# Two brother cats - suddenly fighting a lot



## nickt (Jan 15, 2016)

We've had two brother cats from a young age - they are now 4. Breed is a cross snow bengal-siamese. They are outdoor cats - free to come and go as they please in our house. They are rarely out after 10pm except in super-warm weather.

One has always been alpha and we've always treated him as such. He gets fed first (otherwise he just pushes the other out of the way) and we keep their feeding areas separate. Both cats have always played boisterously and are often found curled up together.

Recently, however, the alpha cat has been particularly aggressive towards his brother. I notice this happens particularly after a 'kill', e.g. a mouse/bird - which is 90% of the time made by the alpha cat. Our second cat attempts defence at times, and even manages to (further) provoke when things have calmed down. But most of the time the alpha is the aggressor and, when I see it, I have to separate them. This is now happening at least once a day (and that's when I'm around to notice).

Tried feliway but there are no easy areas to cover in our house and they are in/out all the time anyway. Really not sure it's helping.

There's nothing happening in the house that's unusual - e.g. building work or similar.

I know this is a endless question and I've read the sticky carefully. But I'd appreciate people's insight into what they think might be happening. And how I might help.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @nickt - I'm assuming both boys have been neutered?

It sounds as though as your cats matured into adulthood around the age of 3, the level of competition for resources has increased considerably, and now the more aggressive brother is fearful of his brother taking his resources and feels he has to constantly defend them.

Cats do not have a hierarchy, so in fact there is not an 'alpha male' as such, but some cats in a multi cat household are much more competitive for resources than others. Or it may be one cat feels less confident about retaining the resources he/she has and so becomes aggressive or demanding.

Some cats are quite laid back about sharing resources, some only share reluctantly, and others do not want to share at all - they want
all the resources to themselves. In a worse case scenario one cat may try to chase the other cat out of the house, and sit in front of the cat flap to prevent them coming back in.

I would say your aggressive boy might actually feel more insecure and less sure of his territory than his brother and this may be the cause of his aggression. i.e. his aggression is due to him feeling he has to defend his resources.

The best thing to create a more harmonious relationship is to reduce the competition between the brothers by providing a multiplicity of resources.

I was pleased to read you feed the cats separately.  Cats prefer to dine alone, and eating with another cat in close proximity is stressful for them. So as your two eat separately there will not be fears about food resources. Do both boys clear their plates in one sitting, or do either of them like to leave some and come back to it later? If so, I would provide them with microchip feeders, so they cannot steal each other's food.

Cats are often very protective of their prey and do not even like one of their feline housemates coming anywhere near them when they are playing with it or eating it. Cat etiquette dictates that a certain distance should be kept if a pal has prey, but some cats disregard that. Perhaps the quieter brother is not acting according to etiquette and is getting too close when his brother has prey, or perhaps it is simply that the protective brother fears he will get too close, and it makes him defensive.

Resources, other than food are water, cat trees, scratch posts and pads, litter trays, high up perches, cat beds (and human attention). If you can provide plenty of these physical resources, spread around the house, it will help. Scratch posts and pads are used for scent marking and so I'd provide at least 2 or 3 to every room. Cardboard ones are cheap and are popular with cats.

Another thing I suggest is scheduling some time for them apart (in the house), every day so they get a break from each other. This will reduce the tension between them. Cats can be hard on each other and not easily forgiving if they fall out (the opposite of how they behave to humans). Natural feline behavior leaves little room for reconciliation, and what may seem to be minor bumps in the road from a human perspective can permanently damage the bond between two cats. The aim is to do all you can to prevent disagreements and fights between the brothers, to minimise such potential damage. From your knowledge of the cats you will know what times would be best to give them time apart. And you will sense or read from their body language when things are getting tense so you can step in before an argument develops. Whichever cat you remove from the scene should not feel they are being isolated or punished, i.e. you should go with them and sit with them.

Sometimes arguments may be nipped in the bud by distraction techniques, such as shaking the treat tin and feeding them both treats, or by getting out a toy such as the Flying Frenzy. It is important to show your cats you do not like them fighting. Sometimes just a word from you may be enough to stop an argument developing. Cats mostly like to please their human companions, luckily.


----------



## nickt (Jan 15, 2016)

Yes neutered. Small mistake in the above in that they're actually three. 

Thanks so much for the detailed answer. Apologies for the belated reply.
I will act on your advice and try to schedule separate time. In fact I've just separated them as the same problem has just occurred. Late at night seems a common time too - when the aggressor has just come in.
I'll update this thread with other actions and any progress.
Thank you again.


----------



## nickt (Jan 15, 2016)

As I notice the cats intensely grooming each other, I thought I'd post an update.

Little has changed. They groom, they sleep on top of each other, and then, sometimes out of nowhere, they go for it - nails, claws, growling etc. I break them up, take one cat away from the situation - I try to alternate - and then things calm down.

Apart from after 'kills' it also happens if anyone's been playing stick/feather games with them too. In short, they seem to get all fired up but have nowhere to go. And then it erupts into a fight. Boys will be boys, eh?


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Yes two of my boys (brothers) can sometimes have a set to, out of nowhere it seems. I step in and separate them and they calm down. 

I think it is to do with them protecting their resources (their humans) as I am sure they are fine together when my OH and I aren't around!


----------

