Changes in your relationship with your beloved kitty.... does anyone else mourn? I do....

I have had my eldest, Danielle (16), since she was a kitten. She has never been particularly happy with other cats sharing her home. All others she lived with have either passed on or gone to live with my now-grown daughter.

When I left my husband, I rented a tiny room for 3 years. It was just she and I . Our bond was incredible! We were like two peas in a pod, she was sooo happy, slept with me every night right by my head, greeted me at the door, and even appreciated the other renters who were in the large rooming house.

Now I have a true home, renting a small cottage, so was able to bring in a second cat that my ex and I owned together, which he was totally ignoring, so it is GREAT for Cirquie to be with me now, but Danielle has shunned me almost completely.

Cirquie is a real love bug and needs a lot of attention.

Of course I give it to her, I love her dearly, and I give equal attention, quality attention, to Danielle.

But she just does not respond as she used to. I even lock up Cirquie on occasion in order for D to sleep with me as she used to. D just paws at the door to leave.

She is generally ok and I try not to feel horribly guilty for 'interrupting' our blissful life, but I truly mourn the loss of that deep relationship I had with her.

I would love to hear other similar situations and or stories, and learn how others cope.

We have a kitten who used to be extremely affectionate with me until she became a cat and transferred her affection to my partner. I decided that I would continue to come to her (although she no longer came to me), I would speak to her quietly and tell her how much she meant to me, and pet her. Somehow this helped me deal with it.   

She still is my partner's cat but one year later I've felt noticeable improvement in our relationship. I know our story is not the same as yours, you've been Danielle's number one human for a long time. I'm just saying keep loving her and try to put the unhappiness behind you, cats are sensitive they can feel your emotions. Give her a lot of individual attention when you two are alone. You are on the right track, hopefully she will come around.