've been living together since the female was a kitten. They always had gotten along fine, playing together and sleeping next to each other. I recently broke up with my boyfriend who I was living with with my cats and had to move out. I've been in my new place for about a month when all of a sudden my female cat attacked the male, viciously. She wouldn't stop so I had to separate them. I just don't know why she attacked him so badly. She's been absolutely fine as long as he's not in the room. I don't know how, or if, I can get them to be friends again and I just can't afford to see a behaviorist right now. Is there anything I can do?

Are your cats neutered/spayed or intact? That may have something to do with it. My female got really aggressive because she wasn't spayed and had ovarian cysts. Spaying her helped a lot.

Also, did the male get outside recently or make a visit to the vet? He may smell differently than she's used to and therefore, he is "unknown" to her - basically a new cat in her territory. Good luck - let us know the answers.

The male is neutered but the female isn't fixed. Neither of them have been anywhere outside of the house. They were just sitting together and then suddenly she attacked him. There are other people and animals in the house but they rarely come in contact with anyone but me. She doesn't act out towards me at all, just my other cat.

Well, with what I've seen through my female cat, it's very possible she suffering with hormonal level swings. It really is in the best interest of the kitty to get her spayed - not only for the crazy mood swings (you know how THAT is), but she has an increased risk of all kinds of cancers. If money is an issue, I believe there are low-cost spay/neuter clinics all over the US at least.

You might also look into the product called "Feliway". It comes like a plug-in, or in a spray. You can get it online or at a local pet store. (Probably a fairly large store like PetSmart or PETCO.) I understand it helps a lot when there is strife between kitties!

Pandora:
Above all, hang in there.
We had a very similar incident a few months back (you could check out my "fighting cats" thread from July).
We got the cats checked out by a vet, got the female spayed and tried Feliway, vanilla extract, towel rubbing, Rescue Remedy, shampooing and a SLOW process of re-introduction as described here (boy, I didn't realize how much we did!).
We did NOT want to put our cat on medication unless as a last resort.
Good News!
Our two friends are once again friendly with each other - pretty much back to normal.
It will seem as though they will not ever be the same, but DON'T GIVE UP!

Good luck, keep us apprised and keep asking questions.

Peace,
Craig

What is a plug in Feliway ??? And what does it do???

It's cat pheromone in a form like a plug-in air freshener.
I tried it for my cats.
Not sure if that's what worked, but it didn't hurt.
You can google it to order on the net, but good pet suppliers also carry it.

Craig