Cat intro question - two ragdolls update

Juliarghh

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Hi all!

Seb - Male ragdoll, 6 months old. Was neutered 4 weeks ago. Have had him for about 3 months, previously lived as a kitten with another kitten and 1yo male before we adopted him. Seb has always been outgoing and playful. Seb's a big boy but Blu has put some weight and size on recently.
Blu - New cat. Male ragdoll, 6 months old, neutered months ago. Previously lived solo from 8 weeks old. We have had him for 3.5 weeks now.

So I've posted about Seb and Blu a few times but things have changed a bit recently.

- Seb has gotten a bit quieter recently. Unsure if this is related to the desexing and his testosterone levels dropping or whether he is unhappy.
- Blu has become more confident. He is playing, cuddling us more and feels like he is way more comfortable.
- Blu and Seb are doing more chasing lately. A lot of this is back and forth but I'm unsure whether it's playful. Ears are generally forward but it seems to be very random, just stalking, lunging at one another and chasing. They end in wrestles sometimes and sometimes it's just a run and then they separate. Although Blu is yowling less in this, I feel like both cats get more agitated as it goes and I get the impression that Blu is bossing Seb around more.
- The bed and upstairs in general is an issue compared to downstairs. If both cats are on the bed, they start wrestling quite aggressively straight away... biting necks, tails, smelling each other's butts. It seems quite dominance based to me and like they're arguing over the bed. Seb won't let Blu out of his sight upstairs in particular but if either of them is agitated, they just have to constantly be in each other's sight.
- We are still locking Blu up overnight, Seb sleeps on our bed all through the night. Of a morning though both cats will be at the door where Blu is and scratching at it to let Blu out.
- Neither cat avoids the other generally, they will chill out in the same space together although not cuddling, wait for food together and walk past each other with a nose smell at times.

Any thoughts or am I overthinking again?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!

Hmmm, not necessarily overthinking, but I'm wondering if a fair bit of what's going on is actually due to Seb's body going through the changes. It does take a while, so I think I'd wait a bit and see where things are down the road.

Granted, there may be "I'm king of the hill - No you're not I'm king of the hill now" going on continually until they get older.
 
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Juliarghh

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Oh the irony, as I typed that and then left a remote meeting, I walked into them both lying on the bed like loaves quite chilled. Got some purrs from Seb as I patted him and gave them both a treat for being so chilled. Now they've gotten a bit more active and are chasing each other a bit... although it all started with chirps and trills so I think it starts playful but becomes agitated at the end. It does seem positive overall and, yes, I do think they will just tussle for dominance consistently until they both calm down ugh!
 

susanm9006

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What you are describing is what friendly young cats do - chase, wrestle, get annoyed, chase and wrestle some more. They have worked out their relationship and both are enjoying it. I see no need to keep them separated at night or any other time unless you really only want one in your room.
 

ArtNJ

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Not remotely being critical here, because rough kitten play can look very disconcerting if you haven't seen it before. However, just to say it like it is, almost anytime anyone asks "am I overthinking this" and the question involves two kittens playing roughly or how they are getting along, the answer is generally "yes." Reason being, two kittens essentially always work stuff out and become friends. Sometimes it looks quite rough to folks that havent seen a lot of vigorous cat play, and sometimes, if one kitten is bigger or more active, its not completely equal and there might be occassional protest noises, with one cat being the one to run off for a bit. But its always fine. Kittens come with their own set of problems to be sure, but getting along with each other (after the first week) is just not one of them.

I suppose I just could have said +1 to the excellent post above :lol:
 
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Juliarghh

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Thanks for all the input, it is so so appreciated! We had our first night last night of the two cats together and they both seem fine in the morning and zonked from running around all night😅I think we’re good!
 
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