Kitty therapists! Help! (Cat fights in my house tonight!)

[Not_Giving_Up]

Dora and Scribbles started trying to kill each other tonight, and we don't really know why, or who started it. I think something spooked Scribbles and she took off running, spooking Dora (Scribbles does NOT run unless she has to!). The two of them ended up under the futon claws and teeth at full speed. My husband stuck his hand under there without looking, depsite the growling, hissing, and spitting, and bled for it. Now, if they are in the same room, they start growling and the stare-down process. HELP!!

Background - There are three cats in the house, the girls, and Bear. Everybody is fixed. Scribbles is Dora's daughter, and there has never been a problem before.

[Jamastiene]

1. My cats have been acting up a lot today too.

I attribute it to the weather. The strays in the neighborhood are already mating for spring kitten and there were birds building nests in the tree over my head (and crapping on the windshield of the car too) yesterday. I think it is the weather, but that's just my laziness. Animals do sometimes have disagreements no matter how long they have lived together. It passes after a while. They'll get over it. I would check the cat that normally doesn't run. This may sound strange, but that can sometimes mean they went to the box and had a problem. Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to check Scribbles out to see if she/he needs to be wiped or help cleaning up back there. I know it sounds crazy, but my cats only do that when they have trouble in the box. It embarrasses cats an awful lot.

[Not_Giving_Up]

3. It could be the weather

I hope this passes. As for Scribbles, she's fine, just fat and lazy. When the other cats play chase through the house, she stands in the living room and just waits for them to come by.

[LisaL]

2. Cats are insane, and no amount of therapy will help them.

[Not_Giving_Up]

4. LOL

Well, this was a different kind of insanity. They don't usually use the teeth and claws, or growl at each other for that matter.

[LisaL]

7. I need a shrink for my cat too. He is completely nuts,

and lives under the bed.

[Not_Giving_Up]

10. Each one of mine has their own little quirk

Only I can pick Scribbles up or scratch her belly, but she'll roll over in front of anyone who is petting her, only to snap at them if they touch her tummy.

Bear is a massive male, not fat, just a big boy. He's scared of his own shadow though, don't let the size fool you.

Dora is normally the mother to all of us. We wake up to find her grooming our hair, or licking our faces. She likes to sleep on me, not next to me, and she pulls my unmentionables out the of drawer (which she paws open) and drags them through the house.

[madeline_con]

6. Cat people will never admit that. eom

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. If something startles them, they might take it out on each other.

Some years ago one of one of our cats saw another cat out in the yard and kind of freaked out, jumped all over one of his roommates, and a terrible fight ensued with a lot of screeching and yowling and clawing. Normally all three of the cats got along fine, but when Lenny saw that strange cat in the yard it set him off and he apparently redirected his aggression on a cat he could get to, with whom he was normally friendly. It took several hours for him to cool off, and we had to keep him separated for awhile. After that he was fine.

By the way, never try to break up a cat fight without wearing welding gloves. I tried that once on another occasion (a neighbor's cat got into our apartment and our cat pounced on him), and it was like sticking my hand in a Cuisinart...

[Not_Giving_Up]

8. I think that's how it started

Something spooked somebody...It just doesn't seem to want to die. Dora doesn't like strange cats, and will attack the window or the glass in the screen door when she sees them. That's never caused anything like this before.

For the record, I don't go into a cat fight...I have a squirt bottle for that. I'm not really sure what my husband was thinking, going in bare handed and not even looking.

[LisaL]

9. Maybe he has a death wish?

[Not_Giving_Up]

11. I think it had to do with

:smoke:

He was playing video games, minding his own business, in his own little world. He didn't think...and he bled instead. Nothing deep, just under the skin enough to make it bleed like hell in three or four places. Pressure was applied, bleeding stopped, Neosporin applied. Back to gaming.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Was he scratched or bitten?

Cat bites can cause really, really nasty infections; if he got bitten and the wound swells up and gets red, better head for the ER for some antibiotics.

[Not_Giving_Up]

13. Based on the spacing of the marks

It looks like teeth. Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on his hand. I saw the thread here not long ago about the cat attack that sent two people to the ER. The fun part is, no insurance!

[SoCalDem]

14. I was one of those two people.. Please watch the wound..

:scared:

SOAK his hand in betadine...for like 20 minutes.. If you have any antibiotics, give them to him... Keep the hand elevated, and seriuosly watch it....:hug:

[WolverineDG]

20. are you guys ok?

i remember that thread. hope everything's fine now.

dg

[SoCalDem]

21. still a few scabs, and limited range of motion in a few fingers,

but over all we are healing fine.. The animal control just cleared our bad boy yeasterday, so he's nop longer on parole:)

[WolverineDG]

23. I'm glad to hear that

Keep exercising your fingers. My doctor said he'd be surprised if I got full range of motion in my finger again & I told him I had to because it's my right index finger & I have to write & type A LOT. I did what he said & then some, & guess what? I've got full range of motion in it. It did take a while, but I got it back. :)

dg

[Starlight]

15. One of my cats used to do the exact same thing.

If she saw, heard or imagined a cat outside, she'd totally freak out and start attacking the other 2 cats. Once I intervened and she turned on me instead. I've never seen a cat actually chase and attack a person before. :scared: I finally realized that a spray bottle of water would calm her down very quickly. :)

[ghostsofgiants]

16. Cat fight?! Where?!

</standard male reaction>

[kedrys]

17. Try to keep them apart until it blows over

Socrates (20 lbs) has been obsessing over Neutrino (6 lbs and change) for weeks, which has Neutrino totally spooked. She currently lives in the coffee table, and we hose him down with the spray bottle every time he pokes his nose in there, which thankfully is less and less often. She'll come out during the day when he's crashed out in the back bedroom, and sit on the couch with us when we're watching TV, but the rest of the time she's in the table. She has a pillow, her food dish, and some water in there, so it's cool. She feels safe there, and it's easy to defend.

I talked to the vet about it, and she said we're already doing everything we can. I think Socrates tried to wash Neutrino, and she tried to f*ck him up, and he's as afraid of her as she is of him. Weird.

:hi:

[radfringe]

18. we occassionally get the cat fight

for no apparant reason. If it continues beyond a spit 'n swipe for a bit - we throw down some catnip on the floor

then it's off to la-la land for the kitties....

years ago I brought a new cat into the home - the "grand dame" of the house didn't like it too much.

I took some cat nip, made a tea out of it, let it cool. Wiped both cats down with it - enough to get them damp (no soaking we)

Didn't take long before they were grooming each other, and that pretty much took care of the "getting along" problem

it only works if they are into catnip

[redwitch]

19. that is so clever!

I am going to try that on Gloria and Trouble- They hiss and spit and refuse to even try to get along. It's been two years, they are getting the catnip bath!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

22. Film it

and sell it online as a lost episode of Dynasty.

[hyphenate]

24. Put them in separate rooms for the night

It should give them a chance to calm down.