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spedkiddos
March 1st, 2011, 2:05 PM
I have 2 cats that I rescued when their mother was hit and killed by a car. The kittens eyes were barely open, so they had to be bottle fed. They are now about 3 1/2. This past summer we had a neighbor move out of his house in the middle of the night and leave all of his animals. We took care of the dogs since they found their way to our front porch, until we found homes for them. Several weeks later we went up to the house and found 2 kittens had been left there also. The kittens were covered in fleas, emaciated, one also had a gaping hole with maggots. One kitten was not as bad as the other, so I gave him to another neighbor. The other one, should have weighted about 3 pounds, but was right at a pound. He had a blood transfusion, his sore healed and now you wouldn't have known he was near death several months ago. The cats all got along together until Bones (yes he got his name since her was skin and bones) was neutered. All of the cats are males and have been fixed, but now one of my older ones attack him all the time. We have found blood on the floor once before, he has scabs on his back and we will be fur all over the floor. Has anyone had a cat that was fine, but out of the blue started attacking other animals. He doesn't mess with the other cat or the dog, just Bones. Is there something I can give him to calm him down? I'm just not sure what to do, but I hate that Bones is getting attacked. Any thoughts suggestions would be great! My dog now will bark and go after Cash when he starts his grumbling and swatting at Bones.

Night Owl
March 1st, 2011, 2:23 PM
Good dog!!!

Brad Buckley, D.V.M.
March 2nd, 2011, 3:19 PM
These can be complex problems and I have seen this before. I need to know more info first:

1. Does Bones monopolize any area of the house, a cat condo, litterbox, etc since he has returned home?
2. Do either cat show any aggression around food or at feeding times?
3. Are there any stray cats hanging around the house that might be agitating the others?

These are crucial questions that must be answered to accurately assess this issue.

In general, there is usually a trigger to this behavior and sometimes it can seem really "weird" and totally unrelated to us but it means something to the cat. An aerosolized spray called Feliway can often soothe an agitated cat and mitigate some aggression and there are some oral medications that can help but the situation must be investigated first. Try to answer the above questions and I'll try to come up with better suggestions. I may have more questions as well. You can PM me if you like.

spedkiddos
March 2nd, 2011, 4:37 PM
Good dog!!! Prideworks, Sadie my dog doesn't hurt any of the cats, she just gets the attention off of Bones.