My cat turned into a demon...

[Fudgethatkay]

I'm at a loss here.

I had Yuuki, the mother, and her two daughters. Guinness and Kokowa. I went out of country, friend took care of them. I grabbed Guinness back and trying to wait until I'm financially stable to bring home Mama Yuuki, due to some wtf-ness going on

I grabbed Guinness early March.

Starting recently, we have been helping foster a stray we call Sapporo Car Bomb. Guinness hates him, is dominant, and slightly stressed when he was around, but we mistakenly considered it was because he was a strange male.

Welll...my friend brought Kokowa, the baby turned huge ball of fluff, and Kokowa has anxiety with new places. She doesn't react, she will find a lap and claw herself stuck to it.

Guinness saw Kokowa, the first time in about three months...and attacked. In a very aggressive manner. And she is beyond pissed now. She attacked my friend, one of the few people who could ever calm her down when he tried to hold her.

But the problem is, we're switching the kitties for a few days cause T and I missed Kokowa. Guinness is going home back with friend and her mother...
We foresee injuries. Yuuki is dominant, Guinness is dominant (which is odd cause up until near 7 months, when I took her home, Guinness was very dependent on Yuuki, even feeding still.)

I'm scared and not sure what to do. Guinness isn't perfect but she is also my baby. :< But this behaviour worries me and I never expected it from her. What should I do?

[Dreamstalker]

Do you have any vets nearby that can give behavior advice? It sounds to me like chaos because mamacat isn't around (Guinness no longer has another dominant cat to keep her in check), but I'm not a cat-behavior expert by any means so that's just my theory.

Feliway may help, I'd get some expert advice first if you can (we've never used it ourselves, but I've heard good things).

[Kittish]

One thing you can try is have towels or small blankets or something similar that the cats like to sleep on, and swap them around so the cats can smell each other on them. Other than that, it's mostly just let the cats work things out between themselves and try not to worry too much. They aren't likely to do any serious damage to each other, just be ready to step in and separate them if the spats get TOO violent. This is what I generally do, just keeping an eye on things and letting the cats work out their hierarchy themselves; so far it's worked out with minimal fur or blood loss in a month or less each time.

There's always the old recommended standby of keeping cats separated by a door or other impassible barrier that the can hear and smell each other around for up to a week, then allowing supervised contact for extending periods. Even so, you're likely to have a fair bit of hissing and growling and spatting.

Three months is a long time to cats, Guinness has probably mostly forgotten her sib and mama, though once she's around one or the other constantly again she'll likely remember fairly quickly.

I don't have any experience with Feliway, I second talking to your vet about that and any other suggestions they might have.

[CaptainJaneway]

You should watch the show My Cat from Hell with Jackson Galaxy. He is the best cat whisperer I have ever seen. He is on the animal planet and has his own page. He has a lot of good tips to make kitties get along.

The other problem you are facing is that cats are not like dogs where you can take them anywhere and they will be fine.

Most cats don't like change and will react badly.

I am hoping in a couple of months to move and I am dreading when I introduce the kitties to their new home.

[AnaKhouri]

I don't know much about cats, but maybe Guinness just got used to being an only child while separated from the others?

And swapping them around is probably not helping matters. I understand you miss your cat, but cats can get VERY stressed and tense when taken to a new place, to the point of them behaving differently (usually badly) until they get used to it. If you can, try to keep them in one place for now. Cats are supreme creatures of habit and any change can send them into depression and anxiety.

My cat hates other cats, but she's been that way since we got her.

[MoonCat]

It's projection. Guinness is stressed about the third cat and the moving around, and took it out on Kokowa who happened to be nearby. Unfortunately this can sometimes set up a pattern, even with only one incident.

I would advise you not to switch them around. Cats like routine. They don't like to be moved around to different places, they are territorial, and moving them takes them out of their own territory and into either a strange place or into another animal's territory (or both). You know the way cats go around rubbing their faces on things? They're marking their territory with scent glands in their cheeks. Humans can't detect it, but to a cat it's saying "this is mine."

Feliway is a good product, I've used it. You spray it on things like a towel or something that you keep near the cat, or you can buy a plug-in thing with Feliway inserts (works like a plug in scent thingie). It helps relax the cat. And I second the "ask the vet" advice. They can usually help with other suggestions. Good luck with your kitties!

[MaggieTheCat]

As others have mentioned, cats don't take to changes very well. First all of them being together at your house, then all together at someone else's house, then separated, now being swapped around? That is a lot for a cat to deal with, not to mention a new cat in the mix. Speaking of which, it is generally best and easiest on both humans and cats if you introduce new animals very slowly to one another. Like, over the span of 2-3 weeks. Don't let them directly interact with each other at all at first. Keep one in a separate room and let them sniff each other through the crack under the door, or use the blanket/towel trick someone above mentioned. After a few days when they've gotten used to the idea of another animal being in the house, you can put one or both of them in carriers and let them see each other through the bars/holes in the carriers. There will likely be a lot of hissing and growling but that's why it's best to introduce them slowly and not when they're both just free roaming, otherwise you could have fights on your hands. Keep them separated, especially when you're not around, until you're sure they're okay with each other. This goes for new animals, and animals who haven't seen each other in a while...ie Guinness and Kokowa/Yuuki.

[Eevie]

Eh, as far as dealing with change, some cat breeds are better at it than others. Work around smell. Here, try searching up "My Cat From Hell". It 's on Animal Planet and it's a show about a cat behaviorist, you might be able to use some of his methods. I had a cat of mine that had ran away for a week. He came back, and the other cats suddenly hated him. I tried some of his techniques and they worked wonders!

[Fudgethatkay]

Well, my friend has more experience with cats, and volunteered longer than I have in shelters. He's my "Cat Hell" go to guy, cause I've seen him calm strays bordering on ferals.

He did end up taking Guinness...and she was scared of the travel, but calmed down.
Her and her mother Yuuki are again side by side.

Kokowa adjusted after Car Bomb was put outside.


I think it was Guinness mostly being territorial because as soon as she entered my friend's house, she was calm and Yuuki left her alone until she walked to sit next to her. (Yuuki is the chillest, most apathetic cat I've ever seen)

This, however, is not how it is for all cats, and I do apologize to those that advised against it. In all honesty, the first post about it came after my friend left and I was too ashamed to say so.


We're not sure what to do now, actually, because I do know that Guinness thrives more with my friend than she does here, whereas Kokowa loves everyone.

When they were born, Guinness was my chosen favorite automatically, but she always had a bit of distance anyways, more than her apathetic mother and her sister.

Before T came back, Guinness was getting close to me and slept right next to me or on me, but now...since T and I are in same room, she sleeps on the floor. Even though me and him don't share a bed, she got more distant. (odd situation)

I'm not sure what to do at this point, because Guinness loves my friend. She seems happier there. Kokowa is happy either place, and Yuuki just doesn't give a damn as long as she has food and litter.

I feel like a horrid person for considering keeping it permanent, because T wanted Kokowa and I pushed for Guinness, even though friend and his mother wanted her as well.


So yeah, I'm sorry for being an asshole now. I really am, I'm trying to think about what's best for them now...