# Cat acting strange after fight with other cat



## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

Update: I reintroduced them a few days ago and they completely got back to their normal behaviour again. The older cat stopped showing aggression towards the younger one.


Hello,
I own 2 cats. A 6 years old and a 2 years old. The past (almost) 2 years, they got along pretty well. They had no problems with each other. But a few days ago they had a fight. Not one of these playful fights, they had a real one. Their screams sounded like they're going to kill each other. After that, the older one started to act strange. She ran into my bedroom and sat next to my bed for hours. When the younger one entered my room, the older one hissed and growled at her - in a very aggressive way. I thought that the next day, everything will be fine again, but I was wrong. As I wanted to go to sleep, I took her out of my bedroom, where she spend the whole day. I have a problem with cats in my bedroom while I want to sleep. I can't fall asleep when I know that there's a cat - caused by my previous cat that always pooped and peed in my bedroom (even though he was housebroken) over night when I didn't even knew that he was in there. Short after I fell asleep, I was woken up by the screams of my cats, fighting again. I saw that one went behind the couch in the living room and the other one was somewhere else. The rest of the night went fine and I was still sure that the next day everything will be fine again. But it wasn't any better the next day. The younger one didn't seem to be much affected by the fights, she still acts like she did before. But the older one spends the day in a room she gets put in, not drinking or eating when nothing is around, and maybe hissing or growling at the younger cat when she sees her. The day after the first fight, she spend her day in my room again. After a while, she started to behave like she did before. Jumping on my bed, following me around, bumping her head in my hand. But when I open the door, she starts to act strange again. She eats and she drinks and this not only a bit. I placed her bowl for food and her bowl for water in my room and she ate and drank pretty much.
I was thinking to keep her in my room but there's still the problem that she would probably pee in my room. And I can't keep her in the bathroom with the litter box over night with a closed door since the younger one would pee somewhere in the apartment then. I don't have 2 anymore. They always went on only one. I had 2 as I got the younger one but they never went on 2 different so I got rid of the one that the breeder gave me for her. I should have kept the litter box that the breeder gave me.
Also this night she spend her night together with the other cat outside my bedroom. She again were hiding behind the couch and I don't know where the younger one was. The night went fine. But she still acts strange. The day they fought again. She spend her day in my bedroom again and ate and drank the food and water I gave her. This night, I decided to keep her locked from the other cat. I bought her food and water bowl in the guest bathroom and placed also a pillow in it. She likes the guest bathroom, she slept in it quite some times so I thought it wouldn't be much of a problem. Problem: no litter box for her. The younger one would definitely pee somewhere in my apartment because she always has to pee over night. And yes, the older cat peed in the guest bathroom over night. I cleaned it already. But she ate and drank the rest. As I opened the door and started to clean, she ran in my bedroom and were hiding under my bed. The younger one entered my bedroom and they screamed these horrible screams again, but they didn't fought. Then the older one jumped on my wardrobe, shaking. Almost like she's afraid of the younger one.

Both are female, the older one is neutered since 5 years and the younger one isn't, but she will be in a few weeks. Both had previously already cats around them. The older one spend around a year with the cat mentioned above that always pooped and peed in my bedroom until he died and the other one grew up with her family and other cats since I got her from a breeder. The older one was from a shelter. Both are indoor cats. I don't think she's sick. She eats, she drinks, her nose is wet (isn't that a sign for a healthy cat?) and after a while sitting in my room she behaves like she normally behaves, as long my bedroom door is closed. They don't have wounds.

I have absolutely no clue what I can do anymore. I can't keep her isolated from the younger one forever. And where should I keep her over night? Should I even seperate them over night? Should I buy another litter box? I hope somebody can help. They even licked each other not even 10 minutes before the very first fight. What caused this?


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Yes you should have at least three litter boxes. And ensure adequate elevated space and other resources for two cats.

I suspect the fact that the younger cat hasn't been spayed is a large part of the problem. Don't know why you've waited this long, but get it done now. Why wait? 

However any change in behavior warrants a vet visit, to find out if kitty is sick or in pain.


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## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

lorilu said:


> Yes you should have at least three litter boxes. And ensure adequate elevated space and other resources for two cats.
> 
> I suspect the fact that the younger cat hasn't been spayed is a large part of the problem. Don't know why you've waited this long, but get it done now. Why wait?
> 
> However any change in behavior warrants a vet visit, to find out if kitty is sick or in pain.


The apartment is quite big. They actually have enough space.

I currently don't have much money. Because of a misunderstanding I just have to pay a few bills from other people. Spaying a cat is quite expensive here. I currently can't pay that.

If her behaviour won't change tomorrow I'm going to visit the vet. A checkup isn't that expensive here.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

You need to spay the other cat. For her sake as well as for peace in the home.

You've had two years to save up.

It's good they have lots of space, but they still need their own things if they don't have them. This includes litter boxes, food dishes and eating spaces, beds, elevated spaces (cat trees or shelves on the wall for example) so they don't have to share if they don't want to.


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## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

lorilu said:


> You need to spay the other cat. For her sake as well as for peace in the home.
> 
> You've had two years to save up.


Yes, I know. It wasn't the best choice to wait that long. Next month I'm done paying the bills so I should have enough money to neuter her then. I can't do that when I can't pay it.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Okay. I would keep them separate until she's been done. Do get the older one checked out, but keep them separated.


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## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

lorilu said:


> It's good they have lots of space, but they still need their own things if they don't have them. This includes litter boxes, food dishes and eating spaces, beds, elevated spaces (cat trees or shelves on the wall for example) so they don't have to share if they don't want to


They have. They have their own eating spaces, their own food and water bowls, beds and cat trees. They only share the litter box and the food dishes - I don't know if you mean if they share the same package of food? They get dried food out of the same package and wet food out of different packages. They don't have any problems eating the dried food out of the same package. They also have no problem sharing the littler box. I saw the older one going on it today even though she still growls and hisses at the other one.


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## Kittynanna (Feb 15, 2015)

Your older cat sounds terrified, poor soul, she is relying on you to protect her and sort this out.

I can’t advise on what may help, but please do organise another litter tray, her own food and water bowls, and keep her separate from the other cat, so she can relax and feel safe.

They may not have had a problem sharing....but now things have changed so they do!!


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## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

Kittynanna said:


> Your older cat sounds terrified, poor soul, she is relying on you to protect her and sort this out.
> 
> I can't advise on what may help, but please do organise another litter tray, her own food and water bowls, and keep her separate from the other cat, so she can relax and feel safe.
> 
> They may not have had a problem sharing....but now things have changed so they do!!


Yes, I will organise one. Seems like you understood something wrong, they have their own food and water bowl, they don't share that. They share the package where the food is in but only for dried food. I meant something like the thing on the added file with package if you're referring to that.


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## Psygon (Apr 24, 2013)

We recently experienced a very similar event with our four cats. Fortunately we do know what caused it (a tom cat spooked them and they redirected the aggression on each other).

We had to keep them all separate at first, and then over a period of days do reintroductions between them. It took time and patience, and a lot of hard work from myself and my partner but after a week we were mostly back on track. 

We also started the reintroductions straight away, I was worried that if I left it too long it would be quite hard to get 4 cats back into harmony.


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## Morale (Apr 7, 2019)

Psygon said:


> We recently experienced a very similar event with our four cats. Fortunately we do know what caused it (a tom cat spooked them and they redirected the aggression on each other).
> 
> We had to keep them all separate at first, and then over a period of days do reintroductions between them. It took time and patience, and a lot of hard work from myself and my partner but after a week we were mostly back on track.
> 
> We also started the reintroductions straight away, I was worried that if I left it too long it would be quite hard to get 4 cats back into harmony.


I was also pretty worried that it would be too hard to get them back into harmony when I would seperate them for too long. I reintroduced them Friday and the older one just hissed a few times but after a few hours, she started to go back to her normal behaviour again. They're completely fine with each other again.


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