How can I get my two cats to get along?

by Kendra
(MA)

Two of my cats have recently started getting a little aggressive towards one another. One female, one male. The female is older, we have had her for about 4 years since birth, she’s been fixed since having one litter of kittens a couple of years ago.

The male cat is her grandchild, and we have had him for about a year since his birth. When he was a kitten they got along perfectly, even her being loving and caring towards him.

He became full grown and still they were okay for a long time. But the past few months we don’t know what has triggered it but the female has since become very cautious and nervous about the male.

She will hide whenever she sees him, if he growls at him he will immediately chase her and scare her off. It hasn’t escalated to anything dangerously aggressive, but this new thing has been causing the female to be hidden pretty much all day and she pees and poos under and on the beds she hides under.

I want that to stop, but of course we have to get to the root of the problem between these two. And if they will never get along again, then so be it, but she needs to stop going to the bathroom where she isn’t supposed to before I pull all of my hair out. Thank you!