At the end of my tether

[jayneking123]

I have 2 cats, one a 10 year old Mr T who we have had for 9 years now, and the other is 3 called Midnight.

Midnight was a stray who appeared in our garden who got on very well with Mr T, but once Midnight moved in  2 years ago we could see the two didn't really like each other sharing the same house, over time it got a bit better and they seemed to tolerate each other with the occasional spat, but in the last month Midnight is attacking Mr T with his claws scaring him to death to the point where he now hides under a bed all day. 

Midnight attacks Mr T when my husband is home and I am not there and seems very territorial over my husband as if he does not want to share him, he follows him everywhere and is very affectionate towards him and even hisses at me if I get too close to him he gets so jealous.   I am at home all day with them when my husband is at work with little trouble, and the bad attacks only happen when my husband is with them alone on Sundays/evenings or days off and I am not there.  My husband stops it before it gets bad.

Midnight does not like scratching posts or toys, and the one toy he would occasionally play with he now wont play with.  He also has FIV and has to be kept in and not go out, so this could be another reason for the problems.  Our other cat does not have FIV, and as I am at home with both of them I never let them have the chance to fight and for Mr T to catch it, I have been reassured that the chances of him catching it are tiny unless he gets a deep bite, which so far after the last 2 years has not happened, Midnight just seems to want to scratch rather than bite. 

I really need to stop the attacks, as it is terrifying Mr T and I am baffled as to what is happening, if anyone could give some advice I would be grateful.

Jayne.

 

[mservant]

This all sounds very stressful and upsetting.

I am assuming here that both your cats are neutered, so if not please advise, and I would then say make sure both are neutered as this would almost certainly improve things between them

As this is a change in the relationship between Mr T and Midnight, has there been any change noticed with either of them health wise?  Or has either one been out e.g. to the vet for a routine check up or anything that would change their normal smell?  If one of your cats is unwell in some way the other may sense this, or they might smell different to the other cat.  Also if Mr T is aging and little and maybe mobility and strength reduce their relationship may go through adjustment and Midnight assume greater control.  The latter is what happened with my two previous cats. The other thought is that Midnight's FIV could be making him feel unwell currently or affecting his behaviour due to neurological issues, these could cause him to be anxious and aggressive.  For these reasons I think it would be the best start to discuss with your vet and take both of them along for a general check.

Do you know if they get along when no one is at home? Do you seperate them when no one is in?  If  both are healthy and no other changes  it would be worth looking at seperating them when you are not there and then going through some of the introductions tactics like odour so they both smell the same, and if there is no improvement going through the seperation time and reintroductions to restart relationships for all of you.

 

[jayneking123]

Thanks for your reply.

Mr T has just had a check up and has been diagnosed with Arthritis, and is on medication to make him more comfortable, although it is in the early stages.  We are taking Midnight to the vets next week for his skin problems, which he has always had but has got worse recently, so we will get him checked out to see if anything else could make him aggressive.  Both cats are neutered

If am out, I put Midnight in the living room with the door closed so Mr T can have the run of the house, when I am at home they co-exist but just avoid each other.  It really does seem to be when they are alone with my husband in the house and me out that the problems are bad, and over the holiday season I have been out more than normal visiting family.  Also at night when I am in bed they squabble, and they are alone with my husband downstairs, Midnight seems not to want to share him with Mr T. 

I will look at the introduction techniques again you use when you bring a new cat in to the household, maybe that will help matters.  Also a chat with the vet next week.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Reintroductions might just be worth a try.  I brought a stray inside the house in late May. He is very territorial and very possessive of me.  My resident cat is quite afraid of him.  I have already had to do introductions all over again.  I find like you that they tend to coexist for the most part and generally ignore each other.  They have their favorite spots and usually just avoid each other.  The stray is still put in a room of his own at night time and also when no one is home. 

When we were having daily fights I did contact my vet.  I had wondered if Marvin (the stray/feral) needed medication.  I wanted that as a last resort.  I did reintroductions and it really seemed to help.  I also used liquid Composure max.  I was able to mix it into their wet food 2x a day.  It helped Marvin ( the aggressive/territorial cat) to calm down without drugs and without making him sleepy.  I started off using feline Composure treats, but it took 3-6 treats per day and they took almost an hour to work.  The liquid form works in about 20 minutes.  I have also used some Jackson Galaxy flower essence remedies.  There is a Bully Remedy that might help too.