fighting between our two male cats

Question
We have an 8 month old cat named Jack that we have had since he was 7 weeks old. He has always been very sweet, docile and happy. A month ago my husband took in a stray. A male that is about 2 years old and we named him Oscar. We neutered him within a few days of taking him in because he was spraying in the room we were keeping him in until we could introduce him to Jack and our two female cats. Our younger cat Jack has turned very agressive, throwing himself against the door, growling and stalking the new male cat. We got him neutered last week, hoping that would help. It hasn't. He continues to follow the other cat around, stalking him and growling until a fight ensues. We have all been badly stratched and clawed trying to break up these violent outbursts. We have had all kinds of cats over the years and they have been friendly toward each other within one or two weeks at the most. Its been 4 weeks and we still have to keep them locked up at night and and when we are at work and follow them around with a spray bottle during the time we are home. We have never given up on a cat but are afraid we will have to find another home for the new cat. We like him and don't and want to keep him. How can these two be friends?

Answer
Robin,

Unfortunately unaltered male cats that reach sexual maturity before they are neutered will still have a certain level of testosterone in their systems which decreases over a few weeks. It is always best to keep a new cat behind closed doors without allowing them to interact with resident cats for a period of 2-3 weeks, it is important to respect that cats do not like sudden changes to their territory. As you know, cats find their territory very important and they will fight to defend it. At this point it will take a few weeks (estimates differ, you will need to ask your vet) for the sex hormones to leave the boys' systems so I think it would be wise to put the new cat behind a closed door with all of the usual kitty comforts (litter, food, water, a bed (a cardboard box with an old towel in it works), toys). I would also suggest that you never try to break up another cat fight with your bare hands. As you have seen territorial disputes can become out of hand rather quickly. I would suggest that you keep a cup of water or a plant mister handy to squirt the cats if they should happen to get together accidentally over the next couple of weeks. I am also going to suggest that you use a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences that will help to calm all of the cats in your household. Rescue Remedy can usually be found in natural health/health food stores. I am recommending a dosage of 8 drops per day in fresh water each morning for all of the cats. You can also choose to rotate bedding between your resident cats and your new kitty which will allow everyone to get used to each other's scents in a non threatening way. I am also going to take this opportunity to recommend that you spay and neuter any animals in your household. Unfortunately pet overpopulation is a serious issue. So many cats and kittens are abandoned, abused, die of starvation and poisoning as well as becoming prey for wild animals. Many more innocent lives are lost in shelters around the world simply because of the fact that there just isn't space to keep every animal that is surrendered to shelters and their time happens to be up. Please help to stop these unnecessary deaths. There are also medical and behavioral benefits to spaying and neutering pets. Medically, cancers and infections of the reproductive organs are substantially reduced by spaying and neutering. Behaviorally cats who are spayed and neutered are less likely to spray urine to mark their territory, they are less likely to fight, wander from home and to howl and caterwaul to advertise their availability to mate. Since altered pets are less likely to stray from home they are also less likely to fall victim to cruelty from humans, poisoning, predatory animals and being hit by a car. It truly is the best thing for the health of your pets and spaying and neutering is reasonably safe, they use the same anesthetic that they use in human surgery so the risks are fairly minimal. You can make a difference in the health and safety of your pets and I can see that you love them and want the best for them. Spaying and neutering is one of the kindest gifts you can give your cats simply because they are then able to focus on being great companions because their mating instincts are not distracting them anymore. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.