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Question
We have 9 cats and all of them get along well today one of our cats started acting diffrently. He has always been laid back but now all he does is hiss, growl, and has weird episodes when he's around the other cats or even if he sees them from a different room.He is not even 2 years old yet. What could be wrong? Could he be in Pain? (All the cats are fixed)  

Answer
I would have to guess that that is a good possibility. When cats are in pain they do hiss and growl,but most of the time they hide and hunker down.

You have a lot of cats in one house and each cat requires 137 sq. feet of space to be calm and feel good in their own space. So if that isn't happening then you might want to reconsider rooming arrangements for these cats or at least this one cat.

There are some products that you can try one of which is called Feliway. It is a pheromone spray that is supposed to produce good feelings in each cat and thus cutting the tensions of having so many cats around.

If this behavior continues then you really should get him in to the vets and have a work up done on him.
That way you will know if there is something going on with him.

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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.

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

Education/Credentials
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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