They are both neutered and we have had them from 12 weeks. They groom each other, mostly sleep together and can play nicely together. Sometimes Jonesy (male) gets a bit carried away with his play and his sister Ripley runs away. Over the last few weeks. he has started chasing her, biting her hard, pulling out lumps of fur and she is really screaming. This is maybe once or twice a week, but it seems to be increasing. Now she has stopped sleeping on our bed until he has settled first and is asleap. Sometimes she stays where she is - now he has started seeking her out in the middle of the night and attacking her! We wake to blood curdling screams and fur flying. We need to separate them.

We had a recent vet check up and their is nothing physical wrong. They have their own favourite nap places. I feed them in the same area - should I split that up? We play lots and lots with them. He does get bored with toys quickly and we need to mix them up a lot. Ripley is such a sweetheart and I hate to see her beaten up. And it is disturbing our sleep.

I have Feliway on order. I know it only works with stress, and don't know if it is that, but it is worth a try. There have been no other changes, except it is now spring here, getting warmer at night, and we leave windows and doors open with locked metal fly screens. He will be hearing and smelling more at night time. We live in Australia so it is unbearable to lock the house completely at night.

Any other ideas we can try? Much appreciated

Has he been altered?

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~ Kyenta

Sounds to me like the problem is two fold.

First, he sounds bored, and still full of energy after playing. Maybe as part of the problem occurring at night, you could play with him an hour or so later, more towards bed time? Maybe consider getting a cat wheel?

Secondly, the boredom brings on the attacks, as with kids, they need to learn whats acceptable behaviour and what's not. Learn to recognise when he's about to pounce/lunge and be ready to interrupt him if he's too heavy handed. Then put him elsewhere, like a 'time out cage' for 10 min after the bad behaviour. He should soon associate the attacks with fhe 'solitary confinement'.

The mrs three tabbies at her mums do something similar, but not as vicious, only ever with 'patting paws' and it's usually instigated by Izzy, one of the boys, but he makes it so obvious and we just call him. His ears twitch, then he'll pounce, and just run upto his brother or sister, depending who's the target of the hour. But Izzy knows he's being watched, so he never goes too far.

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The little monsters 3

A bullied cat develops a lot of undesirable behavioral problems, so this has to stop. Not to mention she may get injured. This is totally unfair to your little girl. Check out some holistic remedies that you can try that may help your aggressive boy!

Thanks so much for the thoughtful advice and suggestions. We have quite a few high places, hidey holes, but there is always room for more, right?!? I will also look into getting a cat wheel. They don't seem to be easily available in Australia but there are youtube videos on how to make one so I will get the OH to consider another project :)

Sherry - I understand what holistic remedies are - but what exactly should I be looking to buy? We have Bach's Rescue Remedy but that doesn't sound relevant. And Feliway on it's way, just to give it a go. Just to reassure you, he is not constantly bullying her badly. Days will go by when they greet each other nicely, groom each other, sleep through the night together and play together with Da Wand etc. Then BAM! If it worsens, or we simply cannot control the situation to the point where she is at risk, we will have to consider rehoming him - another one of those "must be the only cat" stories. It would be heart-breaking, of course.

The suggestion above that it might be about territory, struck a chord. Often it starts with him smelling her butt - then he goes for her. I wonder if his instinct has kicked in, to maintain his own territory and evict anyone but a female on heat. Of course, they have both been neutered. But maybe because he detects "female not in heat" his instinct tells him "= chase her off". Maybe I am over-thinking it. Even if this is possible, I don't know how it helps me respond to it. Can you spray Feliway over a cat? Could I spray her a little so he smells calming pheronomes when he sniffs her butt? Trying to find a way that I could remove this as some kind of trigger for him. Just a theory anyway, I might be clutching at straws.

All quiet for the last 24 hours, at least, so we live in hope.

Any responses to my questions above or further suggestions will be most appreciated
Bobkat

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The little monsters 3

my cats are like that - they now divided house between themselves. sometimes they would share territory , litter boxes , food and sometimes - fur flying, screaming etc.
and this is what puzzles me - some days they are hand in hand, peeing together in the same box ; and other days - on separate floors and do not disturb warning.

We do have some outside cat visitors which we have been trying to deter since ever- with luck and without - could this be the trigger?

Bobkat, I think your girl will eventually learn to get away from him fast, perhaps you need to support her whilst she is still learning.
I used to separate them ( put boy in a separate room for 5-10 mins) or would stop him ( vocal "No", or just hold him down for few seconds) before he even started chasing her aggressively. obviously provided numerous vertical spaces /beds/dishes/blankets /etc

Now ( 2.5 yearls old) , the girl knows all the tricks and all the triggers and manages to avoid him 99% of the times.
Sometimes she would even provoke him to chase her back just to show off i guess.

This sounds so similar to what my two female sisters are going through. They are almost 6 months. The bigger one bullies the smaller one, but only sometimes. The smaller one is overly affectionate especially towards me and was always attached to me and slept with me since day one. Well the play tumbling got out of hand a couple of times and the little one cried out several times so I step in and stop the activity when it gets too rough. Now the little one is not sitting on me (only at my feet) or sleeping on the bed. Only the big one seems to have that right. At night I call to the little one and I hear her making sounds, or she reaches up to touch my hand from under the bed but she does not come up. The big one sleeps on the bed next to my head. When she gets down in the morning the little one jumps up and is all purrs. I feel bad because I know the bigger one is keeping her away from me somehow. I can see the big one narrow her eyes and the little one gets that big eyed surprised look and backs down. When I pick up the little one she is looking around in fear that she will get punished for letting me hold her. I hope they grow out of this, I want both of them by my side. I am careful to pay equal attention to both of them.

At 6 months I would perhaps be a bit more active in showing the bigger one that she cannot hog all your attention at night, I do not see this improving with age, if you just leave them alone.[/quote]

I have tried bringing the little one to bed, but she jumps down. She never stays on the bed when the big one is around. Last night she was jumping up and hanging onto the open slats of the headboard making little sounds to me and reaching out. The big one attacks my feet rather hard if things do not go her way. I have thought about closing the door to my bedroom but it would be unfair to keep the little one in with me. The big one would retaliate I am sure. If I left them both out they would sleep at the door. I closed them out of my bedroom this morning for a few minutes so I could finish getting dressed in peace and I heard one of them jump at the door and then finger nails sliding down the door and paws reaching under the door. They follow me where ever I go. I keep wondering if they will eventually calm down.

Hi CMYKjill

My boys are now almost 14 months. Wouldn't say they have calmed down really although there is certain behaviour that seems to have improved as they've grown up. They don't jump up at me so much now thank goodness and I have less scratches. Apart from that, they are still crazy with bundles of energy and into absolutely everything! From what I can gather, Bengals don't really calm down and it is like dealing with hyperactive 2 year olds that never grow up...!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Thanks for the info Clare. They are all consuming and I love them to bits, but I had no idea what I was getting into. The rescue center labeled them siamese so I had a surprise unfold and I am so glad I found this forum because all their issues are talked about by other pet owners and it really helps. I am modifying my home to accommodate them and their behavior little by little. They are learning to jump and everyday they are up making mischief on a new level of my home. Last night one of them figured out how to get INSIDE the fireplace and was trying to climb up the walls! It is clean for the season, but still a little dirty. So I put a plexiglass sheet up that is used in the event of a hurricane (I live in Florida). I believe I was getting cat scratch fever they were scratching me so often and climbing up me. I went to the doctor about one of the scratches and had gel tips put on their front nails (Soft Paws) that need to be replaced monthly. That has been a huge help. They can't claw their way up onto things so they jump instead.

I needed something wonderful to focus on so they came at the right time into my life. I am just so amazed at their behavior. My last cat never once went onto the counters or dinner table in the 15 years she lived with me. I rarely ever saw her walk into the kitchen. They are definitely better behaved the more time I spend with them (weekends). During the week it is Naughtyville!