Need advice--is my cat just evil embodied? Or am I overreacting?

[imjustacatmom]

You are too funny girl...thank you so much for the laughs and thank you for sharing your babies and story with us...I feel like I know you and I dont...if that makes sense...I feel like just through the stories on here I know quite a few people [emoji]128569[/emoji][emoji]128049[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji][emoji]128008[/emoji][emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128150[/emoji][emoji]128150[/emoji]

 

[hbunny]

I'm the same way.  I feel like I know a lot of folks on here, we are all a close community!

 

[mservant]

@hbunny   I'm catching up here and it sounds to me like you're doing great.   Follow your gutt feelings with these fur-guys and you should see things settle, whether they start to share the space a little more or simply consolidate their tiome-zones and increase how confident they feel around their home.   

Having lived with an elderly hard of hearing (and blind) cat I can vouch for how loud those 'noises' get, but thankfully my girl's sister had passed by the time she lost her hearing because they had a number of spats as they aged.  They were litter sisters but the longer surviving one was well and truly kept in her place.   It didn't happen often but there were days when I'd come in from work to a trail of fur clumps all over the floors and two cats sittling at oposite ends of the apartment.  Thankfully as they were both hearing in those days, if they started up when I was at home I could clap my hands loudly and give them a firm, loud 'cut it out' which usually stopped them.  They did a good line in growls and hisses but none as scary as I heard from two entire Tom cats out in the back yard of a house I was looking after when a friend was on holiday.  Oh boy, that battle sounded like it was going to the death and I was seriously worried I would open the back door to a pool of blood when the noise eventually stopped.  Nope:  it was the resident ginger Tom sitting on his butt with his iron paw resting firmly on the exposed belly of the neighbouring sealpoint.... whose collar was on the paving about a foot away.  There was a tonne of fur but no blood thank goodness.  They had been deadly serious and there was no way I would have tried to intervene.   Aparently they went through this territorial routine on a regular basis!  

    Wurp and Shortstack sound a good deal more accepting of each other than that pair.

 

[hbunny]

Hi MServant! Wurp's loudness began to get much worse a couple of years ago, and about that time we noticed his hearing was going. He doesn't even respond to very loud noises anymore. I can yell his name next to his ear and he won't wake up now. The vet has found no reason, so we accept and go on. He's adapted well, and we do use hand signals he quickly learned. But he is so loud! I'm glad to hear of another deaf kitty being loud, because I thought it was just him.
I truly believe he realizes now that Shortstack is a part of our household and isn't going anywhere, but he wants to establish he is lord and master. He absolutely wanted to kill him at first, but it's a whole different attitude now, I can just tell. But sometimes I swear he wants Shortstack to just give him a reason to go full blown psycho on him. Wurp was a mean, aggressive outdoor cat, territorial, even though he was neutered at about age 1. He was provoking Stack yesterday, but he is such a baby, he just went submissive. He rarely fights back, just runs. He would just get in his face and back him up. Then when he laid down, he slapped at his back foot. It was like he was trying to get him to give him a reason to whoop his butt!

 

[mservant]

Poor Shortstack.   At least they seem to be doing a bit of sorting out without serious harm to each other.   Shortstack is very wise not to provoke the current master of the house.  

ROFL, I still remember the first time I met a deaf cat.  I was visiting someone's house to do some work for them and they had a stunning, pure white cat.  That was when I learned about many white cat's being deaf.  They lived on a busy road and had to be really careful to keep her in because she had absolutely no road sense.   Oh my could that cat yeowl.  

 

    No idea why but she vocalised almost all the time too and it was hard to have a human conversation.  I hate to think what the neighbours thought but the cat was about 10 when I met them and the family had lived there from before they had her.  Maybe their neighbour was deaf too (if they weren't they probably wished they had sound insulation).

 

[hbunny]

@MServant  so you've heard the crazy yeowwwwwl!!! that a deaf cat can make......sounds like you heard what Wurp does!  It's insane sounding, and I really don't think he means for it to come out like that.  At least he doesn't do it all the time, just randomly, or when he is cursing Shortstack out

Yes, poor Shortstack.  He is just a big furry ball of love and sunshine, and he really would love to have a friend in Wurp.  Stack is so loving, and I've never seen him meet a cat that he didn't try to love on immediately. 

Wurp is just an old, cranky geezer!!  It just kills me, he used to be best buds with a neutered male named Bilbo years ago, and lived harmoniously with him for quite a while!  Wurp changed after "his" dog died.  My dog Max died at the ripe old age of 23, and he was Wurp's best friend--truly his best friend.  They slept together, and as Max became more and more senile, blind, and feeble, Wurp stayed near him 24/7.   He passed at home naturally of old age, with all of us gathered around him, including Wurp.  After he passed Wurp was upset for weeks, and he really hasn't been as social since then.

 

[mservant]

That is so sad, Wurp losing his friend Max.  I have heard that many cats prefer to live with dogs because then they don't have the same territory issues.    Wurp was much kinder with his dog friend than my other cat was with Pal as she became more frail:  even before Pal lost her hearing and sight her sister bullied and beat her up.  I hate to think what her life would have been like if her sister had still been around and fitter than her as she became even more frail.  It sounds like Max was Wurp's animal soul mate.  Hopefully Max's spirit still watches over him - who knows, maybe Ma'x spirit telling him he's being a butt and should accept Shortstack is just what is needed.  

 

[Columbine]

VERY late catching up here :anon:

Wow! You've had some serious 'fun' haven't you?! :winkblue: It really does sound like Stack is trying to stand up to Wurp - not to challenge his authority, but just to say that he won't be pushed around - but keeps losing his nerve I think just keep doing what you're doing. They will eventually work out a way to coexist peacefully, I'm sure. Wurp has definitely accepted Stack as part of the family, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he likes him, deep, DEEP down He wouldn't go check up on him every night otherwise, and fuss when he can't see him. I'm positive they'll work things out now - just a gut instinct, but a pretty darn strong one

I know Stack ran from Wurp, but how did he run? I'm almost starting to wonder if they were play fighting. I've had owned two pairs of cats regularly engaged in play fighting, and it could look and sound worryingly realistic at times - complete with bloodcurdling shrieks and clumps of fur all over the house The fight - break - fight - break pattern, especially given the lack of real damage done, does sound like many of the 'wrestling matches' I've ...er...enjoyed(?) over the years. I know it's a radical thought, but could it fit what you're seeing?

 

[hbunny]

I started a new thread that updates our interactions now that it is almost 7 months in!  Here is a pic of the two big boys last night!  They aren't snuggle buddies or BFF's, but my main goal and hope was just that they wouldn't kill each other, so I've got that going for me at least......

And, I still don't leave them together unsupervised.  Shortstack still goes to his room behind baby gates at bedtime, so Wurp can prowl and patrol the house all night as usual.  Stack sleeps at night anyway, and does his thing during the day. 

I did leave them alone together in the house ALL BY THEMSELVES last night for about 30 minutes.  I ran to the store and they were both like this in the pic when I left AND when I came back.  When I got back they were both sleeping like this.

Success?  I don't know.  But progress.  An absolute ton of progress.  I'm so proud of both of them right now!

IMG_0866.JPG

• hbunny
• Aug 31, 2016

 

[mservant]

ROFL, I love that photo.  I can totally imagine the pair of them there with the addition of a six pack of bears and kitty snacks, not to mention a nice reclined option on the sofa.  

   

   

That looks like brilliant progress

   If there had been any untoward action while you were out there would have been endless clumps of fur dotted about the place (I used to come home to them regularly as my former tabby girls aged and got disgruntled with each other).   Being happy to share the sofa is big - well done you for being patient and allowing them to get to know each other in their own time.

Loving the idea of Wurp stalking around and checking over his territory at night.  It sounds like they have worked out a nice way to share space by being up at different times, which is aparently what a lot of outdoor cats do when they have to share territory.  

     Will have to go check out that new thread you mention.  

 

[hbunny]

@MServant   HAHA They remind me of that movie, "Grumpy Old Men".  Before Shortstack hopped up, Wurp had huffed over and hopped up and settled into his side (on the left in the pic), and Stack went over and sat in the floor in front of him staring up at him.  I was going "OH NO---here it comes!" but he just looked at him...it's like he was asking permission.  Then he went over and hopped up.  They just looked at each other, like, oh well, I'M NOT MOVING and they settled down.  Do you see the expressions on their faces?  It's Grumpy Old Men! 

I decided to chance the 30 minutes yesterday evening.  I figured it was time they figured it out on their own.  Honestly, I expected to only be gone about 15 minutes, but the lines were horrible at Walmart.  I got home and there they sat, same positions, and they stayed there until I finished dinner.  It was just surreal.

I'm at the point to where now every evening when I get home from work I let them be together until we go to bed at night, but they are allowing each other to get closer every day.  On the other thread there is a pic of them eating treats inches from each other.  They are still jumpy when the other moves, but the trust isn't fully there yet.  Guess that will come with time.  At least I hope!!

 

[hbunny]

Oh, here is a link to the other thread that has pics too:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/325599/7-months-in-update-on-introducing-two-cats

 

[imjustacatmom]

@hbunny

Love this pik...and where is the link you've set up...I'd like to check it out...blessings

 

[hbunny]

I put the link in my previous post but if you can't see it search for 7 months in update [emoji]128522[/emoji]