I started out posting about problems between my ladies, Missy and Peeps. At the time, they were really fighting hard.
Since then we have vetted both girls. Aside from Peeps' weight issues which are being slowly, but surely addressed, both have clean bills of health. The house has settled into an uneasy peace, and I think I know what part of our problem is.
Missy and Peeps both enjoy the company of other cats, but in different ways. Missy likes to be in the same area, but she doesn't want physical interaction beyond an occasional sniff or polite little game of paw swipes around the corner of a door. Peeps is a lot more touchy-feely. She was the one who always slept with the other cats and wanted to play rough and tumble wrestling games with them. And when we still had Fritz and Gizmo, as elderly as they were, they'd still more or less indulge her (sleepy cuddles especially, and wrestling to a certain extent), so the pressure was off of Missy who could just hang out and watch which is what she really likes to do.
So, now Peeps tries to make Missy play with her and Missy doesn't like it which is when we wind up with spats. They're no longer fighting, but we gets lots of hissing, growling, shrieking and thumping (at least once a week for the full-on spat with at least one stand-off every day). It sounds like someone is being killed, but since there's no fur flying and no blood (although Missy did manage to snag Peeps' nose once early on when the trouble started and that bled a decent amount), I'm cautiously assuming they're not full fights where one cat is actually trying to harm the other. We try to break them up when we get the chance so they don't escalate into a harm situation.
The thing is that Peeps is an instigator and despite all our efforts to play with her and Missy. I'm afraid that Missy is a far more interesting "toy" than anything else. What other cat toy puffs up like a blowfish and might actually thump you back if you aren't fast?
So, I guess my dilemma is how to try to diffuse the issue a little bit further. I feel bad that Missy is still sort of being picked on, and I feel bad that Peeps isn't getting the cat companionship I think she wants.
Since then we have vetted both girls. Aside from Peeps' weight issues which are being slowly, but surely addressed, both have clean bills of health. The house has settled into an uneasy peace, and I think I know what part of our problem is.
Missy and Peeps both enjoy the company of other cats, but in different ways. Missy likes to be in the same area, but she doesn't want physical interaction beyond an occasional sniff or polite little game of paw swipes around the corner of a door. Peeps is a lot more touchy-feely. She was the one who always slept with the other cats and wanted to play rough and tumble wrestling games with them. And when we still had Fritz and Gizmo, as elderly as they were, they'd still more or less indulge her (sleepy cuddles especially, and wrestling to a certain extent), so the pressure was off of Missy who could just hang out and watch which is what she really likes to do.
So, now Peeps tries to make Missy play with her and Missy doesn't like it which is when we wind up with spats. They're no longer fighting, but we gets lots of hissing, growling, shrieking and thumping (at least once a week for the full-on spat with at least one stand-off every day). It sounds like someone is being killed, but since there's no fur flying and no blood (although Missy did manage to snag Peeps' nose once early on when the trouble started and that bled a decent amount), I'm cautiously assuming they're not full fights where one cat is actually trying to harm the other. We try to break them up when we get the chance so they don't escalate into a harm situation.
The thing is that Peeps is an instigator and despite all our efforts to play with her and Missy. I'm afraid that Missy is a far more interesting "toy" than anything else. What other cat toy puffs up like a blowfish and might actually thump you back if you aren't fast?
So, I guess my dilemma is how to try to diffuse the issue a little bit further. I feel bad that Missy is still sort of being picked on, and I feel bad that Peeps isn't getting the cat companionship I think she wants.
