Aggression of 3-y-o female to 10-y-o female

by Prill
(Chicago)

9 months ago my fiance's 2 3-year-old cats (boy and girl from same litter) moved in with my 2 cats (3-y-o boy and 10-y-o girl). The boys get along great and are best buddies now. The young girl doesn't like any of the other cats, but she goes on the attack when she sees the 10-y-old girl. The 10-y-o has always been a shy recluse, but didn't have a problem with my other cat. She is terrified of the new cat, however, and with good reason. I keep the 10-y-o in a large bathroom/closet combination, but the result is I don't see much of her. I am moving in 2 months and would like to start fresh in the new apartment to make up for mistakes I made in introducing them too quickly. Your advice is welcome!

RESPONSE:

This sounds like a dominance issue but hopefully, just moving them all will improve things. From the young cat's point of view, she was taken away from what she new and placed in a strange territory with strange cats. She is likely scared and lashes out as a way to cope. Often, changing everyone's territory tegether tends to level the playing field.
Re-introduction once you move will likely be unnecessary since they already know each other well. They will all be so intrigued by their new place with new sights, sounds and smells, that they will not bother each other for a while (hopefully). Make sure you have plenty of high-up places and cubbies for them to get away from each other and let them establish their own new territory. Lots of play and treats will help them adjust. You might also want to try some Bach Flower Essences or Spirit Essesences to help them cope with the move.

Isolating the older cat is not the best thing to do. We usually sequester the aggressive cat and let them out only when they can be supervised. If there is just a lot of screaming and chasing, we don't do anything and just let them work it out for themselves. We only isolate if there are actual fights that have resulted in injury. Most cat dissagreements involve more noise and chasing than anything else so if the younger cat is not actually injuring the older cat, make sure the older cat has access to safe places and let them work it out.
It might be worth it to invest in a big cage (we use a kitten cage). This allows the sequestered cat to see, hear and smell everything going on in the household but keeps them from attacking another cat. Also, you might want to try Bach Flowers or even St.John's Wort for the aggressive cat to help calm her down and control her emotions. Again, lots of play and treats when in the company of the older cat will help.
Hopefuuly, some of these suggestions will help. Good luck, especially with the move and let us know how it goes.

Donna-House Full Cats Mom