Help - Its out and out WAR!

[JackSpratt]

Are they actually physically causing damage to each other? Have there been any changes that could've triggered this onset of behaviour?

I hope things have settled down for you, Gill.

[Jasmine]

Hi Gillian, occasionally I encounter some jealousy in the household, but have never had any fights.

I do remember reading somewhere though, that you should give the aggressive cat some extra attention/fuss, as they may be feeling insecure and this may help the situation?

Hope the problem is only temporary!

J.
X

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

still have probs with misa and franta, its been calm until beiginning of week and franta is trying to be top cat.

made more difficult cos he cant hear much but this morning put cushion on lounger and misa jumped up followed by franta. misa hissing through bsarrred teeth and franta growling nose to nose. so decided that franta had to move and have been scratched and bitten . franta literallyt jumped into air and attcked me grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

later he came rubbing round my legs so i accepted his apology 

seems to fare up every so often but i now know franta does not like being moved from misas places and remembers!

i dont know how you can sort out the persians i am afraid but dont like one cat attacking another myself.

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

its interesting to observe how cats establish pecking order isn't it. Its going on continuously isn't it .I never thought about the indoor /outdoor territories before assuming the same cat would be bosscat in both but its not so is it. Peanut my male cat is def boss in the garden and outside and lets Boo (female) know it at every opportunity but indoors its a bit differant . I think Peanut likes to think he's boss but Boo is clearly boss in the house and has bowled Pea over clean off his feet several times.

I have watched her perched on the table edge watching the catflap intently. As soon as she sees any cat (including Peanut) she dive bombs the catflap practically taking it off its hinges.!  Poor old Peanut can't get into the house until Boo goes to bed at night. And thats another area she def rules over, my bed. She sleeps all night long on the bed with me whilst Peanut is out doing the `hunter gatherer' thing then when Peanut comes home in the wee hours looking for a piece of the warm bed he usually ends up perched precariously on the opposite edge from Boo who is  sprawled out lording it over the bed like a Queen of Sheba !

There is a great picture in one of Tabot's books showing a queen with 5-6  other cats  cowering behind her as the queen stands up to the threat.

[Liz]

Amongst the Clan cats we have some disharmony but not all the time - Merlin was one of mine and Robins first kittens with his brother Max - Merlin hates brady our white pawed tabby and its a equal hate relationship they stalk each other and will go verbal at least the shredding has stopped but sleep on the couch 2 inches apart its just awake!

Also our long haired ginger Phoenix has taken a dislike to our long haired black and white Oscar - I thinks its a fluffy thing but they go verbal at 3 in the morning!

I think its like all things some love each other, some tolerate each other and others just avoid each other but all in all we are lucky in the house as non of them go for the full cat fight but outside we do see the odd clump of fur but we have an established pecking order - Tiger is our Alpha Male and keeps the law outside and sweetie my baby now 15 is Queen of all she surveys and can part the cats when she walks in a room she maybe second oldest but the others treat her with respect as she has owned us for the longest time.

We let them get on with it but do find a verbal warnig or catnip and laser pen are usually enough of a distraction!!!

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

hear hear Ros its really hard though isn't it. I was up again last night with a torch `nekkid ' shrieking at my cats who were fighting and cattawailing outside my bedroom Grrrrrrr 

[Rosella moggy]

When Aslan died last September, Freddie came to us from RSPCA and to say introductions went badly is an understatement. I now realise everything was made worse by my emotional state and I wish I had let them get on with it sooner instead of dragging it out for months by keeping them apart. Have to agree with Pinkbear although so easy to say and so difficult to do especially when you are mourning a loved one.

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

this is perfectly natural behaviour in the wild with feral cats. The only difference is that in the wild the cats would probably keep a healthy distance most of the time.  In our homes they are thrown together all the time.
Peanut was top cat around my house until a big feral ginger tom moved in. Now he regularly gets beaten up and runs away every time he hears or sees the other cat. This does not stop him going out every night and beating up every other cat in the neighbourhood though 

My two still hate each other after two years and pea hisses and spits . If the fighting gets  really bad you may have to consider finding a new home for one of them but I hope it doesn't come to that.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I have a continuing saga with two of mine and it's very draining and does cause disharmony among the others when they get in the way.  My problem is with Mini Soot and Big Soot and I don't even know why or how it started    They really hate the sight of each other and I often have to intervene, usually it's Big Soot that starts it and looks at me so bloody innocent when I catch him    Early hours I usually let mine out for an hour or two and I have to make sure only one of the Soots is out at any given time, otherwise there is ruptions.  I hope you manage to get it sorted, if I could find the perfect home for Mini Soot, this would be the ideal solution for me although he isn't really the problem........but Big Soot is one of mine, and Mini Soot was meant for rehoming but he's such a wimp and when I rehomed him a few months ago, he cried all the time he was there and totally went to pieces    Wouldn't life be wonderful if all our furbabes loved each other as much as we love them 

[Millys Mum]

I wouldnt leave them to it because they are sprayers and those problems only ever escalate and have an effect on the other 9(?) cats aswell.

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

Gillian, hunny, you've had more experience with cats then a lot of us here. You know what's really going on, don't you?  A straight forward territory battle.

If you've already done all those things you'd advice anyone else to do, all that's left is to let them sort it out in their own good time. Don't forget, they are also sorting out group dynamics after Suzie's passing. 

Personally, I've been lucky in that all mine have taken to new cats fairly well. Eventually, most will tolerate each other or learn to ignore each other. But I also think that they will pick up tension coming from you, Gillian. We are always saying how good they are at reading our emotions.

Remember, in all matters concerning cat psycology, it's most effective to have a Gin and Tonic in one hand at all times. 

you always have such sensible, practical advice pinkbear 

Its awful to hear the fighting and know that they are getting hurt especially when they are your cats fighting each other but they have to establish who's boss topcat then hopefully things will quieten down a bit but they will undoubtably challenge each other periodically for dominance. I made the mistake of keeping mine apart .
They sound like they are pretty evenly matched so it may take some time before a winner emerges .

The more you keep them apart the longer it puts off the inevitable

[Millys Mum]

I think i would contact Wizz to see what she can suggest, as you have done everything the text book way.
Hopefully you wont need to but if they do it again you can break them up with the aid of a cup of water    better than a limb being involved  

[Yvonne]

I hope you can get this Civil War sorted out, I cannot do much here except to wish you luck.

My cat often fights with the next door neighbour but that is a bit different from having fights in your own home.

You could designate a "naughty corner" and get the cat to sit there for ten minutes after being naughty, well that sometimes used to work with the kids.   

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Gillian, hunny, you've had more experience with cats then a lot of us here. You know what's really going on, don't you?  A straight forward territory battle.

If you've already done all those things you'd advice anyone else to do, all that's left is to let them sort it out in their own good time. Don't forget, they are also sorting out group dynamics after Suzie's passing. 

Personally, I've been lucky in that all mine have taken to new cats fairly well. Eventually, most will tolerate each other or learn to ignore each other. But I also think that they will pick up tension coming from you, Gillian. We are always saying how good they are at reading our emotions.

Remember, in all matters concerning cat psycology, it's most effective to have a Gin and Tonic in one hand at all times. 

[Gillian Harvey]

Since Jasper and Zeta arrived in March, there has been a bit of tension between Jasper (13) and Harry (11). The intro's were done as per usual, Jasp and Zeta in their own room for a time, then gradual intros, all well with the rest of the gang. As time's gone on, Jasper seems to have got a bit of a bee in his bonnet about Harry, and started stalking him - following him round the garden and from room to room indoors and suchlike, bit of hissing from both of them. A couple of times I've heard what sounded like a confrontation, but not got there in time to see what was going on, just several of the cats around, and no-one really owning up to it! I have to say Harry, will also sometimes, look as though he's going to have a go at Jasper, but I've intervened before it escalates.

But, this morning, all hell let loose! Harry came into the room where Jasper was snoozing on a chair - all he did was stare at Jasper, and before I could do anything Jasper was off the chair and getting stuck into Harry - a real horrible cat fight - locked together, screaming, the lot. Tried to intervene (remembered not to put my hands in the line of fire!) with my foot, but couldnt get them apart, - then, they got to the top of the stairs, and Ben only comes rushing up the stairs, gets involved and all 3 of them are in a bundle - end up tumbling downstairs  - I mean if it wasnt so horrible, it was almost comical, just one great bundle of screeching fur rolling down the stairs!

Harry got away and rushed off outside - pretended to look nonchalent (he's good at that!), but Jasper and Ben were in a heap on the floor hissing at each other, but then looking a bit bemused - like 'what are WE fighting for! Jasper still wanted to get to Harry, but I shoved him back upstairs.

Its all calm now, but that was horrible, never had anything like that happen before - it was more like a cat fight you see when strange cats come together outside. I've had feliway plugged in since Jasper and Zeta arrived, and I use the spray too, because Harry has always sprayed - and now Jasper is following suit (although his previous owner's family said he didnt spray when they had him - and perhaps thats right, its just the situation he's in now may have started it)

I keep Jasper and Zeta in their own room overnight, by this time I would usually have not needed to do that, but I'm certainly going to continue, because theres no way I could let Jasper have free range around the house with Harry - at nighttime.

Help!