Fighting cats

Well more accurately, one picks on the other constantly. The male is very elderly, possibly 15+ years old. He just appeared at our property about 8 years ago so was here first.
The other is a 4 year old female that we have had since she was 6 weeks old. Both are neutered.
She seems to take great delight in harrasing him as he squeals and growls when she does. But lately, it has got very serious with claws involved.
I am totally sick of it as it happens all day unless she is having a sleep.
The worst is first thing in the morning when she chases him and they both end up on our bed at 5am snarling and spitting at each other.
During the day, I try to keep one inside and one outside but they both stay in at night.
When the old fella was sick a few years ago, she left him alone completely which was marvellous, but now he is well, she sees him as fair game.

Any thoughts on how to stop her attacking him????
The novelty has well and truely worn off.[V]
Rehoming either of them is not really a possibility.
I know he wont last forever but peace in the household for his remaining years would be lovely.

When we first got the three kittens in the house and Max was elderly and blind, there were a lot of fights. We got Feliway(sp) which seemed to help calm everyone down.

I wonder if the time of year makes a difference as our three are fighting all the time at the moment, even though they're siblings....

Could you lock him into your bedroom at night and her out?

A quick squirt from a water pistol when she is attacking him.

Our cats do this too younger one harrasing the older one but not too bad and only occaisionally.

Thanks Kate, I wondered if it was the time of year as it has not been this bad before. Little witch also terrorises the poor old dog as well [}]
Shutting in behind doors at night time is not possible due to both using the litter tray during the night.

Charlotte1 - water pistols are not possible as this is not our house and I do not want to damage walls/carpet with water.

How about getting a second litter tray at night. The feliway suggestion I can also second.

shoot them all. Cats are almost as bad a pest as humans.

ronnie;476118 wrote: I do not want to damage walls/carpet with water.

but you let cats in it?! Wtf.

my two are fighting all the time too! Is it the time of year?

When I saw the headline my first thought was shotgun, then I read the post and found the problem was not what I thought it was.

You may save on vet bills by keeping the claws on both trimmed to reduce injuries. Cat fights are mostly psychological: A lot of intimidation and noise, but they are less likely to do damage when fighting if you do this, as only serious fights get to the hard biting stage. You may need to trim claws more than once a week to prevent them from being sharp. You will soon find out what frequency your cats' claws require.
If you find it difficult to do this, practice: on the cat. [] Be firm, deft, and quick. Even if you just manage to trim one claw, come back to it rather than push things. Rewards may help. For my pets, sufficient rewards were attention and patting once they got used to the idea, and one of those was a cat the vet and my friends were scared of...

You can't stop them fighting with punishment. All that will do is move the fighting elsewhere, and make them even less happy. They are fighting for a reason, and punishing the instigator won't change the reason, and it may make them more insecure, which could worsen things considerably.

A second littertray is a very good idea.

Feliway really is a worthwhile investment.

I feel for you..i have 6 and one particular little pissycat is stalking and beating up everything that moves..she realy only gets stuck in when the other cat reacts.. ie ears back etc.. so luckily the old blind cat doesn't take any notice of her filthy looks and gets ignored.. not so for the other 2 females..
they were markedly worse last week, I put it down to the full moon...

You could be dealing with a challenge to the older cat's authority by the younger cat. They do have a fairly strong heirachy in the cat world. Cats are cluey and the younger one possibly quietly took over the territory when she knew the older one was not able to look after it. Now that the the older one is well again, he is probably being firmly "put in his place" by the younger one and not learning too quickly.
Change of authority can happen within the same household, with the same cats. It doesnt take much.
How to stop it?
Try and make/provide separate territories if you can... and yes, I second the 2nd litter tray and the water pistol... you aim for the cats and wipe down the walls immediately if you miss, same for the carpet. It is only water so shouldnt hurt the paint or furnishings. You will get a better aim in a short time. Water does wonders
when it comes to teaching cats to leave things alone.
Even if you have to build a cat-run to regain peace, it would be worth it.

My 3 cats seem to be getting along pretty well, even though there has been a recent addition to the group.
What helps though, is the 22 yr old "Fierce Lion" is still assertive enough to keep the two youngsters in their place, just by growling. The 22 yr old is a seasoned fighter who means business and still has lethally sharp claws and good aim. She may be frail, loosing strength, muscle tone and vision but her voice is still loud! The younger cats know not to mess with the "Feirce Lion" as it will also bring me to the scene!

Our 2yr old female cat met the old cat at 8 months of age and would freeze, crouched with back to the old cat rather than fight. She is still not a fighter. I still have to rescue the younger cat and remove her to a safer spot on occasions. The younger cat seems to have accepted the old cat will never be friendly so alternates between gently teasing and being watchful/ protective and caring for the 22 yr old. It is rare that they get to fisty cuffs. For the last 6 months or so the younger cat has been doing all the territory patrols and the old cat was rather forgetful. Through winter she slept much of the time in the warmest spots and had to be brought in for meal times by the younger cat, a little bossy, but done in a kind way. The old cat seems to know that the younger cat wont hurt her.

The new arrival is a 1 yr old, newly neutered male, sweet natured but still not fully clued into not messing with the old cat. He has been with us for two months and is also learning after a couple altercations to crouch and freeze when growled at. He has a mischievious streak that makes him want to seek out the old cat and pounce. He got quick smack (from me) for doing so this morning.
He has taken over the role of territory defence and patrol and gets along famously with the 2 yr old cat. She cuffs him and lets him know what is and isnt acceptable. There has been no fighting between them. He is quick to launch himself into attack mode if another outside cat comes into their territory.

Thankfully we have not had a 3 cat fight on our bed, even though there have been 3 cat nights where there is little space left between sharing the pillow with the feirce Lion, and the younger cats by my side and feet.

I hope you can regain the peace in your household soon.

zellakanzx;476158 wrote: shoot them all. Cats are almost as bad a pest as humans.

Ah, Rob, that is not a kind or wise thing to say and would be better left unsaid. Cheers!

Belle Bosse;476211 wrote: Ah, Rob, that is not a kind or wise thing to say and would be better left unsaid. Cheers!

you may find it unkind, but it is mos def wise.

I'd be bold enough to suggest that it is typical behaviour of a cat that was removed from its mother too young.