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- Jan 5, 2015
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I have two cats, one a little over a year old and one a little under. I got them a couple of months apart, and did the whole gradual introduction, site swapping, etc, and within a couple of weeks they were playing together (mostly) without any complaints, napping together, grooming each other, etc.
Everything has been fine until recently. Suddenly, the slightly older one will NOT play if the younger one is playing. She won't go after the same toy or anything, just watches. It's like she's thrown off by the younger cat's energy -- but when she's alone, she is just as energetic and enthusiastic as the younger cat. Unfortunately, my kitten refuses to entertain herself while I play with the "big sister," and if I shut her in a room, she cries so much that it distracts our older cat and she won't play (plus, I feel horrible).
I'm pretty sure this has led to our older cat using the kitten as basically a toy. More than once in the last few days, she has cornered her (this is not normal for them), and I hear crying, squeaking, and growling more often than I used to, though no injuries yet. They still nap together and groom each other on a pretty regular basis. Should I not be worried and just let them settle things on their own? Is there a way I can encourage them to play together? Or at least in the same room? The only way I can get them to have equal play time right now is if my husband takes one cat upstairs to play and I play with another downstairs... even with two of us and two toys, the younger kitten will go nuts and take over our older cat's toy. And of course, as soon as playtime is over, "big sister" is stalking our kitten and chasing her down... :/
Any suggestions?
Everything has been fine until recently. Suddenly, the slightly older one will NOT play if the younger one is playing. She won't go after the same toy or anything, just watches. It's like she's thrown off by the younger cat's energy -- but when she's alone, she is just as energetic and enthusiastic as the younger cat. Unfortunately, my kitten refuses to entertain herself while I play with the "big sister," and if I shut her in a room, she cries so much that it distracts our older cat and she won't play (plus, I feel horrible).
I'm pretty sure this has led to our older cat using the kitten as basically a toy. More than once in the last few days, she has cornered her (this is not normal for them), and I hear crying, squeaking, and growling more often than I used to, though no injuries yet. They still nap together and groom each other on a pretty regular basis. Should I not be worried and just let them settle things on their own? Is there a way I can encourage them to play together? Or at least in the same room? The only way I can get them to have equal play time right now is if my husband takes one cat upstairs to play and I play with another downstairs... even with two of us and two toys, the younger kitten will go nuts and take over our older cat's toy. And of course, as soon as playtime is over, "big sister" is stalking our kitten and chasing her down... :/
Any suggestions?