So this is a bit of a story and there lots of pieces to it that gives context to my vague thread title but here it goes.
First off, I moved into a 2-story house with 3 roommates. When I moved in, I (obviously) brought my cat (Sarabi) with me. Within a few days, Sarabi terrified me by jumping on the 2nd story window. In order for her to do that, she had to jump from the stair railings (the distance required a diagonal leap) and what scared me most was that it was long fall if she misses as it was tile floor on the ground. Out of fear what happens if she tried and failed, I moved her completely in my room (she had 3 windows to look out of). I would let her out often in the mornings and late night before and after work to keep her from feeling completely caged.
Flash forward and my roommate rescues a kitten in a parking lot. She takes ownership and the 1st thing she did was let him live in the living area as she didn't want him in her room at all. I knew we couldn't immediately let the cats know each other so I thought I'd keep her confined until the kitten went to the vet and got his 1st shots (We already took him for a physical checkup, vet said they wanted him back in 2 weeks). She never did take him and I got tired of leaving my cat in my room so I let her out to meet the kitten. From there, it was low tolerance at 1st sight. Sarabi wanted nothing to do with the kitten. Any attempts of play or even approaching my cat would earn a hiss and grow but just as often the kitten would up giving chase to my cat (running upstairs where she would be trapped or going in my room) and would end up under the bed. I didn't know what to do in these situations but I thought it best to remove my cat and separate the 2. If she wasn't in my room, I would pick her up and take her there and she would growl loudly. As soon as she was in my room, she would quiet down and relax.
I'm typing this long message b/c today, the growling escalated. Sarabi wanted out of my room when I came home from work. Shortly after, I wanted to go to bed and I always take Sarabi with me. When I got to her, she was growling as usual so I backed off and sat on the floor. She quieted so I slowly reached out to her. I was only going to pet her but she attacked my hand. The kitten got curious and Sarabi ran for my room.
Her bite wasn't harsh and left no scar but I'm frustrated by these events. Sarabi changes completely when she leaves my room. Is it dominance? Territory? Do I need to reintroduce? Let them figure it out? The kitten is older now and still needs to be neutered but would that make a lot of difference? (Sarabi is fixed btw). (Below is her getting up on the window). Also, sorry for long post. Didn't want to leave anything out.
First off, I moved into a 2-story house with 3 roommates. When I moved in, I (obviously) brought my cat (Sarabi) with me. Within a few days, Sarabi terrified me by jumping on the 2nd story window. In order for her to do that, she had to jump from the stair railings (the distance required a diagonal leap) and what scared me most was that it was long fall if she misses as it was tile floor on the ground. Out of fear what happens if she tried and failed, I moved her completely in my room (she had 3 windows to look out of). I would let her out often in the mornings and late night before and after work to keep her from feeling completely caged.
Flash forward and my roommate rescues a kitten in a parking lot. She takes ownership and the 1st thing she did was let him live in the living area as she didn't want him in her room at all. I knew we couldn't immediately let the cats know each other so I thought I'd keep her confined until the kitten went to the vet and got his 1st shots (We already took him for a physical checkup, vet said they wanted him back in 2 weeks). She never did take him and I got tired of leaving my cat in my room so I let her out to meet the kitten. From there, it was low tolerance at 1st sight. Sarabi wanted nothing to do with the kitten. Any attempts of play or even approaching my cat would earn a hiss and grow but just as often the kitten would up giving chase to my cat (running upstairs where she would be trapped or going in my room) and would end up under the bed. I didn't know what to do in these situations but I thought it best to remove my cat and separate the 2. If she wasn't in my room, I would pick her up and take her there and she would growl loudly. As soon as she was in my room, she would quiet down and relax.
I'm typing this long message b/c today, the growling escalated. Sarabi wanted out of my room when I came home from work. Shortly after, I wanted to go to bed and I always take Sarabi with me. When I got to her, she was growling as usual so I backed off and sat on the floor. She quieted so I slowly reached out to her. I was only going to pet her but she attacked my hand. The kitten got curious and Sarabi ran for my room.
Her bite wasn't harsh and left no scar but I'm frustrated by these events. Sarabi changes completely when she leaves my room. Is it dominance? Territory? Do I need to reintroduce? Let them figure it out? The kitten is older now and still needs to be neutered but would that make a lot of difference? (Sarabi is fixed btw). (Below is her getting up on the window). Also, sorry for long post. Didn't want to leave anything out.
