I am a new member with a cat crisis...
My daughter recently adopted a kitten (5 months old) from the local shelter and since she is in grad school we wanted to make sure that Noah would have a good relationship with my two cats so he can stay with us should she need to leave him for a bit.
I have two female cats: Mea and Dude, both 4 years old and both neutered.
Once Noah came (he is staying in the guest room) Mea's behavior towards Dude changed drastically: she now seems no longer to recognize Dude as her pal. Mea hisses and growls at Dude and Dude is now responding by attacking Mea. Since neither is declawed, Mea now sports scabs on her face. I fear that Dude might seriously injure Mea and this worries me terribly.
Mea is a longhaired mix cat we got from PetFinders.com. She gets first dibs at the food but I sense that Dude just allows her to be 'top dog'. Dude is a rescue that we bottle-fed. She is a shy, tough kitty, but thus far has enjoyed being groomed by Mea and they have always been friends... until now.
Noah will be going to his new home in Providence next week, but whenever my daughter visits in the future, Noah will be coming along too.
I hope some cat lover out there can help me find a way to wind the clock back on the relationship between Mea and Dude, and maybe suggest something I may do to make Noah's next visit less stressful for us all.
Very gratefully!!!!
Jen
My daughter recently adopted a kitten (5 months old) from the local shelter and since she is in grad school we wanted to make sure that Noah would have a good relationship with my two cats so he can stay with us should she need to leave him for a bit.
I have two female cats: Mea and Dude, both 4 years old and both neutered.
Once Noah came (he is staying in the guest room) Mea's behavior towards Dude changed drastically: she now seems no longer to recognize Dude as her pal. Mea hisses and growls at Dude and Dude is now responding by attacking Mea. Since neither is declawed, Mea now sports scabs on her face. I fear that Dude might seriously injure Mea and this worries me terribly.
Mea is a longhaired mix cat we got from PetFinders.com. She gets first dibs at the food but I sense that Dude just allows her to be 'top dog'. Dude is a rescue that we bottle-fed. She is a shy, tough kitty, but thus far has enjoyed being groomed by Mea and they have always been friends... until now.
Noah will be going to his new home in Providence next week, but whenever my daughter visits in the future, Noah will be coming along too.
I hope some cat lover out there can help me find a way to wind the clock back on the relationship between Mea and Dude, and maybe suggest something I may do to make Noah's next visit less stressful for us all.
Very gratefully!!!!
Jen
