Expert: Ali - 3/18/2009

Question
I have two sibling Chartreux, male and female, 5 years old.  They have been great mates since they were with me (age 8 months).  The male is very aggressive toward the female.   She is sweet and passive. I have had them separated going on 5 weeks.   This has been going off and on for 1 year....but this is worst and he hurt her badly 4 weeks ago.  I have tried medicine to calm him down.  I have tried re-introducing them slowly.  I currently am putting 10 drops of Rescue Remedy (natural liquid calming)  in their water.  My house is big enough to separate them so they both have space...but it is disruptive to our lives.   The males is very possessive of me and has come out of his shell the last several months.   They both enjoy individual  time with me.   I don't want to place one of them in another home and am willing to keep this up for months....but would like to try to bring them back together.  I am very patient with them both.   I have talked to one consultant last year.  She helped with me being patient and not scolding.   But this time the aggression is dangerous to the female.   My vet has been very involved.   Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Barbara,

I am concerned about the intensity of the aggression between your two cats. I am left wondering if the two cats are spayed/neutered since they are purebred cats. If not that may be a good place to start because of the fact that intact cats are far more likely to become aggressive and territorial than felines that have been surgically sterilized. It sounds as though someone could end up getting hurt and that's not an outcome anyone wants. Since the aggression is so serious I'd highly recommend that you consider speaking to a holistic veterinarian which is a vet trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy or massage to name a few. A holistic vet may be able to offer some natural treatments designed to help both cats overcome this aggression. Unfortunately the causes of aggressive behavior towards other cats can have a variety of causes and without knowing more about when the aggression started, what was happening in your life at the time (change, fear, jealously or anxiety can trigger aggression between two cats) I can't really recommend a cure. I normally recommend that pet parents try using Rescue Remedy and other Bach Flower Essences, however since this is such a serious problem I think that consulting with an experienced holistic vet would be the best course of action. Vets that practice only conventional medicine can offer medications which may work, however I'm not entirely comfortable recommending the use of powerful anti-depressant/anxiety drugs to alter a cat's brain chemistry.

In my opinion it's best to take the most natural route possible to help get these cats back on track and at least help them to be civil with one another. This is potentially a case that may require the help and dedication of several practitioners including your family vet, a holistic vet and a veterinary behaviorist. I don't think that there are any easy home remedies in this case other than to permanently separate the two cats within your home - this is a serious situation that requires ongoing professional help if anything is to improve. I really think that this situation needs to be resolved as quickly as possible with the help of the professionals because it really isn't healthy for the cats to be fighting any time that they get the chance and it's no fun having to constantly be on alert and know where the two cats are at all times. I do wish that I could offer more, however I can't see what's going on, I don't know when, how or why the problem started and I'm left wondering exactly how long this behavioral problem with your male cat has been going on.