I apologize in advance – this is long, but I believe necessary to give everyone a complete picture.
To give you some history, I adopted two cats, Charm in March 2014 (2 yrs. at the time) and Molly in September 2015 (4 ½ yrs.). Both cats are extremely sweet, loving and would gladly sit in your lap all day if that were possible. Charm has always tried to engage Molly in play, even after being swatted by Molly in response. It surprises me that after four years she continues to try to get Molly to play.
I noticed early on that Molly was showing some signs of aggression, mainly when I was getting their food ready. It escalated so much that I began putting Molly in the bedroom while preparing their food and letting her out after I’d put their bowls on their trays. (They each have their own.) This seemed to deter her aggression initially but in a few days it would start again. During the last few months Molly’s aggression became extreme even when it was not feeding time and I felt for Charm’s safety it was necessary to keep them in separate spaces. It had gotten to the point where Charm was hiding in the corner of our bedroom between some boxes ALL day. We have enough space that it’s been possible to provide each cat with a comfortable amount of room in separate parts of the house.
Molly’s become increasingly unhappy in her space. She began expressing her upset by urinating on things. Two weeks ago, she accidentally escaped and chased Charm around the house. When Charm ran up the cat tree to get away from her, Molly ran up behind her and attacked her viciously. Charm became terrified at even the slightest noise.
Molly is demanding my attention throughout the day by howling unless I sit with her. Molly’s in an area comprising two master bedrooms, bathrooms with a spacious hall and open area where she has a bed with a view of a birdfeeder that we bought for her. I spend most of the day with her. Charm has an equal amount of space between the living & dining rooms, the kitchen and the foyer.
I’m able to close off one of the bedrooms that has a door leading to the rest of the house. We’ve developed a routine where I spend some time with Charm in the morning, most of the day with Molly and before bedtime I open the bedroom to the rest of the house for Charm and Molly has the remaining space. Charm and I usually spend a few hours together and she sleeps with me. Molly is getting more quality time, but Charm has relaxed, and her sweet personality is returning.
From the start Charm allowed Molly to exert her dominance, and her behavior (except for feeding time) was within what I considered normal limits. I’m hoping to find a way to stop Molly’s aggressiveness and restore peace to the household.
It’s important to note that both cats have some health issues. Both were grossly obese when I adopted them, with Charm upwards of 22 lbs. and Molly 15.5+ lbs. Charm is a larger framed cat and Molly’s built more like a Siamese. Both have been on weight-loss diets and Charm is now just over 14 lbs., while Molly’s down to an ideal weight of 8.5 lbs.
Both cats have digestive issues and allergies, and they’re on medications for them. Molly has been diagnosed with IBD, or possibly GI cancer. Determining which would require surgery. One of my last cats, Luke had GI cancer. Molly’s symptoms differ from his, but I’ve found mast cell tumors on her body, which raises concerns in my mind since that’s what took over Luke’s digestive tract. She has responded well to Prednisolone. Charm has asthma, which has not responded to treatment.
A friend suggested that maybe Molly’s become less tolerant as she’s gotten older. I’ve wondered if perhaps she’s not feeling as well as she acts since cats do tend not to show how sick they really are until they’re practically on their death beds. Or maybe it’s both…. Thoughts, ideas, help anyone?
To give you some history, I adopted two cats, Charm in March 2014 (2 yrs. at the time) and Molly in September 2015 (4 ½ yrs.). Both cats are extremely sweet, loving and would gladly sit in your lap all day if that were possible. Charm has always tried to engage Molly in play, even after being swatted by Molly in response. It surprises me that after four years she continues to try to get Molly to play.
I noticed early on that Molly was showing some signs of aggression, mainly when I was getting their food ready. It escalated so much that I began putting Molly in the bedroom while preparing their food and letting her out after I’d put their bowls on their trays. (They each have their own.) This seemed to deter her aggression initially but in a few days it would start again. During the last few months Molly’s aggression became extreme even when it was not feeding time and I felt for Charm’s safety it was necessary to keep them in separate spaces. It had gotten to the point where Charm was hiding in the corner of our bedroom between some boxes ALL day. We have enough space that it’s been possible to provide each cat with a comfortable amount of room in separate parts of the house.
Molly’s become increasingly unhappy in her space. She began expressing her upset by urinating on things. Two weeks ago, she accidentally escaped and chased Charm around the house. When Charm ran up the cat tree to get away from her, Molly ran up behind her and attacked her viciously. Charm became terrified at even the slightest noise.
Molly is demanding my attention throughout the day by howling unless I sit with her. Molly’s in an area comprising two master bedrooms, bathrooms with a spacious hall and open area where she has a bed with a view of a birdfeeder that we bought for her. I spend most of the day with her. Charm has an equal amount of space between the living & dining rooms, the kitchen and the foyer.
I’m able to close off one of the bedrooms that has a door leading to the rest of the house. We’ve developed a routine where I spend some time with Charm in the morning, most of the day with Molly and before bedtime I open the bedroom to the rest of the house for Charm and Molly has the remaining space. Charm and I usually spend a few hours together and she sleeps with me. Molly is getting more quality time, but Charm has relaxed, and her sweet personality is returning.
From the start Charm allowed Molly to exert her dominance, and her behavior (except for feeding time) was within what I considered normal limits. I’m hoping to find a way to stop Molly’s aggressiveness and restore peace to the household.
It’s important to note that both cats have some health issues. Both were grossly obese when I adopted them, with Charm upwards of 22 lbs. and Molly 15.5+ lbs. Charm is a larger framed cat and Molly’s built more like a Siamese. Both have been on weight-loss diets and Charm is now just over 14 lbs., while Molly’s down to an ideal weight of 8.5 lbs.
Both cats have digestive issues and allergies, and they’re on medications for them. Molly has been diagnosed with IBD, or possibly GI cancer. Determining which would require surgery. One of my last cats, Luke had GI cancer. Molly’s symptoms differ from his, but I’ve found mast cell tumors on her body, which raises concerns in my mind since that’s what took over Luke’s digestive tract. She has responded well to Prednisolone. Charm has asthma, which has not responded to treatment.
A friend suggested that maybe Molly’s become less tolerant as she’s gotten older. I’ve wondered if perhaps she’s not feeling as well as she acts since cats do tend not to show how sick they really are until they’re practically on their death beds. Or maybe it’s both…. Thoughts, ideas, help anyone?
