Expert: Norman Auspitz - 12/17/2009

Question
I have had a cat for about 6 years, Mystic, she came to us as a kitten and was very affectionate but then all of sudden she did not like us.  She always growls when we pick her up.  She will be affectionate when she wants to be but that is all.  About 4 weeks ago, I adopted a 8 month old cat, Cobbie, which was abandoned.  Both cats are fixed and for a while I separated the cats but now I leave the door open to the room where Cobbie stays but now Mystic is starting to terrorize this new cat.  Mystic has done this in the past to one of our other cats who ran away to another family up the street and we feel it was because of Mystic's behavior.  I need to know what I can do to assist these cats in getting along or should I try to find a home for Cobbie so she will not have to stay in her room all the time.  Thanks for any advice you can give me...

Answer
Lisa,

We still have no understanding about how cats get along with each other or not. I do have a suggestion or two about Mystic.  I would have her checked by your vet to make sure there is not a medical issue.  If it hurts when you pick her up, she will growl (also, she may growl just because she wants to be ornery).  If she stopped being affectionate when she reached puberty, it could have been attributed to hormones.  I would have her thyroid levels checked to see if that may explain her behavior.

If it turns out it is not a medical issue, then, I am afraid there is nothing you can do to get Mystic and Cobbie to get along.  It may be that Mystic has got to be the only cat in the household.

When two cats, who are strangers, meet, they have to go through a number of "getting to know you" rituals which are usually loud with lots of hissing, spitting, growling, and the like.  As long as the two cats in question do not draw blood, I would not worry about it.  We mere humans do not understand the process and often, mistakenly attribute human motives and emotions to the whole business.  We know that cats do not think like we do and we often misinterpret their behaviors. What may appear to be fighting might just be rough play. (You should see how roughly little kittens play with each other!!!!!) So, I would leave Cobbie and Mystic to come to an understanding and give it a few weeks to see what develops.

Please let me know how it goes.

Best regards... Norm.