PDA

View Full Version : Former friends now feuding


Jean
06-13-01, 05:15 AM 06-13-01
I have a serious problem. I have two five year old cats (sister and brother) and they are spayed/neutered. They have always gotten along well until something happened on Sunday.

They had been chasing each other and playing together when the male jumped up on the piano not realizing that the piano lid was open and the piano keys were exposed. Well, when he jumped up there he heard the noise and it scared him and he kind of lost his footing and fell off the piano right onto the female.

I have never seen such a fight break out. There was snarling, hair flying, an all out attack until he chased her under the bed.

I kept them separated and twice since I have tried to re-introduce them to each other, both times have ended up in the same thing happening. The female (who is very scared) shows her teeth and hisses which makes the male respond back and not just with hisses but with an attack.

Now the female has retreated to the basement and when I bring her upstairs even with the male locked in another room, she is already hissing and growling.

What do I do? She is so afraid, I don't know what to do. And her fear only perpetuates his aggression.

They are also both due for a vet check. I was wondering if theis would be a good time to take them at the same time (in separate carriers) to have them experience a slightly unpleasant experience together or would it just make matters worse?

We are scheduled to go on vacation in a few weeks and we leave the cats at home for someone to come in and check on them. I just don't know what to do.

Any advice would be appreciated. Has anyone else been through this? Did your cats need anti-anxiety medicine and is it addictive once they start it?

Please help! Thanks so much!

Robbie
06-16-01, 10:08 AM 06-16-01
Hello Jean,

I'm sorry but I have not experienced what you are going through with your cats, all I can do is tell you my opinion as a cat owner. Well it is a bit of a mystery but obviously something to do with one cat jumping on the piano and falling on the other caused some kind of kitty fear or mistrust.
Obviously you cannot continue to keep them seperated this way especially as you are going on holiday. I think you should put them back together- perhaps on neutral ground first- could you take them both to a friends house reintroduce them and then bring them back to your house together in the same carrier? I think taking them to the vet together is a good idea also to try... but make sure someone else is with you to help if there is a problem or a big fight breaks out. Alternatively you could just reintroduce them to each other in the house and let them fight it out. I guess they may hurt each other a bit but I'm sure it wouldn't go on forever...till they killed each other! Surley one would back down? You could have a water pistol ready to squirt them if it does get too much.
Let us know how you get on.
Robbie