hormones

In a disturbing development, my neutered cat has taken to aggressive attempts at humping his female counterpart recently. I would be worried about her coming to bodily harm in his clumsy, needy attempts to mate if it weren't for the fact that she kicks so much ass.

Edgar, a 17 lb behemoth, might do some damage if his 17 lbs were made of something other than lard. He is also at a disadvantage when it comes to weaponry. The unfortunate habit of tearing up my parents' carpet when he lived with them led to the loss of his front claws many years ago.

Poe, on the other hand, is a svelte 9 lbs with an athletic demeanor and a full set of claws (and a good 8 years younger than Edgar). So far she seems adept at fending him off, but I worry about the psychological damage he might be inflicting. She's become skittish and surly, and she's taken on a flitting, untrusting gaze.

All this brings me to the question of why a cat, neutered years ago, would suddenly take to aggressive sexual displays? Nothing in his environment has changed recently. He and Poe have lived under the same roof for almost 2 years now and he's never shown this kind of interest before.

It just doesn't make sense, and it's really creeping me out. And I can't imagine what poor Poe is going through. How to explain why her fat, castrated, older step-brother suddenly finds her sexy?