Will Spaying Settle Her Down

[auntie]

I have a 4-year-old female cat, LK, who has no teeth. She is sort of shy and skeptical, but very vocal and sweet. I also have a 5-month-old, Ruby, who we got 2 months ago. At first, the cats were great friends, and LK would groom Ruby and they would sit and sleep together. However, Ruby's behavior has been getting worse and more aggressive. The two cats always wrestled a little, but now Ruby will bite and jump on LK any time LK tries to groom her. She is unrelentingly interested in wrestling when the other cat just wants to snuggle. It is sad to see. Ruby has also been getting up to some tricks, such as upending plants, getting stuck in the recycling bin, and refusing to get out of the bath tub. This is all probably normal for a cat her age, but unfortunately when my husband tries to get her out of these situations she fights and bites. She is just becoming so difficult and frustrating, and she's a Siberian Forest Cat too so I'm concerned that she may also end up being big as well as difficult. I do play with her as much as I can, but I work two jobs and it's getting exhausting.

Anyway, she's getting spayed in one week. I would have it done instantly but I have to get paid first! So my big question is, do you think this will settle her down and cause her to be less aggressive/annoying? I'm sorry to say I have quite a few regrets about bringing her home--I should have stuck with one cat like some here suggested. Everything is so much worse now. At least the two cats like each other...but my husband has developed allergies, stuff is getting broken and dirty, we have to divide up the house etc...I am just so fed up. I really hope this spay is beneficial for more than just kitten-prevention.

thanks so much !

 

[Willowy]

No, spaying does not reduce activity levels. Her behavior is pretty normal for her age. Does she get a lot of interactive playtime with humans?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, goodness! No, she's just being a normal kitten. Time will take care of this. Plenty of play with a wand type toy will also help drain off some of that excess kitten energy! But play with her hard, get her panting, and do it several times a day! LK will appreciate the break, and Ruby may even be a bit more amenable to a good cuddle after a hard play session!

 

[auntie]

Okay. I know kittens are active and I do make a point of playing with her with a wand toy so that she jumps and runs and gets some energy out. I also try to have my daughter do this while I’m at work (which is unfortunately a great deal of the time).
I’m still not convinced that behavior isn’t affected at all by spaying. Maybe this is a self-defense mechanism, but I am hoping you are wrong. My husband is so fed up and I feel incredibly guilty for bringing this demon into our lives when we were happy with one cat (it’s a long story as to why I thought this was a good plan). Also, even though I am currently making a reasonable amount of money, I am more broke than I can remember being since I was a student, because of vet bills and cat food. I can’t get rid of her now, because my daughter (and seemingly my other cat, who knows why) is very attached to her. So, fingers crossed the spay actually calms her mind by calming her hormones.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

She may settle a bit after spaying if she is beginning to get hit with the hormones. At five months, that's a possibility, but still, much of it is simply excess kitten energy. Brew yourself and your husband a cup of chamomile tea, take a deep breath, and remember that "this, too, shall pass."

 

[auntie]

Well, she's recovering at the vet's and I'm picking her up tomorrow. I talked to them today and apparently she is being quite playful already! Yikes! Fingers crossed for a smooth re-entry. My husband, who is allergic to her, hates getting pounced on, and loves our other cat much more, actually misses her--so I guess that is a good sign.
Anyway, I hope her nuttiness settles a little bit. Thanks for the help so far.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Keep us posted! Any advice we can give, we will give, gladly!

 

[danteshuman]

I just wanted to add that she is a teenager right now. The age when every parent wants to tear their hair out. Please give her time. Also can your daughter give her 3 intense play sessions a day (until she pants a little or 20 minutes) with things like the bird? A morning and bedtime workout keep hyper cats at bay. So do puzzle feeders & a bird watching window. Since your daughter loves her I'm hoping she is old enough to take more responsibility for her? Maybe the cat can sleep in her room?

 

[deathecatlover]

Oh, goodness! No, she's just being a normal kitten. Time will take care of this. Plenty of play with a wand type toy will also help drain off some of that excess kitten energy! But play with her hard, get her panting, and do it several times a day! LK will appreciate the break, and Ruby may even be a bit more amenable to a good cuddle after a hard play session!

Eeeekk, playing that hard might not be good depending on the cat's fur. If they have long fur like luna's they may very well overheat. not to be mean or try to correct you. But Luna HAS had a seizure due to overheating from hard play.

 

[auntie]

deathecatlover
Yeah, she's a Siberian, so I can't exactly run her around like the previous poster suggested. She has very long, thick fur and she overheats sometimes.
However, good news...it seems like spaying has, in fact, caused her to settle down a little! She is less aggressive toward my older cat. She still has kitten energy, obviously, but a lot of the rough-housing has toned down over the past couple of weeks since the spay. So, in this case, it seems that spaying did actually change her behavior to some extent, and she is growing calmer and easier for my other cat to deal with. Thank goodness!

 

[deathecatlover]

That's very great to hear she's calmed down, thank gosh for your older cat, too. xD kittens are a handful for everyon

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Excellent! And the kitten thing, of course, she will outgrow.