Hello everyone,
This is my first new post here, and I'm so happy to find this site (I'm sure my vet is too because they're probably tired of getting my anxious phone calls to answer questions).
Three weeks ago, I had to put my 19 year old baby, Bud, to sleep because he had either a stroke or a brain tumor. I have another cat named Pumpkin who has been with me (and Bud) for 7 years. He's 8 years old, domestic short hair, ginger and white, neutered. Bud was very dominant, but Pumpkin fit in because he's not really. Pumpkin is VERY loving, sleeps with me every night and lots of the time when I'm watching TV or reading he's with me and lets me kiss him on the forehead and cheek and likes to cuddle a lot (until he gets overstimulated and slaps me, but I've learned to see that coming). Pumpkin and Bud weren't buddy buddy, but they definitely tolerated each other with only the occasional play spat (circling each other and staring, they never hurt each other).
Five days after having to put Bud to sleep the vet gave me Aspen. She's a very confident 2.5 year old long-haired mostly white little girl with orange tufted ears and a big fluffy orange tail and blue/lavender eyes. She's very friendly with people, loves to be groomed and likes play time and being petted, but spends a lot of time on the screen porch alone watching the birds and squirrels. I took her because Pumpkin's a cat that seems to like other cats and I thought he'd be lonely in the house all day by himself.
I didn't take it slow with the introduction like I should have because of my own impatience so I kept her separated in my bedroom for 1 night and then let her out into the rest of the house that morning. For about three days she hissed at Pumpkin but it never escalated into a fight or chasing. He seemed very curious about her and would approach her meowing and chirping. She would hiss when he came within 2 feet of her but would stop when he backed off.
After three days I finally saw them approach each other without her hissing and they even smelled noses (and bottoms tentatively) so I thought everything was going to be great. Up until the time that she no longer hissed I kept her separate from him when I wasn't home.
Well, for the last 4-5 days of so, she's been intermittently chasing him. It mostly looks like she's playing but I'm not sure, and he runs (albeit not too far away) and once she stops I see him follow her wherever she's going at a distance so I don't think he's too overly scared, but when she chases him he looks confused. I'm not sure why since he used to chase Bud's sister, Velvet, mercilessly so you'd think he'd recognize this behavior in Aspen.
Usually she'll see him across the room, hunch down and start wiggling her bottom and then take off after him. Pumpkin is sometimes not paying attention until she gets right up on him and then he runs a distance and she usually stops for a second but then she'll start up again as if she's stalking him (peeking around and under furniture looking for him before she chases). I'm glad that he doesn't run completely away, but he looks confused and wary after she does this. I'd hate it if, since he was here first, he became really nervous in his own house.
As far as I can tell there's been no injury to either of them, but just this morning she did it after he had come in from outdoors and he shortly requested to go back out, perhaps to get away from her (an aside - he's back in now after about 30 minutes outside). That concerns me to. When this isn't going on, they are often out on the screen porch together coexisting peacefully.
The first time it happened was right after I had a handyman here to put in cat doors for the first time, so the vet said it might have just been displaced aggression, but since then it happens with no provocation at all. The first time it ended in hissing, so I separated them for the day while I was at work and let her out in the evening and everything was ok including an episode of nose smelling between the two.
Do I have anything to be worried about? I just don't want Pumpkin to be afraid in his home and to become depressed or anything. I wish he would just chase her back, but it doesn't seem to be in his nature or maybe because he's older. Is this just Aspen still acting like a kitten? Her demeanor when she's doing this seems partly playful and partly aggressive. Do you all think this is likely to escalate?
Any advise would be appreciated.
P.S. While writing this, I heard growling from the screen porch and discovered that the neighborhood bully, Hobbs, was on the other side of the screen and he and Aspen were staring at each other. She was very excited with her tail thrashing back and forth. Pumpkin went out there (although I tried to get him not to) and so did I to referee. She came towards him but they initially just briefly smelled noses. Then he went further into the room and she went towards him and became a little aggressive and lunged at him. He jumped up on his little bench where he likes to sit and she left him alone, but again, he's looking at her with a very wary look in his eyes. Please help. I like her very much so would hate to have to give her back at this point.
This is my first new post here, and I'm so happy to find this site (I'm sure my vet is too because they're probably tired of getting my anxious phone calls to answer questions).
Three weeks ago, I had to put my 19 year old baby, Bud, to sleep because he had either a stroke or a brain tumor. I have another cat named Pumpkin who has been with me (and Bud) for 7 years. He's 8 years old, domestic short hair, ginger and white, neutered. Bud was very dominant, but Pumpkin fit in because he's not really. Pumpkin is VERY loving, sleeps with me every night and lots of the time when I'm watching TV or reading he's with me and lets me kiss him on the forehead and cheek and likes to cuddle a lot (until he gets overstimulated and slaps me, but I've learned to see that coming). Pumpkin and Bud weren't buddy buddy, but they definitely tolerated each other with only the occasional play spat (circling each other and staring, they never hurt each other).
Five days after having to put Bud to sleep the vet gave me Aspen. She's a very confident 2.5 year old long-haired mostly white little girl with orange tufted ears and a big fluffy orange tail and blue/lavender eyes. She's very friendly with people, loves to be groomed and likes play time and being petted, but spends a lot of time on the screen porch alone watching the birds and squirrels. I took her because Pumpkin's a cat that seems to like other cats and I thought he'd be lonely in the house all day by himself.
I didn't take it slow with the introduction like I should have because of my own impatience so I kept her separated in my bedroom for 1 night and then let her out into the rest of the house that morning. For about three days she hissed at Pumpkin but it never escalated into a fight or chasing. He seemed very curious about her and would approach her meowing and chirping. She would hiss when he came within 2 feet of her but would stop when he backed off.
After three days I finally saw them approach each other without her hissing and they even smelled noses (and bottoms tentatively) so I thought everything was going to be great. Up until the time that she no longer hissed I kept her separate from him when I wasn't home.
Well, for the last 4-5 days of so, she's been intermittently chasing him. It mostly looks like she's playing but I'm not sure, and he runs (albeit not too far away) and once she stops I see him follow her wherever she's going at a distance so I don't think he's too overly scared, but when she chases him he looks confused. I'm not sure why since he used to chase Bud's sister, Velvet, mercilessly so you'd think he'd recognize this behavior in Aspen.
Usually she'll see him across the room, hunch down and start wiggling her bottom and then take off after him. Pumpkin is sometimes not paying attention until she gets right up on him and then he runs a distance and she usually stops for a second but then she'll start up again as if she's stalking him (peeking around and under furniture looking for him before she chases). I'm glad that he doesn't run completely away, but he looks confused and wary after she does this. I'd hate it if, since he was here first, he became really nervous in his own house.
As far as I can tell there's been no injury to either of them, but just this morning she did it after he had come in from outdoors and he shortly requested to go back out, perhaps to get away from her (an aside - he's back in now after about 30 minutes outside). That concerns me to. When this isn't going on, they are often out on the screen porch together coexisting peacefully.
The first time it happened was right after I had a handyman here to put in cat doors for the first time, so the vet said it might have just been displaced aggression, but since then it happens with no provocation at all. The first time it ended in hissing, so I separated them for the day while I was at work and let her out in the evening and everything was ok including an episode of nose smelling between the two.
Do I have anything to be worried about? I just don't want Pumpkin to be afraid in his home and to become depressed or anything. I wish he would just chase her back, but it doesn't seem to be in his nature or maybe because he's older. Is this just Aspen still acting like a kitten? Her demeanor when she's doing this seems partly playful and partly aggressive. Do you all think this is likely to escalate?
Any advise would be appreciated.
P.S. While writing this, I heard growling from the screen porch and discovered that the neighborhood bully, Hobbs, was on the other side of the screen and he and Aspen were staring at each other. She was very excited with her tail thrashing back and forth. Pumpkin went out there (although I tried to get him not to) and so did I to referee. She came towards him but they initially just briefly smelled noses. Then he went further into the room and she went towards him and became a little aggressive and lunged at him. He jumped up on his little bench where he likes to sit and she left him alone, but again, he's looking at her with a very wary look in his eyes. Please help. I like her very much so would hate to have to give her back at this point.