Expert: Ali - 11/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: I need some advice on a problem I've having with my two cats.

Tryx and Traylee are three-and-a-half years old, sisters and normally get
along beautifully. They play together, sleep together and give each other
baths.

My husband worked the late shift Monday night, went to bed at 6 a.m. and
said the cats were sleeping together in their cat tree, so something happened
between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning (Nov. 4). I came downstairs
to find Tryx underneath the kitchen table growling and hissing at her sister,
Traylee. Her tail was all wet and there was some loose stool on the floor. They
playfight, but have never hissed or growled at each other before, so I
immediately thought something must be wrong. My husband and I took Tryx
to the vet and the vet told us she had a bacterial infection in her gut. When
we got home, the hissing and growling continued whenever Traylee was in
Tryx's line of sight and then they had a horrific cat fight. My husband doesn't
think they actually hit each other, but it sure sounded awful. Yesterday,
Traylee was eating and saw Tryx heading toward the litter box and ambushed
her when she was walking into it. They had another fight with spraying,
hissing and growling. After this, I separated them and put Tryx in the
basement and Traylee upstairs, which probably wasn't the best thing to do,
but I didn't know what else to do.

I called the vet twice last week, but all they told me to do was rub a towel on
Tryx and then let Traylee smell it and vice versa. They also told me since Tryx
was at the vet, she would smell different and it would take time for them to
get used to each other. I've taken them to the vet separately before and
they've never acted like this. In fact, when I had to take Traylee to the vet and
she had to stay overnight, Tryx stayed at the front door and didn't move until
Traylee came back home.

My husband doesn't think Tryx was ever sick at all, since she didn't actually
have diarrhea and was just mad at Traylee for something. He also thinks we
should just let them be and they'll work out their problems. Someone at work
said they had a similar problem, and confined them in a small room together.
I'm hesitant to do that because I don't want them to hurt each other.

Last night, when I was downstairs with Tryx, she came up the stairs because
she heard Traylee crying upstairs. Once she got near the top, she started
hissing and growling. A little later, Traylee was crying again, they both looked
under the crack underneath the door and Traylee hissed at Tryx and she
hissed and growled back.

How can I get my normally loving cats to love each other again?

ANSWER: Carolyn,

I do think that Tryx was probably sick, the alternative is something that you wouldn't have recognized as stool....It would be the anal glands involuntarily emptying....If this was the case the cat would have had to be very afraid for some reason. I would say that trying out a Bach Flower Remedy called Rescue Remedy is the answer...This remedy is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. I would say that 5-7 drops in each cat's fresh water every morning for a week or two should help to get things sorted out...You can find Rescue Remedy in naturopathic pharmacies, natural health stores and in some mainstream pharmacies in the vitamin section. For now keep them separated, you don't want to stress them out further and cause injury to one or both during a fight...Once you start on the Rescue Remedy you can start with the towel rubbing as recommended by the vet...Once that's working you can tentatively let the girls out to see each other face to face...Bribery is always good in this situation...Something yummy that these guys wouldn't normally get like tuna or salmon will help to keep things calm...

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I tried the towel technique, but
with a sock and they were both fine with it, so we reintroduced them and
bribed them with treats. They were fine when they were within a few feet of
each other, not growling or hissing, but Tryx was a little skittish. I went
upstairs to go get something, and a little while later, they had another cat
fight. My husband says that Tryx was going to come upstairs and Traylee
chased her. Why does she feel the need to chase her? I'm going to try to feed
them in the same room tonight and I'm going to keep Tryx with me when I go
to bed. My husband doesn't think we should separate them, that they should
just 'get over it,' but I don't think that's such a good idea.

Answer
Carolyn,

The way that I see it in this situation it's better to be safe than sorry. If this situation gets out of hand then it can lead to lasting behavioral problems like house soiling and aggression...These are commonly associated with euthanasia if pet parents aren't able to catch the problems before they become blown out of proportion...Traylee may be feeling a bit sore because of the fact that Tryx smelled differently after being sick and to the vet...The sock works great, even a hand towel or wash cloth will do the trick - the object that gets the scents transferred back and forth doesn't have to be a towel...If you are worried about problems during the night it would be best to avoid playing favorites. Tryx shouldn't be allowed into the bedroom without Traylee - after all if Tryx begins to see this room as her territory it might spark more fights so I would advise that you keep both girls outside of the bedroom but separated during the night to prevent fights when you can't be there to stop them.