Expert: Dear Tabbi - 7/24/2009

Question
Dear Tabby,

I have three cats all female. Moose is the oldest almost seven years old, then theres Chloe, who will be four years old. Then last, Miss Boomer who is eight months old. When we first got Chloe as a kitten ,Moose disapproved and would hiss or attack her. It took a while for Moose to stop but they don't get along still after four years, but it's one of those things where they don't fight, they just stay away fom eachother. Sometimes you might see them sleeping together. Anyways, Chloe was always getting into troulbe like climbing curtains. Last year she would always try to take off outside and i would have to chase her only because she wasn't spayed and we had a stray male living in our backyard once in a while. So she would start soiling our clothes, towels and plastic bags. My husband had enough and didn't like her and she almost went too spca. We fought over this. I looked it up in books and realized it could be the fact my husband did'nt like her and she wanted to be outside. So my husband sucked it up and try to make contact with her, it took a while, but eventually it happened. She still was soiling though. So my husband took the chance and let her outside. She stop soiling and seem more happy. Well she got pregnant and had Miss Boomer. She only had one kitten so we decided we keep her. A few months later we decide to get all three cats their shots and we got Chloe spayed since she's the only one that goes outside. About a month after her surgery she started acting funny. She doesn't sleep with us, she doesn't come to the bathroom when I'm bathing like she use to, she loves baths. Now she growls at Miss Boomer or attacks her for no reason. I thought maybe she's trying to saperate from her baby, but I've had a mother cat and baby before and this has never happened. She also seems depressed. I'll try to pay attention to her by patting her and she'll love it at first and then she attacks me. so I read some more books from my work and one thing I read was, think about when her personality start changing. So I sat and thougt and it all happened a month after her surgery. I also thought maybe it was a time we forgot she was outside and left her out there all night. But she loves it out there. The only thing I can think of is she's jealous of her baby getting more attention. I give all my three cats attention and Chloe is usually outside most of the time and when I let her in she goes to her food and then finds a spot to go to sleep. When she wakes up I give her attention, but now it's like she doesn't like me or Miss Boomer. I want my Chloe back. Before the spayed, Chloe loved pats and nibbling my finger, she wasn't the type of cat though that wanted to be held, but she loved her pats, kisses and being played with. I don't know what to do. did the vet traumatize her with the surgery or is it just jealousy. Now I've been giving more attention to her then the other two but it doesn't help, she will only let me pat her for a minute and then she starts growling and sometimes attacks me.  I can't have her doing that and I'm afraid she will stress the other two. What do you suggest I can do.

Answer
Audra,

That is good that you got her fixed. The kitten should be fixed too. They can do it young now. The SPCA does mine between 8-12 weeks old.

If you can afford it, I would suggest taking her to the vet, possibly another vet. Pain can cause aggression and depression. It is possible something is wrong connected to her spaying, like an infection. A spayed cat should not have any sudden personality change.

I would ask whoever you took her to the first time if she was pregnant again at the time she was spayed. Sometimes they know they had kittens and when they get aborted a cat can become depressed.

I would check to see if it is a medical issue though before dealing with it as a behavior problem.

Tabbi