Suddenly aggressive Scarlett????? Help!

[LisaLisa]

Susan,

I hope this all works out for you. know if I had to deal with it, I'd be besides myself..

Good luck....

[Susan and the girls]

Thanks for the messages, guys.... This really is getting to me. And I certainly don't need the stress. (I'm 22 weeks pregnant, and just didn't count on having to deal with something like this out of my precious sweet kitties.)

I trimmed Scarlett's claws and tried to get Belle's. (She's impossible because she's so big and strong, and she becomes jello when I try to hold her.)

I put them in the master bathroom together, and after some pretty awful fighting (no blood drawn, just lots of noise, fur, and urine), they settled to their corners. (I was screaming and stomping my feet the whole time trying to get them to stop, and finally I got them apart.) I put Scarlett in the shower and closed the door, and Belle hid in the litter box, of all places. Both of them were making the most awful growling noises! It sounded like demons!

I took turns sitting near each, and alternated between squirting them with the water bottle when they growled or kinda throwing a washcloth in their faces when they growled. Finally they stopped.

I left them alone for a while with Scarlett still in the shower. A while later, I opened the shower door and Scarlett stepped out, and the growling started again. Finally that let up, and I left them alone in the room together, 6-7 feet apart, staring at each other. They still were very uneasy.

Nothing is better. Belle is spending the night in the bathroom tonight, since Scarlett did last night. I can't see just limiting one to the bathroom until it's over; it seems more fair to alternate.

I am just at my wit's end. What can I do? This is killing me. I never would have thought this would happen in a million, zillion years. Just two nights ago, they were lying close together grooming each other. Nothing has helped.

[Traci]

Susan, I think I see two problems here...first, don't FORCE the cats to be in the same room together or to force them to see each other, be close to each other in location, etc....this will not work (your intervention is not what they truly need). Second, give Jason's method a try, with short time-outs rather than long periods at night in closed rooms. If you shut one of them up for too long, then that kitty may become the agressor, or the other simply because of the time frame in between (who knows why they react this way, they just do)

The only time you should intervene is when they are physically attacking each other or ruthlessly chasing each other to invite an attack. Then, by all means, stomping your feet or loudly yelling NO or to reprimand however necessary by sounds, etc would be appropriate. INCLUDE a short time-out for the kitty who instigated the incident at the very moment that the behavior started. Let them cool off for alittle bit, then try again by letting the instigator out.

The shorter the time-outs, the more the cat will be likely to recognize and remember what she was being reprimanded for. If confined for too long a period, she will only sulk, get agitated, and take it out on her sibling once let out. Plus, it will wear her out when shorter time-outs are given, she will be more likely to settle down quicker.

Hope this helps?

[Auntie Debbie]

Congratulations! Didn't know you're gonna be a Mommy!!!! Hope you're feeling well and that everything is going well!

[Kendra]

Hi Susan

Congratulations!!

I have this same problem with a stray we took in and the kitty I already had.. except they have never gotten along. I keep them separated at all times. I wish there was some advice I could give - I understand how frustrating it is.
Good luck with them.. I hope they work it out.
Kendra

[Susan and the girls]

Traci - I'll try the shorter time outs when I get home. As of this morning, Daisy (who was neutral til now) wasn't wanting to be around Belle, either. She hissed and got all upset when I took her into the bathroom where Belle was.

The oddest thing is that they're all completely content when they're not around each other. You'd think they'd be all worried about when the other one was coming around the corner, but they're not. Belle is purring, meowing, and wrapping herself around my leg when I'm with her, and Scarlett positions herself in a little ball between me & Rob on the couch, purring, licking us, and eating up any petting she gets. Daisy has been hiding a lot, so I haven't had much time to spend with her, but this morning (other than getting all upset at Belle), she was all lovey-dovey to me, too. I don't even worry that they're going to "attack" me. (That's what Rob is worried about, but it seems I can pick each of them up in the middle of a growling session and they're totally fine with it. Don't get me wrong --- I'm not crazy and try that each time..... I don't want to push my luck. But when it has been necessary to physically remove them from each other's presence, they're fine with my intervention.)

This has stressed me out more than I could ever say. In the last few years I've had so few problems with my kitties, and they've always been perfect angels, so this is just unreal to me. I've got to get them back together before the baby comes, since that's going to be a whole new issue altogether. I just never imagined this would carry on like this.

My biggest concern with letting them out into the house is that when they *do* come into physical contact with each other and "roll" around fighting on the floor, inevitably someone urinates. I just can't handle that on the new carpet. And there isn't a kitchen door to close (it's open to the living room), so that's not possible, either. If the garage was cleared out, I'd just let them at it out there, but there are surely weird outdoor smells out there that would upset them, too!

The biggest area I have for introductions is the master bathroom. It's something like 8X12 or so, so at least they can keep at a distance from each other in there. This morning, I did manage to open the bathroom door and let them just look at each other from about 10 feet apart. They still were very upset.

The look on Belle's face just kills me. It's like she's scared to death of them. She usually hisses first, but I figure it's because Scarlett's the one who jumps on her. Now that Daisy's in on it, I just don't know what to do.

Thanks for all the congratulations. We are thrilled about "Alex" and he's growing LOTS and LOTS, and my expanding belly is evidence!

[Susan and the girls]

Oh - and I forgot to say..... They all got a sprinkling of corn starch this morning, but I don't think it did much good. They don't have to be within "smelling" distance to get riled up. They can just see each other and get upset.

My parents are bringing my cat carrier to me this afternoon, plus a big 2X4 foot cage to try out. I figure if they can at least be in the same vicinity (and *have* to smell each other), it may help. I can cage two at a time and let the other be around. It's just so hard to close off areas in my house, since it's so much more open than my other house. The kitchen has an open doorway to the living room and to the back door area. The living room is open to the upstairs, with no door to close off at all there.

I'm just really stressed out about this, and have to work hard not to act stressed out about it in front of them.

Can I give them benadryl or something to calm them down? I am just bewildered by my sweet girls-turned-tigers.