My cat is freaking out

[luna_star]

Hey All,

I have no idea what is going on or what to do. I have had my cats for 2 years and they have been best friends since day one until the other day. One of them (Sophie) started freaking out and hisses, growling and attacking the other (Emma) Today is the 5th day and it is not getting any better. They can not even go within the sight of each other. They second they see each other the growling begins.

I have tried locking Sophie in a room with the door open just enough for Emma to stick her nose in so they can smell each other but they hiss at each other through the door. I tried locking them in a room together (bad idea) and they went crazy and started attacking each other.

Sophie is even attacking me and my girlfriend. I am going to see our vet next week but even when I spoke with him on the phone he doesn't know what it can be.

I am really starting to get a little scared. Does anybody know anything about this or have any suggestions?

Thanks so much,
Brian

 

[hissy]

Brian,

Something is setting these cats off. There are always reasons as to why sudden attacks happen. One cat could be coming down ill and therefore the cat's scent changes provoking others to attack him.

There could be something different in their routine, or stress in the home they are reacting to

Outside cats will sometimes spray the outside walls and windows at night, driving inside kitties into a frenzy and causing a problem.

If you have a cat door, there is a possibility that an outside cat got in your home at night and sprayed. I have even heard of instances where a stray cat got into a home and stayed there for a week before being detected!

 

[luna_star]

Hi Hissy,

Thanks so much for your response.

We do let our cats out into the backyard during the day and I do know that there are stray cats back there although I haven't seen them in a while. But those strays have been there for years already and this just started.

We are going to the vet next week but I don't think either of them are sick. As long as they are in separate rooms they are both very friendly and playful. Its the second that they see each other that the hissing begins.

All of this started on July 5th. Do you think the fireworks could have freaked her out causing her to act like this? Is there any way to get things back to normal?

Thanks again,
Brian

 

[coaster]

You could research "redirected aggression". That might be what you're dealing with.

Things might get back to normal on there own. But then again, they might not. When dealing with redirected aggression, it's best to be proactive and use some behavior modification to get things back to normal.

 

[luna_star]

Hey Tim,

Thanks. I looked up "redirected aggression" and that sounds like what is going on. I am guessing that the fireworks on the 4th of July spooked Sophie and she took it out on Emma and now she is stuck on that. I tried a few of the steps mentioned to fix the problem but it doesn't seem to be working. I am going to try and find the Feliway Spray and give that a try. I have an appointment with our vet this week so hopefully this will all be over soon.

Brian

 

[luna_star]

I bought Feliway Spray and started using it around the house but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I've only used it for 1 day but Sophie is still hissing and growling at Emma eveytime she sees her.

I keep them in separate rooms all night. I wake up and play with each of them and they are very VERY happy to see me. They purr and mush their face into me but the second I open the door and they see each other its all over.

I am off to the vet today. Hopefully he'll have some kind of answer. When I spoke with him he mentioned putting sophie on Valium? I read online that drugs may make things worse? Is there anything I should point out to the vet?

Thanks again,
Brian

 

[coaster]

Valium isn't a very good choice because of the side-effects and it's also hard on the liver and kidneys. Why don't you suggest buspirone (anti-anxiety) or anafranil (anti-depressant) as alternatives?

 

[luna_star]

Hey Tim,

Thanks. I 'll make sure to mention that to him.

I actually just had both Emma and Sohpie playing together. Not really with each other but with the same toy. I went into the room to check on Sophie and Emma followed me in. I started playing with a feather on the end of a wand and they were both chasing it. They would also smell each other for a second when the other was distracted with the toy.

After about 20 minutes of no hissing I figured let me not push too far so I took Emma and left the room. Both Sophie and Emma were purring and waggng their tails when I left. Maybe since they parted on good terms they will remember that for next time.

I'm going to see if I can do this a few times a day and hopefully they will see that they are not trying to hurt each other.

Brian

 

[coaster]

Sounds like progress!!

 

[sweets]

You will need to re-introduce your cats after something like this. Try the vanilla trick (vanilla at the base of the tail and under the chin) and the towel trick (rub Emma all over with a towel then immediately rub Sophie with the same towel. These tricks help to transfer/mask scents. Then slowly reintroduce them to each other. Can you use a baby gate in the door so they can see each other but not get at the other??

When I took Frantic to the vet without his brother, he was attacked when he got home. I had to keep them seperate for a few wheeks before the tricks worked. Since then, I've had a normal household and they both go to the vet for checkups at the same time. My vet is really good at just saying hi to the other so her smell is on both.

 

[luna_star]

Do you mean Vanilla Extract?

I tried rubbing each cat with a towel but they don't seem to like that too much. Would a brush work the same? I brushed Emma for about 5 minutes and then brushed Sohpie with the same brush and then back to Emma...

Also, I was able to get them in the same room again playing with the same toy. They still don't pay much attention to each other while playing but they don't hiss at each other. Hopefully a few more days of this and they'll be back to normal

 

[elizwithcat]

Originally Posted by coaster

Valium isn't a very good choice because of the side-effects and it's also hard on the liver and kidneys. Why don't you suggest buspirone (anti-anxiety) or anafranil (anti-depressant) as alternatives?

My cat is on xanax. Is xanax any better or worse, compared to others?

 

[coaster]

Originally Posted by elizwithcat

Is xanax any better or worse, compared to others?

Hmmmm...sorry, don't know from the cat's point of view. The source that compared Valium to the other two drugs didn't mention Xanax. I know Xanax isn't too good from a HUMAN point of view....there are others with fewer side effects and lower addictive potential. If it's for long-term use, you might want to discuss with your vet.