Cats no longer getting along

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Sdsh233
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Cats no longer getting along

Post by Sdsh233 »

So i have a 2yo female and my roommate has a 9ish month old male cat, spayed and neutered. When we first introduced the kitten she was growling and apprehensive but after a week or so they became best friends. They’ve been buddy buddy for about 4 months, until today. Without thinking i purchased a used cat tree and brought it into the house today around 7. As soon as she smelled the other cat she went back to how she was when we first got the kitten. She seems more scared of him then anything but is hissing, growling, batting, and running and hiding. The worst part is our dopey kitten has not really changed much, he’s trying to hangout with his best friend and even worse trying to play which causes her to react poorly. Its 1 am and they’re (she’s) fighting and I feel horribly that I’ve done some kind or irreversible damage to their relationship, where they will no longer be able to co-habitate. Any advice on next steps to remedy the situation would be so so appreciated
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lilynmitz
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Re: Cats no longer getting along

Post by lilynmitz »

Oh, dear, what a shame. But don’t panic. It sounds like your female puss is generally a bit timid by nature, so she doesn’t respond well to new pusses on her turf. The smells on the scratching post are telling her that there is an invader in her safe place (home). Cats have scent pads in their paws, so the post will smell really strongly to her of other cats. So first off, get rid of the scratching post altogether and buy them a new one. Rub it down with something that smells of her, and she should calm down a bit.

Her beating up the boy puss is just transferred aggression, she’s in a touchy mood and she’s taking it out on those nearest to her. This should stop when she eventually twigs that it really is just her and the little lad in the house. Give both of them lots of love and reassurance, feed them together, just keep going as normal really, and keep calm around them so you don’t set her off by being tense, as they will pick up on that too.

Finally, have they each been spayed or neutered? If not, please get them done as soon as possible. Your boy’s hormones will be kicking in soon, and she is already old enough to get pregnant, and the last thing this world needs is more unwanted kittens filling the rescue centres. Neutering will also stop your boy wandering and getting into fights so much, and there is a whole raft of health issues that can be avoided by having both of them done. If they haven’t been fixed, she may be picking up on that too and would rather he kept his distance.

Don't despair though, this is just a blip, they will both recover.
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Mollycat
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Re: Cats no longer getting along

Post by Mollycat »

I hope the cats were taken to separate rooms immediately and kept separate since ... once actual fighting starts this can quickly escalate to a point where they can never be friends again, but if handled right you should be able to reverse the problem and get back to peace again.

Firstly used items are not a good idea unless the cat or cats are especially calm and friendly. Scratching is one of the ways cats mark their territory, so your room mate has brought another cat's marked territory into your cats' home. This is never likely to go well. Buy brand new, use a catnip spray to show this is for them and to encourage scratching.

Secondly there is one cat tree for two cats, and a cat tree is a valuable resource worth fighting for. It has places to scratch to mark your territory, high vantage points for hiding and surveying the scene below, and probably safe places to sleep too. Two cats, two trees, the one who loses the best one gets to make do with the other one, or they can share if they want to.

Also - you may not realise it but the two cats most likely have areas of the house where each one feels more relaxed and the other feels uncomfortable. These are territory zones. There will most likely be some places that they agree to share but some places are more 'home' to one or the other. The more you observe these areas the better you can position resources to maximise household peace and minimise stress, and give fair resources to each cat. Ever seen a cat sitting quietly in a doorway or in the middle of the floor, and other cats and even dog will not walk past? Or cats that cuddle up together in one bed but you never see one of them in a particular other place? That is all cat territory. Getting to know it helps you keep harmony in the home and choose carefully where cat trees can go safely.
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exlibris
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Re: Cats no longer getting along

Post by exlibris »

I've found that older cats freak out with secondhand cat things (at 16 our Backy unhelpfully peed all over a donated cat bed, even though he was neutered). However kittens are too young to understand the implications of unfamiliar cat scent (ours are unfussed with Backy's old scratching post), which is why your little one doesn't get the problem. Removing the post will remove the main problem, but expect your older cat to be shock up for a few days. Hopefully things will calm down.

If you can't buy a new cat tree because all the decent sized ones are ridiculously priced, you could try making your own. You just need some scrap wood and old carpet, and thick rope to wind around the main poles for scratching at. DIY ones have the bonus of fitting where you want them too.
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