I have two bengals from different catteries. They are both within three weeks of eleven years old and both female. Cat "A" outweighs Cat "B" by a good two pounds and is thirty percent larger. Cat A has always let Cat B eat first and choose where she wants to sleep, etc. They play rough almost every day, and that means Cat A has the advantage. But in the past, Cat B has been able to "hold her own" and she can be pretty scrappy. Cat A" is my cat and Cat B is my wife's, but we pet both of them so I'm not sure jealousy is not a big issue. On two occasions this week, I head a shrieking/screaming noise from Cat B, not her normal growl and hiss and outcry when Cat A has her physically pinned. It seems seems like Cat A is the agressor, and Cat B is now genuinely afraid of her. Normally, they wash each other and sleep on the same bed, but now Cat A has taken over Cat B's favorite spots, too. I'm afraid the lighter cat might get hurt and that Cat A may no longer be playing rough but "out to get her." I can't just can't take the time to get them to a vet (and if you knew my circumstances you'd understand.) At the moment I have them in separate parts of the house, but I don't know if that's workable. Can someone offer any advice or insight, please?

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The little monsters 3

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this problem. Since you aren't going to take either one to the vet just to make sure there's nothing medically wrong here, then we have to attempt to remedy the situation in your home. First, I'm not sure by what you mean with one of the cats eating first. Both cats should have their own bowls and food and not be sharing. They should both be fed together at the same time.

It's good that you have your cats separated for the time being, and you'll have to try to reintroduce them and see how things go. The feeding of them together (not necessary next to each other, but in the same general area) will allow them to concentrate on the food and not so much the other cat.

Second of all, playing with each of the cats will divert their attention from the other cat and onto the toys. And it's possible your aggressive cat has excess energy.

Thirdly, you've got to make sure your submissive cat has an escape route and your aggressive cat cannot corner her.This means some type of catification so there are no closed avenues for the cats Each cat needs to have its own space or territory. Bengals especially need to climb! They want to be high up in the air. Cat trees are especially helpful. You can create one yourself and it doesn't have to be a large tree.

I'm hoping you have separate litter boxes for them as well.

Don't punish either of the cats. Cats don't understand discipline very well. Cats act out of instinct. You're going to have to spend some time dealing with this because there is no quick solution. You want your kitties to get along and they once did! So something changed. Did you move furniture around by any chance? Just saying that any little thing could have set this off. You may have to try a lot of different things until you hit on one that works, but I'm guessing that giving your aggressive bengal more to occupy her time may help the situation. On the opposite end is the fact that your other female may be losing confidence -- and that needs to be built back up so she can stand her ground.

The larger cat is Sera and the smaller cat Salocin. Both are in good health. We have a food dish that has two parts and they take turns eating. Usually Sera lets Salocin eat first and then Sera eats. Tonight, both were eating side by side. The litter box issue is complex. We had a single box for sevn or eight years which they shared together without a problem (we keep it clean.) When we went out of town for a week some years ago, we got a second box "just in case" the person tending to the cats forgot to come one day. Sera, who loves dust baths, somehow convinced Salocin not to use the second box so that she (Sera) can take dusts baths whenever she wishes, so they continue to share the same box and the second box of litter is unused (because there is no dust left.)

Tonight they were sniffing each other as usual, but Salocin felt threatened on one or two occasions or else Sera approached her too rapidly and then the growling started again. Salocin is very nimble and can jump as high as ever while Sera can lo longer jump moe than three feet high, so Sera can escape Sera if she thinks about jumping up high. Every area (room) of the house is open so there are escape routes, though if one cat is in a corner of a room, there is no escape. Sera has always liked to play a game where she lies across a doorway so that Salocin has to go over or around her to get into the next room. Sera also likes closing doors, presumably to deny Salocin access.

So the cats have always played together, though Sera plays rougher than Salocin does or can because Salocin is so much smaller. It's just that this play has reached a new level of intensity and Salocin seems to be the victim. Based on the screechs I hear from Salocin (twice this week), I cannot tell if Sera is just being extra rough or if she is "out" to get Salocin. Salocin shows no signs of injury, however.