I know nothing about cats but enough to know you have a serious problem. Are there such things as cat trainers? I have a feeling one of the experts here will recommend you rehome one of the cats. These kitties are going to get hurt its just a matter of time.

I too am interested to hear from experienced cat--people. But I will say this about the dogs: 2 of our dogs do NOT get along, and we keep them separated. But (back a few years) when we used to think that maybe the 2 could work it out, and a fight would break out, the OTHER non-involved dogs, would jump right onto our "weaker" dog, where normally they all get along fine.

So, what I'm saying is, perhaps if a cat-fight breaks out, the dogs may jump in. I don't know if that would happen, but I've seen that dynamic in our house.

Yes the dogs were barking and charging the cats during the fight which separated the cats. Right now I have the older cat in her own room with food, water, litterbox, a window and soft place to sleep. She's not as demanding as the younger one who hates closed doors and wants to go wherever she pleases. She's actually lying at the door where the other cat is and mom said she heard her hiss once this morning at the door. I'm going to keep them apart this weekend and then have supervised visits but I think that I might keep them separate at night from now on.

First, when was the last time your old cat was seen by a vet? She's at an age where she needs a complete checkup, urinalysis, and her teeth need to be checked. My cat was 'off' for weeks until we discovered she had a painful dental disease that was essentially dissolving all her teeth. If one cat isn't feeling well, that cat often becomes a target by another cat.

How many litter boxes do you have? You should have at last 2 and even 3 would be ideal (each in different rooms), especially if these are indoor cats. Each of my cats has its favorite litter box and only occasionally will use the other box. If you have to, use pet doors (with a cat pass-thru) in the rooms where the litterboxes are located. That way you can keep the dogs out.

I suggest you watch episodes of My Cat from Hell with Jackson Galaxy for ways of solving your dilemma, but I know he always suggests setting up areas for cats to play and safe areas they can sleep, along with routes for them to escape from each other. You can add cat towers, shelving on the walls and for the cat that is the aggressor...... play time.......with you. Pent up energy in a young cat will always be taken out on the passive cat.

I use (and swear by) Feliway by Ceva (plug-ins) to help calm cats. It makes a huge difference in the mood of my female cat and I can tell by her attitude when it's time to plug in a fresh one. There's not just 'one' fix to solve your problem and you'll need to apply all of the above if you want to keep both cats.

For now, I would definitely keep the cats separated at night until you see they're getting along with NO fights. Let the older one sleep with you at night (have a litter box in the room) and leave the younger one in the rest of the house. Anytime you're not around I would separate them. The last thing you want is for a fight to start, the dogs join in, and one (or both) of them ends up injured or dead.

Until you make changes in the house, I would continue giving the older cat her quiet space. At times you'll probably need to keep the younger one in a room and allow the older one the rest of the house.

They are 2 small dogs and a medium sized dog but the barking, charging ones are the smaller ones. The one has some terrier in her and she has prey drive. They've been around the cats for 3 or more years but still when the cat does a sudden move or runs across the bed to jump on the cat tower or dresser the smallest dog will bark and charge.

Muffin is enjoying herself in the den but we have to keep the door closed and watch as the young one is trying to get in. I am more concerned for my mom who is 72 years old and the fighting scares her. I'm letting them see each other through the door when we go in and because they know the other is in there and I've got a hold of the younger one so she can't chase the older one. Muffin is anxious when I pick her up now though. Like she thinks I'm gonna carry her to the other cat. She digs her claws in a bit and squirms and makes a small growl noise in her throat even if I'm just picking her up to put her on the freezer to feed her. She will take longer to get over this than the younger one. We'll just see how things go and take precautions.

Well, I've been through this, so I feel for you -- and for your mom. I only have the two youngest left now, boy and girl siblings. But the girl is a lot smaller, and even she gets to screaming sometimes when she's had enough playing or maybe the boy gets too aggressive. Even though I know it's not a true cat fight, that noise is always jarring.

At one point, I had six cats. Eventually, the older ones and the younger ones got used to each other, but it's funny to see the dynamic. The younger ones, especially the boy (who is, BTW, the most affectionate cat I've ever had) liked to randomly tease the older ones, and some of those older gals surprised me the way they were not going to put up with it. Sometimes, too, even beloved older siblings would start swiping and growling at each other when things escalated to a free-for-all.

Unfortunately, one of my older cats had been skittery and timid her whole life, and she had to have her own space. She wasn't able to ward the two younger ones off, probably bc they could sense her fear, and sometimes they'd even gang up on her.

I think once Muffin settles into a routine with her own space, she'll feel calmer and safer.

And my little dogs were definitely intrigued by all of the cat activity and would run toward it, but they knew to stay on the outskirts. Now, one of my dogs plays with the cats, and it's hilarious, but she still knows who has the upper hand.

It's so hard with cats, bc you want to get them a pal, and you never know how it's going to turn out. Maybe, eventually, they will be able to co-exist with just warning growls, but it may be a while.

Well after a several days of separation Muffin was ready to leave the relative comfort and solitude of the den. She stopped getting tense when I picked her up and she relaxed enough to let her out. So things seem back to normal but I am watchful and will reinstate the curfew if anyone steps outta line.

Amazon sells cat calming collars that worked for us. Get one for each cat to ease the tension.

I just had to respond since Ive been enduring this sort of thing for... gulp...ten years. So maybe Ill just start off by saying -it wouldnt hurt to just start putting out feelers for someone with whom you can rehome the younger kitty,while shes still young. Dont feel you have to give her away to the first taker or anything like that - but if you come across someone you like and trust who could take her and make the situation better for all three of you - well, that could be the best thing.

While I like what Anzz wrote and would certainly try it out, I have to say I regret not rehoming my aggressor early on- I just kept thinking it would work out but it never did- and I really was and still am fond of the little devil and really really wanted it to work. So now Im kinda stuck because people generlaly dont want old cats over 10 and with health issues (yeah I did ask around recently). I now have screen doors up in my house and keep them separate on a permanent basis - they'll sniff each other butts as they are switching places throught the day but thats about it for contact. Since my older boy ( the one getting picked on) now has some health issues that are exacerbated by stress (eg the presence of the other cat) I do regret not being able to give him a better more peaceful home. He kinda has his own space in the basement which helps - hes so relaxed and king of the castle down there. Its like night and day. If I didnt have that kind of space to give him, I would be up a creek.

BTW, what you are seeing is aggressive behavior on the part of your young cat. Cat aggression can be subtle and we humans can easily miss it or mistake it for playing. It can take the form of stalking, staring, poking with a paw, guarding the litter box (or food dish or any resource like a favorite chair or your lap). She's not a "bad" cat, she's just doing what nature intended - Ive heard two females are like two males - ie more likely to not get along than 1 male + 1 female.

Pam Johnson writes a lot about inter-cat conflict - even as a long time cat staff person, I learned a few things. Bradshaw's Cat Sense is good too. Finally, some good science based info on cat behavior.