Help needed. You seem to be able to manage multiple cats with out major cat fights. Growing up we always had at least two or three cats and every now and then there was a minor spat (kids will be kids:-) After my two 15 year old kittens passed a year ago we got two rescue kittens from the same litter, a boy and a girl. They were about 12 weeks old when we got them. For a year they got along fantastically. They are both just over a year now and we are starting to have some major behavior issues with the female flat out attacking and not stopping the the male cat. I’m not sure what the ultimate “trigger” is or was, but the poor male cat now is constantly looking over his shoulder and very kitties he because he keeps getting beat up. All of this just started a couple weeks ago. I try separating them, have bought pheromone diffusers. They have cat trees on both levels of the house, litter boxes in multiple rooms and food in multiple rooms. my husband and I are even sleeping on separate levels of the house to keep them apart and nothing seems to be settling her down. Next stop is the vet, though she seems to be her perfect self until she attacks. Any suggestions? We love both of them to death and I’m terrified that she is a “single” kitty kitten. He is just a sweet boy without a mean bone in his body and I know he misses his play buddy. Thanks!
Love reading your post! They are a part of my morning coffee routine!
I’m wondering if playing with her until she’s exhausted would help burn off some of the energy that she’s using on her poor brother. That’s honestly the only thing I can think of – we haven’t had this situation (though we occasionally have to step in and stop the boys from following Alice around). I would definitely get them both to the vet, I’m wondering if there’s something going on with him, health-wise, that she senses and which is setting her off.
I’m hoping that others will chime in here – my mind is blank at the moment, though I’ll come back and add anything that might come to me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL! The picture of Christopher saying “Abner” made me giggle. Have you thought of using a Bewitched naming theme ever? Samantha, Sabrina, Darrin (or maybe Derwood), Endora, Tabitha, Adam, Mr. Stevens, Uncle Arthur, Aunt Clara, Abner, and Gladys
That theme is definitely on my list of potential names! Michelle has an orange tabby named Kravitz at the moment, and that boy is PERFECTLY named. He is the nosiest cat I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and he cruises around just keeping an eye on everything and everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you don’t mind this question: how much time do you spend with your fosters? Is it more time or less as they get older?
I’m a new foster mom and was wondering if I need to spend more time with my kittens. Since I work from home, I take several breaks to feed and clean-up, but I only get to spend solid time bonding in the evening. I want to learn from the best!
I spend more time with them as they get older (when they are tiny, and especially newborns, they are adorable but very boring and don’t need a thing from me). But how much time I spend with them depends on the day and what I have to get done that day. Some days it’s 2 – 3 hours or more; some days I see them in the morning when I feed them and scoop, have a quick check during the day, and spend a while with them in the evening.
To me, it sounds like you’re spending plenty of time with them!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know Ozzy has swirl markings which I love. Do both Carli & Nicki also have the swirls?
Yes, Carli and Nikki both have the swirl markings too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YAY for the adoptions! (Secretly waiting for new kitties after the New Year bc I imagine you will take the next two weeks to get Alfie/Christopher and all the others adopted as well).
Also, in reviewing last year’s post, it seems to me you are very into food themes. 🙂
I have to admit that I didn’t name the Vittles, but absolutely approved of their names. I love a good theme!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Correct me if I missed it but with last Xmas litter, and with the Cardsharks, you often did videos describing each one and how the were your favorite. Also included were the ADORABLE alone shots in mugs, glasses, etc with a toy or cute hat/costume. Did I miss all that with Elements and Dippers? It was so wonderfully entertaining and cute! The lengthy explanations of personalities were really good and funny with the dress up pics.
Nope, you didn’t miss it. I haven’t done it recently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christopher takes a snooze.
See that blue spring toy in the basket? Alfie is a spring toy HOUND – he will bat them around, carry them around, and lately he’s started talking to them. Every time I come across a spring toy, I toss it in their bag of toys to go home with them.
They’re not snuggled up, but they’re keeping an eye on each other! (Well, Christopher is keeping an eye on Alfie. Alfie’s mostly just taking a bath.)
Christopher (top) and Alfie would like me to know that they were NOT just batting at those Christmas decorations.
“Christopher was! I wasn’t, but he was! I’m a good boy!”
They love that cat tree.
In case you couldn’t tell, Christopher and Alfie have the run of the house now. Since they’re going home tomorrow (!) (yes, together, in case you missed that bit of news!), I figured the permanent residents could handle having them run around the house for a few days. They spend their days on the cat tree, racing around the downstairs, getting hissed at by the permanent residents, and they spend their nights sleeping with me. They are just SUCH snugglebugs, those boys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Khal’s been watching Archie and Charlie sleep on this bed for the past year, and decided to finally try it out himself. Pretty comfy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr) yesterday.
“It’s time for breakfast, lady, and WE IS STARVIN’.”
Charlie – this picture is from a year ago – would like you to know that YOU, TOO could have an awesome stack of beds just like this! Andrea’s online auction to benefit Winnie’s Wishes is ending on Saturday – and she’s got lots of these cool crocheted beds AND some of the poofy beds we love so much, as well as some crocheted toys – a lot of cool stuff, we’re saying! Check everything out at https://winnieswishauction.blogspot.com/!
YouTube link
With Alfie sleeping, Christopher entertains himself. (This was from a couple of days ago, before Ozzy, Carli and Barry went home, so you’ll see a bit of Ozzy.)
YouTube link
That’s right, I said 8 minutes. It’s several different napping sessions stitched together. Crank up your sound and enjoy the sound of various super happy purring kittens.
Good night innernets. (Alfie Alfredo)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2020: “You are beeYOOtiful, Uncle Charlie.”
2019: Frankie considers a snuggle.
2018: Axle had somethin’ to say.
2017: No entry.
2016: No entry.
2015: I think Joe Bob just likes to mess with me.
2014: Balancing act.
2013: (Hey, what’s more fun than having a handheld vacuum full of angry buzzing wasps? That’s right, a BAGGIE with ONE angry buzzing wasp!)
2012: “It just keeps going AROUND!”
2011: Meet the new guys!
2010: “No, dear, your toes don’t ‘look funny.’ That’s what chicken toes are supposed to look like!”
2009: The many faces of Mike Teevee.
2008: Delmar always looks so SMUG.
2007: And to you I say, because I really like Elle (NO we’re not adopting her!) and I have started calling her Ellie Belly and I want to have her around for a little while longer, so shaddup.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Only one of my cats likes the spring toys. She sings to them too.
I noticed you neatly sidestepping the question of new fosters… I know there are no surprise kittens now because the boys are still hanging in there but are new ones waiting in the wings?
For the “help needed cats” I second the suggestion that both cats get checked out by the vet.
I am/have been in that position, and absolutely agree with Vista. Veterinary intervention necessary.
Our two boys are not litter mates, but they are the same age and got along fine until they were about 2 yrs. old. By the time they were almost 3, it was outright attacks. Bjorn has bad health, and the attacks were worse when he was sick, and unable to defend himself. It got to where Ivar would attack him under my very nose!
Long story short (and there is much more), we finally got Bjorn well-ish, and found a Cats Only Vet to be their new primary. She recognized Ivar’s need for kitty Prozac, (Fluoxitine), and he has benefitted tremendously (as has little Bjorn, who was developing PTSD from the constant attacks).
Ivar still gets testy from time to time (may need his dose adjusted), but he is now a happy boy. Belly rubs permitted, no longer overeating, anxiety lessened, thus less aggressive. I was apprehensnive at first, but now that I see how happy he is (and how much safer Bjorn feels), I am sorry that I didn’t find a vet that understood what he, what we all, needed sooner.
Sorry this is so long…but find a vet that really knows cats, (they do not respond to behavioral therapy like dogs or other pack animals do). He needs the help of a vet. They both do.
You have my very best wishes. <3
(Edit: I do not mean to suggest he needs meds…but a vet will know what is needed)
My Tyger is obSESSED with the springs! He can play soccer by himself, but he loves to have us throw it for him – and he FETCHES! All the bedroom and kitchen doors are closed (he just gets into too much), and he will lead you to the room it rolled into! Sometimes we’ll be in a room and one will come rolling in. Cracks me UP!
Sorry for the length of this. I had two cats who did not grow up together, but met at age 2 (Katrina) and somewhere in the 10mo-2yo range (Harry). A little hissing from her at the beginning, but they became best buds within a couple of weeks of meeting, and we went along like this for a couple of years.
One day, I came home and found Harry under a chair shaking and growling, even at me, and this was the sweetest cat ever! When Katrina came into the room, she attacked him, there was screaming, and it was a serious fight! I separated them immediately. I ended up keeping one lower level room as “the room” and they took turns staying in it. I divided each day into 3 rough sections, and would swap them. One day Katrina would have the morning and overnight shift, and Harry would have the middle day shift to be confined to “the room”. The next day, Harry would have morning and overnight and Katrina would have middle day. Repeat. I kept them for about ten days without ever seeing each other, although they were able to smell each other constantly. It helped a lot that I was home all day.
After that, I would put a pressure gate in the doorway of “the room” and hold open the door a little, dangling a long snaky strip over one side and then the other so they could each bat at it in the presence of the other. I gradually opened the door a bit further and extended the length of these sessions, until they were touching paws under the gate (trying to get the strip) and behaving themselves in the presence of the other. Probably another ten days of that. I finally allowed Harry to come out of the room and meet Katrina right there. They were wary and cautiously sniff noses. I was ready to grab one if it went bad, but they seemed relieved after sniffing noses. Then Harry slunk away looking warily for the “bad cat who attacked”. A few hours later, all was back to our former normal, and they went back to being buds and would play and sleep together.
My theory is that something happened, something fell, or there was loud noise outside that scared them each so badly, Katrina blamed Harry (that was her personality) and for once, he blamed her and fought back. Then they were stuck with the “war” mindset, and the sequestering was my way of resetting their little brains. In this case it worked. It’s good that your kitties have a history together, of getting along and playing, etc. and that they are young enough to be very playful (for the playing through a gate trick). It IS a PITA to do all that swapping, but the end result was well worth it, and I would have done even longer if it was necessary. I’d keep the pheromone dispensers going while the re-introduction reset is taking place and maybe a week afterwards. And yeah, try to play with them each to the point of being tired, them, not you.