After starting to let my 1 cat outside, the other cat suddenly freaks out! Help!?

Question

I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old cat. They have been buddies since I got the younger one about 10 months ago.

A week ago I started letting my 4 year old outside for periods during the day b/c she's peeing on my roommate's couch (have tried a million other remedies...this is my last resort). For the first few days, my 1 year old sniffed the 4 year old when she came back in...as if he was just checking that it was her.

Then suddenly yesterday he freaked out at her when she came back inside....hissing, growling, spitting, swatting. Eventually he just ran and hid under the bed. Now every time he sees her, it's the same routine. It's as if he doesn't even recognize that she's the same cat he grew up with. And I'm afraid to leave them alone together for fear that they will fight now. :-(

Does anyone have any advice? I have grown up with cats and have never seen anything like this.

Answer 1

Cats are very territorial animals. It could be that the one that hissed and  is growling and spitting and swatting is the one that is now trying to take over his\her territory. Even though the territory belongs to both of them, he\she feels that this territory belongs to him\her. I am assuming it is the older cat that is doing the hissing and all that and trying "to take over the territory" as I kinda got lost in what you were stating. There is not alot that you can do about this. I have recently taken on my neighbors cat as they have moved about 30+ miles away and they are afraid if they try to move her that she will try to come back as she has lived her for years (and they are very good at finding their way "home") they are afraid she will get hit and killed on her way back. So I have taken her as one of my own until they get a fence built or something so she can't get back here. She is territorial as well as she has been living here a LONG time. I get on to her every time she hisses at my cat and she will stop and she will run away, she always come back though cause this is where she gets her food and water and attention. I honestly think she has learned to be territorial, especially since they have been seperated for a while.

Answer 2

okay, first of all you need to take your four year old cat into the vet asap. the cat could suffering horribly from a urinary tract infection or worse, could be "blocked", a life-threatening condition that happens in mostly male cats when the urethra becomes to narrow for urine to escape. both conditions require immediate attention and treatment. secondly, cats that go outdoors are at a much higher risk for contracting FELV (feline leukemia virus) or FIV (feline immunodefiency virus). both are incurable and contagious (meaning you one year old cat has already been exposed and needs to be tested.

*Mary~

Answer 3

Cats rely very heavily on their sense of smell than their vision to identify friends and enemies.  Some of them find unfamiliar scents very intimidating and this is most likely the reason for his reaction to your female cat.  I had a similar experience with my two cats when our male cat sneaked outside and hid in the engine of a parked car.  On his return home, our female cat took one sniff and started attacking him.  I had to keep them separated for a couple of days until the scent wore off and then things went back to normal between them.

Answer 4

The other cat could smell differently but this seems overboard. I hope you have taken the peeing cat to the vet to rule out medical causes other than stress. Cats can have this behavior from urinary tract infections(which need antibiotics) and crystals in their urine(which need special food). These problems make it painful for the cat to urinate and so they avoid the regular place of urination as they associate it with the pain. If the cat is ill other cats sense that and become aggressive towards them in this way( their instinct and natures way of keeping illnesses from spreading. If it is just stress the vet can give you some kitty prozac which will calm the peeing cat down and stop the inappropriate urination. Putting her outside may be solving you staining problem but there is a reason your cat is doing this, they don't just pee on carpet because they want to go outside.  

Answer 5

cats are funny and amazingly interesting creatures. u see they have this amazing ability to be as$holes and be ur master. dogs on the other hand u just hit them and they are fine. discipline.

Answer 6

Are your cats spayed and neutered?  If not, then they should be SOON.  Your male is now smelling a female that's bringing home odors of other animals and anything else she's "into" while being outside!

If she's not already spayed, you'll probably be having kittens in about 9 wks!  Your male MAY start spraying, too, now that he's smelling other animals on your female.  You may have created ANOTHER SITUATION by letting her outside!!

Good luck............