intercat aggression

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a difficult situation! It is sometimes hard (but not impossible) to change aggressive behaviors in feral cats.

You mentioned you had them neutered recently. If it has been really recently, you may find that things settle down in the next couple of weeks. It will take 2-3 weeks for the hormones to get out of their system.

You may want to look into a product called feliway. It is a pheromone which is a safe hormone that is released into the air. It has been proven to help reduce intercat aggression.

Another option is to keep them separated and then after a period of a week or two gradually give them supervised time together.

Sometimes in a situation like this it helps to have one or more of the cats put on a behavior modifying medication such as amitryptiline. Often this is done for a few months and then the cat can be gradually weaned off of the medicine.

I would highly advise you to talk to your vet about a behavior consult or even a referral to a veterinary behavior specialist. There are a number of things that can be done here, but it will take a good amount of time and in depth discussion...which is more than I can do for you online.

I really hope they are doing better soon!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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