Siblings suddenly anti-social

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P M - 02 Jan 2005 02:19 GMT

We have 2 female littermates (approx 5 months old) that have always gotten along wonderfully. Playing and eating together, grooming each other etc. Suddenly yesterday, without any provocation, the slightly smaller kitten suddenly hissed, squalled and scratched at the other then ran as if terrified of the other kitten. It was if something had flipped a switch in her. The littler kitten is still terrified of the other one, for no reason we can figure. The larger seems totally confused and keeps trying to go to her sister. She's looks at the littler kitten and then at us as if she's asking us what's wrong. The littler kitten is still quite affectionate with all the humans and the dogs in our home, just not her sister. I'll add the bigger one backs away when the littler one hisses at her.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so, how did it resolve itself? Is there anything I can do to lessen the fear of the smaller one and should we just ignore it and let them work it out? Any help would be appreciated.

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Gary Stone - 02 Jan 2005 02:34 GMT

That's been pretty much normal with my two. The older one 3? years old is
the smaller of the two, the other is 1? years old and big. I might change
her name to Ocie cause she looks like an ocelot (not sure about the
spelling). Anyway they will spat and then later I'll find them curled up
together, totally zonked out. Just the little ones way of saying, "Get out
of my face punk."
Perhaps given some time and they'll work it out. But then, having said all
that, I gotta say, "what the heck do I know."

Stone

> We have 2 female littermates (approx 5 months old) that have always gotten
> along wonderfully. Playing and eating together, grooming each other etc.
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> we just ignore it and let them work it out? Any help would be
> appreciated.

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jacquie0 - 02 Jan 2005 04:35 GMT

> That's been pretty much normal with my two. The older one 3½ years old is
> the smaller of the two, the other is 1½ years old and big. I might change
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>>we just ignore it and let them work it out? Any help would be
>>appreciated.

Are the two of them spayed? If not, it could be the smaller ones way of
claiming her place in the hierchy. If they are spayed, it could be that
the smaller one feels that she has to let the larger one know that just
because she is smaller, it doesn't mean that she can be pushed around.

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P M - 02 Jan 2005 06:47 GMT

That's the strange part Jacquie, the littler one (Isabella) has always been more dominant per se. However there was never anything other than playing between them. The larger (Cookie) followed her sis all over and they slept over each other, napped in the window together, would eat out of the same bowl, anything to be close to each other. That's what is really so puzzling. And Isabella seems so scared of Cookie now, like she's expecting her to hurt her.

Think it's possible that Isabella could have bonked her head while they were running and playing chase and thought Cookie had done it to her? They had a pretty fast and furious game going on when this started.

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Dik F. Liu - 12 Jan 2005 20:16 GMT

It could be a kind of redirected aggression. Are these cats allowed to be
outdoor? May be another cat is involved? May be a traumatic event? Or may be
Isabella saw and other cat outdoor? You can try by keeping the cats indoor and
closing the blinds and see it this helps.

Dik

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