Brother and Sister Fighting
I took into my home two cats, one male and one female. They had been abandoned by a previous owner. The vet said they were brother and sister and were about 1 year old (got them a year ago). Now they are 2 years old. At first they were smelling everything in the house, tentative, and jumpy. They are strictly indoor cats.
About 3 weeks later, a cat came into the back yard. The male starting snorting, puffed up, paced back and forth, and was growling. The female immediately charged full speed toward him and dove on top of him. Cat fight on, fur flying, claws out (declawed in front), teeth biting, and horrible cat fighting sounds. The male tried to run away after a short fight, but female ran and jumped on male and did same as above. When picked male up, female tried to jump and climb up my leg to get at male. Female even jumped on counter to be level with male as I was carrying him and tried to jump onto male in my arms.
Had to separate them because female would stalk male to attack. Neither ate or slept for two days and female stalked male for at least three days and attacked when I wasn't watching. Then after three or four days of no life and no sleep, they slowly got better. This happened less and less as they got more familiar with their surroundings.
Talked to vet about it and vet said don't let them fight it out and to medicate female. Looked up medication on the internet and very bad side effects, so not medication for my kitty.
Current situation (1 year later): Doesn't happen too often. Found out that when male gets upset, he lets off a fishy smelling odor that I noticed recently. Male now gets set off looking at window and thinking he sees something, when I see nothing. I try to keep male calm when I notice him snorting. This prevents him from letting off an odor and the female will not all out attack, but still be attentive and in the red zone.
This past time, don't know what male saw out window, but he snorted and puffed up. Female immediately and faster than a blink of an eye charged and cat fight one before I could get to them. So bad had to separate them. Male in master bedroom, female use of house. Female all night meowing jumping on and off my bed constantly, wanting love for about two minutes at a time. Female pawing at door like missed male. Male able to calm down and sleep in bedroom without female present.
Next day female stalking male and fight on when I'm not between them. Female even jumped on table, grabbed males neck with teeth and tried to drag him off table. Two days keeping separated and letting them see each other on and off until fight almost on. Third day can see each other and both have run of house but under human supervision. Both go towards each other like "I miss you". But when get a couple of arms lengths away, growling and hissing and almost cat fight. I hold them and let them growl and his looking at each other, until one walks away.
I focus on the one that is the aggressor at the time. At first, female in aggressor, then after the first day or so, male gets fed up with it and starts being aggressor. When these events happen, female will not sleep or eat or hardly drink for two days and constantly stay red zone and alert to any noises. Third day they get better about being around one another but if one gets too close, then hissing. Other one usually walks away. If one keeps persisting, then another fight on. Fourth day, everything fine to about 98%.
This is the pattern every time.
In summary -
1)male sees a cat, racoon, or thinks sees something outside;
2) female no matter what doing or where in house hears male getting upset;
3) female runs and jumps on male in attack mode;
4) full cat fight on (fur flying, teeth biting, back claws out, and horrible cat fight sounds);
4) male tries to walk or run away and female runs after or pursues and jumps on male and cat fight on;
5) I serparate them or get inbetween;
6) as soon as male is separated from female, male starts to calm down, female still in stalk and attack mode;
7) male can sleep as long as female not around, female will not sleep or drink and stays in red zone alert mode for two days;
8) supervision of them seeing each other with me calming which is aggressor down;
9) Third day they slowly can walk by each other with every now and then approaching one another without hissing; if one approaches the other to fast, fight on; during this stage they still need human supervision;
10) fourth day everything OK to about 98%.
This also happens when female in under a desk or cornered, and male tries to dominate her. Then it's this fight on process all over again.
Female will also attack male sometimes if she hears coyotes at night or dogs barking. She's gotten better with dogs and coyotes because when she hears them, I talk to her and try to soothe her.
As a side note: female doesn't really care about other animals being in the yard, but if she sees the animal along with male snorting, hissing, and puffing up, then fight on.
Also, if fight really bad and I can't break it up right away, male lets off a fishy smelling odor which seems to intensify females attack mode and makes the situation progress longer (days).
During episodes, female is constantly smelling everything in sight and where fight was or where male has been. Male is also constantly smelling things, but not as much as female. Have found scratches on male and even a possible small puncture mark. Male gets so stressed out that starts gagging, breathing really heavy and hard. Afraid male is having a heart attack. Both cats still smell things in the house alot, even though nothing has changed in the house.
Both cats were microchipped and declawed before I got them, so I think they are from the Humane Society and they are brother and sister.
Don't know anything about previous owners or first year of their lives. I deperately need help because when this happens, I still have to go to work with no sleep, am a prisoner in my own home to take care of and supervise them 24/7, cannot workout or do anything when at home, etc...
It is wearing me down each time it happens. But I love them to death. People at work say to let them fight and get it out of their system, but when male tries to get away female constantly persists to where male gags and starts breathing heavy with labored breathing. Plus, have found cuts on male. People at work also say to let them see the animals and look out the windows and then they will get use to it. But letting them fight? for an extended period of time? to the point where the male could callapse from exhaustion and gags and has breathing problems?
Now it happens maybe once a month (minor - lasts 1 or 2 days) or major (both saw a racoon on our patio, lasts 3 or 4 days and is very instense).
I now am putting Resue Remedy in their water dishes and will do so on a daily basis and have Cat Calm spray (generic Feli-Way).
Please help as I am out of options. I will never give up on my babies and will never, ever, ever get rid of them. But I do need help. I know this story sounds extreme, but it is and if any of you could see when my babies get like this, you would think "Oh my gosh".
