You might have been wondering how we have been faring now we are a two cat household.
It’s been 6 weeks now since we adopted Seth, and to be honest, it’s been tough.
It’s even harder for me to admit, my cats don’t get along 🙁 .
Things started off quite positively. We kept the kitties separated at first and gradually introduced them to each other, and seemed to be making good progress.
But after the first two or three weeks, it’s gone downhill (don’t be fooled by the photos – these were all taken in the early days).
We noticed Miss Fleur was very territorial and possessive of the cat patio – an undercover patio which we have enclosed with shade cloth. It’s where we keep litter trays, cat climbing frames and comfy seats to snooze on. It got to the point where Fleur was giving Seth such a hard time, he was refusing to go out there to use the litter tray. We brought one into the house which fortunately solved that little problem …
Since then however, Seth seems very restless and often gets into a “mood” where he chases and harasses Fleur. We’re not sure if it’s playful or not, but it’s go to the point where she is worried to go near him and gives him a wide berth should she have to walk past! They’ve had a few nasty spats.
Seth has also started spraying – which is understandable, I get that it’s all new and with another kitty in the house he’s stressed – but it is not exactly endearing behaviour.
And where is the lazy, chilled, cuddly kitty we met at the animal shelter, or that we enjoyed even the first couple of weeks he was here? He is continually jumping up on kitchen counters and the table – and I can’t open any windows or doors because he insists on climbing all the security screens – and then on top of the front door, like in this pic below!
He doesn’t seem settled at all, and often roams the house, miaowing loudly, and scratching at doors that are closed. The pound advised that he loved going for walks, so I have been keepnig that up – and I agree he loves his walks, as he always comes running when I get the harness out!
We have tried a range of measures to try and curb some of Seth’s bad habits – feeding him treats when he is doing the “right” thing and not harassing Fleur, or behaving himself. When he is climbing where he shouldn’t, I mostly just remove him (if I’m close enough), or clap my hands loudly to let him know we don’t appreciate it! We have also been using a water squirt bottle.
When he is really hounding Fleur, or has just sprayed on something right in front of me, I calmly pick him up and put him in “time out” in the garage. We have also had to put him there at night because we don’t trust him either with Fleur unsupervised, or in the house.
My Cats Don’t Get Along and I’m Sad 🙁
I keep waiting for things to get better but am starting to despair. It just makes me so sad, I really want him to be happy.
I’m wondering if it’s because he’s not used to being an inside cat, even after nearly 6 months at the animal shelter. He always makes a bolt to escape from any door that gets opened.
Miss Fleur on the other hand is an indoor kitty and always has been; she has never shown any interest in going outside. In fact she usually resists when I put the cat harness on her to bring her out on the pergola – she doesn’t want to wander or explore – she is happy to just sit on a chair beside me 🙂 .
I really don’t think being outside is the best thing for a cat, but if being indoors is not what Seth is used to, maybe I will have to change my mind.
So now you know the truth – my cats don’t get along . Sympathy, advice, cups of tea, suggestions, and a shoulder to cry on all most welcome!
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