Who's gonna be the alpha cat?

My poor Oreo. He's the 'baby' of the pride (just over two years old)
and he is trying so hard to be the alpha cat. My big boy ('Cosmo') is
at least twice Oreo's size and is actually second in line, just shrugs
him off until het gets bored ... but Dusty ... my Dusty ... WOW. She
JUST WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. NOPE. NOT GONNA DO IT.

He started 'testing' her the other night and I almost had to pull them
apart. No fur was flying but they were starting to really go at it.
Afterwards it was actually kind of funny because she was SO irritated,
for about an hour and a half her tail was SLAPPIN the couch and she
would HUFF and PUFF and just GLARE at him ... it's so easy to read her
body language ...

I layed back on the couch and she climbed on me as she always does in
the evening and FLOPPED down on my chest ... her tail still twitchin'
.... STILL ****ED. I tried to explain to her that she has been taking
such good care of me for the past few years and than she can just
relax and she doesn't HAVE to be the boss any more ... but I don't
really think she was listening ...

She attained her status as the alpha cat when she was just a baby and
REFUSES to relinquish her crown, I guess ...

It's a VERY interesting thing to watch ... and even with the 'fights'
can be kinda funny ... poor Oreo.

-John

John Rahn wrote:

---------------------snip----------------------
It's a VERY interesting thing to watch ... and even with the 'fights'
can be kinda funny ... poor Oreo.

Sometimes a cat person just has to let them work it out among
themselves. The only behavior we really won't tolerate is one of the
younger and stronger cats stalking and getting in the space of or
'stalking' my twenty-one year old Lady Jane Grey. My boy Sumo will
occasionally try to 'scruff' one of his step-sisters and get her into
mating position, even though everyone has been 'fixed'. Those
occasions we just let them work out on their own -- no real fur
flying.

Very rarely, my two boys will decide to butt heads to see who is the
toughest. Sumo is clawed, while my huge Russian Blue, Smokey, was
declawed when we adopted him. Smokey kicks Sumo's little behind with
strength and bite power, but no one really gets hurt.

There's only so much you can do.

Regards and Purrs,
O J

Yeah, I don't think I've had to step in and break up a fight, ever. I
usually let them 'work it out' ... although if they are getting a
little too rough, all I have to say is 'Hey!' and they stop ... and
look at ME ...

Some where in my pics I have a sequence of images taken from a video of
Cosmo putting Oreo down during another one of his attempts. It's a very
funny sequence. Oreo ends up FLAT on his back with the Cos walkin away
just kinda goin' ... "These damn kids" ...

Oreo too will jump on Dusty when she goes into a heat and starts to get
'vocal' about it (I really gotta get her 'fixed') ... but he is fixed
and can't do anything about it ... but again, poor Oreo.


Heh heh heh heh (ooops ... is that wrong?, to snicker at that?)

JR

"John Rahn" wrote in message
...
My poor Oreo. He's the 'baby' of the pride (just over two years old)
and he is trying so hard to be the alpha cat. My big boy ('Cosmo') is
at least twice Oreo's size and is actually second in line, just shrugs
him off until het gets bored ... but Dusty ... my Dusty ... WOW. She
JUST WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT. NOPE. NOT GONNA DO IT.

He started 'testing' her the other night and I almost had to pull them
apart. No fur was flying but they were starting to really go at it.
Afterwards it was actually kind of funny because she was SO irritated,
for about an hour and a half her tail was SLAPPIN the couch and she
would HUFF and PUFF and just GLARE at him ... it's so easy to read her
body language ...

I layed back on the couch and she climbed on me as she always does in
the evening and FLOPPED down on my chest ... her tail still twitchin'
... STILL ****ED. I tried to explain to her that she has been taking
such good care of me for the past few years and than she can just
relax and she doesn't HAVE to be the boss any more ... but I don't
really think she was listening ...

She attained her status as the alpha cat when she was just a baby and
REFUSES to relinquish her crown, I guess ...

It's a VERY interesting thing to watch ... and even with the 'fights'
can be kinda funny ... poor Oreo.

-John

This happens in my house all the time. Bandit is not only the oldest, at
15, but she has always been Bit*h Cat From H*ll - all 9 pounds of her are
ferocious and deadly to anyone or anything except me (and even I have a few
scars from her).

Then there's Demi, 6, who weighs about 6 pounds and who is afraid of
moths!!!!! She has never even tried to challenge Bandit, she just crouches
down when Bandit starts wailing on her (fortunately Bandit only "bops" over
the head without bloodshed), and takes it.

Sammy, just 9 month old but outweighing Bandit by 5 pounds, is too
kitten-stupid to be afraid of Bandit and she'll just jump her whole body on
Bandit wanting to play and then run away when Bendit turns around to bop her
over the head (Bandit is too lazy to chase anyone).

But Jessie, 5, who is our tiniest cat at just a little over 4 pounds, thinks
she can take over as alpha cat. Every once in a while she will speed into
my bedroom, jump on the bed and start wailing on Bandit. This is such a
futile effort that it is almost sad. Jessie gets bopped off the bed and
runs away with her tail all fluffed out and Bandit will grumble and growl
for an hour afterwards, cursing Jessie out for being such an upstart little
snip.

Bandit has taken on a pitbull - and *WON* - when she was only six weeks old
(she leaped across the living room and attached herself to his face, front
claws hooked behind his ears and back claws hooked under his chin and
proceded to bite him around his eyes until he was bloody - the poor dog
stood there shaking his head back and forth trying to dislodge her and
howling in pain until she finally flew off and he ran home).

Bandit has chased a full grown man to the top of the back of the sofa when
he dared poke a foot at her in defiance when we told him to steer clear of
her.

Bandit has jumped from a second floor balcony onto the back of a huge Tom
cat and chased him away with his tail dragging.

Just a few months ago Bandit faced down my MIL's two huge dogs without
batting an eye and kept them off of her and Sammy long enough for me to
corral them out of my bedroom (come to think of it, the dogs were probably
lucky that I intervened).

So, you see, as long as Bandit has a breath of air in her lungs, Jessie can
only aspire to second cat status. And as soon as Sammy realizes that she
outweighs Jessie by 10 pounds and could simply *SIT* on her to win a fight,
Jessie may have to be satisfied with *third* cat status! But hope springs
eternal, and every so often Jessie tries, and loses, again and again!

Hugs,

CatNipped