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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Female cat attacking her brother.

7 replies

dontticklethetoad · 01/11/2018 23:06

The stripey little witch will randomly attack the fluffy pillock.
He can sometimes be just be walking past and she'll go for him or if he comes up for a fuss and she's on my lap she'll swipe and hiss at him.
And then sometimes she'll actively hunt him down to have a go.

Meal times she'll give up her bowl to him (and eat from his) and they'll cosy up quite happily under the bed together, or sit on the window sill together.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
planechocolate · 01/11/2018 23:10

She is the Boss, he is the pillock, and she likes to remind him of that Grin

dontticklethetoad · 01/11/2018 23:13

Ahahaha planechocolate I am hoping it is that simple. He seems unfazed by it. He is a bit thick though.

OP posts:
starsmurf · 02/11/2018 02:19

I would strongly recommend getting a couple of books by Vicky Halls, Cat Detective and Cat Confidential. She's one of the UK's top cat behaviourists. The books go into detail about rival cats and measures you can take to solve the problem. They actually inspired me to start studying cat behaviour courses.
From the knowledge I've gained from them, I'll do my best. Please note, I'm not an animal behaviourist!

Ask yourself important questions that could explain what's going on:

Has the aggression always been this way or is this something new?

Did they sleep curled up together as kittens? Do they still do that?

Do they groom each other, does one groom the other or is there no grooming? Has that changed at any point?

How old are they?

What kind of home did they come from?

How old were they when you got them?

Do they go outside?

Do you have any other pets?

Are there other cats coming into the garden or even invading the house?

Has anything changed around the time this started or got worse? From a new baby or a house move, to a new carpet or moving some furniture, cats hate change.

Some of these questions may seem strange but it's to figure out if this is down to boredom, your cats reaching the age of "social maturity", jealousy, aggression due to the presence of rival cats, or any one of a number of reasons why a cat feels it needs to resort to violence.

Please don't ignore this situation as any escalation not only risks injury to your cats, it usually involves your cats peeing, spraying and clawing everywhere in a desperate attempt to make themselves feel safe. It can reduce the submissive cat to a miserable, painful existence, unable to safely eat, drink, sleep or use the litter tray. Once it gets to that stage, the cats usually need to be separated.

If, after reading the books, you can't solve the problem, ask your vet for a referral to an animal behaviourist specialising in cats. Many pet insurers cover this. Any properly qualified behaviourist will accept patients only through vet referral, so they know that physical problems have been ruled out. While I recommend the books for you, in this case, if you can afford to do so, I'd recommend getting the referral straight away without trying to DIY the situation.
The behaviourist will be able to spot what's wrong very quickly, it's much harder to do it yourself.

I'm sorry that this sounds so negative. If the behaviourist can solve the problem quickly, things should be fine. The fact that you're paying attention to the situation is a big plus. I would recommend the books for any cat lover, most of us could learn something from reading them. I hope things get sorted out ASAP.

dontticklethetoad · 02/11/2018 07:28

I have had the cats 2 months. They are 7 years old, they have always lived together.

I got them from the CPL who took them after their original owner had to move And the new landlord wouldn't accept cats. Very sad, as they were very much loved, which is obvious from their demeanour.

They were born into a home that had another cat with kittens born within days of them (I believe there were 15 kittens in total!) and the litters got mixed. Mother cats not believed to be related and father unknown on both counts, so they may or may not have varying degrees of relationship.
They look very different. Female is petite Tabby and male is an absolute monster of a black, fluffy cat. Same green eyes though. They were rehomed as a bonded pair.

I have not seen them groom each other but their 'safe space' is under my bed, so they could be.

We have had had 2 instances of spraying, but that was when stripey cat (the female) got shut in the conservatory over night (thanks dh!) and when fluffy cat (male) got shut in Ds room overnight (again dh and his obsessive door shutting!) although that could have just been a desperate wee as didn't have that greasy texture.

Stripey cat does not do it all day, every day. In my presence it happens once, occasionally twice a day.
I did comment to dh within the first couple of weeks of having them, that they didn't interact much with each other. Apart from when they were hiding, they would sit facing each other noses touching.

OP posts:
dontticklethetoad · 02/11/2018 07:34

Yes they go outside, fluffy cat will spend all day outside (if it's not cold), stripey cat will go out for maybe 15 mins then go back to bed, or hunt me down to sit on my lap.
She is very, very affectionate. Particularly to me. Lots of face rubbing etc. Loves to sit as close to your face as possible.
He loves a fuss, and will sit next to you on the sofa but is not a lap cat.

If I stroke him whilst she is on my lap, she will get up and stalk off or go and sit on the arm of the sofa with her back to me.
Her most common time to swipe is if she's on my lap and he tries to get on the sofa.

OP posts:
Branleuse · 02/11/2018 07:54

just let them get on with it. Cats play can be pretty violent. Theyre alpha predators after all. The girl seems to be top of the pack

Allergictoironing · 02/11/2018 08:29

I would guess she's just reminding him that she is the alpha cat. My general rule is if there's no blood or screaming, it's play not serious Grin

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