Cat Behavior

Why Is My Cat Bullying My Other Cat?

Are your cats fighting and fur is flying? If you feel like you're constantly breaking up differences of opinion before they escalate, you don't have to live in a war zone.

Cat-on-cat aggression usually comes down to two patterns, and they need different fixes. Answer a few questions and we'll tell you why the fur is flying and which fix to reach for.

Cat-on-cat aggression has two main stories

When one cat is bullying another, it usually traces back to one of two things, and which one decides what you do about it. The quiz above tells them apart by asking whether your problem child has it out for every cat or just one, and what changed before the trouble started.

If your cat has a problem with one specific cat, the resident who wants the newcomer gone, two that never clicked, or a pair that used to be best friends and now fight all the time, that points to redirected aggression.

If your cat has a problem with pretty much every cat, and there's been a life change your cat had big feelings about, that points to territorial anxiety.

Same fur flying, different cause, different plan.

Get everyone fixed first

If your animals aren't all spayed or neutered, start there. It has long term health benefits and a big reduction in aggression. Surgery feels expensive until you price out the hospital bills from a serious fight.

And if your cat is going after people instead of other cats, that's a different problem. Start with Help! My Cat Bites People.

Cats fighting? Your questions

Why is my cat suddenly attacking my other cat?

If they used to get along and now they don't, that often points to redirected aggression, where something else is winding your cat up and the other cat is catching it. The quiz tells it apart from territorial anxiety.

My cats used to be best friends. Why are they fighting now?

A sudden break between bonded cats usually traces to a change or a trigger, not a personality shift. That pattern points to redirected aggression, and it is workable.

My cat hates every other cat. Why?

A cat that has a problem with all cats, especially after a life change, fits territorial anxiety. It is about your cat feeling unsafe in its own space, not about the specific other cat.

Will my cats ever get along?

Often, yes, once you know which problem you're actually solving. That is the point of figuring out the cause before you pick a fix.

Does getting my cats fixed stop the fighting?

It helps a lot. Spaying and neutering cuts aggression, so get everyone fixed before you work on anything else.

Want Jenne to work the case with you? Cat behavior consulting is built for exactly this.