Mew-Mew House has about 30 cats. They don’t always get along. We’re fortunate that there haven’t been many really bad fights, but they’ve happened. But what causes these fights? What do you do about it? What about if you have cats that used to love each other, and now they can't stand each other?

Cats are wonderful creatures, but they also fight. In the wild cats fight, and there's good reasons for that. Our house cats, though, and we're providing a nice place for them to be. They're nice and comfortable. They're warm. But suddenly they're fighting.

Let’s think about why they might be fighting.

Territorial disputes: This is one reason why wild cats may fight. Cats are territorial creatures and will defend their turf.

Resource guarding: In the wild, resources (like food and water) are often limited. Cats will defend the resources available in their territory to insure their own survival and that of their kittens. In the home, resources aren’t generally scarce, but cats may still instinctively be protective.

Lack of socialization: Cats need to be taught how to get along with other cats. If they haven’t spent much time with other cats, or were removed from their mother too early, a cat might not know how best to behave. 

Changes in the household: This is unfortunately a super common cause of cats fighting. Cats are sensitive creatures and tell when their people are under stress, even if there are no overt changes in the home. Big changes, like adding a new cat to the household, moving to a new home, or changes in the family structure (such as a new baby or a divorce) can disrupt the cats' routine and cause stress, which can lead to fighting.

Medical issues: We’re all grouchy when we don’t feel well. If there’s no other obvious cause for the cat fights, it could be medical and you should consider taking kitty to the vet.

With the exception of medical problems, most of these challenges can be mitigated with some changes in the home.

Increase their space: Sometimes all you need to do is provide a way for cats to stay away from each other. This can be difficult in a small apartment. However, cats like to climb. So if you’re out of floor space, go up! Tall cat trees and perches on top of furniture can help alleviate fighting. 

Provide separate resources: If you haven’t already, provide separate feeding and watering stations for each cat. If you can, put them in separate rooms or on the opposite sides of furniture, so cats can eat without seeing each other. Also, make sure there are at least one litterbox per cat, plus one. That is, if you have two cats, you need three boxes. 

Use pheromone sprays: Feliway is a common pheromone diffuser that can be used to help cats quit fighting. Pheromone collars also work sometimes. There are also sprays and drops available from people like Jackson Galaxy. Just be careful to be only using drops and sprays from reputable sources and keep away from things like essential oils as they can be highly toxic to cats.

Play with your cats: Interact with your cats. Play with them. Give them treats. If you can give them a positive experience (fun playing or yummy treats) while they’re together, they may start to associate being together with positive feelings instead of negative ones.

Seek professional advice: If none of this helps, it may be time to seek a pet behaviorist or speak to your vet. Spend some time watching videos from Jackson Galaxy to see if he has some nuggets of insight to help you out. 

Cats have strong and diverse personalities. Because of this, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to cats fighting. If they are fighting and you need to separate them, to not stick your hands between them. If you have one available, a broom or any long-handled tool can be used to push them apart. 

Don’t hit the cats, but physically separate them and try to shoo them away from each other. 

Once they’re separated and don’t seem to be trying to get at each other any more, you can check the cats for injuries and then think about how to implement some of the solutions (or other solutions). It’s not easy to get cats to get along, but worth it in the long run.