Cat Jealous Over Sick Sibling.

[2Cats4everLoved]

Just curious...

And yes, I'm scheduled for a vet appointment. I know that's the first thing people usually ask here. LOL

My girl Chestnut was sick with crystals back in January.  It was she who brought me to this site.  

Soon after she was on the road to recovery, my boy Simon was diagnosed with oral cancer.  It's been an ongoing journey, which I've been writing about in the thread:  Tumor / SCC: Defying the Odds with Hospice Care - Living with a Terminally Ill Loved One, I...

Last Sunday, she acted up, started howling, peeing in and out of the litter box etc.  She didn't look as if she was in pain and was making sure we were looking at her while crying out.  Her urine was clear and she was agile, not like before when she was in pain and couldn't walk, also her urine was a cloudy dark yellow.

Something about her actions made me think this was for attention.  So, I took a syringe filled with water, wrapped her like a burrito (which she hates) and gave it to her like medicine.

We coddled her and put her to bed, LOL.  From that moment on, she was okay.

I've made sure she has been getting equal loving during this hard time, but perhaps she thought not enough.

I guess my question is -

Is it possible for one cat to become jealous of another cat so much that the cat actually begins to act sick to get attention?

Wondering if anyone has experienced this with their wee ones.

 

[haleyds]

Yes they can get jealous so easy!
I once had two brothers, and one got a very bad URI where he had to be nursed back to health.
After that, his bigger brother was never the same. He would pee in random places, try to attack his brother, and ultimately we had to rehome him for his own happiness, as his brother was much more dependent on us.
I don't think your case will be that extreme, but yes, cats can get very jealous [emoji]128514[/emoji]

 

[inanna]

Yup. I'm still in the midst of it. Andy and Jake don't seem jealous of Toothless, or any of the special attention, or of the yummy smelling medicine, or of the extra feedings of fancy feast... but

Jake is a shy, sweet, sensitive cat who gets lost under his brother's shadow. Every morning Andy will drag a wand on my bed begging for play time. It's become a morning routine. I noticed Jake hangs out in the door way and simply watches, never joins in. Andy comes to us and demands attention, but Jake makes himself part of the back round.

So we started playing with Andy and then privately playing with Jake. The special play time really seems to boost Jake's confidence, but now...

They started marking everything AND fighting. I think it's an overload of kitty hormones mixed with jealousy. I'm trying to give both ( + Toothless ) equal time, but it's causing rivalry.

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

@InannaI think it's an overload of kitty hormones mixed with jealousy.  LOL

 

That's really funny.  I guess our feline friends are more similar to us than we imagined. 

Chestnut hasn't acted up since the fake dose of meds.  LOL, she gets plenty of loving, I guess she didn't care for the verbal praise. LOL

thanks...

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

Yes they can get jealous so easy!
I once had two brothers, and one got a very bad URI where he had to be nursed back to health.
After that, his bigger brother was never the same. He would pee in random places, try to attack his brother, and ultimately we had to rehome him for his own happiness, as his brother was much more dependent on us.
I don't think your case will be that extreme, but yes, cats can get very jealous [emoji]128514[/emoji]

Wow, glad to think I wasn't reading into something.  Thought I was nuts for a minute, but I observe these two fur balls constantly and know them inside and out.

They're not actually siblings, Chestnut has been with us since 2011 we adopted her for my dad.  They're a month apart in age. Simon knew of her but never liked going down to my dads apt so they never developed any type of relationship before she came to live with us.  She on the other hand is a sweetie, and unless he was to go near her food, which he's never had an interest in, would have no issues with him at all.  

I'll feel better after the vet.  Thanks again.