Dog ate chocolate?

ask a vet

Cat aggressive with new kitten.

Species: Cat
Breed: Long Hair
Age: 6-12 months
I just got a new kitten but one of the cats in my house is attacking him. Ever since I got the new kitten the other 4 cats have been aggressive towards each other. I don't want them to fight. I don't want to get rid of the kitten. What can I do?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

You sure have a houseful of cats! Almost any time we have a large number of cats in a house there will be some kind of intercat aggression. However, there are some things that you can do to help.

First of all, if any of the cats who are older than 6 months are not spayed or neutered, then it is important to get this done. Hormones can cause cats to do awful things!

You may want to look into a product called feliway. It is available at most pet stores. It is a little pricey but often works well. Your best bet is to get the kind that is available as a wall plug-in. It diffuses a substance that is similar to a feline pheromone and has been proven to help with intercat aggression and other feline behavioural problems.

Next, you could consider asking your vet for medication for the aggressor cats. I will sometimes prescribe amitriptylline or prozac for the aggressive cats. It would be a short term fix and you could probably wean them off of the medicine after a few months.

Another thing you can try is putting a bell on the aggressive cats. Sometimes this helps. Also, you should keep the cats separated as much as possible and do supervised visits when you can. Keep a big blanket handy and it looks like the older cats are going to pounce the throw the blanket on them.

Until the cats are doing better we need to offer the kitten a safe place with her own litter box.

And finally, you may want to consider talking to your vet about a consult with a veterinary behavioural specialist. These vets are amazing at advising in cases like this. They will tell you whether medication may help and give you many ideas on what you can do.


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?


Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Want to receive pet coupons, vet advice and info on new pet products in your inbox?

* indicates required

We'll only send you great stuff, never spam. Unsubscribe any time.

Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Search for similar questions:

ask a vet

Popular questions...

Balding on legs and belly. My cat is bald on the back of her legs and losing hair on her belly as... (15755 views)

Diarrhea with mucus. Dr, Are you familiar with those bullwinkle sticks. They are about 13" long, bull... (27311 views)

Blood on penis. My son's 3 yr old dog is fixed but had sex with a female dog. Now he is bleeding... (20945 views)

15 year old dog with kidney failure. My dog Gyppie had a bloody stool, large. We took her to the vet. He ran blood work,... (11196 views)

Doesn't like s/d. My dog has bladder stones(a lot) and was put on Hills Prescription diet s/d Canine... (14124 views)

Kitten can't hold head up. I recently found a abandoned kitten and took it into my house. I've had for a week... (16110 views)

Maggots in guinea pig cage. Dr. Marie, I found maggots in my guinea pig cage today. what should I do? They seem... (25276 views)

Black spots on belly and chest. Hello, About a month ago we noticed these black spots on Xander's belly. There were... (264354 views)

Lumps on hamster. Hi , my hamster is all covered with lumps , some of them are bleeding,and new ones... (12894 views)

Pooping in the house. Hi Ipurchased a dog from a pet rescue organisation in Sydney just over three months... (19752 views)

See all questions...

Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.