Saturday my 10 year old cat got stuck behind a closed door for 3 hrs while I was out (no injury other than to pride) but since then my 3 year old kitty treats him like an unwelcome stranger - ears laid back, hissing, spitting, cat calling and attacking him. prior to this they got along famously - now she is stalking him.
what do I do?
normally friendly kitty - now overly aggressive
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boobookitty64
- New Cat Chatter
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2014 4:44 pm
Re: normally friendly kitty - now overly aggressive
It's important to realise your cat isn't being aggressive, this behaviour is defensive - ie "I'm frightened of you so please keep your distance". I suspect she was distressed by all the wailing that went on while your old fella was stuck behind the door, and is very anxious about what went on in there! She just needs time to get over this, but meanwhile there are a few things you can do to help both of them.
Get a feliway diffuser going to help them both de-stress, and make sure that they have space to get away from each other so that they can both calm down and rebuild their relationship at their own pace. Give each cat plenty of individual reassurance, as they both need help in calming down. It might also be worth putting their feeding bowls at opposite sides of the room for a bit, and gradually move them closer.
Get a feliway diffuser going to help them both de-stress, and make sure that they have space to get away from each other so that they can both calm down and rebuild their relationship at their own pace. Give each cat plenty of individual reassurance, as they both need help in calming down. It might also be worth putting their feeding bowls at opposite sides of the room for a bit, and gradually move them closer.