I have 5 cats:
Now for the issues. Everything was going great until the kittens turned 1 years old. Everyone was getting long well. I'd say they still all get along pretty well, except the unspayed mother, Nala, seems to have a major problem with one of the neutered males, Bob. But she's also been a bit bothered by her kittens.
Nala was super duper active before, even moreso than her kittens, but now she is more like the neutered adults, sleeping most of the day. She also seems to play less, though she still is playful in general, just not like before. She's stopped going into heat for a few months now. I'm not sure if this is normal for an unspayed cat.
But I do understand the issue with her kittens. I have been reading and it seems around this age she will be pushing them away naturally. She doesn't hate her kittens, she sometimes hisses at them when they're trying to play with her or going near her to nurse (they were nursing for almost 11 months). But other times she will still groom them. They still sleep and cuddle together.
The big issue is with Nala and Bob, one of the neutered males. Nala and Bob were never 'best friends' but very early on when I first got Nala (as a stray) she seemed more friendly with Bob. But something happened I guess over time and they drifted apart. Nala became closer with Jimmy. It seems overall Jimmy became almost best friends with Nala and her kittens. They hang out, cuddle, groom, comfort, play with each other, etc. It doesn't matter whether they're in heat or not in heat, Jimmy is just their best friend.
I don't know what happened but it seems each day Nala is more and more afraid/frustrated with Bob. Whenever Bob approaches even a few feet away from her, she begins to growl and hiss at him. Last night I was downstairs in the kitchen and they were upstairs, and I heard Nala shrieking as if there was a major fight happening. Bob chased after Nala, and later in the evening when I went upstairs I found blood splattered on the litter boxes and wall! I have no idea which one of them got hurt, but I checked both of them thoroughly and couldn't figure out who was injured. Both are acting normally, and for whatever reason Nala still hangs around Bob, but if Bob approaches her she goes nuts. I don't think he's doing anything wrong, but for whatever reason she just hates him.
I've been thinking of applying vanilla scent to Bob and Nala, but wonder if I should apply it to all of them. Or if I should wait a month until the females are all spayed to do that. I'm just worried Nala and Bob will kill each other (not literally that worried yet but the worry is increasing). It's really difficult to separate them as they all like to hang out in the same spots, though I have tried to separate them occasionally before/after meals when it seems the 'frustration' levels are very high.
Any other ideas/suggestions? Anyone experience anything like this?
- 2 neutered males (brothers) approximately 5 years old: Bob & Jimmy
- 1 unspayed female approximately 2 years old, Nala, who is a mother to:
- 2 unspayed female kittens, Mary & Kelly, exactly 1 year old (they turned 1 about 10 days ago)
Now for the issues. Everything was going great until the kittens turned 1 years old. Everyone was getting long well. I'd say they still all get along pretty well, except the unspayed mother, Nala, seems to have a major problem with one of the neutered males, Bob. But she's also been a bit bothered by her kittens.
Nala was super duper active before, even moreso than her kittens, but now she is more like the neutered adults, sleeping most of the day. She also seems to play less, though she still is playful in general, just not like before. She's stopped going into heat for a few months now. I'm not sure if this is normal for an unspayed cat.
But I do understand the issue with her kittens. I have been reading and it seems around this age she will be pushing them away naturally. She doesn't hate her kittens, she sometimes hisses at them when they're trying to play with her or going near her to nurse (they were nursing for almost 11 months). But other times she will still groom them. They still sleep and cuddle together.
The big issue is with Nala and Bob, one of the neutered males. Nala and Bob were never 'best friends' but very early on when I first got Nala (as a stray) she seemed more friendly with Bob. But something happened I guess over time and they drifted apart. Nala became closer with Jimmy. It seems overall Jimmy became almost best friends with Nala and her kittens. They hang out, cuddle, groom, comfort, play with each other, etc. It doesn't matter whether they're in heat or not in heat, Jimmy is just their best friend.
I don't know what happened but it seems each day Nala is more and more afraid/frustrated with Bob. Whenever Bob approaches even a few feet away from her, she begins to growl and hiss at him. Last night I was downstairs in the kitchen and they were upstairs, and I heard Nala shrieking as if there was a major fight happening. Bob chased after Nala, and later in the evening when I went upstairs I found blood splattered on the litter boxes and wall! I have no idea which one of them got hurt, but I checked both of them thoroughly and couldn't figure out who was injured. Both are acting normally, and for whatever reason Nala still hangs around Bob, but if Bob approaches her she goes nuts. I don't think he's doing anything wrong, but for whatever reason she just hates him.
I've been thinking of applying vanilla scent to Bob and Nala, but wonder if I should apply it to all of them. Or if I should wait a month until the females are all spayed to do that. I'm just worried Nala and Bob will kill each other (not literally that worried yet but the worry is increasing). It's really difficult to separate them as they all like to hang out in the same spots, though I have tried to separate them occasionally before/after meals when it seems the 'frustration' levels are very high.
Any other ideas/suggestions? Anyone experience anything like this?