 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / General Topics / February 2008Will a cat get jealous of another cat ?
I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took in a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of my cats Lou Lou come running over and making a noise if I make a fuss of the new cat or if he comes and sits by me. I don't treat any of them any different to the other. Has anyone else noticed similar to this ?  SignatureCount Baldoni Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:46:11 GMT from Baldoni <baldoniXX@gmail.com>: > I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I > took in a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of > my cats Lou Lou come running over and making a noise if I make a fuss > of the new cat or if he comes and sits by me. Cats are highly territorial, and they are so conservative as to make Dick Cheney look like a flaming liberal. (Translation: they don't like change.) Lou Lou is feeling threatened by the new addition. Make sure to lavish lots of extra attention on him whenever the new cat is in the room, and he will probably accept the new cat in time. SignatureStan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ "If there's one thing I know, it's men. I ought to: it's been my life work." -- Marie Dressler, in /Dinner at Eight/ >Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:46:11 GMT from Baldoni <baldoniXX@gmail.com>: >> I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I >> took in a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of >> my cats Lou Lou come running over and making a noise if I make a fuss >> of the new cat or if he comes and sits by me. >Cats are highly territorial, and they are so conservative as to make >Dick Cheney look like a flaming liberal. (Translation: they don't >like change.) I once had a cat leave me because I switched catfood brands. Kitty vanished and a week later I got a call from the people I used to rent a room from, that my cat had shown up on their door step. He walked 2 miles and crosed either a highway or a 7 lane blvd to get there. I never bought cheap catfood from 7-11 in an emergency again. >Lou Lou is feeling threatened by the new addition. Make sure to >lavish lots of extra attention on him whenever the new cat is in the >room, and he will probably accept the new cat in time. > Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:46:11 GMT from Baldoni <baldoniXX@gmail.com>: >> I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Cats are highly territorial, and they are so conservative as to make > Dick Cheney look like a flaming liberal. He's not liberal or flaming? (Translation: they don't > like change.) > > Lou Lou is feeling threatened by the new addition. Make sure to > lavish lots of extra attention on him whenever the new cat is in the > room, and he will probably accept the new cat in time. >I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took in >a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of my cats Lou [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I don't treat any of them any different to the other. Has anyone else > noticed similar to this ? Cats most certainly get jealous - they don't have green eyes for nothing :~) Although you need to welcome - and bond with - the new cat, you must still put LouLou first in everything. She is your top cat (or alpha female, if you prefer) and will not appreciate being overlooked. Always put LouLou's dinner down first .. then Kitty 2 .. then New Cat. This will reinforce the feline pecking order and, hopefully, reassure LouLou and your other furry friend. Make to time to groom and pet LouLou (or whatever favourite routine she enjoys) and praise her whenever she seems to accept New Cat. Whatever else you do, don't allow New Cat to do something you've always barred LouLou and Kitty 2 from doing. Spider I have a kitty psychologist book somewhere here in my house (I know *groans* LOL) and I will probably have to dig it out now to prove my point... But cats are extremely emotional creatures. Cats, like dogs, can become very jealous of a new room mate. Be sure to lavish your two older cats with lots of love and praise and that should help them feel less threatened by the newcomer... Just agreeing with those who wrote before me and re-enforcing what they said I guess :-) Good luck :-) >I have a kitty psychologist book somewhere here in my house (I know >*groans* LOL) and I will probably have to dig it out now to prove my [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Good luck :-) I don't even need the book. I've had Marlo for just about a year now and Espy still glares at me when I pet her. And I mean a real intense glare. The funny thing is, he doesn't even like being petted and gets upset when I pet Marlo. As I write in so many posts to this group, cats are weird. Spider pretended : >>I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took in >> a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of my cats Lou [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Spider He stole her bed but she likes to stretch out on the back of the sofa behind me. I don't think I make more of a fuss of him she just meows and comes over if I am smoothing him. SignatureCount Baldoni > Spider pretended : >>>I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > I don't think I make more of a fuss of him she just meows and comes over > if I am smoothing him. Maybe if she just meows (not meanly, nor spits), she is simply telling you she wants to be stroked, too. Perhaps she's saying "you used to stroke me like that". Include her, if she'll let you, and stroke both cats at once. It may even help to 'annoint' her with the scent of New Cat, and visa versa. I wonder if you offer treats during this bonding period? If you do, give LouLou (and Kitty 2 if she's there) a treat first, then K2, then New Cat. This will reinforce the feline heirarchy. It is a pity New Cat stole LouLou's bed ... but it may be useful ... When this happened, did LouLou hiss/spit/growl/attempt to defend her bed? If she didn't, it may be a sign that she (willingly?) gave it up. If this is the case, she may be more relaxed about New Cat than you suspected. However, if New Cat spat at her, then she may have felt threatened into abandoning it. I suspect that, as someone suggested earlier, she is more worried about losing you or some portion of her time with you. You obviously care about her and will make sure she is frequently reassured. Hope all goes well. Spider Spider was thinking very hard : >> Spider pretended : >>>>I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > Hope all goes well. > Spider She never made much fuss about it and she can still go there when he is not around. He would not turf her out anyway it is just that he seems to have hijacked it and spends longer in it. It is in a high position on top of the fridge. He must like the high ground, Lou Lou always got up on the fridge and I used to leave food for her up there as well. SignatureCount Baldoni > Spider was thinking very hard : >>> Spider pretended : [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] > of the fridge. He must like the high ground, Lou Lou always got up on the > fridge and I used to leave food for her up there as well. She's obviously fairly easy going, then. It's worth noting that it's mostly nervous cats that are believed to seek respite on high ground. For obvious reasons it is a safe place and great vantage point. Personally, I have seen some behaviour which seems to indicate that a dominant cat might find it equally attractive, plus (in your particular case) routing an existing cat could suggest a bid for the top cat spot. Since New Cat is a male, and males tend to be dominant, this may be what is happening. LouLou may relinquish her position as top cat because she is elderly and wants a quiet life. I have no doubt that what she really wants is to be doted on by you in her golden years. Just keep up the cat-watching and see how it goes. Spider Since New Cat is a male, and > males tend to be dominant, this may be what is happening. Unless all cats are spayed or neutered then all bets are off! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs Since New Cat is a male, and > males tend to be dominant, this may be what is happening. Unless all cats are spayed or neutered then all bets are off! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs Having seen two neutered males in the same household fight over terrritory, I'm obliged to believe the evidence of my eyes. Territorial staking is as much to do with behaviour as it is to do with hormones. Taking hormones out of the equation may reduce violence levels, but the need to claim territory is still there. Spider Spider expressed precisely : >> Spider was thinking very hard : >>>> Spider pretended : [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] > > Spider No problem I love my cats. SignatureCount Baldoni >I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I took in >a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of my cats Lou [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I don't treat any of them any different to the other. Has anyone else > noticed similar to this ? Oh, yes. All of my cats are territorial to some degree, and especially when I get another cat. They suspect that I got her because I am unhappy with them for some reason, and they vie for my favors and hiss at the newbie......but eventually, they get over this and come to accept the newest member of the family......Time heals all wounds...... > I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I > took in a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of > my cats Lou Lou come running over and making a noise if I make a fuss > of the new cat or if he comes and sits by me. ** I don't believe it is "jelousy", rather it is territorial posessiveness. The answer is to pick up Lou and pet both in your lap. Apparently Lou is the 'alpha' in your menage and comes first in everything. On Jan 30, 6:46 am, Baldoni <baldon...@gmail.com> wrote: > I always thought they didn't as they seem to do their own thing. I > took in a new young cat and now have 3. I have noticed the oldest of > my cats Lou Lou come running over and making a noise if I make a fuss > of the new cat or if he comes and sits by me. ** I don't believe it is "jelousy", rather it is territorial posessiveness. The answer is to pick up Lou and pet both in your lap. Apparently Lou is the 'alpha' in your menage and comes first in everything. Cats don't cry over territory - they fight. When I introduced Panther to Cheetah (my first cat), Cheetah cried. This is, of course, very unusual, but Cheetah became deeply attached to me (and I to her) very quickly. She couldn't bear to see the interloper. She is better about it now, but is still very cool with me and is no longer the lap cat she was. From time to time, these two cats *fight* over territory, but this is quite different from Cheetah's first reaction to Panther. Tears fell from Cheetah's eyes - I will never forget it. It was misery and jealousy combined; there was no fight in her when this occurred. Spider > <last_p...@rogers.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Spider You expect cats named "Panther" and "Cheetah" not to fight? LOL We have two cats who've been together forever, and we literally have to keep them separated. One is 12 and likes to stay in 1 room, the other 7 who basically hangs out in our bedroom. So, their paths don't need to cross. But on the rare occasion they do, even on neutral territory, LOOK OUT!! Big fight - GUARANTEED. We have a 2 year old, and her and the 7 year old are more tolerant of each other. But the territorial thing is there. The 2 year old though seems to have no need to stake her claim, and is just looking to play. She will walk up to the 7 year old and swat at her tail in a playful manner, but the 7 year old just gets pissed and attacks her. On Feb 6, 1:41 pm, "Spider" <Spi...@nospam.com> wrote: > <last_p...@rogers.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Spider You expect cats named "Panther" and "Cheetah" not to fight? LOL We have two cats who've been together forever, and we literally have to keep them separated. One is 12 and likes to stay in 1 room, the other 7 who basically hangs out in our bedroom. So, their paths don't need to cross. But on the rare occasion they do, even on neutral territory, LOOK OUT!! Big fight - GUARANTEED. We have a 2 year old, and her and the 7 year old are more tolerant of each other. But the territorial thing is there. The 2 year old though seems to have no need to stake her claim, and is just looking to play. She will walk up to the 7 year old and swat at her tail in a playful manner, but the 7 year old just gets pissed and attacks her. Hi, Sorry for late reply - I've been away for a few days. Mmmm ... you might well LOL!! {:~)) In my case, Panther is the confident, playful cat. She was one of a litter of five kittens who romped incessantly. Cheetah came from a litter of three kittens and is much quieter and has a very gentle disposition. Panther frequently ambushes Cheetah and jumps on her (as she used to do with her siblings). Cheetah HATES this activity, and so fights ensue. They are gradually getting better, but I've still had to pay out £72 this week for Cheetah's injury's (minor eye infection and gouges in head). Having said that, injuries are quite rare. However, Panther frequently comes in with a claw mark down her cute nose. Serves her right! It's never serious and it amuses me to think Cheetah is punching the air and mewing 'YES!'. Spider
|
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.