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Cats were fine and now they're not...



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 19th 05, 02:28 PM
Leia Graf via CatKB.com
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Default Cats were fine and now they're not...

I assume I'm gonna hve to take these two to the vet about this... but better to ask for as much help as possible first!

My friend and I (and some others) lived together, and got two sister kittens. We did get them at different times (my friend was more eager than I, and couldn't wait) but they got along famously. They slept, cleaned, played and ate together - no problems.

Until they got desexed.

We had them in one box (which was our big mistake, but how were we to know?) and one woke before the other did. She did try to attack the other, but unsuccessfully given her semi-unoncious condition. We kept the cats mostly apart for a few days, so they didn't lick the other's stitches, but when they were together they weren't terribly nice to each other. It was really weird. It was a while ago, so I don't remember for sure, but I don't think they fought all that much.

We decided that wasn't too much of a problem, cos I was moving out anyway and taking my cat (the second to awaken) with me. Then my friend broke up with her boyfriend, and came to live with us - bringing her cat again.

We tried to do the "introductions" and whatnot as just about everywhere suggests, and the cats weren't too bad for a while. I even got them to eat out of the same bowl at the same time! My cat would run over, seeming to be more interested than anything, and the other cat would get hostile and either run or growl. This got worse and worse until they can barely be in the same room. My cat just pretty much doesn't seem to care (unless she's running over to investigate - and I'm sure it's more provocation now), but the other just sits there and *glares* at her.

Now, all this is major complicated by my one year old. My cat handles him very well (surprisingly!), rubbing up against him and letting him touch her, but knowing when to get away. The other wedges herself into a corner when he comes for her, and has scratched him a few times (never very bad, but enough to make my lad upset). As a consequence, of course we've had to tell her off, which is probably very bad for the original problem! (See why I'm having so much trouble?)

And on top of that, my friend has got herself a new toyboy, and so is never home to lavish attention on her cat. She can't take her cat with her to the boyfriend's because of his pit bull, and she'll be going overseas soon, so we're kind of stuck with her cat anyway.

I do try to give the poor cat attention, but I was never "her people" anyway, and both the cats know it. Lately she's barely been coming home at all (I had to go outside to bring her in tonight, and she growled at me when I told her we were going in!), but she's losing quite a bit of weight and I have no wish to be a neglectful cat-sitter-owner-type-thingy (especially with the problems with feral cats here in Australia).

Has anyone got any ideas? Should we restart the "introduction" and apply generous amounts of catnip? (well, make that just catnip for mine - it makes the other edgy and paranoid!) Or take them to the vet and dose them up (not what I'd call a good solution)? Or is it sounding like we've either got to put up with it or get rid of the problem entirely?

I know it's a knotty problem, and I know that you have no real reason to answer, but I'd love any advice.

Thanks a lot for reading, in any case,
Leia

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  #2  
Old January 19th 05, 05:35 PM
Mike
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"Leia Graf via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...
Thanks a lot for reading, in any case,


I didn't read the entire post since I've no clues myself, although it'd make
sense for kittens of the same litter to not get on with each other. They
would spread over a great distance in the wild, stops the in-breeding.

Mike


  #3  
Old January 19th 05, 10:59 PM
Suzie-Q
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In article ,
"Mike" wrote:

- "Leia Graf via CatKB.com" wrote in message
- ...
- Thanks a lot for reading, in any case,
-
- I didn't read the entire post since I've no clues myself, although it'd make
- sense for kittens of the same litter to not get on with each other. They
- would spread over a great distance in the wild, stops the in-breeding.
-
- Mike

Not true at all. I've had cats from the same litter twice.
Both times they got along well. (The first pair died last
year of natural causes after living 19 years together.)
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  #4  
Old January 20th 05, 02:45 AM
MacCandace
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I know it's a knotty problem, and I know that you have no real reason to
answer, but I'd love any advice.

Thanks a lot for reading, in any case,
Leia

It's nice of you to take the poor kitty on instead of dumping her. I guess
she's had a lot of adjustments to make in her life. I'm really not an expert
(as I have feuding kitties myself) but, since yours used to get along, it would
seem all should not be hopeless. I guess I would agree with the idea of
reintroduction although it seems like it would be difficult with them being
indoor/outdoor kitties. I actually thought aggression didn't occur that often
in indoor/outdoor cats. But since it apparently does, I think reintroduction
certainly couldn't hurt and might help.

I think I would also urge your little boy to not go after this particular cat.
Easier said than done, I guess, but it apparently upsets the cat and causes her
to scratch him so they both lose. I would try to spend a little time with her
every day petting her and getting her to like you, just you for now, not your
son. She needs to have some happiness in her life, too.

I hope it all works out and I think you're nice for keeping her when your
friend is deserting her.

Candace
(take the litter out before replying by e-mail)

See my cats:
http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace

"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other
than human." (Loren Eisely)
  #5  
Old January 20th 05, 06:55 PM
Mike
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"Suzie-Q" wrote in message
...
Not true at all. I've had cats from the same litter twice.
Both times they got along well. (The first pair died last
year of natural causes after living 19 years together.)


Domestic cats skip the evolutionary process which keeps things in check. I'm
not saying all cats from the same litter will, but in the wild they should.

Mike


 




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