Rivalry between two cats!

I have two cats and they're both sweet.

However, they are constantly fighting each other.

It seems like they are fighting for territory.One of the
cats doesn't seem to like company and she wants
to be alone.

What can I do to stop the fighting?

Jasper some cats are a one household cat

Are they drawing blood?
"Jasper Tiler" wrote in message
...
I have two cats and they're both sweet.

However, they are constantly fighting each other.

It seems like they are fighting for territory.One of the
cats doesn't seem to like company and she wants
to be alone.

What can I do to stop the fighting?

On Apr 1, 8:31*pm, Jasper Tiler wrote:
I have two cats and they're both sweet.

However, they are constantly fighting each other.

It seems like they are fighting for territory.One of the
cats doesn't seem to like company and she wants
to be alone.

What can I do to stop the fighting?

Much more information required:

a) Age?
b) Sex (at least one is female, but the other)?
c) How old were they when they were introduced?
d) How long have you had them?
e) How big is your house/apartment?
f) Do they go outside?

Generally, an established, long-time single cat will have a very hard
time adjusting to another *adult* cat, and often will not even
tolerate a kitten.

Generally, a cat raised in a multiple-cat household will adjust to
another cat relatively easily - kittens may gain instant acceptance.
How well another adult cat adjusts will largely depend on its history,
not that of the established cat.

Generally, female cats (neutered or not) tend to have smaller
'territories' than males (neutered or not), but defend them much more
intensely than a male might.

Generally, two cats of the same sex will get along better than two
cats of the opposite sex - excepting intact males which will fight
more and intact females which will fight less.

Generally, two cats will establish a modus-vivendi within a few weeks
- to as much as a few months - so things should settle down. Unless
their living quarters are just too small. Cats need time to get out of
sight of each other in order to relax entirely. If they haven't the
space to do this easily, you may have to provide 'nests' for them that
allow them to relax out of eye-shot of each other. There are carpet-
tubes, sleeping baskets and similar items, or you can make something
for the purpose.

Short of separating them, there is not much you can do to prevent them
establishing their territories and pecking order. What you can do is
give both of them attention and love, make sure that they understand
that you care for them, and make them feel unthreatened (by you) and
secure.

Further, if no blood is drawn, you might be observing intense play.
Our two (both long-hairs) will engage in heavy rough-and-tumble with
fur flying in all directions. After a long session, they will fall
asleep in their last position - they always tend to wind up in a bed
or on a couch at the end of the chase - for hours. We get to clean up.
By the way, the smaller cat is the aggressor in most cases - and his
weight is just under half that of the other.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

"Jasper Tiler" wrote in message
...
I have two cats and they're both sweet.

However, they are constantly fighting each other.

It seems like they are fighting for territory.One of the
cats doesn't seem to like company and she wants
to be alone.

What can I do to stop the fighting?

How long have you had your cats? Have they been lifelong companions, or did
you introduce a new cat to a resident cat? If it is the latter, you
probably did not go through a good introduction and may need to start over
again. People sometimes have success by just "putting the cats together,"
but that is often a recipe for disaster. It is far better to undergo a
slow, careful introduction.

Holly was my only cat for several years, and she would violently attack any
other cat that was in my vicinity. For example, she would go into a rage
when I visited my sister if her cats came close to me. I thought for
several years that it would really be impossible to adopt another cat and
expect Holly to adjust. We even called Holly "the black tornado" (she's a
gorgeous, solid black cat). Then I saw Duffy's picture on petfinder.com,
and his picture and description tore at my heartstrings. He was blind and
had been in a little cage at the animal shelter for several months. With
the help of a friend, I undertook the type of slow, careful introduction I
said you should consider. It has been a dramatic success! I have written
several lengthy messages about this. Here is a link to one of them, if you
would like to read the description:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.p...9fda4387?hl=en

MaryL