Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    odinn7's Avatar
    odinn7 Posts: 7,691, Reputation: 1547
    Entomology Expert
     
    #1

    Aug 14, 2013, 08:25 AM
    Cats Fighting
    We have 4 cats that all seemed to get along for the most part. The pecking order has been established and things were peaceful.

    We "needed" to get a kitten and when we brought it in the house, there was the usual hissing and growling from all. I am used to this as I have seen it before and after a few days, it usually goes away and everyone gets along.

    Well, not this time. 3 of the original cats are fine. 2 of them just avoid the kitten, the male dominant one plays with her and they get along great. What we have is a problem with the fourth one that we had taken in last year... this was the newest cat. She is vicious. She stalks this kitten and jumps her. She holds the kitten down and claws her and bites until she is pulled off. This is not playing even by cat standards. This happens constantly. We can't even leave the house without locking one of them up for protection. Sleeping is the same thing.

    You might say it's jealousy since she was the newest one but she never got any special attention. She wasn't treated differently. In fact, she kind of shyed away from much attention anyway. Like I said, the other cats are OK with her and my buddy, Rigby, plays with her as if he's teaching her.

    So where is the problem and how do I handle it? This has been going on for 6 weeks now and I'm losing my patience.
    N0help4u's Avatar
    N0help4u Posts: 19,823, Reputation: 2035
    Uber Member
     
    #2

    Aug 14, 2013, 08:52 AM
    My friends had 3 parakeets 1 male 2 female. They got along great until they got a third female. Then it was territory war because the one original female felt the male was hers.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
    Jobs & Parenting Expert
     
    #3

    Aug 14, 2013, 09:10 AM
    We have a sort of similar situation. We rescued two females from our back yard. We used to feed them when they were strays and know they hated each other even back then. That hasn't changed even after bringing them indoors and getting them spayed. Matty delights in chasing Dido (and clawing at her) until she climbs to the top of the cat tree to get away and then hisses back from her perch. (It's a game they play, but a mean game.) We can almost see Matty smiling as she walks away. There's a pecking order too when eating -- Kuro (the patriarch) first, then Little Debbie (the matriarch), then Matty. Dido will slink in later after everyone has left the kitchen and hope there is something left to eat.

    I'd advise you to continue what you are doing to protect the kitten. As it grows up, things may improve, but cats are like people -- some just never get along and become friends. Can you play with the two of them together, maybe with a tennis ball they can bat around like a hockey puck, or give them each a nice, smelly catnip toy (or fresh catnip)?
    odinn7's Avatar
    odinn7 Posts: 7,691, Reputation: 1547
    Entomology Expert
     
    #4

    Aug 14, 2013, 09:32 AM
    We have tried introducing them and playing with them. The kitten cowers and as$-face stares at her... there is no playing.

    Funny, the cat I feared would have the problem seems to love her like his new buddy. I never saw him play this nice with another cat. He plays with the others but in a mean spirited sort of way but with the kitten, he is more gentle and even lets her sleep near him.
    emmasmom's Avatar
    emmasmom Posts: 7, Reputation: 2
    New Member
     
    #5

    Sep 27, 2013, 08:40 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by odinn7 View Post
    We have tried introducing them and playing with them. The kitten cowers and as$-face stares at her...there is no playing.

    Funny, the cat I feared would have the problem seems to love her like his new buddy. I never saw him play this nice with another cat. He plays with the others but in a mean spirited sort of way but with the kitten, he is more gentle and even lets her sleep near him.
    I have been in the same situation as you are in right now TWICE, and it is not fun by any stretch of the imagination. Usually you would think that adult cats would just be gentle with a kitten seeing as how they are like children or babies to us, but sadly this is not the way with all cats. I would think after this much time has passed things would have settled down somewhat, and technically if they were going to get better you would have seen an improvement by now. When I went through the same problem we ended up giving our adult (originally stray/feral) male to a family member who has no pets, and things are much improved for my remaining cats as well as Smokey who has a new home all to himself. He has grown to love his new owners, and actually sleeps in the bed with them every night; something that he never did here with us. I hope that you don't have to come to this solution, but sadly you may have to if things are not improving. :( Good luck to you!

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Husband is fighting over cats in divorce. What can I do? [ 2 Answers ]

My husband and I were together for 6 years and married for a year and a half. We got two cats from a friend of ours and have had them since they were born. We have not fought over anything in the divorce except when I said that I got an attorney. Not even a minute later he says that he wants the...

Making outdoor cats indoor cats [ 3 Answers ]

I've had my 2 female cats Sox and Princess since they were born. Which must have been 7 years ago now. All Sox's life she has been indoor/outdoor. Princess has been indoor/outdoor except for about a year of her life when someone stole her, they claimed to have kept her indoors. I'm 18 years old...

Grappling fighting or any ground fighting! [ 0 Answers ]

Has anybody trained in grappling that have a denture & a partial? How were you able to go through training w/out them falling out? Did you get advice from your dentist or common sense situation? Any law enforcement or fighting instructors with advice for their cadets or students with this...

Fighting Cats [ 3 Answers ]

Hello! I posted a question here a few months ago about my two cats fighting. We have two in-door cats, one we have had for many years now, and the other one we got a year ago as a 6 week old kitten. The older was fixed when we first got him, but the younger one was fixed about two or three...

Fighting cats! [ 4 Answers ]

I have an 11 year old female cat that has been fixed and a 4 year old male cat that has also been fixed. So they have lived together since my male cat was a baby. They got along very well, giving each other baths and sleeping together. About a couple of weeks ago my male cat started to attack my...


View more questions Search