Mom has a big dilemma in our shelter - Albert the white deaf cat is picking on poor Woody, a sweet tabby boy. Woody is very submissive and hides or runs from Al. Al does not know how to socialize with us other cats - he was probably taken from his mom and siblings too soon. We don't know anything about his early weeks. He seems to pick out the most timid ones and stalks them like prey!!! Things have heated up a bit between him and Woody.
Anyway Woody is hiding under or behind a chair all the time. Mom makes sure he gets love and food but what kind of life is this? He does love his brothers Norm and Sam and likes to be with them and Snowball. We can bring him inside the house but the cats in there don't know Woody and he may hide under something in the house too -and Mom won't be able to find him!!!! What to do???
On the other hand, Woody may like being in the house - he has never been in one before and may make friends with the other kitties and have a fun time. We have to ponder this - any suggestions or ideas are welcome.
10 comments:
We don't know much about this, but we think Woody deserves a break.
Albert looks great, but what a bully.
Youz nebber know who iz gonna yikes it in da house. Youz momma iz a smart wommin'. We iz sure she will figger out da rite answer. If Woody iz all upset, he should go inside to chill. Dat iz out thinks on diz.
Sometimes cats just don't learn to get along with each other. It's a big problem if they are confined to a small space. If they have a larger area to roam, at least the one being picked on has a chance to get away. How long have you given them to get acquainted? Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks. If it's been longer than that, then maybe you need to find a way to separate them.
Al and Woody have been together for a year. Most days they are fine but this is the worst situation so far. Mom is leaning toward bringing Woody inside even tho he will miss his brothers and mom Lily.
Sounds like a problem. But it looks like you have some great climbing places!
When we brought Starla inside, she hid under everything and wouldn't come out because of the other cats. We're still dealing with this, as Tabby chases her every day. Starla comes out and is very social, sitting with us and wanting petting. She didn't know how to sit with us or be petted, but she learned after about a week that both were good things. At first, she spent 90% of her time under the couch, but now it's only about 5% of the time. She has learned to get along with the others, except for Tabby.
My suggestion would be to bring Woody inside, but keep him confined in a small space, like the bathroom or a bedroom, where you know what he can hide under or in. Let him get comfortable with that room or area first, then slowly introduce him to the rest of the house and to the other cats. When he's in the smaller space, exchange bedding and toys with the cats in the rest of the house every so often so each can get used to the others' smells. They'll probably play paws underneath the door as well, and look under there to see the other ones.
We think you should bring Woody inside...maybe he could visit occasionally with his brothers and mom...
Thanks for all your ideas - one major obstacle to bringing Woody inside is we live in a open floor plan with no doors - hard to confine him to a small place except the bath. He is very wild and much older than the others when we took them in. We will keep you posted as to what we do and how Woody is adjusting!
Sounds like Al is a bit like our deaf cat, Frannie, who is also a bully. I think that deafness is a hard handicap for a cat because it isolates them so much socially. Our Frannie has had a series of targets over the years and about the only thing that has slowed her down is being the target of one of our newer cats. (Living with multiple cats is a lot like living in a Byzantine court or a guerilla war.) I hope you can find a remedy that allows both Woody and Al to enjoy their lives in peace.
I was reading a book where it described the way cats can get into certain patterns of behavior and have trouble changing. Maybe if Woody took a vacation in your house you could see how that goes. Possibly after a week Al might forget that they weren't getting along. Hope the situation gets better soon.
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