Ok troops, I need some advice. I had 5 cats and am now down to three (old age and evil cancer 🙁 ). My, now, eldest is a loveable cat but a brat. If you are evenly pushy/confident, you are BFFs with him. My youngest (1 yr old) will pounce him etc and they just wrestle. She has slid into the role of my kitty I lost to cancer. She is fearless. However, my now middle child is semi-feral with a flight instinct and does not hold her ground. So, the eldest (only boy) is like a brother who chases his sister around the house with a bug enjoying making her scream. If my semi-feral holds her ground, he is not enticed. However, if she runs and screams like he is killing her (which she does), it fuels the fire and he chases her even more. I can easily pick him up out of the fray and I put him in time out (till he isn’t focused on her). He is 12 lbs and she is barely 8 lbs. So, he is intimidating to her. If she ever stands her ground and puts out the paw of doom, he leaves her be. But if she runs and has a meltdown…game on! You would think, by the sound of it all, that there would be bloodshed and fur flying. That is not the case. She is just completely upset, wants him off of her, and to go away. He is thrilled by the reaction and it becomes a feast.
Any suggestions as to what I can do to make him disinterested in her, and/or boost her confidence. He has always preyed upon mild kitties. That was the whole reason I got his original BFF. I picked the most confident kitten I could find, and she kept him in check, and he left my eldest alone. The current youngest helps…but she does not fill the role of “Ambassador to Kitty Kindness” that my previous did. My eldest NEVER behaved that way to my semi-feral before her death. HELP!
(You can check the suggestions that have been shared so far by clicking here.)
Random Felines says what I would have – distract/redirect him if you can.
And I’ve heard mixed reviews about Jackson Galaxy’s Spirit Essences – specifically Bully Remedy (I think that’s what it’s called – I can’t connect to his site at the moment). It might be worth a try. Also, Katrina’s suggestion of Feliway might be worth trying out if you haven’t already.
Anyone out there have some advice? Please chime in!
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Okay, based on today’s pictures, it looks like Stardust is more brown than Aurora. Is that true, or maybe just the light? Always trying to figure out how to tell the two of them apart (other than the nail polish on the ears).
Yep, that’s true, though it’s a lot less obvious in person.
Aurora on the left, Stardust on the right.
The way I can tell them apart (aside from the nail polish on the ear and the size) is that Aurora has two dots on either side of her nose, and Stardust has one dot on either side.
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So if Joe Bob sleeps in the catnip, do the other cats in the house follow him around when he comes back inside??
Nooo, Joe Bob does not like it when the other cats look at him wrong, and he would get very screamy and luckily they don’t bother to mess with him. Plus, they know where the catnip is, they can go get a sniff of the stuff straight from the source.
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Is it me, or does Stardust (at least in the picture where she is telling us all how she hates it when Phoenix makes her squeal) look a lot like baby Corbie?
I think maybe at first glance there’s a resemblance, but a closer look shows that there a lot of differences – not least, Corbie’s gorgeous clay-colored nose vs. Stardust’s nearly-black nose.
(Stardust on the left, Corbie on the right.)
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Yet another Stardust-the-poser picture. That girl was born to be a model. And of course, now that I put that side-by-side picture of Stardust and Corbie together up above, she looks STRIKINGLY like Corbie in this picture!
Aurora showing off her teef to the track toy, which appears to be unimpressed.
“Hallo, lady,” says Hubble.
Stardust hanging out, doing her thing.
“Shelf, why you in my way?”
“What doin’, lady?” (Aurora)
Aurora in the sun.
Phoenix chomping on Hubble’s neck.
Aurora seems suspicious of whatever that is. Blue fluff from the little cat tree, I think.
Telstar and Phoenix, having a “What’s that weird lady doing now?” consultation.
“Tryin’ to nap here, lady.”
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Video! Play time in the foster room (mostly of Hubble playing), and Mercury gets involved a few times. I love it when she plays with the kittens! The kittens aren’t always sure what to think, though, which cracks me up.
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Alice Mo has the most beautiful eyes, doesn’t she? I mean, she’s clearly over me and my “camera” nonsense, but she’s beyoootiful.
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Previously
2016: No entry.
2015: International Man of Mystery Spitz!
2014: I am so in love with the pictures in today’s post that I swear I’d marry them if I could.
2013: No entry.
2012: No entry.
2011: Dem pups.
2010: No entry.
2009: Have you ever seen a happier cat?
2008: Baby steps, I guess.
2007: No entry.
2006: I don’t know what I love more – the little extended claws, or the little striped pot belly.
2005: “You SAID he was going bye-bye. You made me KISS HIM on the head. WHAT is he still doing here?”
When Mercury plays, it’s like she’s saying “Hey, kiddo, you’re doin’ that wrong.”
And the kittens look like all kids when their mom tried to be the “cool” mom
Lol, I was just thinking the same thing! Mercury is all “no no no, you’re doing it wrong…here, watch Mama.” The kittens are all “Gawd Mother, you’re so embarassing…*eye roll*”.
There are some features of Stardust that do make me think of baby Corbie; I think it’s the round baby face, and the mouth for some reason.
Unfortunately, we haven’t been in this situation yet, so no advice. BUt as always you take such lovely photos of the little ones <3