Expert: Dear Tabbi - 8/5/2008

Question
We are two people who came together 10 months ago with 2 young spayed adult cats. They are not friends. One of them is aggressive & has occasionally hit and swatted at the other one. Sat. evening my boyfriend accidentally stepped on the mellow one. She howled terribly and within seconds the aggressive one came in for the kill. It was horrible. I interpreted it as having shown weakness so the aggressive one could finally get rid of her.

Well it happened again this evening. (Monday) But nothing special triggered it. It was brutal and violent. We have them completely separated right now. In addition, the aggressive cat is completely loving and affectionate to both of us humans....more than any cat I've ever encountered.

What is going on? Is it fixable? Do we have to get rid of the aggressive one? Could she turn on us? Up till now, we love her to death. The idea of getting rid of her is killing us.

Answer
Michele,

Did you go through the introduction process before you put the cats together? If not, that could explain the behavior problems. I will attach some links on how to do it correctly. It may work to start over with them, but it may take longer to work out because there are negative associations with each other. If you want to keep both cats, it's worth a try. If that doesn't work, it may be best to rehome one of them. It's not fair to either one the way the situation is now.

Here are a couple of links on how to go about the introduction process that parts may be helpful:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

There is a chance that the one cat may have what is called Redirected Aggression. That happens when a cat sees a strange cat outside and  becomes territorial, but can't get to the strange cat to defend her territory. The cat then turns on the closest animal member of the family and fights with them as if they were the other cat. Blocking the window that the cat can see any strays out of should help in that situation.

The reaction the cat showed when the other cat's tail was stepped on is a normal reaction. When one cat fights (or so the cat thought by the scream) alot of cats will run and jump in without knowing what the problem is. I call it 'fighting frenzy.

Are your females Calicos? They are very territorial and are basically devoted to one person. There sounds like there could be territorial issues and jealousy going on with you and your boyfriend.

Time, patience, and lots of love to each cat will help. Try giving the cats some yummy cat treats (like tuna, sardines, etc.) together so they associate each other with something pleasant. Getting the cats to play interactively will help them get used to each other. A pet laser light is excellent for that (PetSmart/Petco/etc.).

I hope you can work things out!