What happened to my sweet kitty?

[cakes]

I have two cats, have had them both for a few years. They dont love eachother, but they do tolerate eachother. I've never noticed anything more than what seems like normal rough-housing from them.

Anyways, about a week ago I was watching TV when I hear blood curdling screaming/hissing/growling coming from the kitchen (where they like to sit by the screen door and look outside). I went running in there and my cats went tearing out of the room and I saw what looked like a little animal running away. A few more times that night the two of them would growl, hiss, yell, and chase eachother but I couldnt figure out who was going after who. Not their normal behavior, they seemed like they wanted to kill eachother.

This happened again in the middle of the night the next night, but nothing since then. Until last night. I woke up to one of the cats sitting in the window growling and hissing and yelling at something, then she jumped off the window sill and started attacking her sister. Pretty brutally. For once I was actually glad that she had no claws because I was afraid of what she could do.

What is going on with my normally sweet mellow cat? Is it just something outside (possibly an "outside" cat, we have quite a few in our neighborhood) causing her to freak? What can I do to stop this? She's had a recent vet visit, no issues, very healthy, no changes in eating/drinking/grooming/litterbox usage and no changes in attitude towards me.

Help! I need sleep!

[greenbunny]

It could absolutely be another cat taunting her from outside. When she attacks your other cat, that's called redirected aggression. She can't get to the outside cat, so instead she goes after the only accessible cat.

If it is an outside cat, you'll have to either get it to leave, possibly with chemical deterrants, or else keep your windows and drapes closed.

[diam124]

My in-laws have 2 cats - sisters who were littermates. One of them does not like my husband at all (he annoys her by trying to pick her up all the time). Whenever my husband starts bothering her she ALWAYS takes it out on her sister and will hiss and growl (and sometimes attack) her sister. So I agree that it's probably redirected aggression.

[cakes]

I do keep the windows/blinds closed at night when I do to bed, but she has perfected the art of going through the mini-blinds to be able to sit in the window :rolleyes: I've tried to get her to stop doing that so she stops breaking the blinds, but I cant figure out how to get her to stop that, so I guess the chemical deterrants would be the best bet. What would you suggest?

Thank you for the explanation of what's going on.

[greenbunny]

There's actually a whole site that discusses a variety of methods: http://www.cat-repellant.info/

[rileyandfredsmom]

Actually, we had this problem with my sister's cat once. She saw something outside and attacked our other cat (they had lived together for several years). The attacks continued for a couple of days and we decided to take her to the vet. The vet prescribed kitty valium to help her calm down and get over whatever had upset her so badly. It worked. I think she was on it for 3 or 4 weeks and when she had finished, she was back to her normal calm, sweet self.

You should probably call your vet and see if they can see her before the Holiday tomorrow, the noise from the fireworks and outdoor parties might upset her further.

[cakes]

Thank you greenbunny. I'll have to check that out.

I didnt think about that rileyandfredsmom, there actually has already been an excessive amount of fireworks in our neighborhood the last few days. I'm sure that's not helping although she hasnt been too bad. I'll try and call the vet to see what they think.

[rileyandfredsmom]

cakes, how's the kitty doing? Has she calmed down at all?

[cakes]

Thank you for asking. She is doing so much better. Although it could just be that the insane heat her is making her lethargic. But we have had no problems since then and luckily the fireworks weren't too bad around here. I pretty much shut up the house and have the air running and put obsticals in the way of where she normally breaks throught the blinds so she hasnt been able to get to the windows. There hasn't been any fighting or yelling since then.

[jnettie]

Ah, yes, I've experienced this.

Sissy and Jade tollerate each other. Now and again, Jade chases Sissy around, there's hissing, but nothing huge.

Then, every once in a while, there's a big blow out. Sissy gets sick of Jade picking on her, and lashes out. It's ugly, and a bit scary, but always over quickly. There was blood drawn just once, which was especially scary, but never again in the last 3 years. They'll have a small fight every 3 months or so.

But one thing that will set them both off is if they both see a squirrel or bird in the window (we have a bird feeder outside). If one gets in the way of the other, then there's a fight over who "gets" the bird.

If the problem gets worse, certainly talk to your vet. But, in our house, occasional fights are almost normal. We find ways to make sure they get equal love and treats, which keeps the fights down to a minimum. Medication isn't really an option here, as I have two girls who are nearly impossible to medicate.

[rileyandfredsmom]

that's good, I'm glad she has settled down and didn't need medication.

Oh and on the blinds, that is why my DH and I spent over $800 on 2" wood blinds, because the silly cats won't leave the aluminum/plastic ones alone and the bottom 10 always had the sides broken off from them getting into them...it was always a battle....I feel your pain!