help - my cat has turned on her companion
Hello everyone - I've joined the community just to post about my situation so I'm hoping someone might have some advice. Sorry it is a bit long.
I have two cats named Penny and Charlie. They are nearly 3 years old but I'm pretty sure Penny is a few months older. They are both females and I only let them outside in the fenced-in backyard while I am supervising. Penny is fixed and Charlie is not (yet). My former live-in boyfriend and I adopted them from a farm in July 2006 when they were kittens. They were the last two kittens there and we took them both, so they've been with each other longer than they've known me. Charlie is a calico and Penny is a tabby. While they grew up with me and the bf, he's been gone for about 7 months and they both adjusted well to the household change. They now live with an 8 yr old cocker spaniel and have always gotten along. They've always been best friends .. bathing each other, playing, sleeping the way cats do with one's rear end as a pillow for the other (lol)
Earlier this week I was out with a friend and got a call from my mother saying that my cats were fighting and I needed to come home. She said it wasn't playful and they were both very upset. I came home right away and they were already separated. I have no idea what set them off, but both of them were perfectly lovely to me as usual. My friend came back with me and he held Penny while I held Charlie - while they were in our arms neither showed any sign of being upset, except that Charlie would not look at Penny. When we set them down, Charlie began hissing and growling and chased after Penny. I got Penny away and kept her with me while Charlie hid in the basement all night.
The weirdest part is, Penny has always been the dominant cat - she's bigger, she's older and she's braver. Charlie is timid and terrified of strangers, but she's also the sweetest cat I've ever known once she trusts you. Until this week I'd only heard her hiss twice in nearly three years. It used to be that Penny would check out strangers and then let Charlie know whether it was okay to come out from her hiding spot.
I've been trying to find information on the internet and I stumbled across this forum that had a couple of similar situations, but they were mostly cats that hadn't lived together their whole lives like mine have. I'm trying to think of possibilities that could cause Charlie to turn on Penny - I've kept them separated for the better part of two days now and the two occasions I let Charlie see Penny she started growling and hissing again.
1. Charlie is not spayed and there's a possibility there is a male outdoor cat that comes round to the screen door and tries to visit. I haven't seen this happen but my mother tells me there is a cat in the neighborhood.
2. I've spent much more time away from home lately - is Char feeling neglected? When I'm away, I'm at a friend's house who has a male cat - is she smelling Tiger ? I've been spending time around Tiger for months now.. why would they mind all of a sudden?
3. Is Charlie just sick of Penny being the dominant one? Does that happen?
4. Could one of them be ill? If so, what possibilities could I be prepared to hear from the vet when we go?
Charlie is not acting like she is in heat.
I'm hoping to take Charlie to the vet next week and finally get her spayed and in the mean time the only thing I can think to do is keep them apart .. which is really difficult because of their litter boxes. When they are apart, they both act as cute and normal as could be.. and Penny has not hissed or growled at Charlie in return.
I guess I've done some research already, but I'm pretty upset at the fact that my cats are fighting seemingly out of nowhere so even if no one has anything to add I thank you for having read this far. Any advice is welcome & appreciated.
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