by Nicole Cook

Created on: February 13, 2009

I have worked with stray and feral cats for the last eight years, and in that time I have seen more than my share of catfights. I have successfully trapped, altered, and either released, adopted myself or adopted out in upwards of thirty cats. In my home I have two cats that were born under my porch to a feral mother and in my basement I have ten cats, one of which is the kittens mother. All of these cats are spayed or neutered and are usually quite happy with their surroundings. However almost on a daily basis there is some sort or "disagreement" between two or more of the cats.

Though my basement is unfinished, I have attempted to make them as comfortable as possible with plenty of ledges and perches for them to climb on, windows to look out of, scratching posts, beds, litter boxes and of course a twenty four hour all you can eat buffet. Most stray and feral cats would consider this life to be ideal, safe from the dangers of the outside plenty of food and a comfy bed with their name on it. However, there are those days where it seems as if each cat is at each others throats, crossing each others path can lead to an all out brawl filled with hissing and spitting.

It has been said that cats are just as particular if not more so than humans when it comes to picking out friends. And while most of my cats have been together for over five or six years, some as long as eight years, there are certain alliances and cliques between them that cause friction in the group. Most of that friction centers on the females, two of which have fought for the alpha female position the entire time they have lived together. Both are calicos, about the same age and have never gotten along. While one is the aggressor, the other will go out of her way to avoid crossing the others path. If by chance they are forced to be in the same area, a fight is usually inevitable. Why these two cannot get along is still a mystery to me, as they share friendships with similar cats in the house.

The males seem to have found a way to be civil with one another for the most part but there is one cat that all of the males seem to pick on. If the group still lived outside they would have most likely driven this cat out of the group by now. Again, these males share mutual friends with one another and can get along swimmingly but there are always seemingly random circumstances that will bring out the aggression in all of them.

I have found ways to deal with these "disagreements" and usually ends with a temporary

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