I have two identical twin male cats. They're 2 yrs old and both fixed. I adopted them from the Humane Society when they were between 6-8 weeks old. They've been raised together, never been separated and have always gotten along. They've always played together, bathed each other and aside from some rough play when much younger have never had a problem. Nothing in my life has changed, no furniture moved, new people, visits to vets, medications, etc.

I woke up 2 days ago to a living nightmare. They are completely at war. They can't be in the same room without going for each other's throats (seriously) I finally figured which was the aggressor, the calmest brother. Their fur blows up from head to tail, snarl, growl scream,hiss and attack. The other one hides under the bed in a defensive posture, teeth drawn, snarling, etc. I've separated them - not easy in a condo-ever since.

My question is: What can explain this bizarre behavior between litter mates who have always been together & happy? I'm a single "parent" and always try to give equal love.

I guess at 2 years old 2 male cats from the same litter are no longer siblings and cute but are maturing into competitors for the same territory. There is your problem right there. There is no longer any room for two male cats in close quarters. I guess the neutering had no effect whatsoever in this case. That would normally be the clincher to harmony between them. I would say, harmony where they just about tolerate each other.

You will have to decide between one of them and find a home for the other if you want peace in your household.

Tick

Thanks for your response Tickle, but I'm not ready to give up on my options to reconcile them. Keeping them separated for three days is seeming to "mellow" them out. At least they are not snarling at each other from opposite sides of the door now. The one outside the closed door keeps visiting the "prisoner within." Positions changed regularly. So I am having real hope.

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Originally Posted by KatsKids

Thanks for your response Tickle, but I'm not ready to give up on my options to reconcile them. Keeping them separated for three days is seeming to "mellow" them out. At least they are not snarling at each other from opposite sides of the door now. The one outside the closed door keeps visiting the "prisoner within." Positions changed regularly. So I am having real hope.

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I think you are right not to rush to the decision to give one of them up. I don't think the issue is territoriality at all. If that were going to be a problem, it would have announced itself a long time ago.

Cats do go through rought patches in much the way humans do. Just as a couple who lived together harmoniously will sometimes go through periods of tension, so too cats experience their ups and downs. I have recently gone through something similar--though less dramatic--with two of my neutered males. It turns out that one of them had been guilty of the violation of an important rule among the cats and the other finally got fed up and decided to really go after him for it. Cats are far more socially complex than people often realize, and they like rules and take them seriously. In addition to the rules we have for them, they have their own. I live with six cats and can attest to the fact that they have rules and that violations of those rules are often handled in a way that can look pretty brutal. My guess--and it's only a guess, since I obviously don't know your guys--is that the aggressor is acting this way because of some perceived infraction on the part of the aggressee. When things erupted between two of my guys, it was over something that had been building for a long time, i.e. it was over something that one of them had been doing, and getting away with, for quite awhile, before the other finally decided to lay down the law.

Having said all that, you clearly can't take the chance that they'll hurt each other. I would advise you firmly to discipline the aggressor (even though he may only be lashing out because the other is doing something he shouldn't be). I'm generally a fan of allowing cats to discipline each other since they learn best that way (cats know how to communicate with other cats), but your guy needs to learn that there are limits to how far he can take things. He has to be taught that this sort of aggression is never acceptable, even when he's been wronged by his brother.

I would expect this to be something that will pass. You were wise to separate them for a time. Let tempers die down and keep a close eye on them when they are together for awhile, until you are confident that whatever the issue was has blown over. Cats are amazingly forgiving and tolerant. These boys are brothers, they've known each other their whole lives. They aren't going to be at odds forever. Don't give up on keeping the two of them together. They will lose in the long run if they are separated, and so that should be your absolutely last resort. Try if you can to get some sense of what the source of friction may be. The only way I know to do this is to spend lots of time patiently observing their interactions. If you can figure out what the problem is, then you can discipline the offender so that his brother won't feel that he has to take matters into his own hands.

I wish you, and your boys, all the best. Please come back and let us know how things are going.

Thanks so much for your great answer Akoue! I'm happy to report that we're making progress.

We had a "minor" crisis last night. I've been using the downstairs bathroom (fairly large) to confine one while the other gets to run free for awhile, then switch them at regular intervals. We had "problems" (fight) the night while making the transfer so I put Bits in my tiny bathroom upstairs (door confines just toilet & tub-the rest is open) for the first time. Made the switch and went upstairs to let him out & lo & behold, in his quest to get out had locked the door from the inside. Primal Scream. And of course it's not a modern doorknob you can open with a screwdriver, the hinges are on the inside and none of my keys, screw drivers, paper clips, etc. worked. Imagine me throwing myself to the floor, beating my fists, kicking my feet and screaming "Whyyyyyyy Meeeeeeeeee? But I controlled myself, imagined calling firemen and having them break the door down with a big ax. At this point I didn't care. :eek: But sanity intruded & I had a wonderful neighbor come over with his tool kit. He removed the molding & managed to unlock the bolt with a special tool he had. Needless to say - he's my hero. :)

Long story short, they were talking nicely to each other through the door today so I moved Sammy into a screened "room" (portable kind you can take them outdoors in) and stayed close in case Bits jumped on him. So far so good and the one outside the "room" will sit a little ways away and keep an eye on brother. Other than exchanging brief growls once tonight, there have been no problems. I'm going to continue to keep them separated for at least a few more days, but they are both starting to show they miss each other. Especially their wild races around the house. They're definitely stir crazy.

I also discovered today that Bits has a sore toe. The pad cover was torn & came fully off this morning. This may have been a factor. He's always been the gentle one. Sammy's gotten grouchy a time or two & pinned him, like when I brushed Bits teeth first & S. thought he should have been first, but never anything serious. I immediately removed S. when these incidents happened but maybe he tried something one too many times and Bits, nursing his foot snapped. You were totally right on target there. As far as giving one of them up, it would be like asking me to give up one of my human sons - ain't going to happen. :) I'll write again when they're back to normal. I may never be. :rolleyes: :)

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement! I loved hearing about your cats.
... Kat

I'm so sorry to hear about the bathroom fiasco. That sounds horrible.

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. The most important thing is to be patient and to try, where you can, to help them get through the rough patch through which they're going. It's clear that they love each other; this hasn't changed just because they're arguing. When my two guys were going through their rough patch, the one who was the aggressor just wanted the other to stay away from him for awhile. They have come out on the other side as close as ever, with the offending party behaving in a way that is more considerate of all the others. This has been a really good thing all around, and, now that it's over, I'm grateful to the one who was being aggressive for teaching the other an important lesson (it turned out that he had been playing too rough and unsheathing his claws when he wrestled with the other boys, a big no-no in kittyland, as I've come to learn--once he got to a certain age, the other was no longer willing to look the other way). As I say, they have surprisingly complex rules, and I can't pretend to understand them all, but I've learned to trust them, that if they act out with each other it's because there's been some infraction. This is also a great way to learn more about them, since I wouldn't otherwise have learned a lot of the rules to which they hold one another. Things like this have helped me to become a better dad to them, and it's really deepened and enriched my relationship with them. It's taught me that they aren't meanignfully less socially and emotionally complex than we are--something which too many people fail to notice.

Continued good luck for you and your boys. I'm so glad to no that you would never give up on them since, sadly, many people are quick to do just that. I look forward to hearing more as the situation develops.

Hi Kats, don't get me wrong, my first concern would be for the two cats, my feelings on the matter of aggression would be secondary after I had tried to figure out a way to have peace in the household.

My cats are outdoor/indoor, they come and go as they please, and if there is any dissention, then one goes out, the other comes in, one goes downstairs, one goes upstairs. They don't disrupt the very busy lifestyle which I have.

So a different viewpoint. You are a stay at home mom, right ? So you have to figure this out for the household.

If it were me, I would give it two weeks and one of the neutered cats would be having a good home with someone else. Cats are extremely adaptable. So I would not be giving up, I would be finding a satisfactory solution for the cats and me.

Tick

I have fantastic news to report (dare I hope?). The boys have taken the situation into their own hands. I slightly opened the bathroom door this morning & they sniffed each other with no sign of aggression. Bits went in Sammy went out. I was tempted to keep the door open and see what would happen, but decided to err on the side of caution and shut the door with one out & the other in. I was going to gradually increase the time they could see each other throughout the day. So, I grabbed a cup of coffee and went upstairs to read my online news. Shortly after, a cat passed by, rubbing my ankles. Still reading, I bent down & was petting him when lo & behold, another cat came by & rubbed my ankles too. WHAT?? A jail break! They were both there, acting like nothing had ever happened.

I decided not to write more until the day passed. It's early evening now and they are laying 6 inches apart peacefully sleeping. They've been a bit tenuous with each other but it's almost back to normal. For the first time since war broke out, I've been able to get them to play a little. Neither of them had ANY desire to play during their argument so it showed just how upset they were. Ahhhh, Bits is now giving Sammy a bath. Heart melts.


Tick: I know cats are adaptable, but I'm not. I respect your point of view but it doesn't work for me. When I fall in love with my critters, I stay that way. It's foolish to say I adopted them. They adopted me, jumped into my lap and demanded I take them home. I've never been sorry. They are physically nearly identical, stripped & spotted tabby's. I'm the only one who can tell them apart. Their personalities are totally different and equally adorable. I will always do everything I can to respect their differences & work to keep our happy home peaceful and happy. It would be nice to have an indoor/outdoor option. As you might have guessed, I don't so things are bound to get more testy from time to time.

Akoue, Thanks so much for your encouraging words and shared experiences. I've never had two cats before. Hearing about your cats and their interactions did a lot to reassure me. I've learned a lot during this time and I'm sure Bits & Sammy are not finished with my/their "lessons." :) Hopefully the next won't be as stressful. LOL.

Mahalo,
Kat