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I have 2 cats that have been together since birth & have gotten along well. Today one started being aggressive & attacking the other. I separated them, then when they saw each other they started fighting. I separated them again all day to avoid fights. I think they marked some areas outside. Also I think an animal approached the window of the room they were in as I could see paw marks. I think the aggression is meant for the animal but is being projected on the other cat. Any insight?
2 Answers

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on April 14th, 2019
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on May 27th, 2018
Hi there. This is actually quite a common problem in cats. They can see something outside that upsets them, and have redirected aggression towards the other cat in the house. It often takes cats several days to calm down once they've gotten worked up like this.
Your best bet is to separate the cats for now, to give Lila a chance to calm down before slowly reintroducing them. The more she continues to hiss and growl at Gracie, the worse this will make things - so it's important to get them separated to prevent this from becoming a long-term problem. I would wait at least a week or two before trying to gradually reintroduce them.
See our article on introducing a new cat to the household for more information on how to manage this. The same process will work for two cats who are being reintroduced after a separation:
https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-steps-to-introducing-your-cat-to-a-new-feline/
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