Hi, my name is Eric and I am new to this forum. Im looking for help with my two 9 week old kittens, Cohey and Cammy (named after the band Coheed and Cambria, if anyone gets the reference.)
My girlfriend and I adopted C & C from an animal shelter about 10 days ago, and they are adorable female litter mates. Cammy is a Calico short hair, very precocious and curious about everything, sometimes a little shy though and needs to be coaxed out of her shell. Cohey is a black and white long hair and is generally more subdued, but very playing and will purr the second any fingernails come near her.
Generally speaking their transition to their new home was very easy, both seemed to adjust perfectly and within a few days were making it very clear who actually owned the apartment...
Both cats were inseparable as one would expect with litter mates. They ate together, explored together, slept together, played together constantly, and would cry if separated (usually during a time-out in the kitchen.) They both have definitely stolen our hearts.
A few nights ago, however, we witnessed a HUGE change in Cohey's behavior. We were both awoken in the middle of the night to sounds of hissing and spitting coming from our kitchen. Upon inspected we saw a very frightened Cammy cowering from a hissing, spitting, growling, and defensive looking Cohey. There was no violence, as both cats stayed as far away from each other as possible. Cammy looked so confused and almost hurt!
We assumed that maybe a little play had gotten too rough, and we separated them for the night thinking that all would be forgotten in the morning. We were heartbroken to find that Cohey still hissed and spit when exposed to Cammy for even the shortest amount of time. Cohey wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even eat when cammy was around! Cammy began to look very dejected the more Cohey hissed at her.
We kept them separated for the most part. Now and then we would try to bring them together for a little play time with string or one of their toys. This usually went well for 2-3 minutes before hostilities on the part of Cohey resumed.
Yesterday and today Cohey has calmed slightly, and the Kitchen seems to have become neutral ground. The cats have resumed eating together (still with an occasional hiss) and today we even spotted them sleeping together in their little bed in the kitchen. However, once we let them out into the apartment to play, its back to the hissing and spitting.
I was so saddened to see Cammy playing alone, almost saddened to be doing so, wondering where her sister was that I decided to call the animal shelter to see if this was common. They were as surprised as I was, and suggested that I take them to see the vet.
This morning our Vet gave them a clean bill of health. As of tonight, Cohey is still hostile, albeit less then before.
I tried the Vanilla Extract trick listed on an earlier thread with no success...
What happened to my poor little playmates, why is Cohey so anti-social all of a sudden. Cammy wants her sister back, can anyone help??
Thanks so much for any advice!
Eric
My girlfriend and I adopted C & C from an animal shelter about 10 days ago, and they are adorable female litter mates. Cammy is a Calico short hair, very precocious and curious about everything, sometimes a little shy though and needs to be coaxed out of her shell. Cohey is a black and white long hair and is generally more subdued, but very playing and will purr the second any fingernails come near her.
Generally speaking their transition to their new home was very easy, both seemed to adjust perfectly and within a few days were making it very clear who actually owned the apartment...
Both cats were inseparable as one would expect with litter mates. They ate together, explored together, slept together, played together constantly, and would cry if separated (usually during a time-out in the kitchen.) They both have definitely stolen our hearts.
A few nights ago, however, we witnessed a HUGE change in Cohey's behavior. We were both awoken in the middle of the night to sounds of hissing and spitting coming from our kitchen. Upon inspected we saw a very frightened Cammy cowering from a hissing, spitting, growling, and defensive looking Cohey. There was no violence, as both cats stayed as far away from each other as possible. Cammy looked so confused and almost hurt!
We assumed that maybe a little play had gotten too rough, and we separated them for the night thinking that all would be forgotten in the morning. We were heartbroken to find that Cohey still hissed and spit when exposed to Cammy for even the shortest amount of time. Cohey wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even eat when cammy was around! Cammy began to look very dejected the more Cohey hissed at her.
We kept them separated for the most part. Now and then we would try to bring them together for a little play time with string or one of their toys. This usually went well for 2-3 minutes before hostilities on the part of Cohey resumed.
Yesterday and today Cohey has calmed slightly, and the Kitchen seems to have become neutral ground. The cats have resumed eating together (still with an occasional hiss) and today we even spotted them sleeping together in their little bed in the kitchen. However, once we let them out into the apartment to play, its back to the hissing and spitting.
I was so saddened to see Cammy playing alone, almost saddened to be doing so, wondering where her sister was that I decided to call the animal shelter to see if this was common. They were as surprised as I was, and suggested that I take them to see the vet.
This morning our Vet gave them a clean bill of health. As of tonight, Cohey is still hostile, albeit less then before.
I tried the Vanilla Extract trick listed on an earlier thread with no success...
What happened to my poor little playmates, why is Cohey so anti-social all of a sudden. Cammy wants her sister back, can anyone help??
Thanks so much for any advice!
Eric
