Cats Fighting. Need help!

[Avas_Mom]

I have 4 cats. Im going to make this long so anyone reading understands. Sammy is the oldest. Hes 3, we got him as a kitten. Jaeger is 3 got him as a kitten. Baby girl is 2 and she was a kitten of Sammy and another cat Bear we had(my mom now has) and we recently got Bella shes 3.5 mos. They are all fixed except Bella. Babygirl was fixed about 3 wks ago. After getting fixed Babygirl got an Upper Respiratory Infection that all the cats ended up getting. They all had meds and are better now. But just the other day out of no where babygirl started attacking Sam. And for a week now he hasnt left under our bed. I have to take him food and water and carry him to the litter box. She attacks him just when she senses him she charges him. Even if im carrying him! Ive tried smacking her away or spraying her with water. It only works for a sec and shes right back on him. We cant live this way anymore! Not to mention when they fight my daughter who is only 1 screams and cries until they stop. I cant handle this anymore and im sick of having to watch Sammy as if hes a baby and make sure he eats and goes to the bathroom. What can i do?!!? Why is she doing this? Please ANY advice.

[mrwjd]

It is not uncommon for stay-at-home cats to threaten and intimidate and even fight with a patient cat coming home from hospital.  They don't smell right.  ;-)  This is the other way around, but may still be caused by the necessity of establishing a whole new relationship.  

If they were my cats, I would wonder if Sammy started it, even if he is not the aggressor now.  I say that because cats are sometimes confused by a spayed female.  Maybe they don't think it's a male, but they also don't think it's a female, ???   One of our cats when in heat is very sexually provocative with her sister Tsunami, who was spayed several years ago.  The other unspayed female will occasionally attack Tsunami just for being near her kittens, even if Tsu is lying down or looking the other way.  Sammy may well have the idea Babygirl is a competitor or a threat (even though he can't do anything about it, anyway).    

I love the pheremones idea!  Our cats are pretty bonded right now, but we're having a couple of them spayed and neutered very soon and it would be good to be prepared in case it triggers interpersonal (or is it interfeline?) problems.

Otherwise, I think I would keep them separated for a while.  What may be an adjustment thing can turn into a lifelong enmity with unbreakable patterns, and you want to avoid that if possible, I think.

This is where the pack dynamic with dogs would come in handy--cats really don't care to submit or to change their role in the household just because some human thinks it would be a good idea.  

Good luck.

[Avas_Mom]

Yes thanks. I figure its a dominance thing with her. But why wouldnt she attack both male cats?? Unless the one she is attacking considers himself dominant. I get that then. I dont know it needs to end soon though!

[Savas]

Isn't modern science grand?

The only thing I can add that isn't helpful but may give understanding is female fixed cats can sometimes become temporarily aggressive towards males after neutering. I call it;
"I ain't got no use for you useless males anymore!" syndrome.

hopefully she'll calm down or get her groove on with the "comfort Zone". :)

[Ghilly]

There is a product called Comfort Zone.  It is made by a company called Feliway.  It's available online, and some very well stocked pet stores carry it.  It works like a plug-in air freshener, and the way it works is that it releases kitty "feel good" pheromones into the air.  The cats pick up the scent of the pheromones and it calms them down and everyone stops fighting.  Do a Google search for Feliway Comfort Zone and you can get all the particulars on it.  It is VERY effective, many of the people that I am involved in rescue with swear by it.  

Ghilly