My two unneutered male cats are fighting. Why and what to do?

They may always be enemies but there are a few things you can try to help calm them. I would start by putting some feliway diffusers throughout the house. They have a multicat version now. Feliway is a feline pheromone which is helpful to calm cats. It doesn't work on all. You could also consider putting some essential oils throughout the house. Be sure to get ones that are safe for cats. Visit oilyvet.com for more information. Also, make sure you have at least 3 litterboxes throughout the house, if possible, to prevent competition. If all this fails, you could talk to your vet about putting one (the instigator) or both on an antianxiety medicine to help calm them. I hope this helps!

Intact male cats can and do fight over things such as territory and females, so to answer your question, yes they can hurt each other if they get into a fight. Intact cats will also spray urine all over the house to mark their territory, which smells terrible and is very hard to get out. I would recommend having them both neutered to reduce any aggressive behavior as well as urine marking, which it sounds like you are seeing if they are fighting enough to cause a cut. Gently wash the cut with warm water and antiseptic soap. Keep the area clean and dry, and monitor for signs of infection which include redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, and pus. Should you see any of those signs, the cat will need to see the vet for antibiotics. In the meantime, I'd make an appointment to have them both neutered. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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!

It can take several weeks for testosterone levels to decrease after neutering. Until then, consider using a pheromone product, such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser, to decrease any anxiety or aggression in the home. Provide extra litter boxes, bowls, toys and bedding to prevent food aggression or resource protection.

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These can be common behaviors in male cats that are not neutered. I would recommend neutering him soon to help decrease these behaviors a bit. In addition, neutering him will help lessen the risks of cancers later in life as well as help decrease the feral cat population.

Whether they fight or not is going to depend on a lot of factors including how well they get along, their individual personalities, and if there are cats going into heat near them which could lead to competition. Three months is a bit young to be sexually active so they likely won't fight (if at all) until they are older, and you still have time to get them neutered. Looking to see if there is a low-cost or no-cost clinic in your area that you qualify for may also help with getting them neutered sooner.

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.