How to Stop One Cat From Picking on Another
There's a reason we have the term "cat fight." Cats are territorial animals who don't always like sharing their space with other cats, and they aren't shy about making their unhappiness known. Cats also follow social hierarchies, and the alpha cat may pick on the beta cats to keep them in their place ... or a beta cat might attack the alpha to usurp his position. You might never get two squabbling cats to curl up and sleep together, but you should be able to make peace in the house.
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Instructions
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Separate the cats, if necessary, and slowly reintroduce them over a period of several days or weeks. Put the more aggressive cat in his own room with food, water, litter box, bed and toys. Feed the cats on either side of a closed door, so that they associate each other's smells with something pleasant such as food. After a few days, allow them to sniff and look at each other through the cracked open door. If that goes well, the next day try allowing the aggressive cat out on a supervised visit, then proceed with the steps listed below. Go slow, let the cats choose the pace at which they are reintroduced and don't force the cats to interact with each other. Separating and reintroducing the cats is usually only necessary if the fighting is constant or if they are fighting enough to cause injury.
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Engage the cats in play therapy to burn off aggressive energy and improve the cats' self esteem. Playing with the aggressive cat will teach him to direct his energy toward a healthy object, such as a plush mouse or paper ball, instead of toward his kitty companion.
Because cats want to feel like successful hunters, playing with the picked-on cat will boost his confidence and help him stand his ground if the other cat becomes hostile.
Play with the cats separately at first, behind a closed door if needed, and slowly play with them in adjacent rooms, then in the same room, then play with them together. Two 15-minute play sessions per cat every day is a good start, and you can increase that if your cats enjoy it. Praise them at the end of each play session, and give them a treat so that they feel like they earned something.
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Give the cats a reason to like each other by giving them a treat and praising them whenever they are peacefully in the same room together. Use the treat to lure the cats closer to each other, but stop if the cats seem nervous or hesitant.
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Distract the cats if you think one is about to attack the other. Ideally, try to engage the aggressive cat in play to direct his energy elsewhere. If that won't work, close a door or otherwise try to separate the cats before they can start fighting. As a last resort, make a loud noise, such as clapping your hands or shaking a tin can filled with pennies to startle the cats and break up a fight.
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Pay lots of attention to both cats, both when you are alone with one or when they are in the same room together. Happy cats that feel loved are less likely to fight.
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Tips & Warnings
You might want to try to comfort the picked-on cat after an attack, but most likely she's going to be too scared to want any attention. Play with her or pet her if she'll allow it, or try just sitting in the same room together. Let her hide under the bed for a while if that's what she wants.
Make sure there are enough litter boxes, water bowls, toys and cat trees for every cat so that they don't have to share if they don't want to.
Sudden changes in your cat's behavior can be a sign of a serious medical problem. Talk to your veterinarian about any concerns you have.
Do not scold the aggressive cat; this will only frustrate and confuse him. A better option after an attack is to ignore him or shut him away in a room for one minute so he can settle down.
If the cats are determined to keep fighting, you might have to think about finding a new home for one of them.
