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Hi Lily,

Sounds like your cat is extremely territorial. Just like people, cats have different personalities. Your cat won't tolerate other pets coming around. At least you are aware of this and you'll know not to bring other animals into the household as long as you have this cat. He likely would not take it well and there would be constant fighting and attacks.

As long as he is good with people, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just know his limitations and try to avoid stressful situations for him.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi, I have one cat and he is about 3 years old. He loves us and we love him. But he HATES other cats. When ever he sees a cat he starts hissing and screaming and runs after the other cat trying to attack the cat. He also does this with dogs. When he sees a dog he chases after the dog as if though hes not even scared of the dog. WHY does my cat do this?

-- Contributed by: Lily

Hi Shereen,

The mother cat is simply protecting her young. Once the kitten is grown, this likely won't be a problem. I would keep them separated and see what happens after you find the kitten a home or, if you are keeping the kitten, once the kitten is grown. If you are keeping the kitten, you will need to introduce the other cat and kitten slowly.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

i have 2 female cats one of them 5 years old and the other 2 years old, they live together since 1 years and 6 month and every thing was great but my 2 years old cat have now a kitten i put her and the kitten in a locked room to feeding him and when he is sleeping he wants to go out and every thing is ok but one day i take the kitten out with my and the big cat was in other room when the mom cat hear the big cat bill she goes and fight her in aggresive one she had not ever be like this since that time they big cat and the mom cat fight when they see each other and i dont know what to do??

-- Contributed by: shereen jallad

Hi In Need,

Some of what you're describing sounds like playful behavior to me. Because cats have skin that is much tougher than ours, what may look painful likely isn't hurting your older cat. It's just irritating her.

Also, there may be some dominance issues with the mounting. Your kitten is likely trying to find his pecking order in your household. Some of this will work itself out over time as the kitten gets older.

Unless the two cats are harming one another, I'd probably just leave them alone for now and see if they work it out in time. However, if you are not there to supervise, you should separate them for safety reasons.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Please, help!

I have a problem, just within the last year I have adopted and introduced into the family a new kitten named Captian Jack. We know why he developed this problem, mostly impart due to his seperation from his mother and siblings at an extremely young age. (It wasnt my fault, I adopted him two months after he was seperated)

Now this is no big problem, but my elder female cat (spayed) has problems with the younger. At first we thought the younger was chasing the female for play, but as he got older and was able to keep up with her we noticed he runs at her on an angle and dispite them running he attempts to pounce, as if trying to mount her. We have the male neutered now, which we hoped would calm him down. but its been six months since hes been neutered, there seems to be no difference in his aggression towards people and attacks on the female. We tried using squirt bottles, but it hasnt deterred him the least. Now, hes a sweet heart (other than his problems.. ofcorse) and I would hate to give him up or keep him locked in one room.

-- Contributed by: In Need Despertly

Hi Scott,

This sounds like an act of dominance, assuming that he is neutered and not trying to mate with the females. I'm sure they are just as irritated as you are. I would spritz him with a spray bottle of water every time he starts to chase one of the females. Tell him "no" in a firm voice. Eventually, he'll get the idea.

Your only other choice is to keep them separated except when you can supervise.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

hi! i have a male kitten about a year old and although he gets along with the other 2 female cats he always seems to chase them and not fight with them but attack them from behind to make them growl an anyone please help it is driving me mad.

-- Contributed by: scott

Hi Heather,

It is strange that they suddenly started fighting. Have there been any major changes or even minor ones in the household? A new person, baby, another pet or moving items around. For example, if you moved a food bowl.

You can try a couple of things that might help. First, make sure that each cat has his own litter box, food dish and water dish.

When you can't supervise the two cats, you should isolate them from one another. You don't want your cat injured because Shadow is having a bad day.

Whenever Shadow begins to act up, firmly tell him no and separate the two cats before the situation can escalate into a cat fight. I think the situation will likely clear itself up with time.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi I have 2 cats both male and both fixed. My one cat mickey is very sweet and lovey on the other hand my other cat shadow is striving for attention but not so lovey. Shadow attacks mickey anytime im not in the same room. I don't believe its playing because mickey runs away hissing and screaming, but there have never been any injuries. Mickey is my big baby and shadow is my husbands grouchy cat. They have been together for 5 months and I have never had an issue before. What do you believe is making shadow all of a sudden be mean and how do I stop it from happening?

-- Contributed by: how do you stop a dominate cat

Hi Tanne,

You don't mention how long this has been going on, but a lot of the problem is likely because of the stress of the move. Some cats react to changes better than others and it sounds like the elder cat is not reacting well. He is fighting for dominance in the new place and trying to show his sibling who is boss, just in case the younger cat gets any new ideas. I think the best thing you can do for now is to keep them separated. He very likely does recognize the other cat. He's just being aggressive.

Is he being aggressive with any of the other cats? I would go ahead and isolate the aggressive cat with his litter box, food and water in a laundry room or bathroom. Preferably, this will be where his litter box will be kept. Each cat should have his/her own litter box anyway, even if they sometimes use each others.

After a week or two, they should be used to the smells and sounds of the new house. Bring the aggressive male into the main part of the house inside a crate. If you don't own a crate, you can put him under a laundry basket that is weighted with a book or something along those lines.

Leave him in the cage for one hour while the other cats sniff him or whatever. The cats may growl and fuss during this time. After an hour, open the door (or lift the basket) and allow him to come out. Watch him and the other cats carefully. At the first sign of aggressive from anyone, put him back in the cage for another hour and then try again. Do this no more than three times a day. If they do not get along, then put him back in the isolated room and try again the next day.

Be patient. This can sometimes take several weeks.

I really think he'll settle down once the pecking order is established, but these steps will help the cats figured out how things work at the new place. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi Jo,

I'm assuming that he is neutered as that can prevent a lot of fights and wandering. The only other thing you could really do is to purchase a cat run and monitor him while he is outdoors, instead of letting him run free. Unfortunately, once he is outdoors, you have little control over where he goes and which cats he might fight with.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi, Last year, I brought home a mother cat with 3 little kitties- 2 males & 1 female. Coming towards almost a year, the elder male attacks the younger male. Initially I had seperated them. I recently moved to a new place, which I brought all of them together. The elder male cat couldn't recognize the younger male for about 10 minutes and then they start attacking aggresively again. I have limited rooms in this new house of mine and I hope I could solve this problem. Do cats recognize their own siblings? If they do, why do they attack one another? Also, they've been pretty close since they were little kitties. Between doors, they tend to show as though they missed each other because the elder cat tried digging the floor as if he's trying to rescue the younger cat. But when they meet, he jumps on him and starts attacking him violently. Please advice.

-- Contributed by: Tanne

Hi I got a male cat (Ricky) from the RSPCA in Feb this year. He has been in numerous fights resulting in five operations in a year! The vet and I agree that it wouldn't be fair to keep him indoors, especially because I live in a small flat. Does anyone have any ideas or advice that might stop him fighting other cats in our area. Thanks!

-- Contributed by: Jo

Hi Pam,

It would be best to keep the mother and kitten separated until the kitten is old enough to go to a new home or is big enough to defend him/her self. Otherwise, you risk the well being of the kitten as the other cat is so much larger.

Also, the new mother will likely settle down once her baby is grown. She is just reacting like any mother and protecting her young.

So, give her a quiet, safe place to rear the kitten and know that time will likely work out the relationship between the two older cats.

If they are still fighting once the kitten leaves, then please come back and we'll brainstorm some more ideas.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

please i need your help , I have an older female cat and now we have a mother cat and one of her kittens,2 months old, The Mother is very attentive and protective with her kitten. All was going well with the older cat ignoring the new ones when they came out of the bedroom we have been keeping them for awhile for their hour exploration. UNTIL the kitten tried to play with the older one. She hissed the new mother came and the fight was on. I made the mistake of picking up the older cat , not a smart thing, believe me. What is your suggestion. We are trying to give the new ones a good home since the mother was dropped off pregnant and we have had her to the vet and had her fixed and such and she has had a hard life but , do not know if this can continue and do not want any of them to get seriously hurt or me or my grandchildren . Thank you in advance

-- Contributed by: pam

Hi Ian,

It sounds like the female is simply scared. Some cats don't react well to new cats in the home. I do think they will get used to one another, but there are a few things you can do to help the process. First, make sure each cat has separate litter boxes, food and water bowls.

Next, you should isolate the new cat in the room where you plan to keep the box for a week. This will allow your female to get used to his scent. You would then introduce them slowly to one another. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

We have two new cats who did not previously know each other - a large male 4 year old and a small female 3 year old, both spayed/neutered. The large male frequently moves towards the female semmingly just to play, or have a sniff, but the female hisses and scratches as she clearly is not used to, or does not welcome, the males attentions - he will also chase her if she runs away. What could I do to make them more happily co-exist ? - or as I have only had them for 3 days, will this behaviour sort itself out shortly do you think ?

-- Contributed by: Ian

Hi Pat,

Since it all started with the shrimp, I would simply separate them during the time you feed them the shrimp. Put each cat in a separate room. This may take care of the problem, since the dominance issues seem to be over this food item.

You can also try spraying them with water, and/or saying no very firm when they begin to fight. Don't try to step in between them, however, as you may get hurt yourself.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I now have a problem with my 2 year old girls. They are littermates and were rescue cats and previously had gotten along fine. In the last 4 months or so, they have started to swat at each other (this causes scratches and drawing of blood) at food time. They are given dry food on a self demand basis and in the afternoon I make them fresh shrimp. This is where the fighting starts--they seem to not like each other anymore. They were rescue cats and are more bonded to me than to each other. Any suggestions? I don't want this to escalate further. Also one is bullying the other. Thanks Pat

-- Contributed by: Pat Duigon

Hi Alyssa,

You don't mention how long you've had him. He may just need some time to adjust to his new surroundings. Have you tried separating him from the other cats and re-introducing them slowly? This might help with his feelings of security. It sounds like he is reacting out of fear, likely because the other cats are bigger and such.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hello, I have a one and a half year old and an 11 month old. They are best of friends and get along great. My friend had to get rid of her 4 month old, and I took him. My older cats had no issue with him, but he hisses and growls at them and wont let them near him, he even does it to me. When I visited him at my friends he was as lovey as can be. I want to keep him, but if he doesn't get along with my guys, then I won't be able to. I started them in seperate areas, seperate them when they start fighting, everything I read here. Any ideas?? Please help!

Alyssa

-- Contributed by: Alyssa

Hi Tiffany,

The first thing I would do is to make sure they have separate everything, from litter boxes to food bowls. Then, I would try the separate experiment again, by locking the new cat into a contained space for about a week. Instead of just letting him out this time, use a small crate. Bring him into the main living room (wherever your family spends most of their time) inside that crate and sit it right in the center of the room. Leave it there for about an hour and allow the older cat to sniff at him. Don't worry if either growls or hisses right now.

After an hour, let the kitten out of the crate. If the cats begin to fight, place the younger cat back into the crate and repeat for another hour and then let him out again. Try this up to three times a day. If the attempt to get them to get along does not work, the younger cat goes back into his confined space after three tries and you try again the next day.

Eventually, the two cats will likely grow used to one another. Are both cats neutered? That can also make a huge different in territorial type issues.

Hope this helps!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My family recently got a new cat who's a 10 month old, brown tabby. He is a little shy, timid and takes a little extra patience. However, once he gets used to you, he comes out of his shell and wants to be pet and have your attention. We already had a female, 5 yr. old flamepoint. They are both neutered/spayed. We kept them in separate rooms for a little bit, and later introduced them. The older cat was NOT territorial, and seemed friendly to the newer one. However, the younger cat (which was fine around humans), started growling and hissing at the older cat. The older cat would hiss back. We tried to discourage fighting, but a few times, the younger one would run away and the older cat would instinctively chase him. The younger cat would end up in a submissive position, such as on his back, while still growling and hissing. Then, we would separate them and put the younger one back in his room. We have put them in separate rooms and then switched it, but nothing seems to be working. I think that the younger cat is just scared of the older one and feels the need to protect himself by hissing and growling.

I really need help soon, because other members of my family want to send the new cat back to the humaine society. I don't want that... Do you have any ideas how we can get the two to get along better? Thanks!

-- Contributed by: Tiffany

Hi Annetta,

An male cat that is not neutered can be very aggressive. I would probably look into that as an option for stopping some of the fighting and also for the protection of your cat. Unneutered cats are likelier to roam away from home, for example.

Also, when the cats do get along, reward them as cats respond well to positive praise.

Unfortunately, there are times when cats simply can't get along and if that is the case, I think you have to consider what is best for your household and both cats and try to place the more aggressive cat into a single pet household. However, the neutering may solve the problem for you.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hello. I have 2 cats who fight on a daily basis. My cat is a black cat - 2 years old. He has always been a very loving and communicative cat. Never bit, scatched or hissed. He would go outside during the night and sleep during the day or generally be in our company. On a few occasions when we went on holiday we had my boyfriend's father look after him who also had a male cat who was an apartment cat - never been out. He was much older and heavier. Both cats know each other from when the black cat was a kitten and there was no real issue.

Then because of a move when the black cat was around 1 he had to stay with the other cat for aound 1 month. This is when fighting began. It mainly consisted of a lot of hissing and the big cat jumping on the black one. When i was finally able to bring the black cat to our new home the other male cat due lost his home due to unforeseen cir...stances. This ment bringing both cats to a new home.

My black cat settled in very quickly as he was familier with all are furniture smells etc. The older cat - now 7 yrs old took a while to adjust. I kept them both in for 6 weeks which was trying because they did not stop hissing at each other but it wasn't too bad. Then when I let out the black one who is very much an outdoor cat - things got more agressive.

The black cat who was useed to sleeping with us was banned from the bedroom due to the aggression of the older cat. he sleeps in the living room. He now hisses and looks constantly stressed unless he goes outside. The older cat now also goes outside and tries to block the black cat from coming in. I am not sure what to do now. I love my black cat as he is such a loving and chatty cat and cannot baer to see him stressed of having to fight for space all the time. However th older cat who never used to purr or be friendly to anyone has become the most loving and cuddly cat around me. He follows me and snuggles up whenever which his old owners are shocked at. He never used to be like that.

I would love to keep them both but am not sure how to make them get on. We have been living in this new place for 4 months now. The black cat has been neutered but not the older one. Sorry for rambling on about this. I just want my cats to get on and not sure what to do next.

Regards

Annetta

-- Contributed by: ann

Hi Jeanie,

Is it possible that the elder cat is ill? It seems strange that she would begin fighting with the other cat without provocation. I would take her to the vet and have her checked out.

If she is not ill, then you can try separating them the minute they begin fighting. Put each cat in a separate room for a cool down period. Be persistent with this and they may eventually stop fighting. They may never be best friends, but it sounds like your main goal is to keep them from harming one another.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I am in severe need of advice. I have 3 cats: an 11 y/o female that I've had for 8 years, a 2 y/o male I've had since he was a month old, and a 2/o female that I've had since she was 6 months old. The eldest cat has always had a you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone attitude. But about 2 weeks ago the eldest and the male started fighting. The eldest started growling at the male cat, who feels intimidated, growls back and they fight. They've fought 3 times in the past 2 weeks. I always break it up and separate them for a few hours, but it doesn't seem to do any good. I need to know how to eliminate this problem otherwise I'll have to find a new home for the male. Thanks so much!

-- Contributed by: Jeanie C

Hi Mari,

I'm so sorry this is going on. Poor Puddin'. It sounds like he is really getting the brunt of things, and from his own sister too! You are doing everything right as far as having separate litter boxes and feeding dishes. It is also good that you have separated the cats when they fight.

Since you very much love all of these cats, I would try the following before you resort to finding Chiefy a new home.

Separate Chiefy into a small area for about a week. You can go in there to pay attention to him, but he is not to come out or roam the house.
After a week, place Chiefy in a small crate (metal or plastic with holes is best. Bring him into the main part of the house where you spend most of your time and leave him in that crate for one hour.
Prepare a squirt bottle with plain, room water temperature.
After an hour, open the cage door. Let Chiefy come into the room at his own pace.
Watch the cats closely. At any sign of aggressive from Chiefy toward Puddin', spray him with the water, firmly tell him 'No' and put him back inside the cage for another hour.

Repeat the process. You will have to be patient. It can sometimes take several weeks to accomplish peace in your home. Only try this process for about three hours at a time and then return the cat to his isolated area.

The other option would be to isolate Puddin' and try the process with him, isolating him the minute the other cats show aggressive, but I am not sure that would be as effective.

If this does not work, you may have to consider either finding Chiefy or Puddin' a new home. You may not have considered this option, because of the sibling relationship, but since Puddin' is more docile and shy, he might be happier in a single cat household where he does not have to compete with other animals.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi,

I have 3 cats 2 males and 1 female. The female (Julianna) and male (puddin) I adopted at the same time. The male was always the weak one. If I only could have seen his litter I'm sure he was the runt. But that's okay I love him anyway. Six months after getting Puddin and Julianna my son had to give up his cat (Chiefy), which was only 8 weeks old, I took him in he was adorable and I was in love with the other two. So what's one more Right? Chiefy turned out to be a very large Tiger cat.

Well anyway, they are all around 3 years old and they are all nutered and sprayed. Suddenly Cheify started stalking and hunting down Puddin. Julianna even joined in.

At frist, I was trying to let them all work it out. Then it became apparent that Puddin was getting hurt and not fighting back. I started to put Julianna and Chiefy down the basement every time an incident would occur. Julianna is no longer joining in.

Chiefy is still stalking and attacking. What should I do? I'm almost ready to find him another home.

All of my cats are nice and sweet. Everyone compliments me how well behave and friendly they are. When people come to visit Chiefy and Julianna are frist to greet everyone. Puddin has to warm up. I have a litter box for each cat. I feed them on different plates. My whole famiy gives plenty of attention to all of the cats. We all have our favorites but still love each one.

Please help! I want to keep Chiefy, my 6 year old and this cat are best buddies. Always together.

Thanks in advance,

Mari

-- Contributed by: Mari

Hi Carole,

The only way you can stop him from fighting is to keep him indoors. The instinct is too great to overcome in an outdoor situation. Even if there was a way to train him to stop, he would get hurt by the other cats who would take advantage of his submission.

If you're cat is not a full-time outdoor cat, perhaps you could take him out on leash yourself. That is about the only thing that will keep him from becoming involved in confrontations with other cats.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I have a great black male cat, altered, and spoiled..however, any cat that comes on the property, he fights, and chases and fights some more... How can I train him to stop..I am sure he is either protecting his property, or the vet thinks he just likes to fight..It doesn't matter if the other cat is male or femaile Hope you have a suggestion for me...Thanks

-- Contributed by: Carole
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