We have two cats that live with us. Izzy is 5 years old and is very shy. Only in the last couple of years has she has begun to come to us and rub on our legs and ask to be petted. But most of the time she likes to be by herself. Princess just turned a year old and is our crazy cat. She always has to be in room with us and loves to play with us and be petted and scratched. The problem is she is a very jealous cat. Any time we start to show Izzy attention Princess runs over and nips at her legs or tries to jump on her and Izzy will run away. If Izzy goes over to her bowl to eat (they each have a food bowl and a water bowl of their own) Princess runs over and sticks her face in the bowl so Izzy can't eat. Or she will climb on the table close to where the food is and jump on Izzy's back. They do get along otherwise. They play together sometimes and lick each other but Princess always takes it too far- she doesn't stop until Izzy cries and runs away. I feel bad for Izzy and it sucks that I never get to just pet Izzy anymore. The other issue is Princess has separation anxiety. She has to be in the room with us at all times and if a door is closed (like when I'm in the bathroom) she will sit outside and cry and scream until the door is opened. A few weeks ago the windows were open in the house and we were sitting on the porch. I see Princess come walking around the corner of the house towards the porch. How did she get out of the house you ask? Why, she broke the screen in window in my daughter's room and jumped out the window to come be by us. If we take showers she sits outside the bathtub and cries until we're done. It's nuts. We love the cats- they are both part of the family but Princess is driving me nuts. What can we do to tame the jealousy and the separation anxiety? Help me with my little terror! Oh we've had both the cats their whole lives- Izzy since she was 3 months old and we got Princess at 8 weeks old.
Cats do have their own personalities just like people. Personalities change slightly as they grow older. They will also learn to deal with life a little better as they get older. Are they spade? A lot of times this may help.
Hi A.! I have owned cats all my life. One time I had 13 of them. Crazy crazy I know! LOL I love them though. They do indeed have their own personalities and their own little quirks. Right now I have three. They do tend to get jealous of each other. To help that, when you are petting one, make sure you are petting the other at the same time. You'll have to do this often. This will help the cats understand that you love them both, and it's ok to accept each other. My boy cat Oreo, he is my "dog" I say. LOL He constantly begs for table food, and he is a piggy when it comes to feeding time in the morning. If I'm not watching, he will push the other two girls out of the way and eat their food too. He knows now that he has to wait for them to get done before he can chow down on their leftovers. lol
Spading/Neutering does help with the dominance in them. Doesn't completely get rid of that part of their personality though. lol Cats are very territorial, even when they grow up together. Your Princess is a very needy kitty, which is normal for that type of personality. She constantly wants to be by you because she is that loyal and loves you that much. Other cats are loyal, and love their owners, but are comfortable by themselves and don't need the constant attention. Most cats don't like constant attention. They like to go off on their own and do their own thing. They are very independant that way.
I wouldn't leave your window opened anymore, especially if they are strictly indoor cats. If a cat wants to get out, that is a sure way for them to escape. They are very resourceful (most times), and if they want something, or if they want to get something, they will.
My cat Ginger will sometimes come into the bathroom while I'm taking a shower and sit on the sink until I'm done. When I go to the bathroom, she will sit at the door, scratch and meow letting me know she wants in. It's just them wanting to be by you.
Sounds like Izzy tolerates Princess at times, and cats do end up friends, or they accept one another and just tolerate each others presence. Some cats, like mine, will annoy each other and piss each other off. I think they get a kick out of making the other crazy. LOL
Just start petting them both at the same time for a while and see if that helps Princess's jealousy.
If you have any more questions, feel free to email me. :-)
If these were my cats, I'd take my questions to the vet. I think Princess is definitely being aggressive.
Cats Princess's age to do like to play. In addition, some cats will challenge their "siblings'" territory (and food) to see if they can get away with it. If Izzy retaliated, Princess would probably raise the white flag and they'd start getting along better again.
I wouldn't let her treatment of Izzy continue. If you need to feed the cats in separate rooms, do it. If Princess won't share you and gets upset when you're giving Izzy attention, shoo her away and give her attention when YOU want to (soon after). Princess has forgotten that YOU, not Izzy, are actually the Head Kitty.
It could be an issue that "Izzy" is an adult and Princess is still a "kid". Sometimes kids just don't know when to quite. I do have a few suggestions.
Make sure they have separate food/ water dishes and have them in separate locations. If you just leave food out for them, then it might be time for a feeding schedule so that they are fed at the same time. Hpefully, the younger can't bother the older because she's too busy eating her own food. If your older is a slow eater then you might have to monitor the younger and if she gets too close to the older cat's dish shoo her away (squirt bottle of water?).
I'm not sure about the separation anxiety, but I know what worked with my daughter. Talking to the cat while you're behind the door might or might not help. I know how well cat's listen, but the sound of your voice might calm her a bit.
Good luck, I have 3 kitties of my own and sometimes their behavior stumps me too.
I honestly don't have a good answer for you, but just like people cats have phases, and right now your cat is the equivalent of a teenager, which might be why some of the behavior is the way it is.
Here is a chart to convert cat age to human years, if that helps any. http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/agechart.htm
http://www.spiritessences.com/
I have a friend who is a rehabber who swears by the stuff on this site. Check out the things they have for cats to calm them down. Might be worth a try.
Has Princess been fixed? I have found that every single one of my cats has calmed down after being fixed.
Also maybe try catnip? Catnip affects cats differently...some cats get very frisky and playful and other cats get very calm. I have a special blanket that I spray with a catnip spray and the cats will just roll on it and lounge around and lick each other.
