Need help with strange behaviour problem

[banffbunny]

Hi everyone,

I've come to this site because I could really use some help with a strange/weird situation in my home.  Sorry for the novel but there are a few facets to this story.

I have three cats, Ripley (F, 14.5 yrs), Merlin (M, 4 yrs) and Morgan (F, 4 yrs) (the last two brother and sister).  All three of them have gotten along really well, ever since I brought the "twins" home almost 4 years ago.

On June 7, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. I had to take Ripley to the vet for something quick, nothing major (no tests or anything).  All of them were getting along that morning, nothing out of the ordinary.  When I brought Ripley home a short while later, I put her in my room for a couple of hours so that the "vet smell" could wear off before letting her loose around the other two in order to avoid the hissing, etc.  This system has always worked for them in the past.

However, when I let Ripley out, the other two reacted quite explosively and hissed, screamed at her and chased her under my bed and wouldn't let her out.  They have NEVER reacted like this before.  It was as if they had never seen Ripley before and were reacting as if she had just invaded their home.

In July, 2014 I took Ripley into the vet for tests to make sure that it wasn't a medical issue or anything and she passed all the tests with flying colours.  The vet said she was very healthy for a cat that age.

Until recently, Ripley had refused to leave my bedroom since June of last year.  She feels that she is safe there.  Up until about mid-November, 2014, I had left my bedroom door open and the other two would go in there periodically.  Sometimes there would be small scuffles but usually nothing too serious.  Sometimes there would be a screaming match that I would have to break up.

After November, the twins would start "charging" Ripley and it would almost always end in a screaming match.  Usually it's Morgan (the girl) that is the main instigator for the somewhat aggressive behaviour.  Merlin reacts to her almost like he's scared of her.  I finally had to keep my bedroom door closed at all times which meant that Ripley would almost never leave my room for over 2 months.

Needless to say, having a cat in my room 24/7 for months was getting to be quite stressful for me as well.

At the end of November, 2014 Ripley was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and she is being treated very successfully to date.  However, when this all started in June, she did not have this condition.

I have tried everything I can think of.   I've tried washing all of them so that they would have to "start over" in the scent department.  I've tried rubbing each of their mouth pheromones on Ripley and vice versa so that they would get familiar with each others scents again.  I've tried re-integrating them.  I've tried Feliway diffusers in all of the rooms that they inhabit the most (not cheap, let me tell you).  Nothing has worked.

Recently, my roommate moved out of my two bedroom apartment so I have turned the spare room into "Ripley's Room" so that she is out of my bedroom (thank God!) and has a whole room to herself to run around in.  She's been in there for 2.5 weeks now.  I have started switching the cats in the evenings or when I go out on the weekends (i.e. I let Ripley out into the apartment and put the twins in the cat room) so that Ripley can enjoy the rest of the apartment without getting harassed.  I am also hoping that by switching them as often as I can, all of their scents will co-mingle and maybe that might help.

So far, nothing has worked and I am at my wits end.  It leaves a very stressful situation hanging over the apartment all the time.  It is frustrating that they all used to be such friends and that this happened so suddenly (literally within 1.5 hours).  I've talked to the vet's office and they said Ripley wasn't exposed to anything or other pets when she was in the back area in June.  They think it's as strange as I do.

I can't afford to hire a behaviourist so I am hoping that someone on here might have another suggestion that I haven't tried.  Most behavior articles online talk about behaviour problems generally.  Nothing I have found has come close to what I am experiencing with my furkids.

Any assistance or suggestions you have would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Robyn

 

[shadowsrescue]

Unfortunately it seems as though you are going to have to start fresh and do reintroductions.  Something about the vet visit really triggered something for the twins and it has not resolved itself.  This is common and vet visits can often be a trigger.  There are some tricks you can do to help the cats all smell the same after vet visits.  Before the visit, get some clean socks.  Rub each cat down with a sock and set it aside.  When the cat comes back from the vet, take the socks and rub the cat all over so that he smells once again like the others.  I have also heard of taking a cotton ball and putting some vanilla on it.  Then rub all of the cats down with the vanilla.  This way they all smell the same.

Regardless you have a major issue.  It is good that Riley has his own room.  This will help the situation.  I will post some articles for you to read and a video to watch.  Even though the articles are on first time introductions, the same principles work for reintroductions.  I am very sorry you are going through this.  Take it slowly.  Most people tend to rush the process especially since the cats already know each other.  If you rush the steps, you will have to redo them again.  This process could take weeks to months.

Also have you tried any Feliway plug ins or Composure treats or liquid?  The Composure really helps to calm the cats.  It can be given to all of them.  I used it when introducing two cats and gave it to both.  The aggressive cat needed it longer, but it helped the timid cat too. 

Are all of your cats spayed and neutered?

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

 

[banffbunny]

Thank you so much for your response, ShadowsRescue!

I have tried Feliaway and am currently using it but it hasn't helped much.  I have one in Ripley's room and the other in the living room where the twins spend most of their time.

They are all spayed/neutered.

It seems that Morgan has decided that Ripley is no longer the matriarch of the family and she is now queen bee.  She seems to get jealous when I give her brother any attention.  She gets this look on her face like "why the hell are you giving him attention and not me?".  I give equal attention to all the cats.

I've been told by someone else that because the twins are still young, they aren't fully mature yet and could display this type of behavior.  Not sure if that's true or not.

I will try your suggestions, thanks!

Robyn