[Hazel1220]

So I have 2 female cats one is 2 years old and the other is a little over a year. I had another but he disappeared. He and the 2 year old one were really close and good friends. She took is kind of hard when he left. About 1 1/2 months I got the other girl cat to hopefully perk the 2 year old up. Well at first the older one did notwarm up to the younger one. After a while they worked it out and started playing and cuddlying with each other. It was quite cute because they always slept together. They would fight/play but nothing really major or bad at all.
Well about 3 months ago they started HATING each other. I mean like they cannot walk by each other without it turning into something bad. Can't be anywhere near each other in the same room, on the bed even on different ends etc. etc. At first it seemed as if it was the older one istigating it but now it is the younger one who seems to be picking the fights.
I have a 7 month old baby and thought it might have to do with that, but the fighting did not start until recently. What is going on here?? Any thoughts advice would be great!
Oh yeah in a2 months I am moving as me and my BF broke up and I was going to take both cats but it seems as if it might be better to separate them and have one person keep a cat. The cats have obvious preference for their choice of people in this relationship so it would not be difficult. Thoughts?

[Fiona2003]

I think the answer might surprise you: the tension in your relationship with your BF may have stressed out your cats!

Cats suffer from stress just as people do, and they get grouchy and irritable, too.

Another thought: have you recently rearranged the furniture? Cats are territorial and may have "worked out" their turf, only to find it rearranged by humans.

Solutions:
1. Try to keep things as calm as you can. This includes calming yourself as well! I know this is hard with an infant around, but it can be done.

2. Put their food bowls as far apart as you can. Cats do not like eating from the same bowl, nor do they like having to dine next to each other.

3. Take them to the vet. There might be a medical condition making them "angry" such as an ingrown dew claw, painful bladder problems or itchy eczema.

I wish you all the best and I hope everyone gets along again soon.

[linnealand]

Just out of curiosity, are both of your cats spayed? It's much more common for cats of the same sex to get competitive or a bit more territorial, and this is especially true if one or both have not been fixed. It's more likely that they will get along if they are of different sexes.

Even one bad interaction between them could have sparked this hostility. I have heard recommendations from Warren Eckstein, the animal trainer and radio pet show host, in which the cats are played with, separately, in the same room until they eventually realize that the other one is not a threat. This would take a lot of repetitions, some time and a bit of patience. I haven't tried this myself, but it's worth considering if you're in dire need of a solution. I do know that Eckstein has a book out called How to Get Your Cat to Do What You Want.you might want to consider taking a look at it (or other cat training books) the next time you're in your local bookstore. I read the dog version of that book; there might be better ones out there. :)

I like the idea of each of you keeping one of the cats. Considering that they have favorites between the two of you, and since they're not getting along anyway, I think it's more than okay. Break ups can be tough. I've always appreciated the extra emotional boost you can get from having a good pet by your side after a long, hard day. Hang in there!