It's been a week since we brought the little one home.
Kootoo is still behaving aggressively toward Muffin:
1. He's got the "I'm-gonna-wallop-you" look in his eyes whenever Muffin is within sight.
2. He swats at Muffin through the fencing - with his claws out, mind you.
3. Whenever I let Muffin out for a short walk, he jumps on him and bite his neck, as if the little one is a mouse.
Perhaps Kootoo is miffed with all the attention showered on Muffin, but I've tried to sayang Kootoo a bit more than usual ... I have been keeping them apart most of the times cos Muffin is really terrified when Kootoo goes cuckoo.
Bah! The stripey lardball is just jealous that I have warm milk for brekky and supper every day ...
Lil' Muffy is going to the vet tomorrow for a health check and a possible vaccination, if the vet finds him up to it.
Horrors! Did I hear the taboo word "V.E.T."??? Ten thousand thunders! Let go of me before I scratch you to pieces!!!
Cat quote of the day:
Catmandments #6: Remember my food dish and keep it full.
- Author Unknown
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7 comments:
Doesnt help that lil Muffy aint a saint and Kootoo literally throws his weight and bulk around. Still trying to bat the small one this morning through the fence.
Why do all cats/kitties bite their caregivers!? I dont get it.
Dear Mama Piggy and bitten hr dir,
As someone who had to do reintroductions for a pair of littermates who had been together since birth, when they were three and they turned on each other in the most vicious way possible, after one had to be hospitalised, I humbly offer the view that kootoo and muffin may have been presented to each other prematurely.
We succeeded in getting our pair of old coots to accept each other only after 8 months of trial-and error. During this time, we did a fair bit of research about pecking order and aggression, and cat-introduction. There is a method to the madness, and the first cardinal rule seem to be no sightings please, only sniffs allowed. Everything hinges on scents - kootoo, being the resident male is of course full of lardball swagger. Muffin, being the new kid, wants to establish himeself too.
in the middle of last month, we brought home 2 new cats, the mis-sexed Kheilly, 3 and his mum, Rheilly, who's 4. It's been a month, but we're in no hurry to let the pair out and meet the resident 4. Patience is virtuous in these things, and it seems to help the old coots especially. In the beginning, they would stake out the isolation room and hiss when one of the pair gets near. Now they barely bother. The signs are good, and so in two weeks' time, we're going to open the booths for sniffing. Eh, I mean let both parties sight each other and mingle. May there be posturing and hissy-fits but no blood *Much luck and well-wishing appreciated*
But kittens get accepted/accept faster and easier, females easier than males. That's not to say male-male intros are hopeless, we managed to intro a full-grown 2 yr old boy to the terrible old coots, then 6, in 2004.
In conclusion, kootoo may be upset by the sight of muffin, and is not ready to share yet, and muffin is eager to protect his tuft. Cats associate alot, and kootoo probably know and id muffin as the source of change. He doesn't like that, and so is resistant to Muffin.
I don't know if this helps, but the evil half of the old coots, Bam Bam, told me that he did sneak on and tell Kootoo to not see Muffin until he likes his smell, when kootoo first gasped about a possible housemate.
bitten hr dir,
Your getting bitten was probably a byproduct of their tension with each other.
But all is not lost. Kootoo is young, and muffin younger, it'll tkae a while for them to sort themselves out, but I do believe they'll be fine. Power-struggles are usual in catdom, and it's always a game of sniff or hiss.
cat-intro-hack,
calsi
Dear HR Director
Kootoo & Muffin (ain't he a sweet little furball) may have been introduced too soon physially to each other.
Whenever I have a new adoptee (is there such a word? teacher, teachee. hehehe), I put the new one in a room for approx a week before it meets the residents. During that time, they can sniff each other under the door and this helps to familiarisation tour.
But what's done cannot be undone. Perhaps a bath for both of them before the vet visit will help since they will smell almost the same then. A little wet food dapped on the little one's forehead may also help entice cuckoo Kootoo to lick little Muffin.
All the best, kxbc
Hahahha all the best to you and your two boys.... Hopefully they get along asap. Muffin is so cute, everyone loves him so much. If i were kootoo i'd be jealous too
Alas, patience is not among my virtues! Dear God, I pray for patience ... and I want it NOW!!! ;P
I guess there's no hard and fast rule on initiation rites. We'll have to leave it to the kitties to sort it out themselves, eventually ... Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best ...
Mama Piggy
Mama Piggy,
good that you're taking a pragmatic approach. Introductions do seem like an art-form at times. I'm sure it'll work out for the resident hacks - swipes, scratches and bites just seem part of the package.
If you're game, there's some references about cat-aggression etc, may be useful resource to fall back on. Caveat though: some of these links lead to online consultation pages, these cases are extreme cases, and seeing loads of cases on the same page may be depressing, but remember these are compiled for reference and are not representative of usual cat business. (Sorry for the neon-highlight, but some folks forget commonsense, and forget about context, must say it in case these folks click through and panic at the lengthy case list)
- Feline Behavior Issues and Training
Kootoo: I understand, my feline friend. New felines in your territory are hard to accept, but I don't think this little one is going anywhere. I hope the little one understands your displays of superiority more than Isis understood mine back when she first arrived on the scene.
(Of course, if I had known then that she had multiple purrsonality disorder, I would have tried to bite all seven of her purrsonalities' necks!)
I hope that you can get along with the little one known as Muffin soon!
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