how can I get my one cat to stop attacking another?

[Sarah]

My husband and I brought our cats together about 6 mo. ago (he had 2 and I had 2)...and mine were in the house first, although his are a year older (3 years old)----they were fine for the first month, then his female cat (peanut) started stalking and attacking my female cat (Snickers). Snickers growls, but still runs away and is very stressed out (always looking to see if Peanut is hiding somewhere). We have tried separating them, have tried the spray bottle (which I didn't like doing), even tried medication to make Peanut less aggressive, but did not like how it was affecting her....and we don't know what else to try. Is there anything else that can be done to change her behavior and make her stop attacking Snickers?

[Katie]

Sarah, have you tried using "Feliway"? I introduced an elderly deaf cat in to my nest of hearing neutered males and it worked wonders (even though I wasn't convinced it would work when I bought it :-)

[Sarah]

Thank you---I will try that!

Sarah

[Carmen Buitrago, MSc, CPDT]

Hi Sarah, as you've unfortunately discovered, a rule of thumb in domestic house cat behavior is that the more cats you add, the higher the likelihood of fighting. Because of natural cat behavior (wild, feral and free-living all tend toward solitary living and space themselves out over large areas), the tight quarters of a 4-cat household can prove too much even for the most agreeable of cats.

Unfortunately, we can't give very helpful advice with something as complex as aggression among 4 animals over e-mail, since, to be helpful and effective, a diagnosis must be made about the cause and type of aggression occurring and advice tailored to those specifics. I recommend you contact a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or CAAAB) or veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) in your area for guidance on dealing with their conflict. I've attached our article, Finding Professional Help, which has directories of these behavior professionals.

In the meantime, a couple of adjunct tips that might help: be sure to provide 5 litter boxes placed in a variety of places around your house (1 for each cat plus 1). Try to give them vertical areas they can climb to (shelves, cat tree/condos, windowsills, etc.) as well as low places for them to hide (under furniture, open boxes, cat tunnels, etc.) Put a bell on Peanut's collar. This will give Snickers a heads-up when he's coming around and give her a better chance at avoiding him.

There's no harm in trying Feliway, but its results are inconsistent and, where it works, its effects are mild --- certainly not enough to stop aggression.

Best wishes,
Carmen Buitrago, MSc, CPDT
ASPCA Animal Behavior Center