Question:
My male tabby is constantly fighting with his sister (also a tabby). I got them at the same time and they’ve never had a problem until about six months ago when I moved house. They are both 18 months old. The vet has tried hormone injections but it made no difference. He also attacks people. I have the option to have him on tablets for the rest of his life or to take him to behaviour classes, which are expensive. Do you have any suggestions for chilling him out?
Sharona
Answer:
About six months ago both of your cats reached social maturity. Your little boy has decided that he is in charge of everything and the whole territory is his! Feline aggression towards other cats is sometimes hormonal (is he desexed?) but more often territorial or status-related. This is why hormones made no difference and can sometimes make things worse. Status-related aggression (like dominance aggression in dogs) means that he wants to be boss and she might not be submissive enough for his liking! I have two cats and a similar situation. Anxiety may also be playing a part here (fear-related aggression) as he is attacking people as well. The key is to make an accurate diagnosis of the specific cause first.
This sounds like serious aggression and you should consider putting him on anti-anxiety medication specifically for the aggression, for both their benefits (and any one else’s who gets in his way!) We use modern anti-depressant medication to change the chemistry in the brain responsible for this explosive behaviour (nothing to do with depression). They are not sedatives, have to be given every day and take about a fortnight to fully work. You may not need to use them for life but for at least three-to-six months. If this helps it gives time for the situation to change and him to learn more appropriate behaviours. I have my cat on these and it has helped a lot. There are also vaporisers, which give off pheromones that can help calm aggressive cats. Once you have managed the chemical imbalances, you can embark on trying to retrain him (in a behavioural sense). He will always be a feisty cat, most likely, but you can curb his behaviour and learn what sets it off and how to manage and avoid these conflicts. Another word of advice — don’t behave aggressively back to him to try and show him who’s boss. This is likely to make him much worse and can be very dangerous. Speak to a professional to devise a behaviour modification plan down the track.
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