Help My cat's turned psycho!!!

Ok. I'll start off with telling you my wife and I rent an apartment from 2 cats. Elvis, a black & white longhair, and Sunny, a "morris" lookalike. Yesterday my wife brushed Sunny outside. She then started to brush Elvis, but he freaked out. He now hisses and snarls at us and Sunny. Poor Sunny doesn't understand why his friend of 3+ years is attacking him. I guess I'm just wondering if Elvis is caught in some permanent pschosis or if he'll calm down. This is my first two cats, and we're on day two of this bizarre behavior. We are a little worried about leaving Elvis and Sunny together. Please help guys, sorry for the lengthy post. Thanx in advance.

I can't really tell you exactly what caused the behavior change, except that Sunny probably smells different from being outside, maybe he picked up a particular smell that now makes Elvis freak out.

Do they usually go outside?

Did Elvis go outside to be brushed also?

To help the problem, you can put a few dabs of Pure Vanilla Extract on both cats, on their neck, chin and base of the tail. Must be pure vanilla extract.

Also you might want to pick up some Feliway plug ins from the pet store. It is expensive but works wonderfully for unwanted behavior problems.

Thanx for the response. Both cats go outside daily. Usually for 45min- 1hr x 2. I picked Elvis up and brought him right outside the door so the hair could blow away across the yard. What is the deal with vanilla?

It simply makes them both smell the same. I do knot know exactly why you need to use pure vanilla extract but that is what everybody here says and that is what I have used and it works well. Cats recognize each other by scent, not sight. There must be a smell or something on Sunny that Elvis doesn't like.

There could also be a chance Sunny could be sick or something and therefore smells different. Cats are excellent at hiding their sick feelings so you could never know.

Try the vanilla first, then Feliway plug in, and then if still not better, maybe look into having him looked at by a vet, but I doubt that is it. Just keep in mind, look for any changes in behavior in Sunny or change in litterbox consistancy.

I will try the vanilla, but his behavior is also the same towards my wife and I.
He's hiding right now. He begrudgingly lets us pet him but he's very aloof at the same time. He growls when I walk by the space he's in. He hisses at all of us. I told him If he was gonna keep acting like this that he was going to have to start paying rent, but he wasn't impressed at all.

Is he neutered?

Maybe he is the one who is not feeling well.

For now, don't go up to him, pet him or look at him. Just talk to him, feed him, play with him with toys and talk to him some more. Let him approach you when he wants to.

Someone else will probably be around with more helpful suggestions. I am not sure I have any more right now

You also should consider a vet visit. He may have been injured or become sick. Cats in pain and discomfort are known to lash out at all around them. The only time my Petunia (RIP) growled at me was when she had developed painful kidney stones.

I agree with a vet visit.
Anytime there is a sudden change in behavior, medical reasons need to be addressed or ruled out before you can work on changing the behavior itself.

Elvis is long haired? Maybe the brush caught a tangle or something and pulled his hair? You did say he started acting this way while your wife was brushing him?? * Also,if she hadn't started brushing him,maybe he's had a bad experience with grooming before you got him.

Also, cats that are mad at / territorial / threatened by another cat will do this. If he does not recognize his brother for some reason, then it is not surprising that he is also lashing out at you.
I agree with the vet visit though, because since they both go outside there shouldn't be anything that weird about how he smelled when he came in.

There is also the possibility of another male cat coming around and maybe spraying under windows, front door, near vents...maybe he is smelling that and reacting to it.