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- Jul 3, 2018
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Hello all.
I need some advice for some behavioral issues I'm currently having between my cats. I have three: Ralph (male), who was adopted first almost two years ago, a standard slightly-fluffy black cat, and Bear (male) and Prinnie (female), who were adopted together about a year ago, brother and sister Siberians. They are all between three and four years-old.
A little bit about their personalities.
Ralph is very calm and laid back. He likes to play, loves his human Mom and I think he was a former feral, as he has an ear tip. The rescue said he was left behind when his previous owner moved. He was very timid and shy when we first got him and it took him over a year until he even let me pick him up. The worst thing Ralph does is scratch the couch occasionally.
Bear is extremely talkative and likes to have things his way. He climbs on the kitchen counter, scratches up the door trim and wails down in the basement where the litter boxes are because half the basement is closed off to the cats. He also will climb on top of me multiple times during the night and press his face against mine and knead my beard until I wake up and pet him. He is very demanding and in a word, insane, but in a good way.
Prinnie is less talkative than her brother Bear but she is right there to greet my wife and I when we get home from work. She is pretty laid-back like Ralph and loves to climb to the top of the cat tree. She loves getting pets and loves her human Dad (me) and will often become my shadow, following me from room to room and lying on my lap or flopping down in front of me so that I will reach down and rub her belly. She also loves her cardboard scratchers.
We got Bear and Prinnie while looking to adopt a friend for Ralph because my wife fell in love with Bear, who despite being in a tiny rescue enclosure, put on quite the display every time we went and visited, while Prinnie just sat in her litter box looking very depressed. We didn't want someone to separate them so we brought them both home.
The problem I'm having is Prinnie will chase Ralph several times a day, randomly and seemingly out of nowhere, oftentimes ending in her swatting Ralph and her screaming like a banshee and hissing at him. She has never drawn blood and Ralph never retaliates. He just runs away into another room to get away from her. Days can go by where it doesn't happen and she will go up to him and sniff him or lick him or lay by him with no issues. But it seems like these episodes are making Ralph tip-toe around the house when she's near him because no one knows when Prinnie will turn into Prinnzilla and attack him.
We live in a huge condo complex and while it's generally very calm in our condo, Prinnie seems to get paranoid whenever she will hear a noise from next door. It's also become very apparent that people are dumping cats around here, because I've counted at least 10 since the winter, many who are friendly and come up to the front door to interact with our cats. Whenever one of the outdoor cats comes to the door, Prinnie growls at it and then chases Ralph and attacks him.
My wife gets up with the cats around 5 a.m. and this morning Prinnie has been relentless, chasing Ralph constantly, again and again. She even chased off Bear, which she never really does. I don't know what has gotten into her. I have put her in the guest bedroom for now. Despite this, Ralph still wants to be around her and will go lay by the guest bedroom door. I'm worried to even leave her out with the other two when I go to work.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm trying to be calm with her and pet and talk to her but it's been a very frustrating morning and I want to break her of this. She is the absolute sweetest cat otherwise.
I apologize for the novel, I just wanted to give sufficient background on my situation. Thanks for the help!
I need some advice for some behavioral issues I'm currently having between my cats. I have three: Ralph (male), who was adopted first almost two years ago, a standard slightly-fluffy black cat, and Bear (male) and Prinnie (female), who were adopted together about a year ago, brother and sister Siberians. They are all between three and four years-old.
A little bit about their personalities.
Ralph is very calm and laid back. He likes to play, loves his human Mom and I think he was a former feral, as he has an ear tip. The rescue said he was left behind when his previous owner moved. He was very timid and shy when we first got him and it took him over a year until he even let me pick him up. The worst thing Ralph does is scratch the couch occasionally.
Bear is extremely talkative and likes to have things his way. He climbs on the kitchen counter, scratches up the door trim and wails down in the basement where the litter boxes are because half the basement is closed off to the cats. He also will climb on top of me multiple times during the night and press his face against mine and knead my beard until I wake up and pet him. He is very demanding and in a word, insane, but in a good way.
Prinnie is less talkative than her brother Bear but she is right there to greet my wife and I when we get home from work. She is pretty laid-back like Ralph and loves to climb to the top of the cat tree. She loves getting pets and loves her human Dad (me) and will often become my shadow, following me from room to room and lying on my lap or flopping down in front of me so that I will reach down and rub her belly. She also loves her cardboard scratchers.
We got Bear and Prinnie while looking to adopt a friend for Ralph because my wife fell in love with Bear, who despite being in a tiny rescue enclosure, put on quite the display every time we went and visited, while Prinnie just sat in her litter box looking very depressed. We didn't want someone to separate them so we brought them both home.
The problem I'm having is Prinnie will chase Ralph several times a day, randomly and seemingly out of nowhere, oftentimes ending in her swatting Ralph and her screaming like a banshee and hissing at him. She has never drawn blood and Ralph never retaliates. He just runs away into another room to get away from her. Days can go by where it doesn't happen and she will go up to him and sniff him or lick him or lay by him with no issues. But it seems like these episodes are making Ralph tip-toe around the house when she's near him because no one knows when Prinnie will turn into Prinnzilla and attack him.
We live in a huge condo complex and while it's generally very calm in our condo, Prinnie seems to get paranoid whenever she will hear a noise from next door. It's also become very apparent that people are dumping cats around here, because I've counted at least 10 since the winter, many who are friendly and come up to the front door to interact with our cats. Whenever one of the outdoor cats comes to the door, Prinnie growls at it and then chases Ralph and attacks him.
My wife gets up with the cats around 5 a.m. and this morning Prinnie has been relentless, chasing Ralph constantly, again and again. She even chased off Bear, which she never really does. I don't know what has gotten into her. I have put her in the guest bedroom for now. Despite this, Ralph still wants to be around her and will go lay by the guest bedroom door. I'm worried to even leave her out with the other two when I go to work.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm trying to be calm with her and pet and talk to her but it's been a very frustrating morning and I want to break her of this. She is the absolute sweetest cat otherwise.
I apologize for the novel, I just wanted to give sufficient background on my situation. Thanks for the help!
