Some cats just plain hate each other. I don’t know why. Their humans don’t know why. Our dear goddess Lady Bast doesn’t know why.
They.
Just.
Do.
So, what do you humans do when you have two of those cats who hate each other?
Let’s go back in history a bit. There are some things you can do when the second cat arrives in what the senior cat considers his/her very own home. The place to do whatever you can to make the introduction go as smoothly as possible is when you bring cat #2 home. But this is a slightly different problem than WHY some cats despise each other so heartily. We’ll deal in another answer about how to bring cat #2 home to insure as little hatred as possible.
Meantime, let’s look into the hate problem a little further.
Your kitty was so sweet and lovable with you, you felt sorry for him/her when you had to leave for work. Lonely kitty! Solution: Get him/her a kitty friend!
Um, not necessarily. There are several reasons why this could signal the opening round of Cat Wars I.
Cats Are Very Territorial. That mans a cat feels a stranger has invaded his/her territory. In a case like that, a cat might be aggressive toward one cat -- usually the most easy-going -- but friendly to another.
The time when problems crop up is when a new kitty arrives, a young kitten becomes a grownup cat, or the home cat looks out the window to see a strange cat in the yard the home cat may chase, ambush, hiss, and/or meow angrily.
And it’s not just the boys. Girl cats can be just as infuriated by strangers.
But boy cats have a special hate for other boy cats, especially if one or both of them is not fixed. Adult boy cats may threaten and even fight with other boys. They’ll fight over a girl, for a better (in their opinion) place to nap, or to defend territory.
In cat disputes, both cats are likely to stare, howl, snarl and fluff their tails. If one backs down and walks away, the seeming victor is satisfied and will usually also walk away. If nobody backs down, it’s likely an actual fight may result. That means, the two cats come together, roll around biiting, kicking, yelling, clawing and then -- walking away. They they’ll start again…What can a human do? Distract them. This isn’t too difficult. In my opinion, they’re rather happy to have a good excuse to drop the fight -- people can get hurt in those fights! All the humans have to do is clap hands, toss a pillow, or grab the always-nearby squirting water bottle. These moves can also break up an actual fight -- but humans, don’t get involved! You could get hurt.
Another reason for fighting comes when a cat faces what he/she considers an attacker -- animal or human -- that he/she can’t escape. This could be punishment or threat of punishment from a human, an attack from another cat, or anything that makes the cat frightened. (This is one of the many good reasons for NOT punishing a cat by hitting or striking. It does not teach your cat anything except their human “friend” is actually someone to be feared.)
If the cat is crouching with legs and tail pulled in, ears flattened against head, and rolling a bit to one side, humans, don’t approach this cat. If someone ten to 20 times your size came up to you, threatening you, and you couldn’t run away, how desperately might you fight this frightful monster? Yes, me too. With all I’ve got.
Let your cat calm down. If your cat gets angry at a stranger in his yard he saw while looking out the window, don’t try to reassure him by petting him. He may turn and bite you -- not because he hates you, but because his mind is so filled with “STRANGER! INVADER!” that it’s all he can think about at the moment.
If you’re seeing more-than-usual amount of aggressive actions out of your cat. Call your vet. Sometimes cats are feeling sick and miserable, and taking out their feelings on anyone that crosses their path. The vet may also have a short course of anti-anxiety medicine your cat could take while you’re working on ways to change behavior.
If the vet doesn’t find any problems, you could try starting the introduction process all over again (Yes, we’ll get to that subject shortly.)
There are professional humans called “animal behaviorists.” You could consult with one of these people.
If all else fails, you could look for another home for one of the two who can’t get along
Did I mention, spay or neuter your cat? If I didn’t, I should have. This is NOT cruel to the cat, as some humans say (especially if they are looking for an excuse to cheap out on this procedure.) Really, the behavior of one non-fixed cat can affect every pet in your home.
--Dear Tabby
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