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Cat aggression

5 replies

Autumn12 · 08/05/2013 17:48

My 2 Cats are 3 year old neutered litter mates. They have spent every single day together since birth and have always got on well. Though one cat is more dominant "DC" and one more timid "TC".

Up until a month or two ago they were both indoor only Cats. We have since moved somewhere that it is possible to let them out. They are only allowed out while I'm home and I make them come in when it gets dark. What can I say they are my babies!

DC went out a lot sooner and ventures further than TC, and actually seems restless if we are home and she is not allowed outside immediately.

TC took a long while to leave the safety of the window sill but will now go out and has even climbed the fence (this is a Cat who hides when we have visitors and has only just really started to approach us, so this is something I never expected to see).

In the past couple of weeks DC has started to hiss at TC. At first I thought it was just when they encountered each other in the garden, and that maybe they didn't recognise each other. However, now it seems to happen every day inside the house. DC will either hiss at TC or just ignore her. TC is still sometimes trying to greet DC like she used to but often she will stop herself as though she is afraid of being hissed at. It's really sad to see.

DC now will no longer have anything to do with TC, doesn't greet her, won't sleep with her or groom her etc. You can almost see the bewilderment in TC's face. She is beginning to get a little scared of DC and never seems sure if she is safe to go near her or not.

Do any Mumnetters have any experience of this, and is there anything I can do? The aggression isn't related to the move as they both settled in well, and we kept them in for several months before allowing them outside. It seems to be purely related to being allowed access to teh great outdoors.

Any advice welcome. I have a baby due in 3 months and I am worried that if teh Cats can't get on the new baby will unsettle them even more than it otherwise would.

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Autumn12 · 09/05/2013 10:07

BUMP Anyone?

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QueenStromba · 09/05/2013 16:35

I've no experience but I remember seeing a thread a while back where one cat was sprayed by a neighbourhood cat and the other one didn't recognise him anymore. They had to be reintroduced like you would do if you brought a new cat home.

Any chance this might have happened?

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thecatneuterer · 09/05/2013 16:46

I really have no idea either. What QS said makes sense. And of course there is always the standard advice of trying Feliway if all else fails, but I have no idea if it will make a difference.

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PandaNot · 09/05/2013 17:01

My boy cats, also litter mates, have gone through this once before when one of them was seriously ill and had to stay at the vets for five days (yes it was a very big bill!). When he returned the other one went crazy and was so upset he was even vomiting if the other cat was near him. It took about two weeks to get back to normal, feliway helped and the vet recommended some kind of medication which can also help but thankfully we didn't need it. The vet thought it was to do with the smell. Slow reintroduction to each other I think.

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Autumn12 · 09/05/2013 17:05

I really don't think it's do do wioth another Cat but Thanks for teh suggestion.

It's almost like now DC goes outside she can't be bothered with being friendly. I've kept them both in the past 2 days to see if it helps.