Ask the Veterinarian/Fighting cats

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Expert: - 12/10/2009


Question
Hello- I have 5 cats and 1 dog. All the animals are males except for one female cat I adopted when my sister couldn't take care of her. The female is very shy and skiddish and usually runs away when she's scared. But lately the female and my youngest Bengal cat have been fighting. Normally, it starts off by the female cornering the male in the bathroom or a room and the male starts hissing. Most if the time we are home to break it up and many times we've found the male bleeding. I'm mot the kind of person to give away animals I am committed to them for life but I'm so stressed about this. What is she doing while no one is home? Is there anything we can do to stop them from fighting? I don't have the heart to get rid of her.

Please help.

Answer
Well you have the law of space working against you for one thing. Studies have show that one cat needs about 125 square feet of living space each to be happy. With five cats, unless you live in a palace, their living spaces are all overlapping which causes major stress in your cats.

I am guessing these cats are all neutered; if not, then you will not stop this problem until they are.

If they are, you may want to start giving them separate living spaces. Another thing that you can try is Feliway, which is a pheromone that helps calm cats down.

If all else fails you can try your female on some mood altering drugs such as amitriptyline.

One thing is the male/female imbalance in the house. That could also be a part of the problem.
Remember that if you find her a home where she will be the only cat and pampered cat at that, that wouldn't be a bad thing would it? You might want to advertise toward an older couple or woman that would like a nice companion. That might be just what she needs. And that would be a blessing you are giving her, not you abandoning her. Think about it that way.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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