Why is my cat suddenly aggressive towards me in our new apartment?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly because she smells differently. I recommend a product called Feliway which can help decrease stress and anxiety associated with environmental changes and stressors. You may find this online or at your local pet store. It usually works great in this type of scenarios. Good luck and have a great day!

The first thing I would do for now is put Attila in a room by herself with a litter box, food and water bowls, comfortable resting places, etc. and leave her alone for the next few days apart from coming in briefly to refill her food and water and change her litter. When cats become upset and aggressive like this, for whatever reason, it can take up to a week for them to fully calm down and return to normal - until then, it's best to leave her completely alone and give her plenty of space. Some cats can have serious aggression issues that are triggered by a strange or scary noise, an unusual smell, or anything else that startles them. It's possible that Attila may have had a scary dream that frightened her, or she could be painful due to a pinched nerve, arthritis, or some other issue that may have been aggravated by petting. If she calms down over the next few days and things return to normal with no further problems, you may not need to do anything else. If she is still acting aggressive a week from now, or if this becomes a recurring problem for her in the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist - he/she can evaluate Attila in person and help you determine what may be triggering these episodes, and will also give you some specific suggestions for managing her when this happens. Prescription medication is helpful for some cats with aggression issues, so this is something that could be discussed also. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It may be due to illness or injury. It can also be redirected (or displaced) aggression. This is when one cat is unable to directly respond to a perceived threat and "vents" on whoever is closest. This is usually an owner or another pet. Never handle or grab your cat if she is displaying aggressive tendencies. This can lead to a serious bite or scratch. Schedule an exam with your vet to rule out medical causes. If they are indoor cats, provide a ' cool down' period by separating them. Keep stray or strange cats away from windows or doors and out of your yard. Control what your cat sees by closing doors or drawing the blinds. Consider using pheromone products to decrease anxiety/stress level in the house. Search www.pet360.com for pheromone products.

I hate to hear that. This situation can very very stressful and it's hard to know why this is happening. It's possible Kyo is sick and his odor has changed. It may be worthwhile to have him examined by the veterinarian to make sure everything is ok. It's also possible the cats are seeing or smelling another cats outside and this is causing stress and bullying behavior. Wipe down doorways and windows to eliminate odors. Here are a couple articles to help with cat aggression and stress: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-handle-an-aggressive-cat/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/causes-of-stress-in-cats/ You can help relieve stress by setting aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play for each aggressive cat, provide climbing opportunities with cat shelves and cats treats, use a pheromone diffuser and provide separate litterbox and feeding stations. Lastly, your veterinarian can provide medications or a special diet called Calm which may help the cats. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I legally cannot recommend doing this without seeing Molly in person. I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take the cat who is aggressive, and put her in her own room with her own food, water, and litter box. Keep the door closed, and for a few days, feed them both treats on other side of door so they associate each other's smell with a good experience. Then let the other cat in the aggressive cat's room while the aggressive cat is in a cat carrier. They can smell each other, but not be in contact. If either becomes upset or show signs of aggression, remove the second cat from the room, and try again later. Praise them when they interact appropriately. When they are interacting well with each other through the carrier, you can let the aggressive cat out of her room, and see how she interacts with the other cat. Praise them when they interact appropriately, and separate them with any sign of aggression or upset. I would get a cat tree with lots of shelves to give the cats vertical space to get away from each other. I would keep the cat in her room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other. I hope this helps!

Cats are very sensitive to other cats in their territory. Unlike most dogs that will accept another dog into their house relatively easily, for cats it can be a different story. Your cat is upset by the presence of the strange cat in your house. Animals behave that way sometimes for reasons that are unclear, taking their anger out on you. She may smell the foster cat on you. I would definitely keep them separated from each other and give her some time and space to possibly accept the fosters presence. Don't get hurt! I wouldn't force your attention on her for now. Maybe in a few days she'll be easier to approach.

That is very unusual and sounds scary! There could be a few reasons for this behavior. Sometimes there could be pain or a medical condition causing a change in behavior. Since Oscar can't talk and tell you what is happening, I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian to be safe. Sometimes this behavior is related to the stress of seeing another cat outside. For some cats, this causes frustration and they can then exhibit bullying type behavior to other pets or people within the house. If the veterinarian thinks this is behavioral, there are a few things you can do. Try enriching the environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play (really get him moving) and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. If he is the only cat in the household, you may try feeding him out of a food puzzle. Hide food for him to find. Do not use these last two mentioned options if you have other cats. Provide a stand or resting place by a window so he can look outside. You may also try clicker training him for positive behavior. Here is a link about training cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-i-train-my-cat/ Wash all windows and doorway exteriors where a cat may be spraying outside. Try to drive out the cat if possible. You may also need to block the window where you think Oscar may be viewing the cat most frequently. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with aggression/stress. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.