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insane cat behavior
So, this morning, I wake up at 5:10 to the loudest yowling, screaming, hissing and fighting between my cats EVER. They've occasionally battled back and forth before, but I've never seen behavior like this before.
Hobbes is 9, Pablo is 5, so they're not new cats. Nothing is changed, we've always had 2 litter boxes. They've never fought over food before either, and I haven't changed the way I feed them. I finally got them apart this morning and it seemed Pablo was the aggressor. Hobbes had a little scratch above his eye. Hobbes woke up at 2, looking to be fed and so I gave him a scoop of food and he ate it. When I was trying to bribe Pablo away during the commotion, I tempted him with wet food, which he ate. I split the litter boxes up, and separated them.
DH called me in the morinng and said they were on either sides of the door growling at each other, and when my mom checked on them, she said that Pablo was upstairs and Hobbes was still downstairs, and they had stopped. I called the vet and they said with what I've told them, they don't know what's going on - I can bring them in to be checked out. But, they're eating and drinking, which is always my indicator that there's a problem. Any thoughts or recommendations? just leave them apart for a day or two? Like I've said, I've never ever seen this before from them. It was crazy!
Re: insane cat behavior
A similar thing happened to our two cats. We eventually had a vet behaviorist help us and she said it was "redirected aggression" where the cats are angry at something else, ie outside cats and take it out on each other. We had a very severe case, I don't want to scare you, b/c the vet said it was the worst she'd ever seen, but we had to keep them separated for almost a year and slowly reintroduce them with treats for good associations. Also the more anxious cat went on Paxil which helped. Feliway may have also been helpful. I actually don't think it got really better until we moved to a new house with which they didn't have the same associations. However now they get along completely fine, although one is still on Paxil (every time we try to wean him, he freaks out).
It might not be this, but it's something to consider if your vet rules out medical causes. Let me know if you want more information. -Kristina