Hi, I am new here. I apologize if this topic has already been discussed, but I did some searching around and I couldn't find anything that pertained to my exact problem.
I have two wonderful cats: a 4 year old male (Sheffield) and a 3 month old female kitten (Lotus). I am happy with the way Lotus is maturing; she is friendly, happy, and always purring. She usually even sleeps through the night without getting into any mischief!
The problem is Sheffield. I adopted him from a shelter a little over a year ago. He has a friendly personality; he will curl up in your arms like a baby and stay there for hours. He has some health problems. My vet told me that he got an upper respitory infection early on in life and was never treated for it, making it somewhat of a permanent affliction. I give him pills to ease his symptoms, and if he gets very bad, I take him for a shot.
Since Lotus came to live with us (about a month ago) Sheffield's behavior has dramatically changed. He is constantly irritable and does not seek attention from me or my fiance anymore. He seems to desperately want to be left alone and jumps to high places (like on top of the computer monitor) so that the kitten can't reach him. The kitten is not rough with him, she just likes to play, but he wants no part of it. He gets incredibly angry when Lotus comes anywhere near him; he hisses, scratches, and growls.
I wonder if he is just miserable because he doesn't feel well most of the time, or if the problem is directly related to Lotus. Can anyone help me better understand Sheffield's aggression and tell me what I can do to help? Thanks
I have two wonderful cats: a 4 year old male (Sheffield) and a 3 month old female kitten (Lotus). I am happy with the way Lotus is maturing; she is friendly, happy, and always purring. She usually even sleeps through the night without getting into any mischief!
The problem is Sheffield. I adopted him from a shelter a little over a year ago. He has a friendly personality; he will curl up in your arms like a baby and stay there for hours. He has some health problems. My vet told me that he got an upper respitory infection early on in life and was never treated for it, making it somewhat of a permanent affliction. I give him pills to ease his symptoms, and if he gets very bad, I take him for a shot.
Since Lotus came to live with us (about a month ago) Sheffield's behavior has dramatically changed. He is constantly irritable and does not seek attention from me or my fiance anymore. He seems to desperately want to be left alone and jumps to high places (like on top of the computer monitor) so that the kitten can't reach him. The kitten is not rough with him, she just likes to play, but he wants no part of it. He gets incredibly angry when Lotus comes anywhere near him; he hisses, scratches, and growls.
I wonder if he is just miserable because he doesn't feel well most of the time, or if the problem is directly related to Lotus. Can anyone help me better understand Sheffield's aggression and tell me what I can do to help? Thanks
