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- Feb 7, 2005
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Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m positively at my witâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s end, and am in desperate need of advice.
T.C. (“Total Controlâ€), my older (spayed) cat is 13 years old, is a total control freak who sulks and throws tantrums when things donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go her way, and has outlived two of her feline companions. A few months ago, her youngest adopted sibling developed a rare and aggressive non-treatable form of cancer, and died within about a month after being diagnosed. During his brief illness, she made his life utterly miserable, constantly stalking him, appointing herself bathroom monitor, provoking confrontations and eating the special treats we prepared for him to try to stimulate his appetite, even though we gave her a little bit of whatever we gave him. After he passed away, she seemed glad to be rid of him. They had never been great buddies, but over the years, they had worked out sort of a time-sharing arrangement as to which cat would occupy which rooms during certain hours.
About two months ago we adopted Fozzie, a 9-week-old (neutered) kitten. However, as soon as I brought the new kitten home, she immediately went into a funk. I kept them separated in different areas of the house initially, but apparently the knowledge that another cat was on the premises was enough to push her over the edge. Within the first week, she had stopped eating and drinking, and dropped about half her body weight. The vet wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t able to determine a physical cause for her refusal to eat, and diagnosed depression/anorexia.
Long gory story short:
After a lot of antidepressants, daily subcutaneous IV fluids, forced feedings, patience and frayed nerves, T.C. has FINALLY started to eat real food and has begun to take an interest in life again. My problem is that Fozzie regards her as a live action figure, and is making HER life miserable now. We have repartitioned the house back into three cat zones: T.C. only, Fozzie only and the communal area. Each “zone†has its own food and water bowls, litter box and toys. For a few hours a day, we allow them to mingle in the communal area under supervision. But Fozzie is too fast for us, and he frequently jumps on T.C.â€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s back and tries to ride her down the hall like sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a pony before we realize what has happened.
If the older cat were healthier, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d just let them hash out their differences and come to their own arrangements. But since sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s still not 100% and able to fend for herself, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know how to get the baby to tone down the stalking and pouncing behavior. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s now almost as big as she is now. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Fozzie to understand some forms of play are not acceptable, and how do I train him to know when heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s crossed that line, and he needs to immediately cease and desist?
I would greatly appreciate any help.
Hugs
T.C. (“Total Controlâ€), my older (spayed) cat is 13 years old, is a total control freak who sulks and throws tantrums when things donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go her way, and has outlived two of her feline companions. A few months ago, her youngest adopted sibling developed a rare and aggressive non-treatable form of cancer, and died within about a month after being diagnosed. During his brief illness, she made his life utterly miserable, constantly stalking him, appointing herself bathroom monitor, provoking confrontations and eating the special treats we prepared for him to try to stimulate his appetite, even though we gave her a little bit of whatever we gave him. After he passed away, she seemed glad to be rid of him. They had never been great buddies, but over the years, they had worked out sort of a time-sharing arrangement as to which cat would occupy which rooms during certain hours.
About two months ago we adopted Fozzie, a 9-week-old (neutered) kitten. However, as soon as I brought the new kitten home, she immediately went into a funk. I kept them separated in different areas of the house initially, but apparently the knowledge that another cat was on the premises was enough to push her over the edge. Within the first week, she had stopped eating and drinking, and dropped about half her body weight. The vet wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t able to determine a physical cause for her refusal to eat, and diagnosed depression/anorexia.
Long gory story short:
After a lot of antidepressants, daily subcutaneous IV fluids, forced feedings, patience and frayed nerves, T.C. has FINALLY started to eat real food and has begun to take an interest in life again. My problem is that Fozzie regards her as a live action figure, and is making HER life miserable now. We have repartitioned the house back into three cat zones: T.C. only, Fozzie only and the communal area. Each “zone†has its own food and water bowls, litter box and toys. For a few hours a day, we allow them to mingle in the communal area under supervision. But Fozzie is too fast for us, and he frequently jumps on T.C.â€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s back and tries to ride her down the hall like sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a pony before we realize what has happened.
If the older cat were healthier, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d just let them hash out their differences and come to their own arrangements. But since sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s still not 100% and able to fend for herself, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know how to get the baby to tone down the stalking and pouncing behavior. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s now almost as big as she is now. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Fozzie to understand some forms of play are not acceptable, and how do I train him to know when heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s crossed that line, and he needs to immediately cease and desist?
I would greatly appreciate any help.
Hugs
