Two fixed males still fighting, MC starts it!

Merlin continues his pirate attacks on Sampson. Last night was especially vicious and I'd never heard so much ugly snarling. As usual it ended with Sampson running away and licking his wounds while I plucked his orange fur out of Merlin's white paws. They are both fixed, and while we do have two fixed females I wonder if the conflict is because of the girls? Sampson and our Bengal mix Rose are close buddies and they snuggle together while Rose grooms his face. Merlin sleeps most of the day and appears to be a lazy old cat, but then evening comes and he's on the prowl, stalking Sampson and terrorizing him!
I've also noticed that Merlin utterly refuses to cover in the litter box. Even when he pees he just does his thing and jumps out.
With temperatures here below zero and wind chills at -30 or lower, allowing Sampson outside for respite is totally out of the question. How do we stop the war with the boys and survive this cold snap cabin fever?!!

How weird my Merlyn wanted to be top cat & he was not very good at his job,far too rough approach & I am sure that is what your Merlin is trying to be,I know you are in a confined area but any chance of being able to split the gang when Merl goes on the prowl if possible put Sampson somewhere quiet out of the way....... this is the one time when I have found using my water spray comes in handy because if you shout it seems to heighten the tension especially when there is a few furries but a well aimed squirt at the aggressor has always let us keep the upper hand in this household,the first couple of times they get a strong NO just before I squirt but after that no verbal at all just the spray it wasn't long before the whole lot appreciated what hand out towards spray meant & mostly now do not have to resort to even picking it up but if ever necessary it does still get used......
We are still having problems with Ruby accepting Billy & she will give out these high pitched screams sometimes if he even just appears round the corner that in turn was hyping Bruce who would then attack Shimba but after a couple of wettings she has learnt to tone down the verbals & Bruce also quickly found out it wasn't an option attacking one of the others...... life will become calm again I am sure we have had these episodes before it is just finding the switch that works best to produce it,with us the feliway etc route was a nightmare which in a way quite pleased as tap water is a lot cheaper........xxx

Jackie, I love the water bottle for traning cats and dogs. It is cheap and easy and no one ever died from getting a little water in their face! I was using it for Ginger when she would wake me up by scratching at the bedroom door frame. She wised up fast and moved down the hall to another door frame that I could not see from bed! She is such a smart little monster. Now if the dogs see me pick up the water bottle, they will jump over each other to get away from me! You would think I have acid in it, too funny such drama queens.

I should try the water bottle. Rose is a scratcher and we just tossed yet another ruined chair.
The battles start because both Merlin and Sampson want to sleep on our bed. Merlin spends nearly the entire day on it, much to the disappointment of the other cats. Merlin stalks him on the stairs and chases him away. He also chases him out of the basement, where we have a family room with a big sofa. Mandy seems to have neutralized that area and has taken over Sampson's basement "man cave". He now retreats to our 5 year old daughter's bed most nights, but I feel badly because he still wants to be with us. He perched all 24lbs of himself on my tiny vanity bench last night and didnt get up until morning, but Merlin never got off the bed :-(
With the extreme cold bearing down on us, Merlin has now taken to burrowing under the sheets next to me or DH. This seems cute and sweet but he pins us to one spot and its impossible to move! I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist and if I can't keep my arm straight I wake up in horrendous pain. It seems so mean to kick Merlin out of the bed but I guess it's becoming more of a problem than its worth.
Guess ill go fill up a water bottle now... :-(

It is now 7F with a wind chill of -15, and the boys set aside their differences and shared the bed this morning! I even had Princess Mandy with us for a while. Everyone is restless, so I'm sure the peace is short lived. Sampson is crying and moping around the house, and Merlin tried to "flirt" with Mandy. She crouched down and fluffed herself up, and thought it quite ridiculous that a ten year old cat would want to play tag or hide in the laundry basket!

Mandy, Woke up to -20 F -50 windchill brrrr and my car would not start! spent a half hour jumping the battery and the low tonight is -18. But that is Minnesota in January for yah. I am glad to hear the furries are getting along better. stay warm!

Brrrrr - Donnad!!! Buzz and Baxter are snuggled in front of the fireplace. We are a bit chilled too but I'm not complaining too loudly. Our high today was 66F. :koolkat: Spoiled kitties! Stay warm!!!