My cat now attacks his cat friend

by cathy
(norway, maine)

i have 2 cats, they have lived together 4 yrs, always got a long, 1 was my dads cat,and when my dad passed, i took over caring for him. recently 1 day when we were gone, a neighbor said there was a stray cat that jumped at my 2 cats in the window and tried to get them thru the screen.ever since then, my dads cat has spells where he hisses and growls at the other cat, acting very aggressive. he has always been so mild mannered,i dont know what to do??? thank you

Answer by Kate
hi
Don't worry this is a common issue known as aggression trauma. basically your cat is taking his fear out on the other cat even though he was not the cause of the fear in the first place.

What you need to do is allow the cats to build up their confidence again with each other in a safe
environment. I recommend taking them through a period of reintroduction using the confinement method. this method is described here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html

it does take a little time and effort but is worth it in the end.

best wishes Kate

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