Solving Cat Behavior Problems: 3 Female Cats Living in the Same House

[david2]

hi,

I have three female cats. Sarah is the mother and Tibet and Sake are the daughters. Everything was fine for years but that suddenly changed a few weeks ago. all three cats don´t go outside because they are not sterilised.They stay in the house.

Sake behavoir has always been a bit ´fearful´ but she just loves Sarah the mother. A few weeks ago she also became very affectionate towards me and sat next to me all the time, which she did not do before.

But she also began to attack Sarah and Tibet. She fortunately stopped attacking the mother but still attacks Tibet vigorously. Sarah also began to attack Tibet. Tibet has always been our sweetheart.

Sarah has stopped attacking her after I became very angry at her. But Sake doesn´t listen. The only thing we can do is to separate Sake from Tibet. Maybe we have to search for a new house for Sake but we would like to solve the problem.

Any cat psychologists out there who know how to solve it

thanks in advance.

 

[Evo]

hi,

I have three female cats. Sarah is the mother and Tibet and Sake are the daughters. Everything was fine for years but that suddenly changed a few weeks ago. all three cats don´t go outside because they are not sterilised.They stay in the house.

Sake behavoir has always been a bit ´fearful´ but she just loves Sarah the mother. A few weeks ago she also became very affectionate towards me and sat next to me all the time, which she did not do before.

But she also began to attack Sarah and Tibet. She fortunately stopped attacking the mother but still attacks Tibet vigorously. Sarah also began to attack Tibet. Tibet has always been our sweetheart.

Sarah has stopped attacking her after I became very angry at her. But Sake doesn´t listen. The only thing we can do is to separate Sake from Tibet. Maybe we have to search for a new house for Sake but we would like to solve the problem.

Any cat psychologists out there who know how to solve it

thanks in advance.

You really should get them spayed, it might help the problem also.

 

[david2]

Maybe we should but it costs a lot of money in the Netherlands.

Me and my gf have a mental disorder which stopped our ambition and ableness to finish our studies at university and acedemy. We live on welfare.

but again maybe we should.

thanks for replying Evo.

david

 

[berkeman]

e and my gf have a mental disorder which stopped our ambition and ableness to finish our studies at university and academy. We live on welfare.

Very sorry to hear that. Maybe there are local animal advocacy groups or charity groups that could help?

 

[Evo]

Maybe we should but it costs a lot of money in the Netherlands.

Me and my gf have a mental disorder which stopped our ambition and ableness to finish our studies at university and acedemy. We live on welfare.

but again maybe we should.

thanks for replying Evo.

david

I''m very sorry to hear that, are there no animal societies, here we have the ASPCA that will spay for around $29. It is much more expensive at a private vet.

 

[david2]

I will check it out. Thx for the replies.

 

[strangerep]

The only thing we can do is to separate Sake from Tibet.

I vaguely remember hearing: if you're going to keep 2 female cats, it's better if they are from different mothers. Sisters tend to fight more readily.

 

[UsableThought]

@david2, I agree with @Evo and strongly suggest you get the cats spayed, whether or not this immediate episode subsides. I say this because when a cat is in heat, one sign of this is unusual displays of affection; see link here. Related to that, how old is Sake, the cat who is suddenly attacking?

Also, another possibility is that Sake has something wrong physically that is making her uncomfortable, thus more anxious. Anxiety in cats can manifest in all sorts of neurotic behavior. It could be something as seemingly trivial as an aching tooth.

So if spaying does not ease the situation, I would suggest getting this cat into see a veterinarian, just to make sure she's not suffering from an otherwise undetectable illness or injury. As Evo has mentioned, in the U.S. there are advocacy societies for animals that charge smaller fees; perhaps there are some where you live too. If you can't find such a society, you might also ask vets if they do pro bono work or have a sliding scale fee system.

 

[david2]

how old is Sake, the cat who is suddenly attacking?

She is 7 years old or so.Never had problems before.

Sisters tend to fight more readily.

yeah I heard that before. Strange behavior. but again it went ok for years.

but I will check out what the options are in my town hall. Maybe they know more or even have a sack of money for these kinds of things.I will also call the asylum to see if they have reduced prices.

thanks all for replying , much appreciated,

david

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Sudden aggression toward one cat may have an environmental source. Is the target cat getting into something the others don't? She may smell different to them because of something she ate. Do you have room to segregate her from the other two until things calm down? Can you board her with a friend for a week or so?

 

[david2]

Is the target cat getting into something the others don't?

not that i know of.

Do you have room to segregate her from the other two until things calm down?

yes we are isolation Sake for the time being. Sometimes she may come out but if she attacks again she is going back, hope this helps.I was really angry towards Sarah while she was fighting. I pushed her down on the floor very hard . and when she fled under a small table , I kicked the table. She now understands she cannot attack Tibet and she stopped doing so for a week or so.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

:general thoughts: I know it's hard to do, but discipline shouldn't be done when you're angry, and it should be as limited as you can make it. I taught one of my cats not to bite me by smacking her on the head when she tried. After about five times over as many days she stopped doing it. With me. She still tries it with my wife. Robin doesn't want to smack her so blood happens.

It's good the attacks have stopped, is that both cats who have ceased the attacks?

My cat wizard (Humane Society lady) says a cat can be attacked because they startled one or more of the others. She referred to a case where a bird flew into a window and scared cat A. A then wildly reacted and scared B and C. Took a while for things to settle down. She thinks B and C interpreted the actions of A as an attack on them.

 

[david2]

both cats who have ceased the attacks?

nope Sake is still doing it. She wants Tibet gone.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

nope Sake is still doing it. She wants Tibet gone.

Have you considered confining her when she attacks Tibet? Non-violent way to disciplining her.

 

[david2]

Yes that is what we are trying right now

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Yes that is what we are trying right now

Good. And good luck sorting out the trigger(s). Cats have their own definitions for that sort of thing, however.

 

[collinsmark]

Low hanging fruit:

(1) Make sure the litter boxes are kept clean daily.

(2) Make sure to have enough litter boxes. Multiple veterinarians have recommended to me that if possible, have one litter box for each cat, plus one extra litter box. That means for your 3 cats you should ideally have 4 litter boxes.​

That might sound like a lot of litter boxes. But reducing the number of litter boxes can mean increased frequency of territorial problems such as you describe. Increasing the number of litter boxes might be the easier solution.

Beyond that, I'll defer to other members' posts about the spaying and such (which is a pretty good idea for a variety of additional reasons not mentioned in this post).

 

[david2]

We have two litter boxes. But I will follow up your advice.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

We have two litter boxes. But I will follow up your advice.

We use "nested" litter boxes. #1 is a solid tray, #2 is a screen, #3 is another solid. I removed #1 and dump it into #2, then lift #2 out of #3. Dispose of the stuff that didn't go through the screen and put #2 in the previous #1 and put the new #1 on top. Total time,under a minute. You can wash the old #1 before putting it on the bottom, if needed. Waxed paper helps prevent adhesion.

 

[david2]

the plot thickens...

Tibet now knows we are on her side and gets cheecky. She even starts threatening the other cats. -sigh-

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

the plot thickens...

Tibet now knows we are on her side and gets cheecky. She even starts threatening the other cats. -sigh-

Have you considered a restraining order?

 

[david2]

lol

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

lol

That's sort of a joke, but it's also what my friend called the screen door I put in her bedroom door to keep a certain dominating tom out when she was sleeping without making the other cats unhappy. Too much. I put a pet door in it, set for one way. Her "good kitties" would hang out with her at bed time, then exit when they felt like it. Santa Claws was permanently barred and got used to the idea.