what is going on??

I have 3 12year old cats that have lived together their entire lives. All of a sudden one of them is being shunned and attacked by the other two. He seems afraid to move. He stoped using the litter box for fear of going downstairs to it. He stays hidden from the other two and remains in a constant lethargic, stressed, scared state. Any ideas??

 

For now I would isolate him from the other cats right away. If possible put him in a seperate room with his own litter box and food to decrease some of the stress he is experiencing with the other cats.
Has he been checked by a vet recently? If not I would start there because there is a possibility that the other cats are sensing that something is unusual or different about him. If there are no health issues I recommend keeping him isolated from the other cats and gradually reintroducing him ( exhange bedding, toys, ect. between the three of them during the isolation period) back into the household.

 

Hello and welcome to Auspet. I'm sorry about your cat problems. This type of behavior can stem from many reasons. A few questions I have for you would be:

1) When this behavior started, had the cat been away from the home (such as been to the vet). Sometimes cats come back from a vet visit and the other cat(s) in the house will hiss and act unpleasant towards him/her. However, the aggressive behavior usually goes away within a few days.

2) Have there been any new changes in your home that could be causing any of your cats stress (I'm assuming you have not moved into a new residence)? Such as certain people, new animals (inside or outside), new neighbors and on and on. Often if there is for instance a rival cat hanging around their home the cats may take out their aggression on the cats that are near to them, instead of the cat that is bothering them in the first place.

3) When was the last time all three cats have been examined by a vet?

Try and think if anything could be causing your cats stress which results in aggressive behavior. If you cannot think of anything, I highly recommend you take all three of your cats to be examined by a vet, as there is a possibility that the aggression may be due to a medical reason. Here is a very good link below. Just click on it and scroll all the way down until you see: Cat Aggression. I think you will find it very helpful. Please keep us posted.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Poin ... avior.html

 

:m23: and welcome. How are they doing now? Have you tried separating them?