[size=150]Hi there, I'm new to the forum and am hoping I can get some advice. I'll also say I've never posted anything on a Forum before so I hope I'm doing this in the right place. First I'll start off by saying my family has been a part of rescue groups for years so I'm the fist one to yell at myself for some of my thoughts. I have 2 Bengals. Zulu is my large 10 year old male and Megan is my tiny 7 year old girl. The are half siblings and indoor cats. They use to get along great. Over the years Zulu started peeing and spraying. We found most of his pee triggers but the spraying, not so much. He has recently decided he wants to be outside. We have to keep doors locked because he can open them. Being outside is not an option. We tried letting him out in our screened Lanai but it took him about 30 seconds to rip the screen and escape. Over the last year little by little Zulu has started beating up Megan. Started off not so bad but now I'm afraid he's going to hurt her. All day and all night these 2 are screaming, growling, hissing etc. Fur is flying everywhere. It's getting really bad. Now I'm concerned he is going to really hurt her. She has always been a typical bengal talker but over the last couple weeks she screams non stop. This morning for the first time we saw Megan spraying. Right after, Zulu ran over to her pinned her down and bit her pretty hard. Both these guys are super sweet with great mushy temperaments. They have never bit or hurt anyone except now each other. They have both been to the vet and had a clean bill of health. Zulu just paces and howls. He is probably the loudest Bengal I've ever heard. Megan use to hide all the time when strangers were over. She has all of a sudden become very friendly and outgoing, even letting strangers touch her. So now I don't know what to do. I'm beside myself. Nobody is sleeping in this house (my son's teacher has even noticed). I'm constantly cleaning walls, breaking up fights, and like I said crying. Finding new homes for any of my babies has NEVER been an option. Now though, I don't know. I'm truly worried about Megan's safety and the rest of our well beings. Please don't make me feel worse than I already do, I'm just hoping someone out there can help me. [/size]

Seperate, reestablish territory and positive human relationships, and slowly reintroduce them to each other.

They are both fixed, correct? There are some good books on the subject of cats living together but not getting along. I like "Cat vs Cat". Also many of the "My Cat From Hell" episodes show problems like yours and solutions. Generally solutions involve separating, re-introducing, adding vertical space, making sure each cat has his/her own resources (litterbox, food and water dishes, sleeping places), and making sure the cats are getting played with enough by their humans. You can always enlist the help of a cat behaviorist as well if things just aren't improving.

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The little monsters 3

Good advice given already - I would definitely start by separating them, put your little girl in a safe room (maybe your master bedroom?) where she can rebuild her confidence. I would also look at adding more cat trees and some kind of cat shelves and walkways to give them more vertical space. That may help with giving them each some territory of their own so there is less fighting.

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Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

First of all, you need to make sure there is nothing medically wrong with your male. Check out some of Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences. http://www.spiritessences.com. There are many products that may be able to help you and there are people who swear by these. It takes a lot of patience to modify a cat's behavior. The fact that your male has become so aggressive toward your female happens sometimes. Your girl loses confidence and becomes a different cat. What caused your male to start peeing and marking inside the house? Well, sounds like there is something going on outside your house, which is why he wants to go outside. Are other cats coming around (stray, unneutered)? You may not ever see them, but your male can sense they are there, thus he wants to get outside.

I always thought a screen porch was a great option, but I've had cats who clawed holes in them. Once a cat has tasted the outdoors, it's next to impossible to keep them from wanting to get back out there. If you have a yard or a deck, check out cat enclosures. Just googling will provide you with hundreds of images of different types of enclosures. We built a 12'x12'x8' high enclosure on our deck for Raiden. It is escape proof and he enjoys being out there. You can always try to get your male to walk on a harness and leash. The only problem with that is the cat wants to walk all the time. Now that I'm retired, Raiden goes out twice a day -- early morning and late afternoon. He still would rather roam free and does escape through the front and back doors at times.

A lot of people recommend trying to re-introduce the cats, but I'm not really sure that will work because the environment that is affecting your male has not changed. You may simply have to keep them separated for a while. I do recall an episode of My Cat From Hell where there were multiple cats and a few did not get along. They had to catify their house so they had places for all the cats to be. This may mean multiple cat trees, shelves on the wall, stacked crates -- where your cats can each have their own space. The cat super highway cannot have any dead ends. Your female will always need an escape route. And you need to be playing with each of the kitties. Bengals are high energy, and males are highly territorial (especially if they see other cats around the outside of your house).

If you can finally satisfy your male's need for outdoor access, you should find the marking, peeing will stop. Our cat enclosure has a cat door that allows Raiden to go out there 24/7. He will mark out there, but he does not mark in the house. We did have a neighbor's cat who would come around to terrorize Raiden when he was in the enclosure, but they moved away and now things are back to normal again. So make sure there are no other cats coming around the outside of your house.

I wish you a lot of luck here. Your little gal is depending on you to keep her safe.

Have you 100% ruled out the presence of another male in the garden which has upset Zulu?

If he senses another cats scent in his territory, this could cause the behaviour you are seeing - Defending his turf above all else. If Megan is getting the worst end of his temper, then you do need to get her in a safe place - Separate rooms for now until this is resolved.

Make sure you give both equal attention, and swap blankets regularly so they remember each others scent.
I feel desperately sorry for you and your babies, and hope a positive outcome is reached quickly. xx