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I have read several forums regarding the issue of kittens and resident cats, however, I cannot find any help for my specific situation.
My husband and I have a sweet resident cat, Josie, 6 years old, who's lived with just us her whole life. To us, she doesn't seem the typical cat. She's a fluffy Siberian, and is the calmest cat ever. But even as a kitten, she doesn't like to play much. The laser pointer is the only thing that gets her moving, but she also has asthma, so she can only run for so long before an attack comes on. She loves to cuddle, hang out with us, and barely depends much more besides pets, treats, and ice cubes.
I convinced my husband to let us adopt a kitten for our resident cat, as we would like to have kids soon. I didn't want Josie to feel lonely and without a cuddle partner. Now enter in Dirk, a then 3 month old tabby.
Dirk is a typical kitten, so sweet and cuddly at night, and LOVES to play. He's very energetic and it doesn't seem to exhaust. We have taken the typical steps to introduce them (though we did rush the second night by putting them in a large open room together, my husband's idea), but for about a week they were fully separated, eating through the door together, everything fine.
Josie was a little timid walking by the door at first, but after a day, she was completely normal. A week in, we let Dirk roam free but kept an extremely close eye on both cats. There seemed to be zero issues until Dirk gets too close to Josie.
This is where the problem comes in. We have had Dirk about 2 months, never let him out unsupervised, play with him pretty consistently outside our work schedule, give treats, started clicker training, have both cats play with the laser pointer and feed treats and food together.
All is well until Dirk REALLY wants to play. He will constantly stalk Josie and pounce her wanting to play. Sometimes he runs up to her and stops, sometimes it's just a little paw to her head, and other times it's clinging on to her backside since she always runs away.
No matter how soft Dirk plays though, Josie will scream bloody murder. She thinks he is attacking her and makes the most awful screeching noises, noises you'd expect to hear from two alley cats fighting.
Josie will hiss and growl if Dirk gets too close and she's expecting it. But she will not fight back with him. She always runs, but never hides. She will cry, we make a loud noise or grab Dirk if that doesn't work, and then Josie will walk two feet away and plop back down. She seems interested in him, but does not want him in her space. However, she is giving him absolutely no signs that she doesn't want to play until she screams. She almost instigates by turning her back to him and wagging her tail, or following him even though he just attacked her. She does not hide from him (not in a concealed spot), and she makes no real attempt to get away from him.
We hate to see her be so terrified, and she may never want to play with him. We try and play with him enough so that he gets the attention he needs. But we simply don't know what to do. I know it is very early on, but it really seems like Josie will never adjust. Please help!
My husband and I have a sweet resident cat, Josie, 6 years old, who's lived with just us her whole life. To us, she doesn't seem the typical cat. She's a fluffy Siberian, and is the calmest cat ever. But even as a kitten, she doesn't like to play much. The laser pointer is the only thing that gets her moving, but she also has asthma, so she can only run for so long before an attack comes on. She loves to cuddle, hang out with us, and barely depends much more besides pets, treats, and ice cubes.
I convinced my husband to let us adopt a kitten for our resident cat, as we would like to have kids soon. I didn't want Josie to feel lonely and without a cuddle partner. Now enter in Dirk, a then 3 month old tabby.
Dirk is a typical kitten, so sweet and cuddly at night, and LOVES to play. He's very energetic and it doesn't seem to exhaust. We have taken the typical steps to introduce them (though we did rush the second night by putting them in a large open room together, my husband's idea), but for about a week they were fully separated, eating through the door together, everything fine.
Josie was a little timid walking by the door at first, but after a day, she was completely normal. A week in, we let Dirk roam free but kept an extremely close eye on both cats. There seemed to be zero issues until Dirk gets too close to Josie.
This is where the problem comes in. We have had Dirk about 2 months, never let him out unsupervised, play with him pretty consistently outside our work schedule, give treats, started clicker training, have both cats play with the laser pointer and feed treats and food together.
All is well until Dirk REALLY wants to play. He will constantly stalk Josie and pounce her wanting to play. Sometimes he runs up to her and stops, sometimes it's just a little paw to her head, and other times it's clinging on to her backside since she always runs away.
No matter how soft Dirk plays though, Josie will scream bloody murder. She thinks he is attacking her and makes the most awful screeching noises, noises you'd expect to hear from two alley cats fighting.
Josie will hiss and growl if Dirk gets too close and she's expecting it. But she will not fight back with him. She always runs, but never hides. She will cry, we make a loud noise or grab Dirk if that doesn't work, and then Josie will walk two feet away and plop back down. She seems interested in him, but does not want him in her space. However, she is giving him absolutely no signs that she doesn't want to play until she screams. She almost instigates by turning her back to him and wagging her tail, or following him even though he just attacked her. She does not hide from him (not in a concealed spot), and she makes no real attempt to get away from him.
We hate to see her be so terrified, and she may never want to play with him. We try and play with him enough so that he gets the attention he needs. But we simply don't know what to do. I know it is very early on, but it really seems like Josie will never adjust. Please help!
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