Conference misery::feline_v1

    Yes, Debbie, my cats do the same thing.  They are indoor cats only, and
    when I let them out on the screen porch, if there is another cat in the
    yard, Spunks tail usually blows up like a wire brush and she starts on
    Zildjian.  Of course, Zildjian does not take any of her you know what,
    so they end up with Spunks chasing Zildjian into the bedroom.  I try to
    break it up cuz Spunks is pretty strong, but Zildjian has it in her to
    rip one of Spunks' eyes out.  I end up putting Spunks out of sight for
    awhile so she can calm down.  She has even turned on me once cuz she
    was so riled up over another cat.  
    
    All in a days work.  That's what makes cats so mysterious.
    
    Anna/Zildjian/Spunks
    

    Sure, this happens quite often.  We get "visitors" from the
    neighborhood on the porch, and the four neutered guys start in 
    on each other, depending on how close the cat comes to the door.
    It also happens whenever one comes home from the vet.  I think
    its the strange smell of the vet's on them, but they get over
    it quickly.
            
    L-

    I have no idea why aggression "transfers" like this, but it
    happens all the time with my cats.
    

    I think it's because they're so upset about another cat being on
    their turf and they can't go out and kick a**.  One day I heard
    Rocky outside growling and making a hell of a fuss, so I ran outside
    and saw him and another cat doing the staring bit in the "meatloaf"
    position.  I'm always scared that Rocky might lose an eye or something
    so I scared the other cat away and went to scoot Rocky back in the
    house AND HE WAS MAD!! He spit at me a dozen times all the way back
    to the door. I don't call him Rocky for nothing!
    
    Robyn, Rocky & Smokey

    re: .1 and .4
    
    the worst cat scratch i ever got was when i tried to take stella away
    from the window when she was hissing/growling/spitting, etc. at a cat
    outdoors.  stella has always been fiercely territorial (more so, even,
    than stanley).  on this particular occasion, she had run back and forth
    from the bedroom window to the sliding glass door on the deck, trying
    to get a better view of the interloper.  i was worried, 'cuz it seemed
    she had agitated herself into a frenzy.  i made the mistake of trying
    to pick her up from the windowsill, and she hissed at me and lashed out
    and clawed the h*ll out of my hand. i had never seen so much blood--all
    over me, her, the curtains... ack!
    
    stella, stanley, & diane
                                                                        

    We, too, have had a similar event.  I think catcount was 4 at the time.
    Mao often has hairballs and she would yodel before vomitting.  Well
    one night I heard this very loud yodelling coming from the kitchen.
    I recognized it for a distress call and bolted for the kitchen.
    When I entered I interrupted a staring contest between Mao and
    a cat outside the window.  Don't ask me how he got up there because
    the window is four feet off the ground and there's nothing to stand
    on. 
      Anyway, Mao lept off the windowsill, over the table and proceded to
    attack Bumpy & Isis.  Of course, I'm running around the kitchen
    screaming as loud as the cats.  I did manage to grab Isis who was
    so scared she pee'd all over me and the rug.  
     I had to separate the cats in different rooms.  Mao and Bumpy calmed
    down fairly quickly, but Isis took about an hour.
    
    The other day they were out on their leashes and Mao got badly tangled
    in her's and Isis's.  I came out and found the leashes wrapped around
    her legs.  she was yowling because it hurt and Isis kept trying to
    run away which pulled the leash tighter and made it hurt more, then
    Isis would get frustrated that she couldn't get away and run up and
    bat Mao on the head at which point Dundee would run over and hit
    them both.  Good grief!!  What a bunch.
      Nancy DC

    Benj gets real upset about cats on the porch too.  Twice in the last
    couple years, he's gone flying to the door and hit the glass sliders so
    hard that he falls down, temporarily dazed.  I've learned "my" lesson
    on this, so now try to beat him to the door and prevent him from doing
    it!
    
    I think he's afraid another cat's going to get in, and he'll have to
    share his "hands on, high touch" with it.  No amount of reassurance
    helps, and he usually ends up hissing at me!
    
    Deb and Benj

Thanks to all of you who replied!  It's reassuring to hear that this is
pretty common behavior, and that my two have not suddenly taken a dislike
to each other!  Now I know to watch out for this sort of thing whenever
a "visitor" comes by.

Cats are definitely intriguing!  I keep trying to figure them out, and
they keep surprising me!  

- Debbie/Miss Cat/Ed