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Old August 18th, 2009, 01:53 AM
heart433 heart433 is offline
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Help Help Plz Help! Sudden EXTREME Cat Agression

I just got back yesterday after a week away from my cats. That night my 6 year old unspayed female tabby, Yuki had an EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE attack against my 8 year old spayed female tabby Tigger. THREE TIMES during the night she aggressively attacked her without provocation, following me screaming as I picked Tigger up in fear and put her behind a closed door. Tigger just had to be sitting still for her to leap at her screaming and flailing her claws.

She does not show any aggression towards our 1 year old kitten and play fights and washes her daily. And it was not a case of her thinking the kitten was in danger from Tigger.

She shows no aggression to me, in fact she has been unusually cuddly and seems to want to glue herself to my side. She used to be affectionate only when she was in heat.

This evening Yuki saw Tigger on the counter from a chair and tried to attack her screaming again. I picked Tigger up and shut her in my room. Yuki tried to follow me, howling lowly.

I'm terrified.

Tigger is not an aggressive cat, she cowared under my bed for most of the day. I worry about her stress about being attack negatively affecting her health. I don't want to give away Yuki because she is Molly's only active playmate, but if the chips are down I will choose Tigger.

Last edited by heart433; August 18th, 2009 at 02:01 AM. Reason: Didn't finish
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  #2  
Old August 18th, 2009, 06:56 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Are you sure Yuki isn't in heat? Do you have plans to spay her soon? That would be my first suggestion.

When you were gone, who looked after the cats? Did they stay in their home? Sometimes when a cat's routine is upset, it can create a great deal of stress and this may be Yuki reacting with re-directed stress aggression. I would for sure keep Tigger and Yuki apart for a few days, and then slowly reintroduce them as you would a new cat. There are some descriptions here on how to do that:
http://www.catsinternational.org/art...ther_cats.html
http://www.catsinternational.org/art...roduction.html
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Old August 18th, 2009, 07:12 AM
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Couple of things... Get Yuki spayed. I can't understand why she isn't done already.
Get both Yuki and Tigger health checked very thoroughly. Tigger in particular. It is possible that Yuki is attacking Tigger because she is sensing Tigger is sick. I would suggest getting her checked asap.
You were away for a week. There is no telling what happened while you were gone. Cats are very sensitive to change. Any change to their routine can lead to a large amount of stress. It is possible even a very loud clap of thunder would be enough to stress her out. Her human was gone so there was no one there to go to for comfort. It's possible that Tigger was close to her when something stressful happened and now she associates Tigger to that stress.
Try the sites that SCM gave you to check out on reintroducing.
And please, before you decide to just give up on Yuki, let us know. Cats don't just attack a long time mate without reason.
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Old August 18th, 2009, 04:22 PM
heart433 heart433 is offline
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Extra Info.

Yuki and Molly have both not been spayed yet due to financial issues. They were looked after by my neighbour's boy who fed and watered and scooped for them. I have taken week-long trips away from them before with no reactions like this. Tigger was just at the vet a month ago for a check-up and was given a clean bill of health. She has been very good about Yuki's behaviour, completely non-aggressive if a little cautious/timid. With my funds I must choose between taking Yuki in for a consultation/check-up or having her spayed.

From Left: Molly, Tigger, Yuki
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Last edited by heart433; August 18th, 2009 at 04:29 PM.
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Old August 18th, 2009, 04:43 PM
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Most people understand financial reasons. Me especially. So.... you live in TO. They opened Spay Central this year for low cost s/n. $50 per cat. $10 for shots. Phone # is 905 -898 - 6112.
You could also try Toronto Cat Rescue. Contact info is on their web site. Explain your situation. They work very hard to spay/neuter cats in TO. They will do it for a donation. I would recommend around $50.
http://www.torontocatrescue.ca/store/index.asp
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Old August 20th, 2009, 08:42 PM
heart433 heart433 is offline
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Now it's the kitten too

This is TOO weird, now she's attcking the KITTEN too! She seems to go berzerk especially if she sees me pick up either of my other two. I just lifted Molly by the scruff of her neck to put her on the couch with me and Yuki, who was sitting on the armrest on the other side of the couch, screamed and tried to attack her. She was all cool until I picked Molly up. It's not as bad when she attacks Molly, the kitten just thinks she's playing and isn't afraid.
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Old August 20th, 2009, 08:54 PM
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Then take Yuki in to get a complete examination. There is some reason as to why she's attacking both cats. Are there any new cats around in the area? Is she in heat? Has she been using the littler box properly and regularily? Have there been any major changes in her life lately? Have you moved lately? Have you tried Feliway or any other pheremone based product that may help calm her down. You need to rule out all of this before you can begin to have ideas as to why Yuki is attacking.
And please do not scruff a cat to pick it up. Use your hand under the belly, one hand on the chest and pick them up properly. You can do a ton of damage, including internal bleeding, by scruffing a cat.
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Old August 20th, 2009, 09:20 PM
heart433 heart433 is offline
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I have a feeling this is just behaviour or heat-related. Where should I start though, a general consultation or bloodwork or something else?

Yuki hasn't been under an kind of stress, I've been away for a week before and my neighbour never noticed anything unusual (they own cats too*).

(And never pick up my other cats by the scruff of the neck, it's just that Molly weights about 4lbs. and I raise her just enough to get my hand under her back feet. She's instantly playful if you touch her belly and brings out the claws and teeth)

*You should see their kitchen-table cat, he's going blind but he has the biggest eyes I've ever seen, they're practically googlie and he's such a sweetie.
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Old August 20th, 2009, 09:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heart433 View Post
I have a feeling this is just behaviour or heat-related. Where should I start though, a general consultation or bloodwork or something else?

Yuki hasn't been under an kind of stress, I've been away for a week before and my neighbour never noticed anything unusual (they own cats too*).

(And never pick up my other cats by the scruff of the neck, it's just that Molly weights about 4lbs. and I raise her just enough to get my hand under her back feet. She's instantly playful if you touch her belly and brings out the claws and teeth)

*You should see their kitchen-table cat, he's going blind but he has the biggest eyes I've ever seen, they're practically googlie and he's such a sweetie.

Unfortunately your neighbour was not with your cats 24/7 when you were away. So they don't know/can't tell if anything happened at some point over the week you were away.
If it is behavioural then you need to see the vet and tell her/him what is going on. You can phone your vet with your concerns and they can decide what tests to run/ meds, etc. If it is heat related then nothing will change until the poor girl is fixed. Have you called either of the places I gave you numbers for in your area?
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Old August 20th, 2009, 11:53 PM
Tim W Tim W is offline
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Sometimes if theres a health issue they will react aggressively to other cats even humans. Watch closely for any more unusual behavioral problems.
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  #11  
Old August 21st, 2009, 11:28 AM
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Yuki should be spayed, the sooner the better. This could be a result of hormone fluctuation, and she could be coming into heat? It is not healthy for cats 6 yrs. old to be continually having heat cycles and is detrimental to their health and may result in a lot more expense.

It could also be behavioural. It's possible something happened between them to upset her. Perhaps she is jealous of Tigger now for who knows what?...maybe your catsitter paid more attention to Tigger than Yuki. And she doesn't like you intervening & saving Tigger from her attacks. You might try giving Yuki extra attention when she is behaving well, feeding her first before the others, grooming her if she enjoys it, playing with her. It you can catch Yuki in a preparatory mode before she attacks Tigger, try to redirect Yuki's attention into an activity she likes instead (throw a toy, have a treat bag handy to shake). Keep us posted, but do get Yuki & Molly spayed (no longer a kitten) above all.

Last edited by catlover2; August 21st, 2009 at 11:29 PM. Reason: Correction: Yuki is unspayed; Tigger is spayed.
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