Hi there,
I am new to this site and am glad I found it! I have had cats my entire life. Last month I was devastated that I had to put my beloved 19 year old kitty to rest. I swore I would never have another cat. HA! My husband reminded me that we got our first kitty together as soon as we got off the plane from our honeymoon 24 years ago and we have never been without one.
I ended up rescuing a brother and sister who had been found together abandoned in October. A wonderful volunteer fostered them and refused to let them be adopted separately, which worked for me. The vet guesses that they are about 5 months old and we have been enjoying them for almost 2 weeks. I need some advice. If anyone can answer my questions, I would truly be grateful.
The male cat, Max, is social and is clearly the "big brother". Ruby, is not as social, to put it mildly. She is just starting to let me pat her when I feed her, but runs away even if I am just walking by. She wants nothing to do with my husband and our grown daughters.
I understand why she needed to be adopted with her brother because she will follow him and I think lets me pat her because she sees how comfortable he is with me. On the other hand, if I try to give her a treat he jumps in front of her. When I feed them, he will stop eating from his bowl and push her away from her bowl. He occasionally will pin her down and lick her, like he is grooming her and if she is feeling confident enough to sit on the top perch of the scratching post he will hop up and knock her off.
So my question is, how can I help her be more comfortable with me if he keeps interfering? But if he is not around, she wouldn't attempt to take treats from me, etc. She needs to have him present. I would so love to have her come to me and sit calmly and let me pat her, but I am worried she will always be this jumpy. I am prepared to do whatever I can and for as long as I need to.
I love these 2 little kitties so much and they really have put life back into our home. Any advice would be awesome. Thank you so much in advance.
Lola
I am new to this site and am glad I found it! I have had cats my entire life. Last month I was devastated that I had to put my beloved 19 year old kitty to rest. I swore I would never have another cat. HA! My husband reminded me that we got our first kitty together as soon as we got off the plane from our honeymoon 24 years ago and we have never been without one.
I ended up rescuing a brother and sister who had been found together abandoned in October. A wonderful volunteer fostered them and refused to let them be adopted separately, which worked for me. The vet guesses that they are about 5 months old and we have been enjoying them for almost 2 weeks. I need some advice. If anyone can answer my questions, I would truly be grateful.
The male cat, Max, is social and is clearly the "big brother". Ruby, is not as social, to put it mildly. She is just starting to let me pat her when I feed her, but runs away even if I am just walking by. She wants nothing to do with my husband and our grown daughters.
I understand why she needed to be adopted with her brother because she will follow him and I think lets me pat her because she sees how comfortable he is with me. On the other hand, if I try to give her a treat he jumps in front of her. When I feed them, he will stop eating from his bowl and push her away from her bowl. He occasionally will pin her down and lick her, like he is grooming her and if she is feeling confident enough to sit on the top perch of the scratching post he will hop up and knock her off.
So my question is, how can I help her be more comfortable with me if he keeps interfering? But if he is not around, she wouldn't attempt to take treats from me, etc. She needs to have him present. I would so love to have her come to me and sit calmly and let me pat her, but I am worried she will always be this jumpy. I am prepared to do whatever I can and for as long as I need to.
I love these 2 little kitties so much and they really have put life back into our home. Any advice would be awesome. Thank you so much in advance.
Lola