Thoughts on sudden kitty aggression?

[shiloh]

I think it was Jackson Galaxy that pointed out that dominance and territory change throughout the day. In the morning the sunny spot by the window might be one cat’s and at night someone else claims it. Certain things remain constant like who is always alpha.

I also read somewhere that the cats that are lowest on the totem pole will try to assert their dominance by being aggressive. I noticed that in Duncan. I had always believed that he and his brother Jack were dominant. But I routinely saw Jack coming to his rescue and Duncan trying to push other cats off food or certain spots and not succeeding. It was a surprise to me that he was not dominant.

IB may have decided that Tiny is the most easily targeted and be going after him to try to assert herself over him. By refusing to engage with her, he defeats her purpose but by running away he makes himself more of a target. Now she REALLY wants to make him submit.

Prozac for both. And a monkey for her.

Maybe she has a little bobcat or Bengal in her?

[CanadianTrotter]

@Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom

I have wondered about the false heat - she does have them, despite being spayed at 5 months. Is there anything to do about that, I wonder?

Kitty Prozac?

@Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom

Tiny is also the quietest and most docile of the cats, so he’s an easy target. But it was just so sudden. She grew up with him.

He’s most likely the easiest target like you say. The cat totem pole can be ever shifting in multi-cat houses. Is one of your cats the actual alpha?

[ravenclaw]

No suggestions except the Feliway and Prozac are worth a try.

Is Tiny the only one that she’s picking on? Does she try it with the others too and they’re just more assertive?

Good luck! Sorry you and Tiny are having to deal with this.

[CanadianTrotter]

@shiloh

I also read somewhere that the cats that are lowest on the totem pole will try to assert their dominance by being aggressive.

Lol, you used “totem pole” too!

John Coltrane, who is the same age as Ralph and joined the household as a kitten the same day as Ralph did, is a consummate bully. Ella was added when Johnny and Ralph were 2 yrs old. Ralph immediately adopted Ella and would protect her from Johnny, this is when Johnny started to bully Ella when Ralph wasn’t around her. Then Billie joined the family and then the Kittens With Mittens shortly after her. Johnny would bully all but Ralph when he could, he was/is constantly trying to move up the totem pole.

Johnny and Ralph have had some pretty big and nasty fights that Johnny always loses and goes back to his place on the bottom of the totem pole. He’s always been at the bottom because he just doesn’t like other cats very much. He’s tolerated and mostly ignored by the others until he starts to bully. He’s bigger and heavier than Ralph but a couple times a year he gets the stuffing knocked out of him, then everyone is happy again.

[shiloh]

I wish I still had my wonderful Teddy cat. He was this huge dark orange cat that kept the peace. He didn’t get irritated often but he would make sure the hierarchy was kept. He put up with Baler who as a kitten was a little wretch. He kept everyone in line and I think the only real beat down he had to give was the one day he whipped the stuffing out of Duncan. Funny because Jack heard the fight and Duncan squawking as he was losing and Jack tore in and took on Teddy. They both got their asses handed to them and Teddy didn’t need to do much. No one messed with Ted.

Cats and their rules - worse than ours.

[Angela_Freda]

@Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom

Yes, he did … that is always in the back of my mind… but she’s full grown now and only about 10lbs, so how not domestic could she be?!

Maybe the not domestic part exhibits in the ‘aggressive to others’ way, but not in size.

I mean, just because they are part ___ doesn’t mean a specific individual will express half of the characteristics of each.

Just like with horses, I’d want to rule out a myriad of potential physiological causes.

.

[CanadianTrotter]

Awww… the peacekeepers, Teddy sounds just like Ralph. Did you have an exceptionally close and strong bond with Teddy? I could swear Ralph is my soul mate.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

She does attack Ham and push him out of his spot on the bed a lot, come to think about it. But she’s always attacked him - we’ve all see the video. Ham is like Tiny - he won’t fight back.

[rubygirl1968]

I don’t have any ideas other than already mentioned but I hope you find a cause and a fix. I know when Jellybean was alive he would push Thomas, Sunny and Sammy around and out of the way of first dibs at food and attention, but nothing violent.

I hope you find a cause and a treatment to get some peace back for all. I know it has to be stressful.

[BUSY]

Sounds like ‘this’ is just Itty Bitty - who she is right now - growing up and establishing her place in the pride - if she is picking on more than one cat - just make sure they all have places to get away from her /under furniture …they will have to ‘work’ it out. The boys possibly need to learn to tell her to ‘go away’.
Jingles - may have to separate her away from the ‘victims’ when you’re away and not able to monitor.

[3PonyFarm]

Mine are currently fighting for who gets to sit in the Amazon box. I told them if they didn’t share it is going to recycling.

[chestnutmarebeware]

I’ve had this happen twice and I’m glad you’re looking for solutions, because in both my cases, the bullied cats never “got over it” and learned to fight back. Instead they got more and more withdrawn, stressed out out and miserable. Their health suffered and it was absolutely unfair to force them to live like that, especially when all the cats had been living together harmoniously for years until a change (in both cases, it was a move to a new house) brought out this behavior.

I ended up rehoming the bully cat with (different) friends in both cases. My vet hadn’t suggested medication and I didn’t know to ask about it back then, but I did try Feliway both times with no positive results.

I also have a co-worker right now who is one her third or fourth year (and thousands of dollars) of trying with the help of vets and behaviorists to integrate her grown son’s ex-cat into her house with her own two resident cats. Progress ebbs and flows, but after all this effort, the cats can still only live separated from each other and they rotate on a schedule through various parts of the house, sunroom and catio.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

An update on this:

Itty-Bitty had a full endocrine panel done two weeks ago, through UC Davis. The panel showed - nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Slightly elevated progesterone levels, but still well within normal range. No testosterone. Nothing. UCD didn’t see any evidence of anything like a bit of retained ovary that would be causing her aggression.

She has been wearing the Serenity collar for about 6 months now, and we’ve been using the Feliway diffusers for about 7 months. No change - the collar takes the edge off, but not much.

Now she is becoming more aggressive towards Taffy and Sassy. She doesn’t care if I yell, spray, or spank; she is 100% focused on the ‘prey.’

Gabapentin was tried, with no noticeable effects.

Right now, I’m at my wits’ end. Thinking of trying CBD oil or chews as a last-ditch effort. My vet hasn’t mentioned kitty prozac, but I think I will ask anyway; we were both hoping, I think, that the endocrine panel would show us something concrete we could fix. I have simply never had a cat THIS aggressive, and she’s not even two yet.

[rubygirl1968]

I’m so sorry. Off the wall topic, but have you tried any flower essences? My friend called the customer service line for Jackson Galaxy’s and used the two they recommended. It made a huge difference.

[3PonyFarm]

Not that sweet little kitty! I have one that gets picked on and I had to move her into her own room. I put one of the nice ones in there sometimes to keep her company. Let us know if you find a solution!

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

I haven’t, but I am ready to try anything. I’m guessing those are like the Bach Rescue Remedies?

[ravenclaw]

I think kitty Prozac is worth a try. Are there any kitty herbal meds or vitamin/mineral supplements that are supposed to be good for aggression? Like I think magnesium can sometimes be used to calm horses?

FWIW, my cat Roughy was much more aggressive when he was younger. He wasn’t really violent (no drawing blood, etc.) but he would stalk the other cats and sometimes swat them or jump on them. If he was in that laser focused mood, He Would Not Stop. He still gets in this mood once in a while, but he’s mellowed some and it’s not as bad as when he was younger.

[rubygirl1968]

Yes, they’re along the same lines.

[Bearx2]

When my older cat got sick my younger female was absolutely nasty. It was like she knew the older cat was weaker .

[Simkie]

Prozac or similar is absolutely worth a try–probably on both the aggressor & the cat that’s taking a beating.

Can you confine the aggressor as part of your daily routine? A nicely set up large crate or cat tower that is HER SPACE where she goes works to give the other cats a break and also gives her a place she doesn’t have to guard. Maybe she’s confined overnight, or for a couple hours during the day when she’s most likely to beat on the others.