Adult cat attacking her littermate

[heatherfeather9360]

Hi everyone!

I have two 6-yr-old females who were littermates, Kitten and Sister. Kitten has always beat up Sister occasionally. The vet suggested that Kitten is just playing, but the attacks seem viscous and Sister always runs and hides when this occurs, telling me she is not having any fun. There hasn't been significant injury, thank goodness, mostly claws in the torso, but I feel terrible when this happens. The attacks usually occur outside and recently, they happen a few times every day that I know of.

My sister, who is not a cat lover, thinks I should take Kitten to the humane society. She believes that I need to protect Sister, that her need for relief from this situation for her outweighs the needs of Kitten. I can truly see her point. Seeing my sweet, submissive Sister get hurt makes me so sad. But both cats came from a traumatic environment where they lived for four years. Somehow, Kitten developed bad behaviors and trauma and Sister didn't.

Kitten loves living here and she lives for the outdoors. I've never been able to keep her inside and she looks so joyful galivanting around the yard, climbing trees, investigating the river. I highly doubt that anyone would adopt her-a 6-yr-old black cat. When I think of her living out the rest of her days in a cage, especially after all that she has gone through, I can't bear it. But I'm open to it if, after examining all angles and finding out other cat lovers' opinions, I find that it is best. If anyone has any thoughts about Kitten's behavior and/or what I should do about this situation, I would love to hear them.

Thank you for reading!

 

[catlady1979]

First question, are they both spayed? Do you have other cats around? Also, when they're inside, feliway plug ins help a lot. I don't agree with letting them out but I understand. My Rocky I got from outside used to escape all the time. He finally calmed down last year and rarely tries to get out anymore at 6 years old. It's also an option to give Kitten medication to calm her. Obviously from the vet. I know you know giving her up is the very last option. If they deem her behavior unstoppable they're likely to euthanize her.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! I presume these cats are spayed - as asked above. How long have you had these cats - 2 years? Has the situation always been like this since you adopted them? If so, what, if any, actions have you taken to date to see if you can help? If not, when did it start and was there anything unusual going on then? How does Sister react to Kitten during those times when Kitten is not attacking her?

As you said, cats react differently to their environments. One thing that doesn't likely help out is Kitten being allowed to roam outdoors as she pleases - it sounds as if this could actually be exacerbating her behavior, since the attacks occur mostly outside. There are just some cats that get overstimulated by all that is going on around them when outdoors. It could be other cats or critters that rile her up and she takes out her anxiety on her sister, often called re-directed aggression. This can also happen when cats are indoors as well, because they can see/smell/sense the other animals outside.

Your first effort in trying to correct this behavior is to see if you can find a pattern to when Kitten attacks Sister - that will go a long way in determining options for corrective action. Secondly, until you can figure that out, maybe set a schedule so that Kitten and Sister are not outside at the same time. The clawing needs to stop, and if most incidents occur outside, this will help immensely.

It is, sadly, the inclination of some people, to want to just 'dump' the problem on someone else - one of the reasons, among others, why shelters and rescues are so overloaded, It really shouldn't be the first choice. The other thing to consider is talking to your vet about Kitten's behavior and seeing if they might be willing to try some calming meds for her, also as mentioned above.

Other possible solutions depend on the answers to my questions, so more information would be helpful. Lastly, if after multiple attempts to resolve this issue are unsuccessful, you could consider making a wholehearted effort to find a home for Kitten that has no other cats, in case Kitten would be better off as a solo cat. But, this means being honest to prospective adopters about the situation and being willing to hold on to her until you find someone willing/capable/reliable.