Zoe attacking Cole - suddenly and meaning it! UPDATE 26 - peace at last...

[Catty1]

About an hour ago I was sitting on the edge of my bed getting ready for sleep. Oscar was trying to play and drag himself up the cat tree; he suddenly jumped down, and I laughed as all three kitties roared out of my door and down the hallway at the same time.

I stopped laughing when I heard the screams and growls of a real fight. I went to the dining room, and Zoe was attacking Cole, who was fighting back...but the sounds she was making were unearthly!

I separated them, Zoe came back to my room and slunk under the bed. I turned out the lights and shut my eyes.

Two minutes later, same thing! Zoe even had bits of wet on her from her spitting. Separated them again, left hall light on, got to pat Zoe a bit.


Went back to bed, but then got up just to watch things. Zoe came into the hallway, and lay down. I picked her up and gave her head scritchies, talking soothingly to her. I was standing in the hallway near my bedroom, and Cole was gingerly making his way towards us. She seemed calm...I set her down about 8 feet away from Cole, with our backs to Cole.

As soon as her feet hit the floor BOOM! back like a bullet snarling and spitting, and it seemed they were under a living room endtable instantly. There was a binder under the endtable and I held it up to create a wall and stop the attacks. Both Cole and Zoe were growling deep in their throats.

Zoe is closed in the bathroom with food, water and a litter box til morning.

What on earth happened????

I hope an overnight cooling off will work.

Yikes! I never have had this happen.

I need sleep...please pray that this works out by morning. What could have caused this? :(:(:(

[Karen]

How old is she? Any changes in the household recently?

[Catty1]

No changes. Up to the time they all went roaring down the hallway at once, things were normal.

Perhaps she and Cole collided in the rush and things got nasty.

I have had Zoe almost a year now, so she would be going on 11.

There was a cop here this afternoon but that was hours ago. As I say, all three were normal til the mad rush down the hall.

I suppose she could have had a mini-stroke or something. Oscar is also really spooked out.

ETA: I just went into the bathroom. Zoe was back to headbonking my legs and flopping over for tummy rubs and loving lots of pats. She kept looking over to the door as if she expected Oscar or Cole to come in - which they often do when the door is open.

When I left, neither of the other two cats was near the door.

She has a litterbox, food, water and a cat bed. I left the lights on.

I just hope I can get some sleep now and all will be well in the morning.

I am so glad you are awake, Karen. I have had a dry sore throat since last night and sniffles and have had a long day and need sleep. I sure felt alone with this feline freak-out.

No blood, anyway - not even mine.

Thanks so much.

[Catty1]

Zoe was mewing at the bathroom door.

I carefully let her out...she went under the bed in my room.

Oscar was in breadbox pose at the end of the bed, on the floor. I heard her "meeping" sound that she uses to talk to the other cats.

Suddenly she lunged at OSCAR and the two roared down the hall, Zoe snarling and fighting.

I didn't catch her yet to put her back in the bathroom...so maybe I will just close my bedroom door.

I just don't get this. I am almost crying cause I am SO tired - this cat fighting thing is like a bad dream, really. I wish it was.:(

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this.:( I've been through similar things with my cats and I never could figure out why they happened. Do you have any Feliway at home? If so I'd try spraying that throughout your home. Maybe Zoe got spooked by one or both of your boys so she doesn't trust them right now. My Pearl and Storm used to be very close but now it seems like they just don't trust each other and they fight almost all of the time.:( Hopefully things will get better by tomorrow and you'll be able to get a good nights sleep. Good luck.:)

[Queen of Poop]

So totally scary, very similar to what Diego was doing to Cali, but he'd draw blood. I'd get her to the vet and ensure there is nothing physically wrong with her. This sudden onset of violence makes me wonder if there's not a medical problem with her. Praying for the best outcome, let me know if I can help at all.

[Catty1]

Good morning. Yes I slept - and Zoe was in the room with me, along with box/food/water.

She was ok, and totally normal by morning, cuddling in her usual way, jumping on top of the cat tree, scratching her claws on it.

When I opened the door of my room - she had done little gurgly-meows at it - Oscar and Cole were both there, kind of stunned.

She screeched and took off after both of them. This time, as she and Cole were glaring at each other, she did hear me for a change and slunk behind the couch - then ran to the bedroom and under the bed. She'd had a go at Oscar too.

She is much smaller than each of them, so I can see that she got totally spooked by the rush of the three of them last night, being caught in the middle.

Cole's parked right at the top of the other big cat tree; not sure where Oscar is hiding. Zoe is eating from her good dish at its regular location.

I'll definitely call my vet tomorrow. It may be that things settle down today - she's not so blind with rage that she doesn't hear me. Actually, she is very affectionate with me. I suspect she got freaked out by the 3 way race down the hall last night - she was in the middle of the sandwich.

I am supposed to go to the city this afternoon...if need be Zoe will go back in the bedroom, with a few shots of Feliway.

Thank you all so much. :love:

[katladyd]

Welcome to my world. Neither Mac nor Ming really like Kimba and there are nights when there are the blood curdling cries and snarls and fights. What works for me is to keep a large pill bottle full of pennies or other coins near my bed. When they start in I get near them and shake the bottle hard! This breaks up the nastiest fight. They will come back at each other after a minute or so and I repeat the procedure. They hate this noise so much that after about three episodes of fight/bottle shaking they stop for the night. Hope yours stop fighting but once this behavior starts (and I've ssen it happen before with cats that had always gotten along) it's hard to stop.

[Catty1]

:(

I had Zoe in the bedroom for a while with a few good shots of Feliway.

A couple of hours later, she door-darted out.

She saw Oscar from the kitchen. The only difference was that she crouched, let a growl out from her throat, and THEN charged. Usually it's instant attack.

She is back in the bedroom for the afternoon - I have to go out.

Oscar and Cole are still very spooked.

Thanks, everyone - I hope we can find an answer.

Calling the vet in the morning.

[Freedom]

Just seeing this now.

Mandy and Tommy lived together almost 2 years before deciding that just the sight of one by the other resulted in a huge fight. Tufts of black hair and me hollering. Mandy have been "living" in a spare bedroom for over a year now. Initially I kept her door closed, maybe 2 months. Then, I started opening it during the day. Works for us - Many NEVER ventures out of that room, though she could. At night I keep the door closed so I can sleep.

What causes this? Not a clue.

Sure hope the vet can provide some ideas!

[Catty1]

My spare bedroom is my office, where the two litter boxes are kept.

One of them is now in my bedroom along with Zoe's food and water.

She is wonderful with me - she'd love to be an only cat right now.

I can't see what answers the vet will have but will call anyway. I have kind of a small place...but I'll make it work.

Thanks, everyone.:love:

[Medusa]

I don't have any solutions or suggestions, just want to let you know that I'll send up a prayer for this situation. Keep the faythe, Candace. :)

[Taz_Zoee]

Paizly does this with Jax sometimes. Although she is not the attacker. Jax just bugs the heck out of her and sometimes she sounds like she is tearing him apart. It has happened twice that we know of. In fact, last night it happened and I sent Bruce to go break it up. Jax had cornered Paizly in the bathroom so Bruce removed him from the room.

I hope things will settle down for Zoe. Maybe it will just take a few days for her to realize Cole and Oscar are not the bad guys she thinks they are right now. A vet visit wouldn't hurt either, just to rule out anything that may be bothering her.

[Catty1]

I have a vet appt tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4 pm - that's the soonest they have. Zoe has her own room, so no problem really.

Oscar is the one who seems most freaked out now, so he's wearing his old Feliway collar for a few days. I opened the door a bit this morning so Zoe and Oscar could see each other - Oscar hissed again, Zoe went further into the room.

Zoe did come out and went into the bathroom - where she likes to chase her tail. There is an old shoelace hanging on the door, so we played for a few minutes. She came out and went into the office - was sniffing the hallway floor, no doubt detecting her fursibs' scent.

She saw Oscar on the couch, where he was dozing, eyes open. She meowed, no fluffed up tail or anything, and I put her gently back in the bedroom.

If things do settle down - hoping here! - I will call the vet and take Oscar in. He is waay overdue for his one geriatric checkup, but I just haven't had the funds. Bank of Mom again!

Will keep you posted.

[mrspunkysmom]

Sorry to hear about Zoe's cantankerousness. And once kittehs get something in their mind, there's convincing them otherwise. Only time will tell. I have a couple of grumpy kitties. Spunky annoys Sam so Sam growls. Spunky gets squirted with water. It works.

Hope you can find a solution.

[Catty1]

I was working from 1 pm til just about 9 pm. I came home and had three hungry kitties to feed.

Zoe was mewing at the door, so I let her out - she keeps her distance and stays either close to me or in one "end" of the condo.

She trotted into the kitchen and Oscar was there. The little nose-sniffing started right away and she was doing the little face-groomings they do - and Oscar HISSED and that was the end of that. But he only hissed. She moved away from him.

She is now keeping her distance from them, as they are none too impressed with her.

So it seems SHE is back to normal. Nothing more than hissing and keeping a fair distance from each other - and she is not the one hissing. She meows a bit in reply but that's all. Maybe I can leave the bedroom door open tonight.

I will see how things are in the morning. Maybe I can take Oscar in for the vet appointment - as I said earlier, he is way overdue for a checkup.

Keep the prayers and good thoughts coming - they work! :love::)

[Catty1]

Zoe was out and about for about an hour this morning. Oscar did the usual hissing at her; I'm still dosing his collar with Feliway twice a day.

A few minutes ago, the snarling started again - this time Cole was hissing at Zoe. Zoe was doing her banshee scream, but not attacking, although her tail was bushy.

She's back in the bedroom.

Should I continue to let her out when I am here and hope the hissing will settle down? Should I take Oscar to the vet?

I am just kind of stymied at the moment.

The only big change - and it IS big - is that the cats can see each other and Zoe does not go into blind-rage-attack mode.

Kinda sad - she galloped after Oscar this morning in her gentle I-want-to-play way, and he just HISSED at her.

Oscar also went into my bedroom - he and Cole are used to napping on my bed during the day - and Zoe was sniffing his butt. Another hiss.

*sigh*

[Queen of Poop]

Take them both to the vet and get them both a good once over. That's what I did with Cali and Diego.

[Catty1]

Thanks, Gayle.

I was just on the phone with the vet, and since Oscar is overdue for his yearly checkup - which this year has to be a geriatric one - I made the appointment for Thursday afternoon.

Cole needs one too - but I can't afford to take all three at once.

I'll start with Oscar and see where things go from there.

Thanks again, everyone.:love:

[Catty1]

Another long day.

Got home, took a whack of cough syrup, and did the dab-some-vanilla-extract-on-all-kitties'-foreheads stunt.

Oscar did not hiss at all...I fed them all and they all chowed down.


Just a few minutes ago, Oscar did hiss at Zoe, but just the once.

Cole is the real hisser now...but he hides up on his cat tree.

Zoe came up on the endtable to get a treat of a peanut in a shell (without the shell!).

It's getting there.

[Catty1]

I left the bedroom door open last night.

Today, someone came over for about an hour. We were sitting at the dining room table, and suddenly Cole was out of the cat tree, making his little meows for attention and pats right at the table. Even Zoe - who always disappears whenever ANYONE comes over, came up to the same table with gurgles and meeps and rolled over to be cute.

Oscar had greeted me in the kitchen earlier.

I was out for another couple of hours and came back to Oscar greeting me in the front hall - first time in days! Zoe was giving him face groomies in the kitchen - no hissing or anything. They each got a treat.

I went to the living room to give Cole a treat. He could see Zoe so didn't eat it (he hissed at her several times this morning, but she retreated).

More normal than ever!:)

[lizbud]

Sounds good so far. knock wood.:)

I'l have to remember that vanilla extract tip. Might need it myself someday.:)

[Catty1]

Yeah, there's still a bit of distance being kept...the odd hiss...

Looking forward to when Oscar actually is on the bed the same time as Zoe at night - Oscar sleeps on a pillow. I am sure he has felt shut out when I have had Zoe in isolation there at night.

Progress...

[Freedom]

Hooray! Sounds like something set them off and, being cats, they swat / hiss first, figure things out later.

Glad they are getting through this. Keep at it, Zoe, Oscar and Cole.

[Catty1]

Oscar actually started PURRING this morning. He continued it at the vet (see Cat Health). Right now if Cole hisses Zoe keeps her distance - it doesn't seem to faze her if Oscar hisses at her.

They can work it out for themselves at this point. ;)

Blended families - this happens!:D

[Catty1]

My, my.

For the first time in almost a week, Oscar was snuggled against my head on the pillow. He arrives there some time in the wee small hours. Zoe was sleeping on the bed, but no problems. I got purrs and nose-grooming from Oscar. :)

She was even touching noses with Cole this morning - no hissies.

Oscar is still hissing on occasion - but that is lessening.

*whew*

Thanks for all your thoughts and help.:):love::love: