Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/strange cat behavior

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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/2/2008


Question
I have two cats, Lacey who is 13 years old and Noel who is 2 1/2 years old. They get along great until this morning Noel strating hissing and growling at Lacey. We plugged in last night insect plug-ins and thought they might be hurting Noel ears. We unplugged them and she is still hissing and growling at Lacey. What do you think is going on? They been together since Noel has been a kitten and Lacey has always been more of a mother to Noel.

Answer
Lora,

Our other expert is no longer here so I am trying to answer her questions, so sorry this is late.

There are a number of reasons that could be causing Noel's behavior.

For some reason Lacey may smell different than she used to. Cats go by smell recognition rather than by sight, and Noel may think Lacey is a different cat.

Cats also hiss and growl at another cat if they detect an illness or something is wrong with the other cat. This may sound morbid, which I don't mean to, but it has been proven that a cat can  sense an impending death of a animal or person.

Lacey is 68 years old in human years. I would take her to the vet for a checkup. Noel may know something you don't. All elderly cats should have an 'older cat checkup' every 6 months to check the function of their liver, thyroid, kidneys, etc. Find a vet that is familiar with geriatric cat care and conditions (not all vets are).

Noel may have Redirected Aggression. That is when a cat sees a stray cat outside that it can't get to to protect it's territory. It will turn on another family cat as if it were the stray cat, which in it's mind it is. Even if they have always gotten along. Sometimes they will turn on the family dog, or even their owners if no other animals are in the household. Improper elimination may occur also. To stop the behavior you would need to block the window that the cat can see a stray cat from.

Cats growl and hiss and get aggressive when they are in pain (ear problems, teeth problems, etc.) You may want to also have Noel checked and rule out a medical problem causing the change in behavior before dealing with it as anything else.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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Dear Tabbi

Expertise

My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.

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Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).

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