Why Is My Bonded Pair Of Cats Suddenly Fighting
I have a bonded pair of cats: 1 male and 1 female. They are the same size and both were adopted from the shelter as kittens. Now, two years down the road, my male is suddenly attacking my female.
I have a few cats and one other female, but he never fights with anyone but his sister. Nothing has changed recently in the home and no medical issues. They have run of a 3-bed house.
I break up any fighting but it seems like it’s getting more frequent.Luckily my female is large and can handle her brother, but I’m starting to really get upset with my male as I can’t see a reason for him to attack her in such a way. I’m adding more hides and perches as I can.
Any advice would help
- 2Can you describe the fighting a bit more? Does this appear to be a conflict getting resolved, fight that started as play and got out of hand, or potentially even mating behavior by the male ?Oct 30 at 10:26
- 4In any case, sudden changes in behavior warrant a visit to the vet, in this case with both your cats. The first thing you want to get off the table here is a medical issue as the root cause, e.g. a bad tooth causing pain and leading to aggression.Oct 30 at 10:30
- 2Has anything else in your life changed recently? New furniture, new schedule, anything with a new smell? Have either of the cats recently been to the vet or somewhere else where they could have picked up a new smell?
My Cat Is Hissing But Not Attacking
Maybe your cat isnt full-blown attacking the other but is hissing. You might be wondering, Why is my cat hissing at my other cat all of a sudden?
If your cat is starting to hiss at others, a primary reason this happens is due to some physical pain. If your cat isnt feeling too hot, they might not want another cat around who could make it worse.
Say you have an older cat that might be developing arthritis, then they might not want another cat to get near for fear of them getting hurt. It could be a surface wound or something internal that you cant see.
Of course, it could also indicate that they arent in the mood to play. If you have a kitty who is advancing in years and another younger cat, it might just be incompatible energy levels.
If you have a sneaking suspicion that it is due to pain, make sure to schedule an examination at your vet.
How To Break Up A Real Cat Fight
- In a real catfight, youll see claws and teeth and hear plenty of hissing, growling, and crying.
- You will want to break up this type of fight, but dont get in the middle of it.
- The best way is to clap loudly or stomp on the floor to scare them.
- Some people suggest spraying the warring cats with a water bottle, but Ive heard mixed opinions on whether thats a good idea.
- If you try to pull one cat off the other, youll likely end up getting scratched.
- Of course, remember to never hit or strike your pet. It wont solve the problem and will only make them distrust you.
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Most Cats Learn To Accept Each Other
Its possible that some cats may never quite get along, but usually, they will learn to accept each other if you try some of the ideas mentioned above. It takes time and patience in some cases, but you should see at least some improvement.
With a little effort on our part, most conflicts can be resolved or at least reduced to the point where the cats learn to tolerate each other without resorting to serious fights.
I hope these tips have been useful to you, and I hope your cats will soon learn to enjoy each others company.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
Brother And Sister Cats Fighting What To Do
While family bonds among people tend to be strong, its very different for cats. Just because they came from the same litter does not guarantee theyll be best friends for life.
Brother and sister cats fighting is not uncommon. In fact, feline siblings can sometimes drift apart as they reach social maturity around the age of 18 months, even if they were bonded before.
Its also normal for siblings to play rough kittens and young cats tend to engage in quite rough play. If it is play fighting and you are worried that it is too intense, increase human-directed play and enrichment feeding to give an alternative outlet for their energy.
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How To Stop Cats From Fighting Outside
Sometimes, when your cat is wandering outside, they could be attacked by another cat. These attacks can be systematic: owners have stories of a single cat that keeps fighting their cat every time they go outside. This is especially worrying if your cat is mild-mannered and gentle, and is unlikely to fight back. The injuries from these fights can require several trips to the vet and can be worrying.
Observe Their Body Language
Body language is one of the easiest ways to tell if cats are playing or fighting. When cats are playing, youll notice their bodies are relaxed and they take breaks during play. They also take turns during play, letting one be dominant and then switching roles.
Typically, play fighting is silent. But what about hissing? Hissing can be harmless in some cases. While hissing is usually thought of as a sign of being annoyed or threatened, its also a way cats communicate. Hissing can also be a warning sign of pain, annoyance, or stress, or an indication the play is too rough.
On the other hand, do cats growl when playing? Not usually: Growling is often a sign of fighting behavior. Additionally, cats ears will be pinned back and their fur or tails will be puffed during aggressive interactions.
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Should You Intervene When Cats Fight
If its a real fight, never let your cats fight it out. Cats dont solve disagreements with aggressiveness. You dont want to get in the middle of two fighting cats, so try to distract them instead, with a loud noise or sudden movement to break their concentration on their fight. Dont punish your cat.
Cats Need Vertical Territory
If youre at all familiar with my work or have heard any of my conference lectures, youve heard me say that we live in a horizontal world but cats live in a vertical one. You have some prime real estate within your home that isnt being used real estate that just may make a difference in whether you have a happy cat household or an unhappy one.
You can increase vertical territory in so many ways. If the budget allows you can go over the top and create amazing vertical space or you can do very cost-effective changes. Your cats will appreciate any vertical enhancements as long as theyre safe, secure and comfortable.
Vertical territory gives the cats some safe places to perch and oversee their territory. For a very assertive cat it can be a way of displaying his confidence. By claiming the highest perch in the area, it may be enough of a display so that he doesnt feel the need to engage in aggression. For a fearful cat, it can be a safe place to nap so that he isnt at risk of being ambushed from behind. He has more visual warning time to see if his opponent is approaching. Even in a shelter cage environment, the ability for a cat to be off the cage floor creates security. A hammock bed suspended in the cage or a shelf attached to the cage wall helps. Thats how important vertical territory is in a cats world. On the fun side, vertical territory is great for watching the birds outside, napping in the sun, climbing and playing.
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Is It Normal For Cats To Fight Sometimes
From playful tumbles to play-fights, our cute kitties often pretend to be enemies and mock fight. This is completely normal cat behaviour and helps our pets to bond, set boundaries and get to know each other! But, if your kitties seem a little too aggressive, it may be time to check if theyre playing or fighting.
My Cat Is Being Beaten Up By Another Cat In The Area What Should I Do
Some territorial aggression exceeds what is considered by most to be acceptable. These cat bullies are often described as despotic as they appear to actively seek out territory defended by others to claim it as their own. They will enter houses, located over a wide area, attack the resident cats and spray mark vertical surfaces with urine before departing. The victims rarely fight back as a despot will choose them wisely and often pick relentlessly on the old, infirm or timid cats in the neighbourhood. In the UK some pedigree cats, such as the Burmese and more recently the Bengal, represent a surprisingly large percentage of the reported perpetrators. Entire tom cats are also likely to behave in a similar way as will any domestic non-pedigree that is particularly territorial.
This can be extremely distressing, particularly as attacks occur within the cats own home, and there is always the temptation to demand that steps be taken by the owner of the bully, as that person is solely responsible for preventing future attacks. It is entirely appropriate that these measures are put in place, but the unpopular truth is that the victims owner must also take reasonable steps to protect his or her property. The victim cat is clearly unable to deter intruders or defend its own territory so the owner has to intervene in this case.
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Some Cats Become Aggressive Due To Illness
Encourage contact through positive reinforcement and for territorial aggression separation, confinement including gradual reintroductions.
Inter-cat conflict due to illness commonly presents as sudden attacks without previous disagreement between involved cats, please have your cat checked by a vet if this occurs at your home.
If Your Cats Keep Fighting
If your catâs aggression is severe or becomes unmanageable, contact a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist for guidance. These professionals can provide deeper insight and guidance on behavioral modification for your cats.
Unfortunately, some cats simply cannot live together peacefully. If youâve exhausted your resources, time, and energy in the hopes of resolving aggression or fighting between your cats, it may be time to consider finding a new home for one of them or keeping them permanently separated.
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Cats Will Often Fight With New Household Members
Some play sessions can lead to an individual cat becoming over-stimulated besides boisterous which can be stressful for a cat that is not as excitable, so keep a close eye
In a study conducted in 2017 of 2492 owners of multiple cats, 73.3% noted squabble signs from the initial introduction phase of another cat. An addition of a new cat to the home correlated with frequency of dispute and the more cats in one household, added recurrent tension signs.
Common Types Of Aggressive Behaviors Between Cats
Territorial aggression
Cats are very territorial, much more so than dogs. Territorial aggression occurs when a cat feels that his territory has been invaded by an intruder. Depending on where your cat spends his time, he may view your whole neighborhood as his territory. Female cats can be just as territorial as males.
The behavior patterns in this type of aggression include chasing and ambushing the intruder, as well as hissing and swatting when contact occurs. Territorial problems often occur when a new cat is brought into a household, when a young kitten reaches maturity, or when a cat encounters neighborhood cats outside. Its not uncommon for a cat to be territorially aggressive toward one cat in a family, and friendly and tolerant to another.
Inter-male aggression
Adult male cats normally tend to threaten, and sometimes fight with, other males. These behaviors can occur as sexual challenges over a female, or to achieve a relatively high position in the cats loosely organized social dominance hierarchy.
Defensive aggression
Defensive aggression occurs when a cat is attempting to protect himself from an attack he believes he cannot escape. This can occur in response to punishment or the threat of punishment from a person, an attack or attempted attack from another cat, or any time he feels threatened or afraid.
Redirected aggression
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How Long Does It Take For Two Cats To Get Along
It takes most cats eight to 12 months to develop a friendship with a new cat. Although some cats certainly become close friends, others never do. Many cats who dont become buddies learn to avoid each other, but some cats fight when introduced and continue to do so until one of the cats must be re-homed.
Listen For Loud Kitties
Are your cats very vocal? Are they hissing, growling, screaming and shrieking at each other? While a small amount of noise is to be expected from playful pets, very loud interactions are an indicator of a fight. Intimidating noises are common between disagreeing kitties, so listen out for vocal pets – particularly if one cat yelps in pain.
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Feline Housemates Dont Always Get Along
Social tension between housemate cats may manifest as overt aggressive encounters or passive avoidance of cats that live in the same home. The conflict may be obvious if cats are screaming or subtle if cats are simply avoiding interactions. While many cats form strong affiliative bonds with housemate cats, characterized by co-sleeping, nose-touching, and allogrooming, other cats forced to live together unwillingly may display a wide range of overt or passive aggression.
Social conflict may begin when the cats are first introduced or it may develop among cats that formerly had good affiliative bonds, either following a specific incident or due to gradual changes in the relationship. Overt displays of aggression include growling, hissing, screaming, spitting, attacking, chasing, and biting. Passive displays include staring, blocking, and hiding. Some cats choose to run away or spend more time outside in order to avoid conflict.
Conflict between housemate cats may have elements of fear, anxiety, self-defense, or territorial defense. Regardless of the underlying motivation and etiological cause, people dont like seeing their cats in distress, so conflict between housemate cats is a common cause of relinquishment. Other behavior consequences of social conflict may include urine retention, undesired elimination outside the litter box, or urine marking.
Steps for peaceful resolution of feline social tension:
References
How Do I Stop My Female Cats From Fighting
Having multiple food and water bowls, litter boxes, perches, and toys can prevent fighting over resources. Reinforce incompatible behaviors any behaviors that cannot occur at the same time as the problem behavior. Praise them and toss healthy cat treats to reward your cats. Try using pheromones.01.11.2021
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Cats May Be More Like Humans Than We Realize
We adopted siblings as kittens from a shelter and for the past three years, despite having polar-opposite personalities, they have been very affectionate and at times inseparable. In fact, originally the two were adopted along with a third sibling, but due to a freak accident, we had to put him down shortly after the adoption. A horrible situation and I only mention it because that loss brought our other two cats closer. Again, until recently.
Story Update:
Why Are My Cats Fighting Suddenly When Theyve Always Got Along Before
Cats like to avoid conflict wherever possible, and fighting is always a last resort. There are lots of reasons why your previously happy cats may be fighting.
- Theyve spent time away from home When cats are in the same social group, they have a communal scent that helps them recognise each other. If your cat smells strange after a trip out, they might be treated like a stranger
- Redirected aggression Sometimes your cats fight because one of them is feeling frustrated or scared, eg because they saw a strange cat through the window or a firework or loud noise frightened them, so they hiss or attack
- Something at home has changed Cats like routine and if something has changed in their environment, such as new furniture or visitors coming to stay, your cats might feel threatened
It can be especially tough when you have indoor cats fighting, as it may be difficult for your cats to get away from each other. The best thing you can do is make sure you have enough resources to go around. Remember to have plenty of safe places to hide so they can feel safe and secure as they cool off.
If your cats continue to fight despite your efforts, its best to separate them and contact a behaviourist from the APBC or ABTC as soon as possible.
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Is Your Cat Not Getting On With Other Cats Or Do You Want To Stop Your Cat From Fighting
Much like their wildcat ancestors, many of todays cats enjoy their own company. Your cat may love being with you, but when they meet other cats, things can get tense. Cats are territorial animals and occasionally this can lead to fighting, even with cats who have lived together for many years!
In this guide, well help you understand the difference between cats fighting and playing, what it means when cats fight outside and how to avoid brother and sister cats fighting.
Watch this video for tips on identifying whether your cats are friends or foes.