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Why is my male cat bullying my female cat and how do I stop it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | unneutered | 9 months and 12 days old | 1.2 lbs

One of my Male cats has started to bully one of my female cats.they have grown up together since they were both small and have never had any problems at all until about a month ago. I'm confused because there hasn't been any changes in their enviorment pr health that I can attribute it to. I often see him cornering her and her body language shows me she is having high anxiety about it. I have another female cat who he is perfectly nice to. Why is he bullying the one? How do I stop it?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on July 12th, 2018

Have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury. Either are common culprits of a sudden behavioral change. Being an intact male may also be playing a role in the behavior. Consider having him neutered.
In the meantime, provide additional food/water bowls, beds, toys and litterboxes to prevent food aggression or resource protection. Consider a pheromone product, such as Feliway Spray or plug in diffusers, to decrease any anxiety or aggression in the home.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 19th, 2018
I would recommend separating them for 3-5 days and introduce a Feliway diffuser and spray into the environment to see if this helps calm her. As the kitten becomes older, he may be getting more territorial and this may be stressing Blaze. You can also try NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin, which can be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on January 12th, 2020
Separate them for a few days, then gradually reintroduce them. Correct any negative behavior immediately. Consider a pheromone product, such as Feliway spray or plug in diffusers, which may decrease any anxiety or aggression. Provide additional litter boxes, beds, bowls and toys to prevent resource protection.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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How to stop a young dominant cat from bullying an older, submissive cat?

Both of them are really cute! I would get the male neutered once his turns 5 months to prevent this behavior from getting worse. The female could go into heat at anytime so I would advise to get her spayed as well. This behavior may never go completely away as it is their personalities. You may try to put some feliway diffusers throughout the house to help calm them. Feliway is a cat pheromone that doesn't work on all but can help with this behavior. They even have a multicat household version now. I would always meal feed and feed them separately as food aggression is really hard to control. I would also make sure you have at least 2, preferably 3, litterboxes to decrease competition. If the feliway and neutering doesn't help, I would talk to your vet about giving the more dominant one something to help mellow him out like an antianxiety medicine. Hopefully this is just a behavior he has since he is young and boisterous and he will grow out of it. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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Why are my senior brother cats suddenly fighting? How to stop aggression?

A sudden behavioral change could indicate an issue such as pain or underlying illness, so if this happened suddenly or recently, having both cats examined for any signs of ongoing pain or illness is a good first step. if they check out healthy (aside for any known previous conditions), then adding in something such as a pheromone diffuser can help with stress between cats and aggressive behavior. Making sure both cats have access to their own food, water, litter, bedding, etc can also help decrease tension and stress over these items. If one of your cats is going blind or hard of hearing, adding in nightlights and making sure your cat can get around easily may help reduce stress related to these conditions and reduce tension between both cats.

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Why is my male cat aggressive and hungry after neutering?

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My male cats are fighting viciously. How do I stop cat aggression?

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Why is my older cat suddenly mean and attacking the younger one?

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