Stroppy Cat - advice needed please
Discussion
Just recently, Pepi has been getting very stroppy 
He's 6 in April, Beauty (the blind one) is 3 in May. Pepi is very much my cat, as Beauty is J's.
About November Beauty hurt Pepi accidently; they were playing and she didn't have her claws retracted (she rarely does!) and cut his back slightly. As a result there was a lot of hissing & screaming from both, he ran & she chased him. She was still playing, not knowing she's hurt him & not seeing the flat ears, fluffy tail, arched back etc. only getting the hiss which confuses her.
It took us a week to settle back down, with PetRemedy diffusers, Pepi being given Zylkene and them being separated for a couple of days/nights. They'd be fed together, be in the same room, even play & then he just hissed & ran, with her chasing thinking its a game. Then we get growling, hissing & him running again (yes, he just turns tail & runs to hide - we tell him he's a big girl, but are actually quite please he doesn't stand his ground & fight, he's twice the size of her!)
This week, it's happening again, 3rd time since. There has been no injury since, Both cats have their claws clipped regularly so no sharp tips to avoid any more injuries! The initial Injury happened when she was due a nail clip.
They'll have been fine & suddenly he's hissing at her & running away to hide; with her following & trying to hide with him, so he's growling & hissing which leads to growling, more hissing & lashing out of paws, then we get the full on 'cat fight' screaming.
We've tried to split them up and to leave them to it, neither way makes any difference. When we split them up, he'll come for cuddles, accept them then growl & lash out at me with his paw, turn his body around & push against my hand to have fuss, then growl, lash & repeat.
Yesterday we separated them for the day, I picked him up and carried him to the bedroom & put him in there so he can go to his safe spot, under the duvet (she can't find him there, she knows he's there, but can't get to him). I brought some food & water in & the litter tray, then sat with him giving him a treat to calm him. He crawled under the duvet, I put my hand under with him, stroking him & talking gently, I got the usual growl & carried on as usual & he bit my wrist drawing blood from a 'hole' he made.
We went out & left them (after cleaning me) with him in the bedroom & her having the rest of the house and when we got back she was sat outside the bedroom & they were 'playing' under the door.
On opening the door, he sprang past & greeted her very affectionately & a game of chase ensued. All was quiet for a few hours & then as we went to bed, he started hissing at her again - we left them to it & they both came to bed & slept with us both at the foot/middle of the bed as usual.
About 6am he was under the duvet with me (again normal, he snuggles under with me for about an hour or so) having a tummy tickle, ear rub etc when she 'cried' (she gets lost & cries sometimes) so he went running to find her.
We've had another spat this morning, and they've since slept together. But he's just tried to bite me again, he was sat on his 'fuss me' spot on the cat tree (he runs to it, rubbing his head on the top scratch post for a fuss), and I was in the chair below just absently stroking him with my hand when he lashed his paw & went for my hand with his mouth, then ran off.
He goes from the sweetly snoring cat I can see on the radiator bed at the moment to a happy boy sitting on the floor in the middle to the room after a wash and then he's hissing as he catches sight of her walking nearby
We still have the diffusers plugged in & he's still on Zyklene.
I'm at my wits end. No idea why this is happening. Or how to stop it. Worried sick that he's sick having googled personality changes
He's 6 in April, Beauty (the blind one) is 3 in May. Pepi is very much my cat, as Beauty is J's.
About November Beauty hurt Pepi accidently; they were playing and she didn't have her claws retracted (she rarely does!) and cut his back slightly. As a result there was a lot of hissing & screaming from both, he ran & she chased him. She was still playing, not knowing she's hurt him & not seeing the flat ears, fluffy tail, arched back etc. only getting the hiss which confuses her.
It took us a week to settle back down, with PetRemedy diffusers, Pepi being given Zylkene and them being separated for a couple of days/nights. They'd be fed together, be in the same room, even play & then he just hissed & ran, with her chasing thinking its a game. Then we get growling, hissing & him running again (yes, he just turns tail & runs to hide - we tell him he's a big girl, but are actually quite please he doesn't stand his ground & fight, he's twice the size of her!)
This week, it's happening again, 3rd time since. There has been no injury since, Both cats have their claws clipped regularly so no sharp tips to avoid any more injuries! The initial Injury happened when she was due a nail clip.
They'll have been fine & suddenly he's hissing at her & running away to hide; with her following & trying to hide with him, so he's growling & hissing which leads to growling, more hissing & lashing out of paws, then we get the full on 'cat fight' screaming.
We've tried to split them up and to leave them to it, neither way makes any difference. When we split them up, he'll come for cuddles, accept them then growl & lash out at me with his paw, turn his body around & push against my hand to have fuss, then growl, lash & repeat.
Yesterday we separated them for the day, I picked him up and carried him to the bedroom & put him in there so he can go to his safe spot, under the duvet (she can't find him there, she knows he's there, but can't get to him). I brought some food & water in & the litter tray, then sat with him giving him a treat to calm him. He crawled under the duvet, I put my hand under with him, stroking him & talking gently, I got the usual growl & carried on as usual & he bit my wrist drawing blood from a 'hole' he made.
We went out & left them (after cleaning me) with him in the bedroom & her having the rest of the house and when we got back she was sat outside the bedroom & they were 'playing' under the door.
On opening the door, he sprang past & greeted her very affectionately & a game of chase ensued. All was quiet for a few hours & then as we went to bed, he started hissing at her again - we left them to it & they both came to bed & slept with us both at the foot/middle of the bed as usual.
About 6am he was under the duvet with me (again normal, he snuggles under with me for about an hour or so) having a tummy tickle, ear rub etc when she 'cried' (she gets lost & cries sometimes) so he went running to find her.
We've had another spat this morning, and they've since slept together. But he's just tried to bite me again, he was sat on his 'fuss me' spot on the cat tree (he runs to it, rubbing his head on the top scratch post for a fuss), and I was in the chair below just absently stroking him with my hand when he lashed his paw & went for my hand with his mouth, then ran off.
He goes from the sweetly snoring cat I can see on the radiator bed at the moment to a happy boy sitting on the floor in the middle to the room after a wash and then he's hissing as he catches sight of her walking nearby
We still have the diffusers plugged in & he's still on Zyklene.
I'm at my wits end. No idea why this is happening. Or how to stop it. Worried sick that he's sick having googled personality changes
Edited by ali_kat on Saturday 21st February 16:09
Well, it can be... But, no
Wrist is fine thanks, but will keep an eye on it as I know they can get nasty
How do you solve a problem like Maria?
I dunno, hence my detailed post, 90% of the time he's fine, but then we have these spats & he's an sloppy git!
He doesn't seem to be in pain (& trust me I've had a good feel, poke & prod straight after a strop to check)
Feel free to ask, thank you
Wrist is fine thanks, but will keep an eye on it as I know they can get nasty
How do you solve a problem like Maria?
I dunno, hence my detailed post, 90% of the time he's fine, but then we have these spats & he's an sloppy git! He doesn't seem to be in pain (& trust me I've had a good feel, poke & prod straight after a strop to check)
Feel free to ask, thank you
He's not stressed, if he were he'd be like it all the time.
Sometimes he warns, other times he doesn't. Both to Beauty & to me.
Like just now, he was on my lap, head butting me & having ear rubs, then he took a snap, then head butted me for more.
That is what we've been doing, but they are going round in a circle every few weeks; I need to stop it.
Sometimes he warns, other times he doesn't. Both to Beauty & to me.
Like just now, he was on my lap, head butting me & having ear rubs, then he took a snap, then head butted me for more.
That is what we've been doing, but they are going round in a circle every few weeks; I need to stop it.
Really? . I was discounting that as he's not like this full time.
I'll up the Zyklene so he's on it all the time rather than the few days round the 'strop' & get some more diffusers.
I still need to get to the root cause & stop it to help, because nothing has changed here for him to have got stressed about
. I was discounting that as he's not like this full time.I'll up the Zyklene so he's on it all the time rather than the few days round the 'strop' & get some more diffusers.
I still need to get to the root cause & stop it to help, because nothing has changed here for him to have got stressed about
So having kept me awake for 3hours shouting, screaming & running all over the house, I eventually got Pepi on the bed last night at 2:30ish & from there under the duvet, purring immediately.
He spent the rest of the night being 'spooned' with his head on my hand. Beauty slept the other side of my legs (& the duvet) so I was trapped, my back kills this morning!
He got up, she got up a few moments later & all was quiet as they stretched & greeted each other. They passed in the hall as he was on his way back from the bathroom & she was on her way there and we had hisses from him then he ran to under the bed, she gave chase & the growling started again. He came out & up onto my lap (I'd sat up in bed), she gets on the bed too & he sniffs her as she walked over my legs. She got bolder, walked to him & put her nose to his, he licked her ear and she settled down next to my husband, both cats purring their heads off.
They've had their breakfast without fuss, plates go down at exactly the same time & not until they are both there so no preferential treatment, ever.
He's then bopping her on the head to chase him & play & we have 1/2hr of them running up & down the stairs chasing happily.
WTF?
He spent the rest of the night being 'spooned' with his head on my hand. Beauty slept the other side of my legs (& the duvet) so I was trapped, my back kills this morning!
He got up, she got up a few moments later & all was quiet as they stretched & greeted each other. They passed in the hall as he was on his way back from the bathroom & she was on her way there and we had hisses from him then he ran to under the bed, she gave chase & the growling started again. He came out & up onto my lap (I'd sat up in bed), she gets on the bed too & he sniffs her as she walked over my legs. She got bolder, walked to him & put her nose to his, he licked her ear and she settled down next to my husband, both cats purring their heads off.
They've had their breakfast without fuss, plates go down at exactly the same time & not until they are both there so no preferential treatment, ever.
He's then bopping her on the head to chase him & play & we have 1/2hr of them running up & down the stairs chasing happily.
WTF?
1/2hr ago you'd have thought they were fighting to the death from the amount of noise & fur flying!
Pepi is on a daily dose of Zyklene, we have PetRemedy diffusers plugged in the kitchen, lounge & bedroom, and I've bought 2 more cat trees so now they have one of 3 out of 4 floors. Together with balls & toys scattered around to distract. I feel like I'm living in a cat shop!
Yet still they have these fights. No triggers.
Pepi has been funny with us too; he'll come for fuss as usual, giving head bumps & raising his chin up, then turning for the base of his tail to be scratched too (he loves that!), but after a few seconds sometimes he'll just spin & lash with his paw or try to bite without warning. It's not every time though & he's not hurt there (or nearby) or constipated.
He's not showing any other signs of stress. He's always liked to sleep under the duvet, the bed or behind the towel hanging on the radiator during the day - it's warm & dark & his 'safe' spots she doesn't follow him to (even when they fight).
Pepi is on a daily dose of Zyklene, we have PetRemedy diffusers plugged in the kitchen, lounge & bedroom, and I've bought 2 more cat trees so now they have one of 3 out of 4 floors. Together with balls & toys scattered around to distract. I feel like I'm living in a cat shop!
Yet still they have these fights. No triggers.
Pepi has been funny with us too; he'll come for fuss as usual, giving head bumps & raising his chin up, then turning for the base of his tail to be scratched too (he loves that!), but after a few seconds sometimes he'll just spin & lash with his paw or try to bite without warning. It's not every time though & he's not hurt there (or nearby) or constipated.
He's not showing any other signs of stress. He's always liked to sleep under the duvet, the bed or behind the towel hanging on the radiator during the day - it's warm & dark & his 'safe' spots she doesn't follow him to (even when they fight).
Edited by ali_kat on Tuesday 3rd March 09:28
ilduce said:
Have you thought about buying a dog? This would take their minds off each other and concentrate their hate towards the dog and bring them together. Get one from a shelter then you can take it back in a couple of weeks when the problem is sorted.
I think you're posting on the wrong forum, you see we don't tolerate cruelty to any animal in here.Strawman said:
Maybe it's a reaction to too many Plug-In Diffusers. Too much GABA
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/GABA.html
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/GABA.html
WTF are you talking about?moleamol said:
Duke Thrust said:
RedLeicester said:
After 2.5 years of peace and love, they're still animals.
Exactly - it's like a divorce, they suddenly realise that they hate each other and they're only together for the kittens.Rather than getting all upset by it, place a few bets each time they fight and it'll make it more exciting. Or, leave a few tiny weapons about the place, like cocktails sticks fashioned into small spears or sewing needles made into adorable little swords. You could then turn it into a Thunderdome style event and re-live the glory days of a future cat-based apocalypse.
moleamol said:
I love animals, I have a lovely Springer Spaniel. What I said was a joke but when thinking about the problem seriously I don't think I have problems with him because he likes me too.
I know you were joking, but you were also encouraging the idiots!I'm at a bit of a loss as to what you mean by the rest of that.
Both cats like each other (& us) most of the time, but Pepi is getting very upset without provocation and it's worrying
Imagine if your normally placid, affectionate springer suddenly bit you when you were fussing it without warning
Strawman said:
ali_kat said:
Strawman said:
Maybe it's a reaction to too many Plug-In Diffusers. Too much GABA
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/GABA.html
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/GABA.html
WTF are you talking about?http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Remedy-Natural-De-Stre...
PetRemedy said:
As soon as plugged in you will notice a difference as the potent de-stressing properties are slow released into the surrounding area. Pet Remedy works by enhancing production of a neuro-transmiter called GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) . GABA has an inhibitory effect (ie. calms the nerve, and is a natural chemical produced by the braiun, and transmitted from nerve to nerve as a chemical calming message when the body is stressed and anxious.
That's ok, you'd said she was studying, and that's a priority!
He wasn't, I'd moved the camera & he was getting ready to run - he hates the camera flash!
No, he gets so stressed going to the Vet that I want to try as much as possible before taking him. He's not showing signs of sickness or being hurt (& I don't want to be that irrational 'mummy' at the Vet!) IYKWIM.
It's on order
otolith said:
Our old boy used to bite occasionally, without warning or provocation. Funny animals, cats. You should investigate, there may be an underlying problem, or he may have just decided to be an arse. If so, he may decide to stop doing it. Or not.
vinnie01 said:
Athena bites quite hard when being given a fuss (she's young though) any behaviour that could be deemed out of the ordinary regardless of species should be grounds for a vet trip. you never know whats going on under their fur
Yes, Pepi has always used his teeth to say stop when he's had enough fuss, but not hard.Granville said:
I'd suggest vets for a check up (and I know it's one of the first things you'd suggest if it were someone else with the problem).
Animals don't act out of character for no reason and you'd be kicking yourself if he does have something wrong with him and you've delayed taking him just because he doesn't like it.
It seems that the original fight with Beauty has either trigger some sort of psychological reaction or it was just coincidence and there is some underlying medical problem with Pepi.
He's not been to the Vet yet as it's not a continual thing. He's been fine now for 24hrs. When he does have a spat it's a quick flare upAnimals don't act out of character for no reason and you'd be kicking yourself if he does have something wrong with him and you've delayed taking him just because he doesn't like it.
It seems that the original fight with Beauty has either trigger some sort of psychological reaction or it was just coincidence and there is some underlying medical problem with Pepi.
It's like you & your siblings if you fought as kids. All show, over nothing & no damage done. And he really doesn't like going to the Vet, he gets so stressed
I don't want to make him worse, if that makes sense?but I think he's going to have to go
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