Recent Content by cbowdidge

It definitely varies from cat to cat. When my sister moved back home and brought her cat, Sotches with her, we didn't introduce him to my cat, Merlin, properly. However, they became best friends within a week, but that is by all accounts, the exception rather than the rule. Back in March, after...

What's really interesting is looking t the dynamic between Merlin and Martini and comparing it to Sotches and Merlin. With Sotches, the two of them often jockeyed for dominance. Sotches was the dominant cat and MErlin would try to challenge him (unsuccessfully), however, with Merlin and Martini...

Merlin and Martini are BFFS now, and today I saw the ultimate proof. Merlin and Martini were sharing food from the same bowl, Merlin and Sotchy did the same.  We just got a puppy, and the cats don't seem all that upset. Just find him about hyper. Merlin is a bit more cautious but hasn't raised...

To echo what everyone's advice on here is to me: Give it time. It can take cats up to a year. It can be frustrating and confusing. Merlin has adjusted now, they've touched noses, sat together, any chasing is mostly in play and not aggression anymore and Merlin will often trill as if to say "Hi"...

Good news to report: Merlin seems to have accepted Martini, he's even gone up to him and touched noses and sniffed him a few times. He doesn't mind him being around the living room, there was one incident last weekend when he jumped on Martini but that's more being wound up that's the only time...

Awww, sounds like a wonderful dream. In time you will heal and remember Cocoa and smile.

He has been using the post more. He doesn't scratch the furniture that much. And he uses the door mat, probably because he sees Merlin doing it so he knows it's OK @Draco  Correction, it's Martini who scratches the furniture, not Merlin. Merlin has never scratched the furniture

It's very reassuring. On reflection, Merlin could have been a lot nastier than just chasing and three/four months isn't that long, we just got spoiled with Sotches and Merlin being friends within a week, and set the bar way too high. Merlin now seems to be more comfortable. The occasional...

So, some very encouraging news to report: Merlin has been pretty good, he hasn't chased Martini out of the living room nearly as much (if he does it's more because it's the the morning and he's wound up), he is much more relaxed even sitting next to him, and just now they were nose to nose, both...

Thanks, everyone. He has been using the post. Sometimes he goes behind the chair where we can't reach him.

I get that, and that's how it goes. They aren't fighting, Merlin isn't attacking. It can be a bit baffling at times, but overall, it could be going worse. I re-enforce the positive steps, and I try to think about it from Merlin's perspective, losing his best friend so suddenly and having to...

And yesterday and today he was back to being territorial again. They're not fighting at least. This how it will go until he adjusts, it just can get confusing when he makes progress then stalls again. We got spoiled with Merlin and Sotches and I fell that now it's backfiring at times,  since...

So I have some very good news to report: Over this past week, the interactions have mostly been peaceful. Merlin has seen Martini in the living room, and lied down on the floor and didn't chase him out. So we gave him lots of positive enforcement. Then last night, Merlin saw Martini up on my bed...

Thanks. Martini has used the scratching post but still at times scratches the furniture. My sister said she is going to put double-sided tape on the couch as a deterrent. As I said, Merlin has never scratched the furniture even as a kitten, we encouraged him to use the mat. Martini doesn't go...

My sister's cat, Martini, has started scratching the furniture. Nothing major but obviously, it's a habit we want to nip in the bud. We do have a small scratching, so hopefully he can use that. Are scratching posts effective?  What are some suggestions? This was never an issue with Merlin, when...