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- Apr 11, 2020
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Sorry, this may take a minute to describe, but basically I'm having issues with my two young cats not getting along regularly, but also not fighting all the time. . .
I adopted a kitten, and then a few months later another one so that she wouldn't be alone when I'm at work. She is about 9 months older than him. Both are fixed. Initially, the younger guy wanted to play and pounce a lot more than she did. They integrated pretty quickly. She would get annoyed and hiss or swat at him, when he played too much. Like, they would play fight, but then he wouldn't know when to stop...but they would also sleep together or, more rarely, groom each other.
In the past few months, this dynamic has changed a bit. He is now bigger than her (he's a year, she's almost 2) and he will chase her quite a lot. Most of the time, she is legitimately trying to get away. It's not two-way chasing (but sometimes it still is). When he gets her cornered, she will growl and/or hiss. A couple of times a day, he will jump on her and bite her neck. I think this is a mating type thing, but he IS fixed??? Sometimes he bites out chunks of hair. At this point it becomes a very short, but "real" fight. She screams and fights back. He typically backs off looking surprised, but he's a bit dumb so as soon as she's done snarling at him he'll pounce again.
Most of the time, now, when he goes anywhere near her - even if he just goes to sit in the window beside her - she will growl, and then sometimes hiss or swat at him and leave. They can still sleep on the same cat tree, or couch, and they eat beside each other without any issue. Sometimes they even eat from the same bowl if one of them finishes more quickly (until I stop them to make sure they both get what they're supposed to - he has a fussy tummy and can't eat her food. She's a picky eater and wont eat enough of his to be properly fed).
I'm dealing with this by clapping when he pounces on her, or chases her, telling him no, and separating them into different rooms if they don't stop. I've used feliway before and didn't notice a difference, but can try it again....
Other pertinent information may be that he has super swollen gums and bad breath right now (cleaning and gingivectomy next week), and I wonder if a)that makes her like him less or b) that makes him more bitey...he is SUPER bitey with toys, and other inanimate things. Like he's still teething. Also, he has several issues that are exascerbated by stress, including urinary tract inflamation, and the Vet has specifically recommended not isolating him for long for this reason
Any ideas???? I love them both and it would be great if they loved each other, but they need to at least not make life miserable for eachother. I don't even want to think about having to rehome one.
I adopted a kitten, and then a few months later another one so that she wouldn't be alone when I'm at work. She is about 9 months older than him. Both are fixed. Initially, the younger guy wanted to play and pounce a lot more than she did. They integrated pretty quickly. She would get annoyed and hiss or swat at him, when he played too much. Like, they would play fight, but then he wouldn't know when to stop...but they would also sleep together or, more rarely, groom each other.
In the past few months, this dynamic has changed a bit. He is now bigger than her (he's a year, she's almost 2) and he will chase her quite a lot. Most of the time, she is legitimately trying to get away. It's not two-way chasing (but sometimes it still is). When he gets her cornered, she will growl and/or hiss. A couple of times a day, he will jump on her and bite her neck. I think this is a mating type thing, but he IS fixed??? Sometimes he bites out chunks of hair. At this point it becomes a very short, but "real" fight. She screams and fights back. He typically backs off looking surprised, but he's a bit dumb so as soon as she's done snarling at him he'll pounce again.
Most of the time, now, when he goes anywhere near her - even if he just goes to sit in the window beside her - she will growl, and then sometimes hiss or swat at him and leave. They can still sleep on the same cat tree, or couch, and they eat beside each other without any issue. Sometimes they even eat from the same bowl if one of them finishes more quickly (until I stop them to make sure they both get what they're supposed to - he has a fussy tummy and can't eat her food. She's a picky eater and wont eat enough of his to be properly fed).
I'm dealing with this by clapping when he pounces on her, or chases her, telling him no, and separating them into different rooms if they don't stop. I've used feliway before and didn't notice a difference, but can try it again....
Other pertinent information may be that he has super swollen gums and bad breath right now (cleaning and gingivectomy next week), and I wonder if a)that makes her like him less or b) that makes him more bitey...he is SUPER bitey with toys, and other inanimate things. Like he's still teething. Also, he has several issues that are exascerbated by stress, including urinary tract inflamation, and the Vet has specifically recommended not isolating him for long for this reason
Any ideas???? I love them both and it would be great if they loved each other, but they need to at least not make life miserable for eachother. I don't even want to think about having to rehome one.