8 cats. My god, I can't even....bless you!
I may be downvoted into oblivion for this, but, I'd open my door and let outdoor cats go outside, and only worry about keeping them fed and hydrated.
They have co-existed for a couple of years, and even play together sometimes, which was odd enough for an old+cuddly / young+playful pair. Like today, Hobo is asleep on my desk (between me and the keyboard!) and lets me pet him for hours, but I can barely touch Blue in her sleepy spots before...
Wow, that is a lot of change in your and George's lives over the last couple of years.
One question: how did you determine George had pain in his back? Was it from petting, or was he moving differently? It's possible that if petting/holding him was triggering pain, he may be very confused...
I doubt it was anything close to "guilt". I've never seen a cat express anything remotely close to guilt, because that implies both morality and a sense of time, neither of which are strong in a cat's brain! Cats, by and large, exist entirely in the present moment. They don't worry about the...
Congrats! I've had an indoor cat sneak out and disappear for ~36 hours. Did he *also* whine and cry and make you feel like it was *your* fault he was outside, sleeping in the mud and rain, for the last 36 hours?
@Offy - even after reading all your posts in this thread, the one thing I am not clear about, is what are your cats' environments? Have you established locations that both cats can own and feel sell secure in? Do they have trees/burrows, etc, that play to each cat? If not, site / scent...
Hobo, on the left, *HATED* other cats. Especially high-energy cats, like Blue (on the right).
This is the end-times. Good luck during the rapture. LOL.
Edit: Hobo is over 11yo, used to be my one and only cat, and used to *charge* the back door when he saw other cats. Blue is maybe 3yo...
For me (and my crew of 4 semi-/former-ferals), there is no real need to go wet-food only. Of course it has benefits for hydration, etc....but I wouldn't feel bad about feeding your cat a high-quality dry food as a supplement.
Though I wouldn't free-feed all day! You're just asking your cat to...
My sense, without video proofs.....
He trusts you above all, and wants / needs some play time. He's desperate for it.
His pattern seems repeatable - he is sweet, gentle, and affectionate to make friends...as he was with you for much of the last month, or with anyone else that comes around...
On the flip side, my *barely* former ferals *hate* when I wash / change sheets. They associate any large piece of cloth (bath towel, blanket, comforter) with being trapped for trips to the vet.
But once the bed is made and smells fresh? All 4 need to find/reclaim their corners!
True enough. The major attraction of engine compartments, especially in cold winter climates, is that they can be warm. So I think if the same cat had a nearly equivalent bed space (something elevated, above the frost, and insulated with bedding or hay, and shielded from the wind and snow)...
Meh, it's a suburban neighborhood, and honestly has been the status-quo for 10+ years. The owner and I always exchange glances, when I am at least 30+ feet away from his dog. But I do at least agree with you, that dog needed some better training / control !!!
EDIT: Also, at most/best all the...
One of my older neighbors has a small white dog. That stupid dog is *always* in the middle of the street during rush hours (4pm - 7pm), when the neighbor is just sitting out in front of his house (worth noting, it's Phoenix - 105F+, even at 6pm....wtf are they doing???)
Also, I honestly drive...
Well that sort of otherwise inexplicable dramatic change in behavior, at least for me, would mean injury, pain, and/or illness.
So I agree with ArtNj - if this lasts through the weekend, it's time to seek a second opinion.
This is all sounds so freaking normal, I would resist intervention, and then try to limit your 'intervention' to verbal queues. "Carl! Stop! Come here! Be Nice!"....etc, rather than picking up anybody and taking them away.
Rationale: Carl, at 4yo, isn't really a "kitten". As an adult, he...
This could be interesting. Who else was in the room? Was there any activity occurring? Were landscapers using their infernal leaf-blowers at a neighbors house? Or the sounds of children playing outside? Does this happen at particular times of the day? (maybe start a log of them)?
I feel...
@sabian, yes 1 million times, yes!
In my experience, the *easiest* way to convince a cat to NOT be on a horizontal surface that you don't want them on, is to provide a more attractive place nearby. Whether that means just putting some old towels down (every cat recognizes a towel as a "lay...
There is one other thing to consider: where is Kitty's feeding area? Cats (like most animals) instinctively don't like to defecate where they eat, so Kitty's preference for Jasper's box could simply be the same reason we don't put toilets in our kitchens!
Another reason why combining their...
When I was in my 20's (and much dumber than now), I had an indoor/outdoor male cat. I eventually found out, he used to venture around my apartment complex, and even inside several of my neighbor's apartments, if they left their doors open. *Fortunately*, nothing bad ever happened to him, but...
Oh my, she sooo sounds like my "Shrinking Violet" kitty. She was born in my back yard, and brought inside along with her mother Dory, but still socialized too late (the same time as her sibling, Blue).
Today she will rub on me and purr and seek tons of affection, but only in the early morning...