I should probably start out with some background -
2 months ago I adopted a 3 year old male cat I named Otik from the
shelter. He was dropped off by owners, is fixed, and does have claws.
He is very shy and timid, but once he gets going he loves affection. It
just takes him awhile and if he thinks you are mad at him or if someone
new comes in, he runs. No one even knows I have him
He is perfect, but here is the problem. About 2 weeks ago a woman who
owns a farm near where I work was telling me about all the strays that
get dropped off on her property. She mentioned one, a declawed, young
(2-4 years old), spayed female, that caught my attention. I met her,
went home, thought about it, and decided to pick her up a few days ago.
She seemed very loving and a nonstop purrer, a good companion for Otik.
Well we got home, they looked at eachother, and it seemed ok. Otik ran
away, she explored. The problem came about 2 hours later. When Otik
tries to come get attention from me, she hisses and growls at him,
which makes him panic and run away. She does the same thing when he
wants to eat! She inhales her full days worth of food in 2 minutes,
then runs to his and eats it all!! He is an all day grazer, so this
pretty much means he doesnt eat unless i lock him away from her. Is
this going to get better, or did her many months on the farm fighting
for food and a place, added to her being declawed, make it impossible
for her to be in a 2-cat household?? Will she eventually get a normal
appetite, because she could eat an entire bag of cat food in a days
time, and still sit and stare at the bowl.....I just dont know if I
should keep trying and subject Otik to more aggression if its worth it
in the long run, or if its better for both if she goes back to the farm
or gets a new home.
Sorry for the length of the message, there was a lot on my mind!!