Although most cats will come to accept each other over time, it’s possible that your cats are still regularly duking it out. Your growing cat may be getting bullied by the original resident cat. Or maybe it’s the other way around and your young cat is becoming a little bit of a terror to the older cat in the home.
These cat spats can range from a little bit of paw slapping over who gets the most comfortable bed to cartoonish tussling.
Aggression between cats comes in several forms, including:
- Redirected aggression. This form of aggression occurs when a cat is aroused by something specific, such as a feral cat outside the window, but cannot direct the aggression toward the specific thing. As a result, they may redirect onto the other resident cat.
- Territorial aggression. One or both cats may have decided a specific space is theirs, and they’ll let the other cat know when they’re getting too close. The cat may block access to these spaces by stretching across the entrance or staring, or they may get more aggressive with lunging, growling or chasing off the other cat.
- Fear-based aggression. The scared cat may feel that the other cat is a threat. Before escalating to aggression, they’ll usually communicate fear through their body language—ears held back, wide eyes, potentially growling. If the other cat ignores the cues or tries to interact with the fearful cat regardless, a fight can result.
- Incompatible personalities. Sometimes, like people, cats simply don’t get along. If both cats understand, this may not be a problem, and they’ll just avoid each other. But if one cat really wants to force interaction, it can result in aggression.
The first thing you’ll want to do is get both cats examined by a veterinarian to ensure medical conditions aren’t contributing to the fear and aggression, especially if this is a sudden development in two cats who previously got along fine. Once you know both cats are in the clear health-wise, you can begin to consider other ways to reduce aggression:
- Ensure adequate resources. There should be enough scratching posts, beds and toys to go around, with multiple desirable places represented. You should have as many litter boxes as you have cats plus one. Ensure each cat has their own food bowl.
- Consider your enrichment schedule. Social cats need a lot of stimulation, and if they’re bored with their toys, this might mean they decide to interact with the other cat in the home, even if the other cat is an unwilling participant. Provide a wide range of toys and regularly rotate them. Use scent enrichment. Make scavenger hunts. Your cats will love the mental and physical stimulation.
- Use pheromones. Cat-specific pheromones may help to create a sense of belonging and communicate that the environment is safe to cats. There are diffusers which can be plugged directly into the wall, as well as sprays that can be applied to beds and other items.
- Try reintroduction. If the aggression is bad, you may have to separate the cats into their own rooms with their own litter boxes, food, etc. When you begin reintroducing, use food rewards and keep the cats safely apart. You can slowly move them closer over time as they come to accept the proximity of each other.
- Discuss medications with your veterinarian. If aggression isn’t improving despite your best efforts, you may need to medicate one or both cats to reduce anxiety. Your veterinarian can help you find a good option.
It’s so stressful when your cats aren’t getting along. With appropriate changes to the home and the help of a veterinarian, most cats will learn to at least tolerate each other.
Learn how to reintroduce your cats after ongoing aggressive spats.
