Hi all,

Our cat ran out into our (very small) garden and went for a local cat that then suddenly jumped up on the fence, it practically lept up the fence and pulled it down into the garden and had a big fight for a few seconds. There are tufts of fur from the other cat (much bigger grey tabby tom) scattered across the lawn now! The grey cat ran off as my other half ran out to scare it off but ours chased a bit as it went up the fence (doesn't leave the garden when she's gone out there).
I wasn't at home but my other half was at the time and the cat went upstairs and just hid under the bed. She lifted the mattress to see her and she was growling and hissing so I suggested just leaving her to come out in her own time.
She came running downstairs when I came home but gave my other half a nasty stare and ran back up again. There were spatters of blood on the bed and radiator as if she may have shook herself. She's running around it seems, not sure where the blood might be coming from but she looks visibly ok. She hasn't come out from behind the sofa all afternoon but when I came home she came out and jumped up her cat tree (stumbled slightly with her back leg).
When my other half came back in the room she went back behind the sofa and was hissing and growling a lot again at her.
Thing is, we were thinking she should go to the vets for antibiotics or maybe painkillers although is this behaviour just likely to be down to stress from the event and she'd recover?
She definitely isn't fond of my other half at the moment, normally she's really fond of her, follows her everywhere and likes to be wherever she is. She has had a grudge towards her before when it comes to seeing other cats in the back garden and a couple of times viciously attacked her leg through the stress.
I think it's looking as though she's not wanting to come out so can't imagine getting her into the cat carrier for the vets right now. Should we just wait for her to come out in her own time?

Female cats fight? Isn't this highly unusual? I've never heard of this. Common among male cats, especially unneutered males. That being said, cat fights are dangerous and can be deadly. Bengals are territorial, even females, so having another cat in your garden is not what you kitty wants. Please see if you can find a way to keep other cats out. Teeth and claws are used in cat fights. Teeth on the neck area are dangerous as they can bite into an artery and bleed to death. Before I took possession my my bengal, he came to my house with blood all in his eyes. Rushed him to the vet as the owner was out of town and did not even see the deep puncture wounds on the neck area that the vet found and treated. Not only is just the fight itself dangerous, but with the teeth, deadly diseases can be transmitted. You do not want your cat fighting PERIOD. These fights can be traumatic to your cat, as you have seen. It may take several days for your kitty to get over with it and you don't even know if there is a serious puncture wound that may end up getting infected. You should take your kitty to the vet to be checked over and, if caught in time, can get an antibiotic injection to PREVENT infection from happening.

Now to the real point. You must cat proof the garden and area where you cat goes out. Your cat can't escape and no other cat can enter. This is to save your cat's life. It sounds as if this was the first and only fight so far and you definitely want it to be the LAST. Good luck.

Many thanks Sherry. It definitely has been a major worry for us today. She's still behind the sofa, I can't see any more blood anywhere and she's sat upright. If my other half looks over the back of the sofa she hisses and makes loud howling noises at her. I just did it and she made a little bit of noise but was quiet when I was talking to her and just closed her eyes a bit as if hearing my voice helped relax her.
The garden has high fences all the way round and we have blocked around the gate as well so that she can't leave the garden, she also hasn't tried climbing the fences at all. The problem is mainly just the other cats, that one in particular tends to sit on the shed roof next door which is alongside our fence. A few other cats have come into the garden but very few, the bottom fence has bamboo fencing and prickly bramble going across too. This can hinder cats trying to cross out garden so we might provide some means for them to go across the end as they jump into the garden to get across it.
When she can see another cat on the shed or on the fence she makes lots of noise, tail all fluffed up etc. She really is extremely territorial. I'm going to try and find something to stop the other cats getting over the side fences, the neighbour's shed is the main access point for them.
As she keeps hiding away it's going to be really difficult to get her out to take her to the vet, we did think we could see if she's ok later this evening or in the morning and hope to take her tomorrow.
One slight saving grace is that we know the other cat, it belongs to a house opposite and seems very well cared for so hoping it might have been kept up to date with injections etc.

If she's been bitten you need to get her to the vet. Cats have a lot of bacteria in their mouths that can cause infections really quickly. Jagger was bitten recently, he was growling and hissing at us and didn't want to know anyone. I took him to the vet less than 24 hours after the bite happened, and he already had cellulitis and a fever and needed antibiotics.

I had managed to identify he had a bite on his leg as I could see the puncture wounds on either side of his leg. So if you can, try to get a good look at her, especially if she was bleeding afterwards.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Definitely get her to the vet. The fact that she stumbled up the cat tree would have me worried about injury to her legs. If she is still behind the sofa, obviously distressed, almost 24 hours after the fight then that it not right. Most cats if they have an altercation would be worked up and jumpy for a while but if she is still hiding behind the sofa and hissing at you, then she is most likely in pain, bless her. Good luck and hope you can get her to the vets ok without injury to either of you Does your vet to do home visits? He could maybe sedate her to have a proper look?

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Thanks both, this morning I went to see her and she was meowing at me and very affectionate, lots of headbutts etc.
My other half went down after I went to work and she was aggressive towards her, howling and hissing again but after about an hour then came out and curled up next to her on the sofa. All seemed ok, she was playing, eating etc. but then she received a phone call, listened to her voicemail and Cleo ran behind the sofa again and started hissing etc.
I got home from work and we had to coax her out for the Vets appointment I had made for 6:30. She didn't want to come out from behind the sofa again but a bit of perseverence and some vocal irritation from her and we succeeded in getting her off to the vet. The vet checked her over, weighed her, checked her heart rate etc. and confirmed she was in good health. My other half did find a small puncture wound at the back of her neck, unsure if it was a bite or claw wound. She was very sensitive about it though and hissed when it was looked at.
The vet gave her two injections, an antibiotic and a painkiller/anti-inflammatory then a course of 6 antibiotic tablets to give from tomorrow evening. (Always quite an event at the vets, she gets a lot of admiration, people working there are all 'is that a Bengal?', 'She's gorgeous' etc. so I think she gets quite a big head from going there!)
She's now just sat on the steps and growls, howls and hisses at my other half but is absolutely fine with me (caused a bit of difficulty when my other half needed to go upstairs!). When I talk to her she's quiet and closes her eyes as if feeling relaxed.
Unsure what it is that's triggered this grudge but hopefully she should get over it again tomorrow with any luck.
She seems a little drowsy, possibly from the treatments. I thought it might be down to my other half being there when the fight occurred or that she kept disturbing her when she was under the bed and behind the sofa (trying to check if she was hurt). Some kind of deep emotional thing going on anyway!

I did think maybe being a female cat she shocked the big tom who could have thought 'I don't hit girls' and she had the upper hand! :)

We feel much better now she's started the antibiotics now at least, my other half was particularly concerned as she had a cat growing up that developed nasty abcesses from a fight and never recovered.

Hope Jagger recovers ok from his incident as well.

Happy you got her to the vet and checked out. Better to be on the safe side and make sure infection does not set in. She continues to be traumatized and that's fine. It will take time. I watched a video just the other day on cat proof fencing that simply were pipes that are placed at the top of an existing fence that roll freely and no cat can get out and no cat can get in. Do not be so sure your cat won't eventually climb up the fence. Climbing is in their nature and it will happen at some point, so do something before that happens.

Cats DEFINITELY do not like other cats in their territory! Thankfully, fights don't happen every day (usually) but you do not want this happening again. I wish I could remember the name of the company that has this. Started with a K, I believe. But, you can google "cat proof fence" or "cat proof PVC pipe" and get all the pictures and ideas. If you're handy, you can do this yourself for not much money. You want to keep your baby safe and keep these other cats away. Good luck.