Male cat issues

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Oooo... now that's a good idea too, Aubrey. I will look into the phermone thingie.

I free feed and so far have not noticed any aggression issues. There are multiple food bowls scattered around. They can certainly stay away from each other without too much effort. When Max gets a bug up his butt though he actually STALKS Dodger. So far I haven't seen a particular behaviour that is prefacing the attack. Hmm.

I'll check in with the vet and have her check Max over.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I second keeping a "kitty journal" and documenting all behaviors (normal and abnormal) to see if there is a pattern. Sometimes cats are just obnoxious and randomly decide not to get along. And sometimes there are medical reasons for aggressive behavior. For example, hyperthyroidism is common in older cats (not that Max is old, at 6 he's just barely middle-aged) and can cause shortness and aggression issues. Usually you will notice weight loss before the condition is diagnosed, but if he's just starting to have elevated thyroid levels it may be too soon to see the more common symptoms. I've known dogs that have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism that have only showed one or two of the more subtle symptoms (including one who's only symptom was sudden aggression towards other dogs in the house, and one who's only "symptom" was constant reoccuring ear infections).

I would also second getting the sprayer checked for a UTI, even though his behavior certainly does seem more like marking than a urinary accident. It never hurts to check. And it is possible that the apparent victim in this case may actually be the aggressor. Often times people only see some of the behavior that is involved in housemate issues and mistakenly accuse the wrong party. The diffusers can also work wonders, although sometimes they loose efficacy after a while.