Copy Cat

Is it normal for one cat to copy another? I know we used to call each other that in grade school, but I never attributed "copy cat" as a feline behavior.

Snowy is our 2 year old cat.  We will have had her a year in December.  Tati is our 1 year old cat, and we have had her about 6 months.  They are very individual cats, and sometimes play well together, sometimes Snowy wishes she was still an only child.  Tati just doesn't know when to back off and leave Snowy alone. I figure some things they just need to work out on their own.

Where Snowy goes, Tati is quick to follow.  We bought a cat bed we wanted them to share (its a huge dog bed). Tati had no interest in it so Snowy claimed it.  All was well for a couple months then suddenly Tati starts climbing in bed with Snowy.  Fine with everyone except Snowy, so, we buy Tati her own bed.  She will not even get in it, even though she picked it out and seemed to love it at the store, nope, she has to climb in bed with Snowy.  Snowy will chase her out, but then when Snowy gets up, boom, Tati is right in Snowys bed.  Snowy said fine, I will take the new bed... you have that one.  Nope, Tati starts getting in the new bed.  You get out a toy to play with Snowy, Tati is right there, no matter how long you play with her first, she will be all tired and showing no more interest, but the minute Snowy shows an interest, Tati is 100 back into the game.  Tati follows Snowy to the litter box when she does her business.... I would think it was cute except Snowy has stopped enjoying a lot of things she used to enjoy because Tati just won't give her a moments peace.  Like riding in the stroller... She used to run and jump right in now, now she won't even stay in when you put her in because Tati is all over her in it.  She used to cuddle with me in bed.  Tati won't cuddle with me in bed unless Snowy is there, then Tati is all over that bed.  Snowy used to love to play all types of toys, and now she its hard to get her to engage.  The laser is something Tati doesn't like... but she sure does like to chase Snowy while Snowy is chasing the laser...

Is this normal?  How do I get Tati to back off a little bit?

I think one cat copying another is normal - at least to some extent.

In this case, it sounds like Tati alas a sever case of hero worship! I'm not sure how one would go about changing Tati's behaviour. I can understand both your and Snowy's frustration though.

Hopefully others will chime in with ideas.

I've read that cats learn by watching other cats and I've found this to be true.  When we got Speck as a kitten, we had an elderly cat, Siamie, who has long since crossed the bridge.  She could no longer jump and climbed to get on the sofa, etc.  Speck imitated the behavior and to this day, he doesn't jump, he climbs.  

With Tati being the younger cat, I imagine she strives to be like Snowy.  There also may be a bit of jealously there.  My cats frequently want to have what the other cats claim...whether they want it or not.  This may improve in time, but it seems to be normal cat behavior to me.  I'm no expert, by any means, and am only speaking from personal experience.  I don't know that there is any way to get Tati to back off...it's kind of like when you pet one cat and the other jumps in between you.  I try to show everybody equal attention, but I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that this is not good enough for Daisy.

I don't think we've spoken before and it's nice to meet you.    

It's actually quite normal. You see this most often in little kittens and their mother figures (whether a real mom or an adult cat who has taken on that role). Tati is still pretty much a kitten.

Normally what would happen is that Snowy would either hiss or express displeasure at Tati, who would, in their feline language, understand well enough to back off. Obviously, this isn't what is happening -- Snowy is either mellower than others, or Tati is bolder, or even both. While it's not harmful to either cat, it does change the dynamics of the relationship, as you notice in Snowy not seemingly enjoying the things she used to enjoy.

You could try separating them. Not permanently, but during playtime. My foster used to be like that -- she would hog all the playtime and "drive" my resident boy cat away. He would lose interest in toys very quickly because she would just be all up in his face. What I did was have separate playtimes for both of them in a closed bedroom.

At the same time, Tati also needs to learn that "life" can be "fun" without Snowy, and separate areas and playtimes can help with that. Right now, Snowy is "fun". Chasing Snowy is "fun". Stealing Snowy's bed is "fun". If you can instil into Tati that she doesn't "need" Snowy to have fun, she'll be less likely to latch onto Snowy. Have separate stroller rides for Tati and Snowy. Give them treats, pets, whatever it is they love getting from you. Every time you see Tati copying Snowy in some way, make it a separate activity for both of them.

If Snowy is feeling "jealous" (your instincts will tell you), then give Snowy more one-on-one attention. If she is prone to anxiety, assure her that she's still your favorite. From what you describe, it doesn't sound like Snowy dislikes Tati, just that she wishes Tati would leave her alone sometimes. That's where you come in, and separate activities may very well help.

We have a similar problem, our kitten (1year) adores our older cat (2yrs) and follows/copies her in everything! He'll copy her every move much to her annoyance. We've taken to playing with the cats in separate rooms with the door closed (doesn't matter what we're doing, the kitten always prefers to be with our other cat). This has helped our more docile and meek older cat get some play in without her shadow.

Thank you everyone for your replies and suggestions.

The situation is complicated because we live in an apartment so there is limited outdoor time and limited space for the cats to line out their own territories.  To further complicate matters my daughter took in a feral/stray kitten who found herself pregnant so the front half of the apartment is taken up by the resident cats, and the back half of the apartment goes to Buttercup (momma) and Theo (baby).  Buttercup likes people now, but hates the other cats.  Part fear, part territorial. Introductions have been slow.  We believe Snowy has FIV, even though the shelter said no, and our vet said he is hesitant to diagnose that, we don't want her to bite anyone - and she is deaf.  The bad part about the deafness is that she doesn't hear the other cats and they are able to sneak up on her.  I think we just have too many cats... but we haven't been having any luck finding someone interested in Buttercup.  I did find a co-worker who was sort of interested in Theo, but other co-workers have said she is not the greatest pet parent and my daughter is thinking now we might keep all of them.  (We are trying to buy a house, and that would make it a lot easier if we could just hurry up and find the right one!  We have made full price offers on 3 houses in the last 4 months and have not gotten any of them).

But, we will get through this - my cats know I love them, and I think they love each other, even if there is some sibiling rivalry going on.  We didn't Snowy  until December of last year, and the other three were after that so I guess there are a lot of changes for all of them!  There is food and litter enough to go around, and Snowy, Tati and Buttercup each have their issues, but in time I think they will all be able to help each other.  Snowy knows what it means to be alone and scared so she is a little more tolerant of Buttercups mood swings, and Theo is high energy like Tati, so having him out is nice and takes some pressure off Snowy, but then Snowy gets mad because Tati and Theo are into everything.  And Snowy is still such a kitten too, when she isn't trying to be the boss of everyone... When Theo goes back into lock up with his momma, Snowy has to go play with everything he touched.

Never a dull moment, thats for sure!