Very odd question! :)

This is my first post on this board and was referred to this forum on a dog forum I belong to. I know how quirky this is going to sound so will just lay it out...

First let me give you a background. Our first pet was Pepper, a cat who is now probably 6 years old. Leiloo our lab is now almost 3, turns 3 in January. I fostered 5 kittens and kept 2, Angel and Bandit (the runts of the litter) who are now over a year old. They have all been the best of pals and never had any problems.

Last weekend, my lab - Leiloo - was playing with my cousin's boyfriend and started to act all nutty. She went running into the room and apparently terrified the cats. I can understand they were really scared and things should not have gotten that out of control. I was downtairs sweeping while my boyfriend mopped (he is very well trained :D ). Apparently Bandit attacked Leiloo and the other two joined in. I should probably mention that Leiloo is the sweetest thing I have ever met on 4 legs. That and she is also very submissive and timid. My boyfriend and I ran upstairs when Leiloo let out this God-awful yell. We found her on the floor scared out of her wits. Her ear was pretty torn up and she ran downstairs trying to get away and sprained her leg in the process.

Two days ago, Leiloo, Bandit, and Angel were all in my room sleeping quite peacefully while I toyed around in the computer. I went downstairs to get a drink of water when again I heard this awful scream from Leiloo. By the time I got to my room, Leiloo again was on her back while Bandit attacked her. This time Leiloo did nothing to instigate anything. She has been very lazy lately due to her leg and was just sleeping. Angel was smacking her while Pepper paced back and forth on the floor hissing. When I got Bandit off of her, she ran downstairs only to have the cats follow her AND Bandit again attack her.

Yesterday morning, I finally convinced Leiloo it was okay to go downstairs and as soon as she got there, Bandit began stalking her! :confused:

The cats have always been put away in a different room when I am away because I never wanted to have any of them have an opportunity to fight. I don't think it is fair for these cats to always be in a room or for Leiloo to always be in a room. I just want to go back to the way things were :(

Bandit went to the vet today because I was afraid he might be ill due to the sudden change in behavior. Someone on another thread suggested maybe Leiloo could be sick because he is only attacking her. Someone else suggested it might be dominance issues. :confused:

I don't know. I'm at my wits end. Leiloo is seriously terrified to walk around the house and looks every so carefully in each corner to make sure none of the cats are around. It's frustrating because it was always Leiloo and Bandit that would play with one another and sleep cuddled next to each other. They were the perfect pair.

I really hope someone can shed light on this issue.I am so sorry this is so long! Thank you all in advance for any suggestions you could give me.

Maybe Bandit is jealous. Try giving Bandit some extra attention, maybe sit alone with Bandit in a room. When he is nice to Leiloo praise him and let him know that he is being a good boy. Have you been spending extra time with Leiloo lately? Bandit could feel that he isn't getting enough attention. I'm sure some other people will have some better advice for you.

Welcome to Pet Talk!!

Welcome to Pet Talk.

I haven't experienced this myself, so take it with a grain of salt... okay a BIG grain of salt. But one of our members had a similar problem last spring/summer where one of her cats started attacking another for what seemed like no reason. As I recall, the cat being attacked was starting to develop a health issue that changed her blood chemistry/smell. (At least that's how I remember it... :rolleyes: ) So the pets who were chums previously -- well one of them didn't recognize the other anymore due to the odor difference. Once she began treatment, the problem went away fortunately. When you next take Leiloo to the vets could you check and see if this makes any sense in your case? (Or weirder yet, could Bandit be coming down with something that throwing his nose off?)

I feel like I'm babbling here. :( Good luck and with luck you'll get some good advice from some of the others. It is odd that Bandit has suddenly taken to attacking Leiloo. (Oh! Did the guy doing the mopping notice anything odd before it started??? Did one or the other get into the water/chemical solution?) The more I think about this, the weirder it sounds!

Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate it.

Bandit went to the vet yesterday and came back normal. Leiloo was at the vet last week because about 2 months ago she was diagnosed with Ehrlichia. I use to work at a dog daycare center and a tick must've gotten to her there or possibly at a park I took her to. Since then she does have permanent heart and respiratory problems. Bandit never acted out while she was in it bad. If anything he always stayed two steps behind her.

Since Leiloo's "recuperation" I have started to pay more and more attention to the cats because I have felt badly about paying so much attention to Leiloo for so long. I will try the one on one attention as suggested and hope things get better.

I really do appreciate all your suggestions. I will be back on after the 25th and give you an update. Happy holidays to you all and thank you for your warm welcome :)

That seems kind of odd, a cat attacking a dog. But, I read somewhere..maybe here on PT, that animals will bond as a pack, and not really differentiate between species, including humans. So, maybe this is a dominance issue? What about a squirt bottle? Or, using feliway on all of them, to re-scent everyone?? Good luck, and welcome to PT.

We have a somewhat similar problem with the new cat we brought home....she likes to growl and hisses excessively at the other three cats. It IS a dominance issue at our house, but I don't want the other three to be terrified all the time, just like you don't want your sweet lab to be.

My suggestion....get a spray bottle. I know it sounds really mean, but when Bandit feels a cold stream of water on his skin while attacking your dog, he'll get the idea that isn't not a good thing to do.

I hope that can help you. Its hard when the furkids don't get along.

Welcome to Pet Talk! :)