Sudden Agression among former friends(kitties)

I am the owner of 7 kitties. 5 are sister and brothers who we adopted/rescued from being indiscriminantly given away or left behind at the county fair in 2004. 2 were adopted rescues from a local no kill animal compassion network of foster homes.

The 5 kittens were very very slowly introduced and accepted by the first 2 over a year ago. All have gotten along wonderfully -- until all of a sudden. My fiance and I went away for 2nights/3 days to visit his family. We travel semi-frequently for work, so we hired the same kitty sitter to check on them 2 times a day. This same length of trip has occurred many times in the year we've all been together. This time, however, my sitter called to say there was hostility occurring and she was going to separate the "victim" of it all. I was shocked and very disappointed. We came home a few hours sooner than planned that day. Sure enough, 2 of the kittens--one male, one female are stalking one of their brothers. The other 4 are primarily bystanders.

We have tried to find a cause. I know when they mature this can happen, but it's just too sudden, as they were all getting along just as well as always the morning we left. We do occassionaly see stray kitties outside our home (all our cats are indoor)--and my fiance saw one the day we returned. Also, the visiting times of our sitter were different than normal due to a busy holiday schedule. Finally, one of our kitties is overweight, and our sitter took it upon herself to skip a breakfast wet food feeding to spend more time playing and see if it might be a way to get her to loose weight. (I really like my sitter very very much,, but worry this added to the stress). Also, the overwieght cat was put in a different room than normal for the feeding because she was trying to much to get the other's food (typically feeding time is a 2 person job when we do it!). aGAIN, I really truly trust and like my sitter very very much, and figure those things added to a stressor that triggered the problem, but don't think it could have caused it?

Okay, enough story/info. Currently the two agressors are separate from the other 5, and it's like Paradise and very harmonious right now. But, I don't want this to go on forever.

Advice, experiences, etc. Please. Thanks!

i didnt notice how old the cats were and if they have been spayed/neutered yet? that might help if not done already.

imho you are on the money when you say that you leaving town triggered this. with you gone and a new person (the istter) come in the hierachy had changed. They may have also been stressed and a little bored.

I would consider buying a few feliways diffusers (useful if you have many cats in the first place ) and seek vetinary advice before putting the tubby cat on a diet.

Oh yes, they are all spayed and neutered; all were done early in kittenhood. The ages are: 5 kittens (the 5 rescued litter from the fair-3 females, 2 males) aprox. 1 1/2 years old. The 2 original adoptees 1 male 1 female, turned two years old in December -- they are not brother and sister, but were both born on the same farm about 2 weeks apart.

We did buy a spary bottle of Feliway--but I am just not sure how to use it. The bottle is directed only for inappropriate peeing, or vet visit use. Can you give me advice on how to use that, and I will also purchase a diffuser per your recommendation.

How long do you think I should keep them totally apart. My next step will be to remove the barrier room, so they can get up to the same door and do some sniffing and what not under the door. But I am really nervous about doing it too soon . . . or waiting too long to where the two who are in the cellar room get really lonely and set up a whole new set of rules of their own . . .? We visit them very frequently, my fiance spends time down there with them, but there is no two ways about it, the 5 upstairs are more integrated into daily life than those 2 babies will be no matter how hard we try! Gosh this is so distressful!

Our next trip we are hiring a sitter who will be staying overnight, so she will be here from about 6pm to 8am the next day each day. It will be much more like our normal schedule when working. So I hope this will allieviate the level of stress? Because, this trip is for an entire week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i've seen the feliway plug-ins reccomended over the sprays.

as for your other questions, i hope someone more knowledgable than me will be along shortly to answer them.

if not, try pming Hissy. She gives great advice

First off the one getting pounced on, I would take to the vet for a thorough check. When cats are injured or in pain, or ill their scent that the other cats are so used to subtley changes, making them unrecognizable. I would rule out a health issue first and foremost. Especially because you were gone, the cat could have been so stressed you weren't around that now it is ill.

Thanks, I have already made an appointment with my vet for as soon as she gets in town, Tuesday afternoon. She is a cat only vet and very very knowledgeable and I suspect will have much good advice and anecdotes. She is also the owner of over 10 kitties herself (all adoptees as well).

In the meantime, I plan to keep the two perpetrators-chasers, separte from the other 5. None of the other kitties are chasing Blue -- but I am going to take him just the same, and use the time to talk to the vet about all this. I'm also going through the steps of reintroduction given by Pam Johnson-Bennett--although I find the new cat introduction hard to equate--is there a book Pam did that talks just about "reintroductions" or that you could recommend to add to my "Cat vs. Cat" one?

I don't know the Pam Johnson-Bennett book. I have heard about re-directed aggresion in a book called The Cat who Cried for Help by Dr Nicholas Dodman. He specifically mentioned indoor cats seeing outdoor cats as a stimulator for this type of problem. He actually witnessed the start of a bout of this between his own two cats. Of course, just like everyone here, the first thing he recommonds is making sure that there are no underlying health problems causing all this.

He seems to not set a time limit on the seperation but to instead suggest that you feed the two cats on opposite sides of a closed door and alternate their private spaces so that they are interacting with each other's smell. He also suggests devising different ways for them to interact under the door with each other. If they can eat on opposite sides of the door and change areas without agressive resonses I think you treat them like re-introducing a new cat and try putting one in a carrier and intoroducing it to the other. He seems to be a fan of using anti-depression medication as a temproary stress reliever to help them calm down and reaccept each other. I would think the Felaway would work well for that as well.

Good luck and I hope you're able to get them back together.

I have 4 cats. They all got along really well until 2 days ago. Suddenly Kira (female) is acting crazy everytime she smells Charlie (male) who was her best friend until just a couple days ago. All I know for sure is that they started fighting when they were in the garage and it's been insane since then. She goes through small periods, like 5 or 6 hours where she's fine with him but then it's like she remembers that she hates him and starts growling really low and stalking him. Charlie just wants to be friends again but she won't let him. They just had a major blow out a few minutes ago. Now they are both laying on the bed (on opposite sides) and Kira is still staring at him once in awhile like she wants to mess him up. I don't know what is going on and it is stressing me out like crazy and I'm sure it's miserable for all 4 of them too. What do i do? What would cause this? I read an earlier response that it might be medical... Charlie might be ill? Sigh. Do i take them both to the vet or just start with Charlie? Should I contact a behaviorilist? Yes, I think I will but any insight any other catheads here have i would be so appreciative.

ps this is my first post here. I just found your board through google. Lovely place. Thank you for providing it!

ring your vet and ask if you should bring both in, but definitly take Charlie in.

try feliway if he gets a clean bill of health (try it anyway as it might calm things down quicker).

has anythign changed at home? what do you think triggered it off? is everyone (cats i mean!) spayed or neutered?

Try not to get stressed, cats can read your emotions and it might make things worse.

you could always add a few drops of rescue rememdy (availble from heath stores) to their water to relax them.

Whenever a kitty is beaten up on, it should go to the vet. that is very important, because of the previously mentioned cent change.

Thank you for the book recommendation, I just placed an order for that, plus Twisted Whiskers (Pam J-Bennett) and treated myself to another Pam J-B book that is suppose to be purely entertaining -- Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink -- BEcause heaven knows I sure could use some destressing in all this Tomorrow is vet appt--I will let everyone know what comes of this so it can provide helpful to others experiencing the same thing!

Originally Posted by Jirel

I don't know the Pam Johnson-Bennett book. I have heard about re-directed aggresion in a book called The Cat who Cried for Help by Dr Nicholas Dodman. He specifically mentioned indoor cats seeing outdoor cats as a stimulator for this type of problem. He actually witnessed the start of a bout of this between his own two cats. Of course, just like everyone here, the first thing he recommonds is making sure that there are no underlying health problems causing all this.

He seems to not set a time limit on the seperation but to instead suggest that you feed the two cats on opposite sides of a closed door and alternate their private spaces so that they are interacting with each other's smell. He also suggests devising different ways for them to interact under the door with each other. If they can eat on opposite sides of the door and change areas without agressive resonses I think you treat them like re-introducing a new cat and try putting one in a carrier and intoroducing it to the other. He seems to be a fan of using anti-depression medication as a temproary stress reliever to help them calm down and reaccept each other. I would think the Felaway would work well for that as well.

Good luck and I hope you're able to get them back together.

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