:spit:
:lol3: Little glutton! 
I wish Asha was even half that enthusiastic about raw food
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Cat Introduction Woes
- Thread starter losna
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:spit::lol3: Little glutton! I wish Asha was even half that enthusiastic about raw food
Sounds like she's a natural little carnivore.
Interesting hunting strategy - tripping up the food carrying human.
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Mini-action report, haha.
Sinbad needed a fecal exam, so we had to lock the little glutton up in the bathroom all day yesterday and all night because she uses his box and there's no way to distinguish between her stool and his right now.
After a full day to recharge his batteries, they are getting along much better again today. He actually patted her on the head a little while ago. It was adorable.
They're not back to snuggling, but they are no longer fighting, which I consider a win.
Sinbad needed a fecal exam, so we had to lock the little glutton up in the bathroom all day yesterday and all night because she uses his box and there's no way to distinguish between her stool and his right now.
After a full day to recharge his batteries, they are getting along much better again today. He actually patted her on the head a little while ago. It was adorable.
They're not back to snuggling, but they are no longer fighting, which I consider a win.
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Yeah, now I just need to break her of this constant 'starvation' thing. But if she does have diabetes, I'd expect getting that diagnosed and treated will help.
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Tempest's First Law:
You shall never reveal to the daddy how excited you are to see him.
Though she lives behind her gate, Tempest nevertheless rules the house with her dainty little paws. She makes it a point to never show my husband how much she loves him even though he's her favorite person. She careful turns her head so her face is angled away from his before looking at him with a loving expression, and while she always becomes excited when he's home - at times she even does what looks like a little dance of joy - she is always carefully in cool cat pose when he comes into view. It's actually really funny. She doesn't mind me seeing how much she loves him, she will abandon me with excited glee whenever she thinks he might be coming up to see her, but upon his arrival, all excitement is wiped from her face as she casually strolls around.
It's Tempest's first law because Sinbad learned it from her - it's the very first thing he learned from watching her. Although he races excitedly across the house whenever my husband gets home from work, he skids to a stop before he rounds the final corner, so he can stand at the top of the stairs overlooking the garage door looking as cool a cat as he can manage.
And now ... just today ... Bêlit began displaying this behavior.
Sinbad was sound asleep, but I knew when my husband had come home because Bêlit suddenly jumped up, ran in an excited little circle, zoomed down to the garage, peeked around the corner at the door, then came racing back out of sight. When he went out for a walk, she did the same thing upon his return - zoomed excitedly to greet him, skidded to a stop to peek at him, then raced back out of sight.
It is absolutely hysterical. I am really wondering what will happen when Sinbad is awake. Will they crash into each other? Will there be two cats trying to look cool at the top of the stairs?
You shall never reveal to the daddy how excited you are to see him.
Though she lives behind her gate, Tempest nevertheless rules the house with her dainty little paws. She makes it a point to never show my husband how much she loves him even though he's her favorite person. She careful turns her head so her face is angled away from his before looking at him with a loving expression, and while she always becomes excited when he's home - at times she even does what looks like a little dance of joy - she is always carefully in cool cat pose when he comes into view. It's actually really funny. She doesn't mind me seeing how much she loves him, she will abandon me with excited glee whenever she thinks he might be coming up to see her, but upon his arrival, all excitement is wiped from her face as she casually strolls around.
It's Tempest's first law because Sinbad learned it from her - it's the very first thing he learned from watching her. Although he races excitedly across the house whenever my husband gets home from work, he skids to a stop before he rounds the final corner, so he can stand at the top of the stairs overlooking the garage door looking as cool a cat as he can manage.
And now ... just today ... Bêlit began displaying this behavior.
Sinbad was sound asleep, but I knew when my husband had come home because Bêlit suddenly jumped up, ran in an excited little circle, zoomed down to the garage, peeked around the corner at the door, then came racing back out of sight. When he went out for a walk, she did the same thing upon his return - zoomed excitedly to greet him, skidded to a stop to peek at him, then raced back out of sight.
It is absolutely hysterical. I am really wondering what will happen when Sinbad is awake. Will they crash into each other? Will there be two cats trying to look cool at the top of the stairs?
:spit::lol3: Brilliant! Oh, what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in your house to watch all the kitty action 
:9:
Why am I thinking 'I bet they do the same thing when Losna comes back home'?
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THey don't, actually. It's only my husband who gets this treatment. THey all come racing up to greet me. Well, except for Tempest, who just trots up to the gate. Hubby says Sinbad usually just sits in front of the door when I leave and waits. If hubby picks him up, or he gets distracted like having to use the litterbox, he'll just sit on my office chair and wait, then race downstairs when I'm home.
Hubby always accuses me of making up how excited they get when he returns home.
Hubby always accuses me of making up how excited they get when he returns home.
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I don't think I've put in a good close up of Bêlit yet.
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I am now in dire need of advice. My happy home has turned into something fast resembling a nightmare.
Since things were going so well, and it seemed certain that we would adopt Bêlit, I started transitioning her to raw. She took to it astoundingly well. In a matter of literally days she was making it quite plain that she preferred the raw meat mix to her standard rescue dry food. And that's when the problems began.
She turned rambunctious and hyperactive, to a destructive degree. She has lost none of her affectionate nature, however it's as though she now has no understanding of limits. She wants everything that Sinbad has, right as he's using it, and she wants all of my affection and snuggle time. This means she snatches toys out of Sinbad's paws, steals his food, even going so far as to try and steal the treats out of his mouth as he's eating. When I move to stop her, she bites me. She wants into the litter box with him whenever he uses it, and when he won't let her in she runs off to defecate in his favored napping places. When I fell asleep snuggling with Sinbad, I would wake up with Bêlit - and from the way he is now cowering in fear from her and from me when I try to snuggle him, I believe she is attacking him while I sleep to usurp his cuddles. My husband came across her biting Sinbad while I was asleep last night, so this seems indeed to be what is happening.
I believe that she is undiagnosed diabetic. Excessive drinking and urination that molds very quickly, never ending hunger, agility and mobility improvement when put on a low carb diet, and her previous sweet laid back demeanor could in hindsight have easily been diabetic lethargy on a high carb rescue dry food diet. This cannot be tested until next week however - due to an emergency including the death of a cat, the heads of the rescue are out of town and as we are temp fostering Bêlit we cannot bring her to the vet. We were told that we can test her ourselves using my husband's diabetic kit, however we've been unable to draw blood when we've tried.
It is with a heavy heart that I am coming to the conclusion that we will have to return her. Local laws do not allow the adoption of a sick cat, and if she has diabetes then this applies to her. My husband believes a solution to that can be found, however, I do not believe that I am up for the task of dealing with this type of behavior. My health issues are just too limiting. And I can't have Sinbad continue on cowering in fear the way he is.
I would like to stress that she remains very affectionate and cuddly. There is no aggression in any of this, it is merely seeming to me that she was never fully trained due to what seems to have been a constant diabetes lethargy - she seemed as though she was fully house trained. She would be a wonderful cat if in a single cat household, or a house hold that didn't already have an affectionate lap cat. Or perhaps in house that didn't have health issues like mine - with someone who knows how to deal with this and has the health/energy to do so.
If she is diabetic - will this behavior calm down if she has proper treatment? If she is not - what else might account for all of this? Sinbad did seem happier to have a playmate, and I do not want to give her up so if there is a solution then I would be super happy. I am willing to put in extra effort, but I do have to recognize my own health-related limitations.
This may be a health related issue rather than behavior, but since it's part of this ongoing introduction process, I decided to put it here.
Since things were going so well, and it seemed certain that we would adopt Bêlit, I started transitioning her to raw. She took to it astoundingly well. In a matter of literally days she was making it quite plain that she preferred the raw meat mix to her standard rescue dry food. And that's when the problems began.
She turned rambunctious and hyperactive, to a destructive degree. She has lost none of her affectionate nature, however it's as though she now has no understanding of limits. She wants everything that Sinbad has, right as he's using it, and she wants all of my affection and snuggle time. This means she snatches toys out of Sinbad's paws, steals his food, even going so far as to try and steal the treats out of his mouth as he's eating. When I move to stop her, she bites me. She wants into the litter box with him whenever he uses it, and when he won't let her in she runs off to defecate in his favored napping places. When I fell asleep snuggling with Sinbad, I would wake up with Bêlit - and from the way he is now cowering in fear from her and from me when I try to snuggle him, I believe she is attacking him while I sleep to usurp his cuddles. My husband came across her biting Sinbad while I was asleep last night, so this seems indeed to be what is happening.
I believe that she is undiagnosed diabetic. Excessive drinking and urination that molds very quickly, never ending hunger, agility and mobility improvement when put on a low carb diet, and her previous sweet laid back demeanor could in hindsight have easily been diabetic lethargy on a high carb rescue dry food diet. This cannot be tested until next week however - due to an emergency including the death of a cat, the heads of the rescue are out of town and as we are temp fostering Bêlit we cannot bring her to the vet. We were told that we can test her ourselves using my husband's diabetic kit, however we've been unable to draw blood when we've tried.
It is with a heavy heart that I am coming to the conclusion that we will have to return her. Local laws do not allow the adoption of a sick cat, and if she has diabetes then this applies to her. My husband believes a solution to that can be found, however, I do not believe that I am up for the task of dealing with this type of behavior. My health issues are just too limiting. And I can't have Sinbad continue on cowering in fear the way he is.
I would like to stress that she remains very affectionate and cuddly. There is no aggression in any of this, it is merely seeming to me that she was never fully trained due to what seems to have been a constant diabetes lethargy - she seemed as though she was fully house trained. She would be a wonderful cat if in a single cat household, or a house hold that didn't already have an affectionate lap cat. Or perhaps in house that didn't have health issues like mine - with someone who knows how to deal with this and has the health/energy to do so.
If she is diabetic - will this behavior calm down if she has proper treatment? If she is not - what else might account for all of this? Sinbad did seem happier to have a playmate, and I do not want to give her up so if there is a solution then I would be super happy. I am willing to put in extra effort, but I do have to recognize my own health-related limitations.
This may be a health related issue rather than behavior, but since it's part of this ongoing introduction process, I decided to put it here.
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I am not a cat expert by any means, but I do have some experience with some other animals. And I can say that the saying "we are what we eat" has a lot of truth to it.
In some cases, even in few cases with cats and dogs, raw food diet may sort of "awaken the beast" inside. The nutritional difference between raw food and "conventional" cooked food is enormous, of course. But individual sensitivities, even in such common domestic animals as cats and dogs, are still not studied enough. But it has been observed that a switch to raw food diet may, in same cases, result in behavioral changes. That makes sense because cats are, essentially, predators. If we add to this the fact that we know nothing of little Belit's family history, it is possible to surmise that, perhaps, the raw food awakened that "wild cat" in her - hence, all this uncontrollable behavior. Since this behavior followed the switch to raw food, the causal relationship is very possible, while the correlation seems to be strong.
THese behavioral changes closely resemble a "wild cat"/s instincts - e.g., stealing food, scratching, biting and so on and so forth. So, there is a possibility that raw food triggers some wild instincts in her.
I've seen how food affects behavior in wild animals (have been involved in small wild mammal rehab) - so, it is very possible that raw food "switches" some brain chemistry awakening her wild instincts. Maybe, if she goes back to the "conventional" diet, she may go back to her old self; although it may take some time for the backward switch.
Also, since she did not exhibit such behavior before and remains affectionate otherwise, all the "tricks" people use to teach kittens and even older cats not to scratch/bite will most likely work for her, too. It is possible that she just started to feel more comfortable and trusting in your home (from what I read, it is recently that she has become "friends" with Sindbad), that she now feels more free to just be herself, and perhaps, being rambunctious and playful has always been part of her, but she couldn't and didn't feel safe to express herself. If that is the case (and it is very possible that it is, too) - she just needs to learn her boundaries: how far she can go with being "rambunctious," that's all. And again, there are "tricks" to help cats learn these boundaries.
As for diabetes, while it is possible that she may have it, it will have little (if anything) to do with such a drastic change in behavior, especially, such a very "active" behavior. If anything, her diabetes would rather slow her down than turn her into a rambunctious, overly active cat. I've known several diabetic animals - some dogs, some cats and some wild small mammals - their personalities and behavior remained unchanged. It just had to be managed with medication, of course, and diet.
As for local laws, diabetes is not really the kind of sickness that poses risk, especially risk of infection, to anyone. It is a quiet illness that causes suffering only to the being who has it. It is quiet and invisible, and no one will know about it unless it is announced openly. It can be dealt with and managed just fine within the confines of one's home without anyone ever knowing about it. So, if there is a will, there will be more than one way to keep little Belit.
In some cases, even in few cases with cats and dogs, raw food diet may sort of "awaken the beast" inside. The nutritional difference between raw food and "conventional" cooked food is enormous, of course. But individual sensitivities, even in such common domestic animals as cats and dogs, are still not studied enough. But it has been observed that a switch to raw food diet may, in same cases, result in behavioral changes. That makes sense because cats are, essentially, predators. If we add to this the fact that we know nothing of little Belit's family history, it is possible to surmise that, perhaps, the raw food awakened that "wild cat" in her - hence, all this uncontrollable behavior. Since this behavior followed the switch to raw food, the causal relationship is very possible, while the correlation seems to be strong.
THese behavioral changes closely resemble a "wild cat"/s instincts - e.g., stealing food, scratching, biting and so on and so forth. So, there is a possibility that raw food triggers some wild instincts in her.
I've seen how food affects behavior in wild animals (have been involved in small wild mammal rehab) - so, it is very possible that raw food "switches" some brain chemistry awakening her wild instincts. Maybe, if she goes back to the "conventional" diet, she may go back to her old self; although it may take some time for the backward switch.
Also, since she did not exhibit such behavior before and remains affectionate otherwise, all the "tricks" people use to teach kittens and even older cats not to scratch/bite will most likely work for her, too. It is possible that she just started to feel more comfortable and trusting in your home (from what I read, it is recently that she has become "friends" with Sindbad), that she now feels more free to just be herself, and perhaps, being rambunctious and playful has always been part of her, but she couldn't and didn't feel safe to express herself. If that is the case (and it is very possible that it is, too) - she just needs to learn her boundaries: how far she can go with being "rambunctious," that's all. And again, there are "tricks" to help cats learn these boundaries.
As for diabetes, while it is possible that she may have it, it will have little (if anything) to do with such a drastic change in behavior, especially, such a very "active" behavior. If anything, her diabetes would rather slow her down than turn her into a rambunctious, overly active cat. I've known several diabetic animals - some dogs, some cats and some wild small mammals - their personalities and behavior remained unchanged. It just had to be managed with medication, of course, and diet.
As for local laws, diabetes is not really the kind of sickness that poses risk, especially risk of infection, to anyone. It is a quiet illness that causes suffering only to the being who has it. It is quiet and invisible, and no one will know about it unless it is announced openly. It can be dealt with and managed just fine within the confines of one's home without anyone ever knowing about it. So, if there is a will, there will be more than one way to keep little Belit.
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Bêlit's fur is looking great now she has been with you a couple of weeks, and the expression on her face is fantastic. Such a shame her behaviour has changed in such a way that she is being aggressive towards Sinbad. I don't have any experience of feline diabetes, but what you are describing does sound very much like a recently added cat starting to get more confident and exerting control and dominance over another cat resident. What ever the reason I think it is important to protect Sinbad, both to ensure he does not receive a serious bite, and also to minimize the risk of him becoming more anxious again. It seems very mean but maybe not wise to allow both of them together in to your space when you are resting, in case you fall asleep and are not aware of behaviours as they happen.
So hoping you can find a way around this and settle things down so that Bêlit does not manage to take over top-cat position because Sinbad really did sound happy to have found a new playmate and kitty snuggle-buddy.
So hoping you can find a way around this and settle things down so that Bêlit does not manage to take over top-cat position because Sinbad really did sound happy to have found a new playmate and kitty snuggle-buddy.
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I suspect the diabetes because of things like her excessive drinking and urination. She empties her water dish two or three times a day, and produces more pee in two or three days than Sinbad and Tempest do combined in a week. Plus it goes moldy within 24 hours. From what I was reading, that's a pretty strong sign - all the sugar in diabetic urine is like fertilizer for mold. Not definitive, but strong, especially combined with the other things I've noticed.
It's not hopeless; if it was I wouldn't be so conflicted. It's clear they want to be friends. They still sniff each other's bums, for example. And she really is a wonderfully affectionate cat. I'm just feeling lost as to how to manage her lack of boundaries. I have no idea how to retrain that sort of thing, and how much energy/time it will take. It's not good for anyone if I take on too much and wind up not able to care for either of them.
It's not hopeless; if it was I wouldn't be so conflicted. It's clear they want to be friends. They still sniff each other's bums, for example. And she really is a wonderfully affectionate cat. I'm just feeling lost as to how to manage her lack of boundaries. I have no idea how to retrain that sort of thing, and how much energy/time it will take. It's not good for anyone if I take on too much and wind up not able to care for either of them.
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@belochka Sorry meant to respond to you but was distracted by a sudden pop from the stove and absent mindedly hit send!
That is interesting about possibly a wild cat switch being flipped! Nothing of the kind occurred with Tempest or Sinbad, so I didn't expect anything like this with Bêlit. I wish I knew something about her history, but I don't think they know at the rescue. I intend to ask the next time we see them, but that won't be until next weekend at the soonest unfortunately. I will update as I learn more.
That is interesting about possibly a wild cat switch being flipped! Nothing of the kind occurred with Tempest or Sinbad, so I didn't expect anything like this with Bêlit. I wish I knew something about her history, but I don't think they know at the rescue. I intend to ask the next time we see them, but that won't be until next weekend at the soonest unfortunately. I will update as I learn more.
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I spent literally all day with both of them, snuggling with Bêlit on my lap, and Sinbad curled around my feet underneath the blankets with me. Sinbad loves nesting under the blankets with me, and since Bêlit stayed snuggled on my lap, he had the entire afternoon of happiness without her, and she had the entire afternoon of blissed out happy snuggles - both of them got their cuddles with me, without being fully aware of the other.
I got nothing done today, but it seems to have had some success.
Since Sinbad has been too afraid to cuddle with me other than hidden beneath the blankets, or sleep in the bed with us the past few nights, this was very nice to see and beyond anything I expected. I praised him tons and tons and they both had treats.
Now to hope it lasts through the night (as nighttime is when their relationship deteriorates the most since they both want my feet to snuggle), and find some way to work on her scratching/biting/etc.
I'm still worried about her health. But this proves my thought that they want to be friends, and I just need to find ways to help them do so, and help her learn boundaries.
I got nothing done today, but it seems to have had some success.
Since Sinbad has been too afraid to cuddle with me other than hidden beneath the blankets, or sleep in the bed with us the past few nights, this was very nice to see and beyond anything I expected. I praised him tons and tons and they both had treats.
Now to hope it lasts through the night (as nighttime is when their relationship deteriorates the most since they both want my feet to snuggle), and find some way to work on her scratching/biting/etc.
I'm still worried about her health. But this proves my thought that they want to be friends, and I just need to find ways to help them do so, and help her learn boundaries.
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They look very sweet together. Is there any way that you can separate them at night so there aren't any setbacks?
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We could lock her in the bathroom. But that comes with its own hazards. She is such a super social cat that now when we lock her in the bathroom overnight, she goes completely nuts the next day after having been alone all night. Doing so would guarantee a problem interaction tomorrow. We deem it safer to risk a possible setback tonight than guarantee hostilities and terrible behavior tomorrow.
How did the night go? Really, really hoping that it was peaceful for everyone :cross:
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Night hasn't happened yet.
On our way to bed, we've been delayed with the discovery of an obviously lost house cat, and trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly we have a surfeit of amazingly affectionate felines. This one is as big a lovebug as Sinbad and Bêlit. It can't have been missing for long.
On our way to bed, we've been delayed with the discovery of an obviously lost house cat, and trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly we have a surfeit of amazingly affectionate felines. This one is as big a lovebug as Sinbad and Bêlit. It can't have been missing for long.
