- Joined
- May 18, 2012
- Messages
- 10
- Purraise
- 0
I have a male, neutered cat named Riley who is just over a year old and the sweetest, most loveable little guy in the world. Seriously, I've had cats before and he totally takes the cake. He is SO active and always wants to play, so since my boyfriend and I are usually tired after a long day, sometimes we don't feel like playing. Anyway, we thought he might like a companion, so recently we adopted a female kitten (just about 8 weeks old) named Sophie.
I read all the suggestions on introducing them - putting Sophie in a separate room, letting them sniff each other out, bringing her out in a carrier and letting them meet. All of that. Well, the first time Riley met Sophie, he didn't hiss, growl or show any signs of aggression. He kind of followed her around the room and then when she would show interest in him, he would run away scared. After a few days of this, he started chasing her around and kind of "attacking" her by jumping on her back and biting her neck. I read that this is just him showing his dominance, so I didn't really intervene unless Sophie cried out (she is tiny, after all). After a few days of this dominance type behavior, Riley just began to retreat completely.
He hides in the closet (which he never did before) and he rarely shows me any affection/attention. He's also a lot quieter lately - he used to "talk" to us and purr constantly. Now it seems like he never makes a sound. I guess I would equate his behavior to a zombie - just quietly sulking around the house. He doesn't really seem to have interest in playing either. I'll tempt him with his favorite toys and some times he will give me a swat or two, but most of the time he just sits there staring. Also, I noticed he had diarrhea for a couple of days, so I took him to the vet and he got a clean bill of health.
I just want to know if this depression behavior is normal and what (if anything) I can do. It breaks my heart to see him so down. Also, I don't want him to lose his awesome personality. Is there a chance he will never be the same ol' guy again or am I just being overly worried?
I've had both cats for 2 weeks now, which I know isn't a lot of time in cat world. I'm just concerned because all of the information I've found about introducing new cats describes the resident cat hissing and growling and eventually growing out of it. I can't find any information about the cat becoming depressed.
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions you can give!
I read all the suggestions on introducing them - putting Sophie in a separate room, letting them sniff each other out, bringing her out in a carrier and letting them meet. All of that. Well, the first time Riley met Sophie, he didn't hiss, growl or show any signs of aggression. He kind of followed her around the room and then when she would show interest in him, he would run away scared. After a few days of this, he started chasing her around and kind of "attacking" her by jumping on her back and biting her neck. I read that this is just him showing his dominance, so I didn't really intervene unless Sophie cried out (she is tiny, after all). After a few days of this dominance type behavior, Riley just began to retreat completely.
He hides in the closet (which he never did before) and he rarely shows me any affection/attention. He's also a lot quieter lately - he used to "talk" to us and purr constantly. Now it seems like he never makes a sound. I guess I would equate his behavior to a zombie - just quietly sulking around the house. He doesn't really seem to have interest in playing either. I'll tempt him with his favorite toys and some times he will give me a swat or two, but most of the time he just sits there staring. Also, I noticed he had diarrhea for a couple of days, so I took him to the vet and he got a clean bill of health.
I just want to know if this depression behavior is normal and what (if anything) I can do. It breaks my heart to see him so down. Also, I don't want him to lose his awesome personality. Is there a chance he will never be the same ol' guy again or am I just being overly worried?
I've had both cats for 2 weeks now, which I know isn't a lot of time in cat world. I'm just concerned because all of the information I've found about introducing new cats describes the resident cat hissing and growling and eventually growing out of it. I can't find any information about the cat becoming depressed.
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions you can give!