Suddenly aggressive Scarlett????? Help!

[Susan and the girls]

I got home from work today around 6:00 pm (worked late, as usual), and immediately noticed that the girls didn't come to greet me at the door. This was totally out of character for them. They're usually ALL right there, meowing and rubbing on my legs. The only one near was Scarlett. She was "slinking" around the kitchen, and meowing strangely. She followed me around, but it wasn't a "friendly" following. I thought something was wrong with her - like she had a belly ache or something, so I asked Rob if he'd noticed anything.

Rob said he'd come into the house just a few minutes before and witnessed Scarlett standing at the entrance to the living room growling a gutteral growl. Just then he saw Belle coming from the bedroom through the living room. Scarlett fuzzed up her tail, growled, and hissed, and jumped on Belle, and poor bewildered Belle took off like her life depended on it.

Rob also told me there was solid poop in the middle of the floor earlier today - just a few feet from the bathroom where a litter box is.

I tried to pet and talk to Scarlett, and she just acted like a ferocious tiger with a mission. She didn't take it out on me, but she just meowed weirdly. I went to find Belle, and when I did, she was under the bed cowering in fear. (The resident scaredy cat, Daisy, was nowhere to be found, hiding lest she become the object of Scarlett's reign of terror.

Remember, Scarlett is all of 6-7 pounds, and Belle is probably 13 pounds!

I figured it was some lingering displaced aggression, since there are a zillion stray cats around outside, and my girls watch them and growl. If an innocent bystander happens to get around the one growling at the time, she can find herself smacked pretty good without warning. I've just never seen such direct attacking!

I dragged Belle out from under the bed and took her into the kitchen to see how she'd act, and Scarlett completely jumped on her and attacked BIG time. Nothing I could do (stomping my feet and yelling "aaaakkkk!' at them) slowed it down a bit! Finally I got my foot between them, and Belle took off toward the bedroom and went back under the bed. Rob blocked the kitchen door so Scarlett couldn't run after her.

I immediately put Scarlett in the half-bath to cool down, and went to drag Belle out from under the bed. She was acting like she was in fear for her life! (Daisy, as it turns out, was under the dresser in the bedroom the whole time, and still hasn't come out - two hours later. Obviously it's Scarlett who initiated it, since Daisy is afraid of Scarlett, but isn't afraid of Belle.)

Scarlett & Belle are stillI don't want to see each other. (I just attempted to let Scarlett peek at Belle under the bed, and she laid her ears back and hissed. Belle hissed back.)

What can I do???? I can't handle this! This is the first time EVER they've become so aggressive and mad at each other! Just last night and this morning, Belle was on her spot (beside my head) on the bed purring and sleeping, and Scarlett was at the foot of the bed sleeping. It was totally peaceful until something happened today that made one of them poop on the floor. (Rob found that around 3:00 pm.) Since, apparently all you-know-what has broken loose.

If anyone has any GOOD answers, I'd love to hear from you --- right away. As a matter of fact, if you want to email me with your phone number, I'll call you to get quick answers!!!! Help!!!?!?!???!!!

SLilyBelle@aol.com

[Traci]

Susan, you're probably right about an incident with maybe strays outside, some sort of startling noise, even one of your cats could have tripped over the food dish and sent the rest of them into poltergeist hell. (happens here all the time)

I think the best thing to do is leave them all alone and let them come out at their own convenience. Sometimes out intervention doesn't really help, but only adds to the problem. Give it some time and keep the environment as quiet as possible until they venture out again. I'd be willing to bet they all feel better in the morning and may entirely have forgotten the incident by then. Let's hope so!

As long as none are injured in any way, I don't think it would hurt to just leave them alone for the night.

[Susan and the girls]

Traci,

Thank you so much for your response. I have just been beside myself all evening. So much for the relaxing evening I had hoped for!

I just convinced them to take a look at each other (with me holding Belle while sitting on the bed, and Rob carefully guarding the bedroom door so Scarlett could peek around without rushing in for the kill), and they didn't hiss, but Belle tensed up so much that I had to say, "Not now," as far as the re-introductions. I just hate to stress either of them out!

(Daisy, of course, hasn't even moved in three and a half hours....Her eyes are still completely wide and dilated and she has a shell-shocked fearful look on her face as she peers out from under the dresser - and she wasn't even involved. She's such a wuss! She wouldn't even sniff of the treat I put in front of her!)

My only fear in letting them slowly reconnect is that there will be more fighting. And earlier, after Scarlett got hold of Belle in the kitchen, I had to clean up urine. (Apparently, that's how afraid Belle was during the incident.) I don't want to have to do that on our new carpet. Lord knows I've had to clean up several throw-up incidents, and that's bad enough.

Of course, when I put any cat out of the room I'm in - even if I try to go to the bathroom alone - they sit outside the door and howl and scratch at the door. (There's no privacy with animals, is there?) They can't stand to be away from me. Rob says he feels like chopped liver because they all follow me around the house and ignore him sometimes. (Scarlett is "his" cat, though, and so he's as bewildered by the behavior as I am. Plus, she seems to be enjoying having us to herself while Belle & Daisy are cowering in the bedroom. I think it's something she's plotted for some time now.....) Even right now, while I'm in the bedroom at the computer, Scarlett is scratching at the door and howling. (It's so hilarious hearing Rob from the other side saying to her - as if she's a human child - "I told you 'no,' Scarlett, now you stop that right now and come back over here." He'll make a good daddy, won't he???? LOL!) When I go back into the living room, you just watch.....she'll be loving all over me and purring like she's queen of the hill......

If I had my carrier, I would put her in the carrier for a while and try to let Belle get out of the bedroom. I loaned it to my mom for her vet visit last week, though, and haven' t gotten it back. I really think I may have to keep them apart all night. I just can't bear it, since they're usually the cuddly types who groom each other and nap in a big pile. And Belle is the matriarch -- it's as though she's been de-throned or something, and she honestly seems so "hurt" by it.

Things are less volatile at this point, which is good at least. Maybe you're right and they'll forget about it by morning..... I sure hope so!!

Thank you again for responding!

[Susan and the girls]

Well, here we are, 5:30 am, and things aren't any better.

Belle slept with me, where she always does, and was as happy as a lark. Daisy was out in the house, too. I put Scarlett in the master bathroom (very large) with her water, food, and litter box. She howled most of the night. When I'd go in to check on her, she acted normally, circling my feet and meowing happily at me.

At 4:30 am, I got the bright idea to see if their separate happiness might be an indicator that they'd dropped their grudges. (Don't tell my husband I purposely let Scarlett out; he's aggravated enough that he was awakened by a horrible cat fight at 4:30 am, and he thinks I let her out by accident! )

Well, anyway, Scarlett came out, Belle saw her, and the rest is history. They really had an equal part in it. (Rob is convinced that since Belle is bigger, she obviously did something to Scarlett to make Scarlett so mad. But I have noticed that Scarlett's more the aggressor and Belle is always in a defensive mode. )

They rolled a few times under the bed with the horrible cat-fight screaming sounds, and I actually now have a sore throat from yelling "Stop it! Stop it!" so much..... They finally broke apart, and Belle raced to the kitchen and I grabbed Scarlett up to keep her from following. The weird thing was that Scarlett felt totally relaxed in my arms - no racing heartbeat or anything. When I put her back into the bathroom and went to find Belle, I couldn't find her for about 20 minutes. (The house is big, but not THAT big....I swear she has hiding places I can't find.) When I finally found Belle, 20 minutes later, her heart was still racing.

I took Scarlett into the kitchen (holding her, scruffed) to let her see Belle to see how they both reacted. They both hissed and growled at each other from a distance. There is no love lost at all between them all of a sudden!

What is going on????? What can I do today????? Is it ok to leave Scarlett in the big bathroom? She has a window and plenty of room, plus her food & litter box, but will it make her more aggressive? I honestly can't leave them together today. I don't want them to kill each other!!

I won't be home this evening til probably well after 6 - maybe 7. I have a doctor's appointment. Rob will be here just a little this morning after I leave, but he will be leaving the house, too. What should I do? I really don't want cat urine and poop everywhere when they stress each other out. It's tempting to put them both in the big bathroom and let them hash it out since they've always gotten along so well in the past, but I don't want to see them hurt each other. Plus, there's nowhere to hide there, and if Belle really is just trying to defend herself, I don't want her to be unable to hide or get away.

I'm planning to call the vet just as soon as they open for any suggestions from them.

Help???

[Traci]

Well you do have a predicament. I guess it would be ok to keep Scarlett in the bathroom, but she's not going to like it and may be alittle agressive to Belle when you get home. (and maybe not). I wouldn't leave the two of them alone together at all, especially given the morning incident.

You said Scarlett howled all night, this probably was counterproductive for the rest of the cats, as it may have made them nervous/uneasy, even though you said Belle was content all night sleeping with you.

Wish you had more time with them to supervise, sounds like the only thing to do at this point. When you get home tonite, you can try involving them together in playtime to help them get over their uneasiness toward one another.

[Susan and the girls]

I talked to the vet's office, and they didn't really have any answers for me. They suggested getting a "neutral" smell (freshly laundered towel, or used drier sheet) and rubbing it on each of them so they aren't offended by each other's smell. (The only thing with that is that they don't have to be close enough to smell each other to bristle!) I asked about the "bach's flower remedy" that Tina raves about, and they hadn't even heard of it.

I left Daisy and Scarlett in the master bathroom together this morning. That way, they don't howl as much. Belle has the rest of the house. Scarlett actually carried on at Daisy initially until I scolded them enough to make them stop the fussing. (Poor Daisy, she's just an innocent bystander who says, "What did I do??") But they (Scarlett & Daisy) were coexisting peacefully when I left them this morning. Rob wasn't going to be there today, so they'll just have to stand it in the bathroom until I get home tonight. Hopefully the door frame won't be shredded from them trying to get out...

I think I may have to just force them to be together this evening. I'll first trim their claws and then introduce them as best as I can in an UNCARPETED area. I hope they don't rip each other apart, but I feel like the only way they'll get over this is to realize who each other is. I think that the worst part of it is the awful noises they make during the attack!!

I'll let you know how it goes, if I survive the encounter.....

[Traci]

Don't use a dryer sheet, used or not,.....they contain perfumes and chemicals that are sensitive to kitty's skin and membranes. The towel idea is fine, but a better idea would be to sprinkle a tad of cornstarch on each kitty and brush through the fur...safe, effective, and non-irritating.

I agree with you, maybe you have to intervene and get them bonded again...through however means necessary (grooming sessions, playtime, etc)

Hope it works out Susan, I would think they would be getting over this by now.

[candylilacs]

My male cat would get so riled up at the strange cats and leap in the air and screech, we'd have to use a box to get him out of the window. If we used our bare hands he scratched and bit us. One night he leapt at me, jumped on my head, biting and scratching. He was dangerous.

All other times he was fine. I gave him to my mother after that because he was so unpredictable. He hasn't been a problem since then.

b.

[Susan and the girls]

Well, I just got home from work and let Daisy and Scarlett out of the bathroom. I carried Scarlett into the living room where Belle was, and I thought for a minute they were going to be ok. They looked at each other, and shortly thereafter they bristled at each other and started hissing. I am about to trim claws and then force them to stay in the same vicinity for a while to see how they act. They didn't actually act like they were going to attack this time..... Maybe they're just going to fuss for a while...... I'll keep you posted.

This is stressing me out worse than it stresses them!!!!

[Auntie Debbie]

Ooooh what a mess you've got there! I too have the stray cat syndrome, but luckily the backlash is short lived. Sals will get all riled up and goes bonkers from window to window making all sorts of weird kitty noises. If I or Razzeratz gets in the way she gets even more nutso. Occasionally she will take her aggression out on her brother. Their fights are short lived...they're pretty much an even match. And if I catch them I yell at them to stop. They do. In five minutes it's history.
Razzeratz will also chase after Sals after watching a chase the prey type nature show.....it's true...violence breeds violence....even in cats, LOL! There again I yell at them to stop and they do...five minutes later it's history.
Check out my links under "Aggression", "Attack Cat" and "Behavior".
Hope you can get them to get along again!