weird cat behavior

joolson45
joolson45 Posts: 80 Member
edited January 14 in Chit-Chat
ok... heres the deal.. I have a male and a female who have been together since 6wks old always got along great... both declawed and fixed.... yesterday we were sitting in our living room and out of nowhere a neighborhood cat comes up to our back slider door... both freak hiss run away... ok... heres the weird part... my female is continuing to growl and hiss at the male.. wont let him anywhre near her not even walk by...this has been going on since yesterday.... any thoughts???? btw.. I am getting ready to travel for the weekend so they will be here alone to duke it out...

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Ehh, they're declawed, so it would be kind of like them having boxing gloves on. Let 'em have a go and sort their lives out. ;)
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Maybe the male has been cheating with the neighbourhood cat and now the female is pissed. It's like Maury for cats.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    Maybe the male has been cheating with the neighbourhood cat and now the female is pissed. It's like Maury for cats.
    Fluffy you are NOT the father!
  • runningbs
    runningbs Posts: 132 Member
    I'd set up a kitty cam and charge pay per view :-D
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    ok... heres the deal.. I have a male and a female who have been together since 6wks old always got along great... both declawed and fixed.... yesterday we were sitting in our living room and out of nowhere a neighborhood cat comes up to our back slider door... both freak hiss run away... ok... heres the weird part... my female is continuing to growl and hiss at the male.. wont let him anywhre near her not even walk by...this has been going on since yesterday.... any thoughts???? btw.. I am getting ready to travel for the weekend so they will be here alone to duke it out...

    Are they strictly indoor cats or do they go outside?
  • joolson45
    joolson45 Posts: 80 Member
    lol.. I know.. she is pissed... hes like what the ?x@% did I do???
  • joolson45
    joolson45 Posts: 80 Member
    They are mostly indoor as they are declawed.. but I do have a fenced in back yard so I will let them go out there..when they do they just sit on the deck... this other cat got in over the fence and was HUGE>.. thinking she is just scared to death...:)
  • mminor77
    mminor77 Posts: 313
    They are mostly indoor as they are declawed.. but I do have a fenced in back yard so I will let them go out there..when they do they just sit on the deck... this other cat got in over the fence and was HUGE>.. thinking she is just scared to death...:)

    Huh... Shes never seen one so huge before? Id be scared to...:noway: :laugh:
  • perfekta
    perfekta Posts: 331 Member
    PTSD
  • kelleygi
    kelleygi Posts: 583 Member
    Ehh, they're declawed, so it would be kind of like them having boxing gloves on. Let 'em have a go and sort their lives out. ;)





    Agreed! Let us know when and where! I love a good CAT FIGHT!! :drinker:
  • joolson45
    joolson45 Posts: 80 Member
    They are mostly indoor as they are declawed.. but I do have a fenced in back yard so I will let them go out there..when they do they just sit on the deck... this other cat got in over the fence and was HUGE>.. thinking she is just scared to death...:)

    Huh... Shes never seen one so huge before? Id be scared to...:noway: :laugh:


    She doesnt get out much....lol
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    They are mostly indoor as they are declawed.. but I do have a fenced in back yard so I will let them go out there..when they do they just sit on the deck... this other cat got in over the fence and was HUGE>.. thinking she is just scared to death...:)

    Fear and the fact that this cat was a foreigner who smells nothing like her and her brother.
  • HerBravado
    HerBravado Posts: 392 Member
    lol.. I know.. she is pissed... hes like what the ?x@% did I do???

    Sounds like my boyfriend & I. :laugh:
  • crimsoncat
    crimsoncat Posts: 457 Member
    ok... heres the deal.. I have a male and a female who have been together since 6wks old always got along great... both declawed and fixed.... yesterday we were sitting in our living room and out of nowhere a neighborhood cat comes up to our back slider door... both freak hiss run away... ok... heres the weird part... my female is continuing to growl and hiss at the male.. wont let him anywhre near her not even walk by...this has been going on since yesterday.... any thoughts???? btw.. I am getting ready to travel for the weekend so they will be here alone to duke it out...

    I have an interest in cat behavior. I'll post some links to cat behaviorists so you can read up on these things on your own too.

    This sounds like redirected aggression. Cats are not social animals and even domesticated cats live in large groups with a mother and her kittens only. Intruders are likely to upset this.

    Do not let them "duke it out". This will make the situation worse. It can raise tension between them and you may even get a battle for territory via urine marking. Yes, that is as awful as it sounds.

    To fix your problem you will need to separate your cats for a day or two. Then, feed them a food they really like (wet food, boiled plain chicken, etc.) using a door or screen to separate them. Both cats need to eat and this will help recondition them that when this cat is around good things happen. If the cat is not eating, move the food bowls farther away. A good starting distance is about 10 feet apart. DO NOT RUSH THIS. Given them 1 MORE day from when you think they are comfortable to when you move the food bowls closer. DO NOT LET ONE OF THEM EAT THE OTHER CAT'S FOOD. KEEP THEM SEPARATED WHEN THERE IS NO FOOD.

    http://www.chicagovetbehavior.com/behavior-problems/feline-behavior-problems/216-feline-aggression/238-intercat-aggression

    Next, make sure you play with your cats while they are separated. Use a toy like the "go cat cat catcher". You want something to chase on a long lure NOT a ball (boring) or a laser pointer (frustrating when they can't catch it). A play session should take 10+ min and the cat should be laying down on its side panting when you're done.

    http://jacksongalaxy.com/2012/07/14/training-your-human-to-play-with-your-cat/

    Once your cats can eat within a foot of each other (expect this to take 2 weeks or more), then you can let them out in the same room for supervised play TOGETHER. When your cats are showing NO signs of aggression that were not present before the outside cat, then they may hang together again.

    BTW, there was an episode of "my cat from hell" that specifically dealt with this. I highly recommend you check it out. You can buy it on amazon or itunes. I think it was season 1 or 2. The veterinarians and behaviorists I've worked with think that show is a good example of how to approach cat behavior.
  • crimsoncat
    crimsoncat Posts: 457 Member
    Episodes to watch are

    My Cat From Hell Season 2, Ep. 6 "Spitting Mad"
    My Cat From Hell Season 3, Ep. 10 "Bitten"
    My Cat From Hell Season 3, Ep. 1 "Cat Fight!"

    All of those deal with cat on cat fights.

    Also, make sure your cats have some nice verticle space to climb so they can get away from each other. Give them a shelf or a bookcase to climb on. The more space they have to avoid each other, the better off they'll be.

    And check out this website:

    http://indoorpet.osu.edu/
  • joolson45
    joolson45 Posts: 80 Member
    @crimsoncat Thanks so much for the great info... the problem is I am leaving to go out of town for work in a few hours and they will be here alone.. as I write this she has ventured back into the room hes in with no hissing... so fingers crossed.. luckilly he is really sweet and is just keeping his distance... a little confused...:(....
  • crimsoncat
    crimsoncat Posts: 457 Member
    That's a good sign. If you can, have a friend come over and check in on them.

    Also, block the window where the other cat cam from while you're out of town. If one view of him caused this much trouble while their "mom" was here to make them feel safe, imagine what another encounter without you could do. At least that should prevent it from getting worse.

    Even if you're going out of town, the play should still help drain off her energy and it might even help them bond again. Try it before you go if you have any feather toys or things they like to chase. Don't use string or yarn because they can eat it. I've paid for 2 $1000 surgeries on my cat because he loves string.

    I have a cat that is extremely cat aggressive and tries to kill my older weaker female. Luckily I live in an apartment with him and she lives with my parents. I know how hard it is to live with the extremes. I hope this all works out for you. :)
  • mminor77
    mminor77 Posts: 313
    They are mostly indoor as they are declawed.. but I do have a fenced in back yard so I will let them go out there..when they do they just sit on the deck... this other cat got in over the fence and was HUGE>.. thinking she is just scared to death...:)

    Huh... Shes never seen one so huge before? Id be scared to...:noway: :laugh:



    She doesnt get out much....lol
    Me either :sad:
  • Seachicken84
    Seachicken84 Posts: 98 Member
    So this behavior extends into female feline as well? Well it was Valentines Day. No card, no flowers, no ring. And hell, his buddy came over so they could go catting around instead of staying home for the surprise candle light dinner she had been planning for months.. Was just a matter of time. She was a ticking time bomb.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    That was good information, Crimson - thank you!

    The BF and I live in a studio apartment and thus our (bursting full - I've put down my foot and we are no longer anyone's "Hey, Quirkytizzy can take this cat that we suddenly don't want!" option) three cats are constantly snappy at each other. I will try some of those suggestions - THANK YOU!
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