I have two cats- Steve is the alpha male and Paul is the gamma male. They are both neutered. They are absolutely spoiled, loved and cared for with the upmost respect and honor. They get along fine, since they've been together since they were kittens. I treat them like children! (Probably better than children considering I don't have any children yet)
The thing is, Steve is slightly bigger (12 pounds) than Paul (9-10 pounds) and he is the alpha, so he kinda runs the show. He growls a lot if he's upset, and he hisses a lot even though he's not doing it to be aggressive or doing it because he's even threatened. He just seems to like to hiss, and gets over it quickly. He will hiss at my mom if she's getting treats for the cats and putting the wet food on plates, he will hiss at her and this in turn upsets my mom, who then scowls at him and he then doesn't get his share of treats.
This upsets me at times, when I try to play mousey fetch with Paul, he'll play with me up until Steve comes near and then he drops the mouse and kinda looks at Steve like, "Is it okay if I play still?" And other times, such as if Paul is laying with me on my bed all snuggly and Steve jumps up, he'll kinda nip at Pauls fur as if he was saying, "Move!" I always nudge Steve away if he does this. But then Steve seems like he gets huffy (and actually will let out a huff of air letting me know he's rather upset about the situation) and go slink away in another favorite spot of theirs.
I have two food bowls out, one is meant for Paul, and one is meant for Steve. They share a water dish. Paul prefers fresh running faucet water, and will ask for it by his 'i want water' meow. Is it okay for me to shoo Steve away from 'Paul's' food bowl? Will he learn that isn't his food bowl and he has his own?
And, I do leave the dry food out all day. I'm at work usually until 5. They don't eat it all up right away, but I have heard that a cats stomach needs breaks and time to digest the food they eat. It's kinda like, wake up, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep- ect pattern. I am wondering if I should put food out only in the morning for them to eat, and then put it away during the day, and then when I get home put more out for them to eat. I feed them both dry food and canned wet food.
As for toys, I have strings, strings with mouse tied to the end, balls, mice, crumply loud balls with bells, a little scratching post with a poofy ball on top, crumpled up pieces of paper, (Paul loves these, he'll bat them around like a professional soccer player)
They have their favorite spots too- Paul loves his box. (It's a big box our microwave came in) I put blankets upon blankets to make it comfy and warm inside for him. Steve likes to be near me most of the time, but he does like to lay up high on the dresser table, so I have a little warm bed up there for him. They each take turns on their favorite chair, too.
Paul & Steve Steve & Paul Steve & Mommy
The thing is, Steve is slightly bigger (12 pounds) than Paul (9-10 pounds) and he is the alpha, so he kinda runs the show. He growls a lot if he's upset, and he hisses a lot even though he's not doing it to be aggressive or doing it because he's even threatened. He just seems to like to hiss, and gets over it quickly. He will hiss at my mom if she's getting treats for the cats and putting the wet food on plates, he will hiss at her and this in turn upsets my mom, who then scowls at him and he then doesn't get his share of treats.
This upsets me at times, when I try to play mousey fetch with Paul, he'll play with me up until Steve comes near and then he drops the mouse and kinda looks at Steve like, "Is it okay if I play still?" And other times, such as if Paul is laying with me on my bed all snuggly and Steve jumps up, he'll kinda nip at Pauls fur as if he was saying, "Move!" I always nudge Steve away if he does this. But then Steve seems like he gets huffy (and actually will let out a huff of air letting me know he's rather upset about the situation) and go slink away in another favorite spot of theirs.
I have two food bowls out, one is meant for Paul, and one is meant for Steve. They share a water dish. Paul prefers fresh running faucet water, and will ask for it by his 'i want water' meow. Is it okay for me to shoo Steve away from 'Paul's' food bowl? Will he learn that isn't his food bowl and he has his own?
And, I do leave the dry food out all day. I'm at work usually until 5. They don't eat it all up right away, but I have heard that a cats stomach needs breaks and time to digest the food they eat. It's kinda like, wake up, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep- ect pattern. I am wondering if I should put food out only in the morning for them to eat, and then put it away during the day, and then when I get home put more out for them to eat. I feed them both dry food and canned wet food.
As for toys, I have strings, strings with mouse tied to the end, balls, mice, crumply loud balls with bells, a little scratching post with a poofy ball on top, crumpled up pieces of paper, (Paul loves these, he'll bat them around like a professional soccer player)
They have their favorite spots too- Paul loves his box. (It's a big box our microwave came in) I put blankets upon blankets to make it comfy and warm inside for him. Steve likes to be near me most of the time, but he does like to lay up high on the dresser table, so I have a little warm bed up there for him. They each take turns on their favorite chair, too.
Paul & Steve Steve & Paul Steve & Mommy
