What should I do if my two cats have been together for 3 years and are still fighting?

Question

I have two cats who I've had for about 3 years. Juliette was about a year old when I decided that she was to lonely while my roommate and I were at work, so I got her a kitten to be friends with. Rose was tiny when I introduced them, and Juliette was angry and abusive with her. Juliette has been the alpha cat from the beginning, but even though 3 years have passed and now Rose is twice her size, she is still terrorizing Rose.

Is there a way to still get them to be friends? Is it to late? I just kept thinking that the problem would resolve itself over time, but am now realizing that this probably won't happen.

Is there a way to make Rose stand up for herself? At twice her size, Rose could easily fight back and put Juliette in her place, but she doesn't know how...

Thanks for any responses!

Answer 1

The diffence is how old the orriginal cat #1 was when they were put together.

I have 3 cats... and since I AM THE ALFA cat... I keep them from fighting.  

You might get another kitten just to distract all of them... a male perhaps... possibly not too young say 3 or 4 months old.

Problem is if they don't accept them at first then there isn't much hope to getting them do it later on!

Just the way cats are

good luck >^..^<

Answer 2

hello - well i have 5 cats and two are bullies so I make sure that the one that gets bullied always has a place to go to get away - I have a mat for her behind my lap top where she sits with me so the others can't get her - they know this. They have all been together for about 6  years and they change their moods frequently. So see of you can give the bullied one her/his own special place. We bought one of those IKEA  scratching posts come bed made of wicker and it has a space underneath where cats can go and hide. They can look out but can't be got at.  

Answer 3

Cats work out their relationships on their own. It's a shame that your cats are still fighting but so long as they don't seriously hurt each other, leave it alone unless you want to add another animal to the mix.

I have three cats that used to fight but then I got a large dog and now it's "all cats unite against the dog." As a big plus, whenever two cats have a rare fight now, the dog goes and breaks it up for me. The dog can do that just by showing up in the same room.  

Answer 4

I have 2 cat's that do the same thing and I don't think there is any way to make them like each other....same with you...think of someone you don't like to be around...could someone change the way you felt about that person?

Answer 5

There's nothing you can do, unfortunately.  By now, both cats are used to the arrangement (even poor Rose).  But as long as they're not hurting each other to the point that one or both ends up going to the vet, there's nothing to worry about.

If the cats fight to the point that they get on your nerves, you can chase them around while stomping your feet and waving your arms.  (In a nutshell, you're acting like a much bigger cat and asserting your dominance.)  The idea is to remind the cats that YOU are the real "alpha cat" of the house and you're the boss.  That probably won't do anything for how the cats get along with each other, but they should tone down the fights while you're around and your house will be more peaceful - at least, when you're home.