Ginger Babies and The Old Guy..

[MoLa]

I had two old boys..I'm down one old boy (Toby was 13ish) and now my 'young' boy (Oliver- 10 1/2) is the old boy. Enter 2 ginger gals.. about 9-11 weeks old. They LOVE Oliver, but he was always #2.. he's struggling with all of the changes in his life.. including being the Alpha.. any cat parent tips?

 

[LEGENDofBEVERLY]

he's struggling with all of the changes in his life

I am so sorry for your lose

Could you delve into what he is struggling with a little more and/or maybe some more details with what has happened?

Like If he was close with Toby & how long were they housemates? If they were best friends for years then Oliver could still be grieving over the lose of his best friend.

How quickly after Toby passed did you add your new cats & what was you process for introducing them to Oliver and the household? Moving super fast through all of that could lead to him being really stressed and anxious or super territorial over limited resources.

 

[FeebysOwner]

. More information could be very helpful!

 

[Alldara]

Firstly I am sorry for your loss it's never easy.

Thinking of cats as "alpha" is looking at cats through dog-coloured glasses.

Are the younger cats looking to Oliver for guidance? Or do they want him to treat them like a parent cat and he seems overwhelmed?

Oliver is probably mourning the loss of Toby. Especially if he was bonded to him (grooming, cuddling, play behaviours or other signs). I've read it can take cats 6 months to mourn. In my experience that is an average of how long it takes the major behavioural changes due to grief to stop or improve.

A good way to support Oliver is to give him lots of attention and try to get him playing and eating normally.