Any tips on breaking up cat fights?

Jun 25, 2007
378
1
My cats started becoming very violent with one another about a yr ago and I dont know how to stop them. I have 3 male cats: 2 came from the same litter and they're about 6 yrs. and my other one is about 3. One cat is bigger than the other 2 and he started beating on his "twin" bro. Now, the one that was getting beat on is now harassing the kitten. I just broke up a fight between the 2 a few mins ago and my goodness was it violent. From the research Ive done (which isnt much) it's better to let them duke it out, but they're fights are so violent (at least it seems that way from a human's point of view) that am afraid they are going to seriously hurt each other. Would it help if they were neutered?
 
I'm not an expert but I think neutering would help. Since they're all males my guess is that they're fighting to be the more dominant male. Do your cats spray at all to mark their territory? I have 3 male cats as well and they don't ever fight and they are neutered. Two of my female cats do fight though. It can get ugly sometimes, so I usually have a spray bottle filled with water that I use to break them up.
 
The first thing I thought of when I started reading your post is that they probably weren't fixed. And, as your post went on to say, they are not. I would definitely get them fixed, which should see an improvement in their temperment.
 
I'm not an expert but I think neutering would help. Since they're all males my guess is that they're fighting to be the more dominant male. Do your cats spray at all to mark their territory? I have 3 male cats as well and they don't ever fight and they are neutered. Two of my female cats do fight though. It can get ugly sometimes, so I usually have a spray bottle filled with water that I use to break them up.
i agree... you'll have less problems if they're neutered, and keep a water bottle handy.
 
If the water bottle doesn't work (if they are so into it they don't even notice), try one of those big water squirt guns that the kids play with. I used it with dogs misbehaving and it worked great! After awhile, all I had to do was go over to the gun and tap on it, LOL! I don't know if cats would get trained that way.
 
First they need to be fixed. That doesn't always stop the behavior but it will help. I have 3 male cats, all fixed that fight. I have had actual injury from the fighting. One of the cats (the oldest is the worst problem) got a bad scratch above his eye. He is very lucky it wasn't any lower. I yell and use a squirt bottle when I catch them at it. The 2 oldest (10 +11) corner and start with the youngest. He is a very big, healthy 2 year old. Are the old guys crazy or what??? The 10 year old is deaf and Diabetic. The 11 year old is missing a back leg. They are crazy to mess with a healthy 2 year old.
 
Yeah they really need to be fixed; that's what the vet told me. I might have to do them one at a time, because it would prob. be a little expensive to do them all at once. What's the estimated cost of having a cat neutered?
 
Males are usually cheaper. I would say less than $100 depending on where you live. In some areas they have low cost spay/neuter clinics at places like the local SPCA and Women's Humane. You might want to check if there are any in your area.



Yeah they really need to be fixed; that's what the vet told me. I might have to do them one at a time, because it would prob. be a little expensive to do them all at once. What's the estimated cost of having a cat neutered?
 
Yeah they really need to be fixed; that's what the vet told me. I might have to do them one at a time, because it would prob. be a little expensive to do them all at once. What's the estimated cost of having a cat neutered?

I have no idea how much it would cost to have them all neutered (I live in Europe ...), but you really should have them neutered all at once! First of all then they are all feeling crappy at the same time - and will forget all about fighting at least for a while - and second because the un-neutered males will sometimes get even more 'violent' with the neutered cat afterwards.

Please be aware that your pets are displaying typical male cat dominance and that neutering will be the only thing that is likely to calm them - it is not a miracle remedy however, sometimes they have fought for so long that they won't stop, even after neutering.

I hope your cats will behave as soon as they're fixed!

BR,
Camilla

- btw. I am a breeder of cats and have 8 of them right now :smile: My kittens are neutered before the leave my house and go to new owners!
 
Richprincess -- I am not sure where you are at, but you could try calling a few of the local vets in your area and any animal groups that do neutering at a reduced fee to get some price quotes.
 
Yeah they really need to be fixed; that's what the vet told me. I might have to do them one at a time, because it would prob. be a little expensive to do them all at once. What's the estimated cost of having a cat neutered?

I live in NY and had my male cat neutered about 2 months ago at a low cost spay/neuter clinic. It cost $50. Males are usually much cheaper than females.
 
Getting them fixed will help. But there's always going to be spats in a more-than-one-cat household...we had a tom (jet black longhair) and a little female (white and grey shorthair) about 13 years ago....they were both fixed but many times we came home to a black and white fur festival all over the floor. Never saw a drop of blood, tho.
 
There's a difference between cats playing and cats fighting, though:

Are my cats playing or fighting - How do I tell?
If you have a multi cat household or your outdoor cats hang out with other cats, chances are you will encounter cat play. Cat play usually involves chasing, swatting, hissing and nipping. To a human though, cat play can often look rough, so how can you tell the difference? First off if you know that the two cats in question have never been friendly to each other then chances are what you are witnessing is fighting. Cat fighting is something that should be stopped through distraction, since it can lead to disease transmission and/or wounds and wound infections.
If you are unsure if the cats are playing or fighting rely on your ears and eyes.
  • Screaming is a sure sign that the cats are fighting.
  • One cat being overly dominant is another sign of fighting, usually in cat play the roles shift.
  • Hissing a few times from either cat is normal but continued hissing suggests a cat fight is underway or about to get underway.
  • Finally and perhaps most importantly in cat play, except for accidents, neither of the two cats gets hurt.
The best way to separate fighting cats is through distraction. Making a loud noise or drop something heavy on the floor. That will usually startle the cats and send them running in opposite directions. Shaking a can of food treats (if they are used to that sound) is another great distraction that will stop the fighting.
Remember cat play like any type of animal play is normal and you shouldn't get involved. Cat fighting is also fairly common but due to the potential that your cat may get harmed or injured, you should try to stop it through distraction. Do not actually try to physically remove one cat from another or you too may get harmed.

(http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-17.htm)


I have two (neutered) males and they grew up together. They'll play fight. I know it's just playing, because they're familiar with each other, there's no claws drawn, no blood and no cries of pain . . . . well, except when one gets too close to the other's tail. But then an "ow!" noise is made and the tail is left alone.​