Piffing / panting noise

[Velvet]

Whenever TC - the black (entire) tom cat comes about & Tim sees TC, his tail swishes very fast & he makes urgent noises that sound like a piffing or panting noise. Hes completely fixated & if you try to distract, he reacts by growling at you.

Am i right in thinking Tim sees TC as a rival on his terriority? I think, neutered or not, Tim would fight if he got the chance:? !

[dandysmom]

Definitely! Neutering doesn't stop territoriality; an altered male can be very possessive of and aggressive about his turf. Don't try to pick him up when he's that aroused, he may bite you in misdirected aggression! Happened to me once.

[Velvet]

Yes you are right, I did pick him up once and he got very angry with claws out however he stopped short of biting, which when you think about it, was to his credit, he did however growl + (i suspect) swear at me for interfering

I wondered too if the fact he has two girls/queens living with him would this make him more territorial?

[dandysmom]

I don't know about that; I think it's more just sheer territorial than the sultan- with- his- harem syndrome!

[angieh]

I'd agree, he perceives the tom cat as a definite threat to his hearth and home. He's yelling "Keep Out - I Live Here!"