Hello all,
I am new here, so I checked through the forum and didn't see anything quite like my issue exactly so I need to ask this separately.
So here's our backstory: 2 Cats - Teddy - Male (4/5ish yo), erin - female (3ish). I moved in w/ my b/f about 1 1/2 yrs ago - so I'm not new and nothing in the house has changed except for the arrngment of the bedroom furnuture about 2 weeks ago. Traditionally Teddy has been the one to chase Erin around and make her hide in the various cubes and closets to find some peace. It has only rarely come to the point where my b/f or I have to intervene on her behalf, he generally gives up after she hides and bats at him for a minute.
Now here's what happened today: Teddy went off on his daily freak out around the apartment, specifically targetting the bedroom as the window was open to let a breeze in. Suddenly I hear a huge thump/crash (I thought he had knocked stuff off our bookcase). I ran in to inspect the damage and could find nothing out of place. I turned and looked at Teddy lying just outside the bedroom door - he seemed a little contorted on the floor, waist down facing the wall front legs up lying flat on the floor looking at me over his shoulder. I was very concerned thinking he'd hurt himself, maybe he'd lost his footing hitting the floor and sprained/broken something. I moved towards him and he made that warning mewing sound (it's real low and sounds like he's in pain) so I freaked and moved closer I figured he had to be hurt and he hissed at me sounding very angry.
By then Erin had come over to inspect the situation - then everything went so fast I think this is how it happened - She tried to get close to sniff, he mewed, hissed swatted and ran into the bedroom and hid under the bed, mewing and hissing the whole way, Erin takes off in hot pursuit (totally not her style!) chaos ensues under my bad and I'm screaming "NO!" trying to grab someone (I know dumb - still new to cat craziness) finally I get Erin in my hands pull her out and as I'm walling out of the bedroom she pees on me! I inspect her quickly and put her in the bathroom and go back for Teddy because by now I'm thinking he's really hurting - howling and hissing! I move the bed and he won't let me near him swatting and hissing. I call the b/f he so he's on his way home. I get a towel and manage to pick up teddy as continues to howl but doesn't swat at me. He lets me pick him up in the blanket and lay on his back while I carry him but makes that mewing howl the whole time.
I've checked him out and can't find anything externally physically wrong with the him. Now my b/f's home and the cat calms right down for him and we both look him over again still nothing. I open a can of wet food to see if he'll walk out to the kitchen...No problem there, he came running. I let her out of the bathroom (probably the biggest mistake) she comes out and joins him for a minute or two of quite eating (sharing a plate - another mistake!) then suddenly she starts the mewing sound and starts swatting at him he freaks out and backs into the space between our stove and the counter and I put her back into the bathroom.
OK, so that's where we stand. whenever they see each other she starts the mewing sound and he's scarred to death and hides and hisses. Depending on the situation he's been mewing and hissing at me as well as if I'm going to hurt him. I had put her away in our kitty room for a while and let him calm down and come out of his shell a bit and play with his favorite toy. Now I have her wrapped in a towel so I have control of her on my lap and he is free to roam, however he is hiding just out of her line of sight. I've been working with her to stop the mewing as soon as she starts after she seems him (sometimes it takes her about 2 minutes of staring before she begins). I'm probably going about this all wrong because I've always had dogs and I keep trying to solve this like I would with dogs and I'm certain it's not right.
Ok so what's the question? Any explanations for her sudden assertiveness or his sudden timidness? If not best way to get them reintroduced...I'm going slow here but afraid it's going to take too much time. I'm still thinking he may be injured (like a sprain or something) and he's feeling weak. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow if his behavior is still so atypical, just to be sure.
I just don't know and I have got to figure this out because I know my b/f won't really tolerate the bullying and would rather get her a new home instead. But I've grown to love both of these cats so much I can't let either of them go.
I am so sorry for such a long post but i wanted to give you all the information so that you get give me the best answers possible.
Thank you so so so so so much!
Sincerely,
Freaked out!
I am new here, so I checked through the forum and didn't see anything quite like my issue exactly so I need to ask this separately.
So here's our backstory: 2 Cats - Teddy - Male (4/5ish yo), erin - female (3ish). I moved in w/ my b/f about 1 1/2 yrs ago - so I'm not new and nothing in the house has changed except for the arrngment of the bedroom furnuture about 2 weeks ago. Traditionally Teddy has been the one to chase Erin around and make her hide in the various cubes and closets to find some peace. It has only rarely come to the point where my b/f or I have to intervene on her behalf, he generally gives up after she hides and bats at him for a minute.
Now here's what happened today: Teddy went off on his daily freak out around the apartment, specifically targetting the bedroom as the window was open to let a breeze in. Suddenly I hear a huge thump/crash (I thought he had knocked stuff off our bookcase). I ran in to inspect the damage and could find nothing out of place. I turned and looked at Teddy lying just outside the bedroom door - he seemed a little contorted on the floor, waist down facing the wall front legs up lying flat on the floor looking at me over his shoulder. I was very concerned thinking he'd hurt himself, maybe he'd lost his footing hitting the floor and sprained/broken something. I moved towards him and he made that warning mewing sound (it's real low and sounds like he's in pain) so I freaked and moved closer I figured he had to be hurt and he hissed at me sounding very angry.
By then Erin had come over to inspect the situation - then everything went so fast I think this is how it happened - She tried to get close to sniff, he mewed, hissed swatted and ran into the bedroom and hid under the bed, mewing and hissing the whole way, Erin takes off in hot pursuit (totally not her style!) chaos ensues under my bad and I'm screaming "NO!" trying to grab someone (I know dumb - still new to cat craziness) finally I get Erin in my hands pull her out and as I'm walling out of the bedroom she pees on me! I inspect her quickly and put her in the bathroom and go back for Teddy because by now I'm thinking he's really hurting - howling and hissing! I move the bed and he won't let me near him swatting and hissing. I call the b/f he so he's on his way home. I get a towel and manage to pick up teddy as continues to howl but doesn't swat at me. He lets me pick him up in the blanket and lay on his back while I carry him but makes that mewing howl the whole time.
I've checked him out and can't find anything externally physically wrong with the him. Now my b/f's home and the cat calms right down for him and we both look him over again still nothing. I open a can of wet food to see if he'll walk out to the kitchen...No problem there, he came running. I let her out of the bathroom (probably the biggest mistake) she comes out and joins him for a minute or two of quite eating (sharing a plate - another mistake!) then suddenly she starts the mewing sound and starts swatting at him he freaks out and backs into the space between our stove and the counter and I put her back into the bathroom.
OK, so that's where we stand. whenever they see each other she starts the mewing sound and he's scarred to death and hides and hisses. Depending on the situation he's been mewing and hissing at me as well as if I'm going to hurt him. I had put her away in our kitty room for a while and let him calm down and come out of his shell a bit and play with his favorite toy. Now I have her wrapped in a towel so I have control of her on my lap and he is free to roam, however he is hiding just out of her line of sight. I've been working with her to stop the mewing as soon as she starts after she seems him (sometimes it takes her about 2 minutes of staring before she begins). I'm probably going about this all wrong because I've always had dogs and I keep trying to solve this like I would with dogs and I'm certain it's not right.
Ok so what's the question? Any explanations for her sudden assertiveness or his sudden timidness? If not best way to get them reintroduced...I'm going slow here but afraid it's going to take too much time. I'm still thinking he may be injured (like a sprain or something) and he's feeling weak. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow if his behavior is still so atypical, just to be sure.
I just don't know and I have got to figure this out because I know my b/f won't really tolerate the bullying and would rather get her a new home instead. But I've grown to love both of these cats so much I can't let either of them go.
I am so sorry for such a long post but i wanted to give you all the information so that you get give me the best answers possible.
Thank you so so so so so much!
Sincerely,
Freaked out!