# Cat attacking his brother



## ClaireJ (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi all hoping for some help. 
We have 2 cats, loki and theo who are brothers and 2.5 years old.

They have always gotten on well and mostly still do. They are house cats so have never been outside but have plenty stimulation, toys high bookcases to climb on and the run of the house.

However, recently theo has started to jump on Lokis back and bite down really hard to the point where loki lets out the most awful noise and we have to intervene to get theo off him. Loki is the bigger cat but an absolute softy. Mostly he'll be asleep or watching birds in the garden when Theo decides to jump on him so its not even when they're wrestling. This happens at least twice a day and its getting stressful. Currently we close theo in another room for 5 minutes while he calms down. 

This has been going on a couple months now and we're struggling to understand how to deal with it. Seems like a dominance thing but we're worried one of them will get really hurt. We also do not want to let them out as we live near a busy road and after over 2 years of being indoor cats it might be dangerous for them. 

Any advice would be appreciated...we need our boys to be able to live in harmony. 

Thank yoy
Claire


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Claire,

Can I check with you that both boys are neutered? If they are not it will account for Theo's aggressive behaviour.

At 2.5 yrs old they are approaching social maturity. This is when cats find their 'place in the world' and often become more territorial and protective of their resources. When my two boys reached the age of about 2 one of them started bullying his brother. Previously, as kittens and young adults they had got on famously, always playing together.

Luckily over time we managed to get past the bullying stage and now the two cats tolerate each other, even share a room together out of choice but they do not approach each other or play together. (Both of them play with my young female cats though )

Theo's behaviour to Loki is not about dominance as cats do not have a hierarchy, it is about whether a cat is willing to share territory and feline resources with another cat, even if the cat is their sibling with whom they have grown up.

Sharing resources does not come naturally to a cat (other than a mother cat and her kittens). Theo evidently is more possessive of his resources than Loki. Loki sounds like a laid back sort of a cat who maybe doesn't mind sharing.

To try and reduce the feeling of competition between the two cats it is important to increase their resources so they feel there are plenty (and then some) to go around.

Food is a major resource to a cat. Cats like to eat alone. Give both cats their own separate feeding stations, at least 10 feet apart and at different heights (one on the floor, one on a worktop, table or shelf). Do not allow them to share bowls. If either boy likes to graze on their food rather than eating their meal at one go, buy them a Sureflap Microchip feeder. (Cheapest price atm is from Fetch).

Litter trays are another major resource. Two indoor cats should always have 3 trays between them, but in this instance I would provide more for your two - 4 trays, even 5, and spread them around, do not group them together.

Water bowls - several around the house.

Cat scratchers and pads - several to every room, and especially one inside the door of every room so the cats can scent mark with their paws every time they enter.

Lots of cat beds around the house so they can swap where they sleep without it causing competition. But if one cat has a favourite spot, this should be respected and the other cat discouraged from sleeping there.

The biggest resource of all for the two cats is their human companions  . It is probably the case that Theo only attacks Loki when you or your OH is around. On their own the cats probably get on fine, or ignore each other. But by increasing all the other resources (as above) hopefully Theo will be reassured and feel less competition with his brother.

If you see Theo's body language becoming menacing towards Loki intervene immediately (as you have been) and lift Loki up on to the nearest chair, or table, anywhere off the ground. Keep doing this and Loki will learn how to take evasive action to escape from Theo. Lifting one cat off the floor breaks the tension between them. It is best to lift up Loki so he can learn to do this useful manoeuvre himself. You can then proceed to feed treats to both cats as a distracting and calming technique.

I also think it is important for Loki to know you will always protect him. I know my support helped my cat who was being bullied by his brother. So if Theo has actually attacked Loki, pick Loki up and give him lots of fuss. Prior to that you can let Theo know you disapprove of him attacking Loki, by saying firmly "no Theo". Just that.

Cats definitely understand when we are displeased with them, but we have to make it crystal clear immediately what it is we disapprove of, or the cat will be confused and become anxious.

Having a close bond with our cats usually means they really do not want to displease us, bless them. Certainly this is true of my cats. 

EDIT : if increasing resources and training Loki in escape manoeuvres doesn't help, you may need to give Loki his own safe room he can escape to to avoid Theo when Theo is aggressive. This would mean fitting a microchip cat flap to the door of the safe room, so only Loki had access to it. It can be a room shared with a human, but access to Theo would be barred. Loki would have his food, water and litter trays in his safe room. This arrangement can work very well to stop the bullying but hopefully it won't come to that with your two.


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## ClaireJ (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi, thanks for your reply its given us a lot to think about and some reassurace that its hopefully a phase and not a life long problem.

Both boys are neutered yes.

Theo eats in our lounge mostly and loki in kitchen but sometimes it doesnt happen so we'll keep to it as routine. We have 3 water bowls in the house, 4 scratching posts in different places so i think maybe move their beds and create safe spaces for both of them. 

Loki is the most chilled out guy you're right, theo was the runt of the litter so i think maybe loki and their sister picked on him and he's always been a bit anxious and more highly strung. We'll get to work on all of your tips and hopefully see an improvement. 

X


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