Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Loving cat turned aggressive toward sibling

Im in a real pickle here. My girlfriend and I live a large apartment and decided to pick up some cats for pets about a year ago today. The two cats for simplicity sake we will refer to as the white and black cats; as those are there primary colors. As reported by the shelter, both cats arrived together so we brought them home together. Both are 3 years old and up until recently both cats are very loving and perfect together. Over the last year. Both have shared the same space, toys, food and water dishes, litter, everything and have never even hissed or attacked each other.

Well on the way to bed about 8 hours ago, the white cat found a stray plastic bad and decided to play with it. In the process getting stuck (its front leg) in the plastic bag and of course like most cat, when in stuck in a bag ran. So as the white cat ran around the house the black cat to our guess was running behind it as it thought they were playing a game. Well in the end after catching and freeing the white cat, it turns out it now hates the black cat. We pulled the black cat into our bedroom but after a few hours, the white cat would not stop crying at the door to get in so we decided that it might have finally calmed down and we decided to let it in... Big mistake, it instantly looked for the black cat and as soon as it saw it, attacked! They have never done this before.

We stayed up for a few hours holding the black cat and letting the white cat roam the apartment freely. But in the end the white cat simply waited till it though it had a chance to attack the black cat and did so again. Now we are concerned. A few months (around 6-8) our upstairs neighbors cat found it way into the house (we will call this one gray). When gray found its way in, it ended up attacking our white cat as it was curious. Ever since, whenever the white cat hears the gray cat at the back door it instantly goes into patrol mode. Right now both my girlfriend and I are concerned that based on prior actions of the white cat, that the two (white and black) cats will not be best buds/sisters anymore and will continue to fight. We really need advice here!

Currently we have the white cat shut into its our spare room with food, water and liter for the night. But we are scared to leave the door open as the white cat has become so aggressive. We both work the same shift and can not stay home to keep tabs over the next few days either. It is even hissing at us when we were in the room together setting it up for the night. In total we had 3 fights between the white and black cats. We have no idea what to do. The white cat is easily the more dominate personality and aggressor.

Any advice would be awesome. Both my girlfriend and I are huge cat lovers and absolutely love these cats, we don't want things to end up with one returning to the shelter.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
4190741 tn?1370177832
You just never know what is going to incite territorial issues with animals, it can be a new toy, too much discipline, the smell of the vets office on a sibling when he comes home from getting shots or checkups.  It can also come from other animals that the pets can see out of windows or in the hallways of apartment buildings.  

There are calming sprays and plug ins that you can buy to spray on furniture or blankets or their beds.  They aren't the cheapest things to try, but they do work to calm the pets down.  I have had my girl spitting and howling and after spraying her fav blanket, she laid down and went to sleep.

There is an excellent show to watch on the Animal Planet called " My Cat From Hell, and the guy from the show deals with problems just like you are posting here. He recommends that every cat have enough exercise during the day to ward off agression and uses a lot of those little bird toys that you can make yourself or buy on the internet.

Good luck to you

M
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal

Hi there,

These things happen sometimes. Siblings turning on each other.
If you both work, you can't be home to monitor the white and black
cat.  You say the white cat is the predominant one, but you also say
it's the aggressor. I think too that the grey cat episode has contributed
to the problem. I know you are cat lovers. I love cats too. I have
taken care of several cats from animal shelters, not all at the same
time. We currently have another cat we rescued two years ago.
I'm sharing this with you because I want you to know I do know some
things about cats. At one time, I had my own cat and I was also looking
after two of my younger sister's cats. It's a long story. Anyway, my
female cat was the dominant one because she figured she arrived first.
My sister's cats were a female and a male, but Mandy, that was my
cat's name was definitely the dominant one even though the male cat
was almost twice her size. I think it was a territory thing. She wasn't
mean to the other two cats or attack them. She just was the boss.
It's unfortunate this happened, I mean the plastic bag incident where
you say the white cat got into the plastic bag and the black cat tried
to catch her ? What that it ?   Cats have good memories and some of
them hold grudges. I know a case where a mother cat who had three
kittens turned on one of the kittens and tried to attack it. Squabbles
happen in cat families too.  Your problem is an interesting one.
Here's an idea. You could try putting the black cat into the spare room
instead of the white cat being as the white cat is the dominant and
aggressive one.  The white cat may feel it's being punished even though
it was the white cat that got tangled up in the plastic bag.
Having the white cat out with you, I would let it settle down, it will be
annoyed from having been cooped up in the spare room. Cats don't
understand punishment or consequences. I read this in one of the
cat reference books I own.  If the while cat has become aggressive from
being locked in the spare room, it's time to let the white cat out.
Put the black cat into the spare room instead to keep her safe while
they both calm down. You may be able to restore peace this way.
I wouldn't advise letting the two cats be together while the two of you
are at work. A good friend of mine has four cats. Two of the cats don't
get along and one of the cats has to be separated from the other three
cats and has been for awhile. It's not the most ideal situation, but those
four cats were all rescues. Bottom line. You could try what I've suggested
and see if this improves things.  The two sisters may be able to work
this out. Give it some time, These things take time. Also make sure the
black cat doesn't think it's being punished. If you can, one of you could
spend some time with the black cat and one of you can spend some
time with the white cat. Cats are have different personalities, bless their
hearts. I'm a big cat lover too. Peace, Eve
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Cats Community

Top Cats Answerers
874521 tn?1424116797
Canada..., SK
506791 tn?1439842983
Saint Mary's County, MD
242912 tn?1660619837
CA
740516 tn?1360942486
Brazil
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.