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My 12 year old tripod kitty Caseopia has always been incredibly sweet. The only cat she ever fought with is Kiki (who I got in 2004) but they settled down and stayed out of each others way. Since my oldest cat, Wednesday passed away in February I've noticed a disturbing change in her behavior. Caseopia started attacking another cat that looks a lot like Wednesday (Monkey), not often but 3-4 times a month. I thought Caseopia missed Wednesday since she was with her from about 8 months old but tonight she went after 3 cats. First she went after Monkey, then my old lady rescue Honey, then Grumps (who she's lived with for almost 3 years since Grumps was 3 weeks old). It's like she couldn't control herself, she had a wild look in her eyes. I'm really concerned about this and have never experienced this kind of problem before. She's not aggressive to me in the slightest and up until tonight her anger was always directed towards Monkey. I broke up the fight and Caseopia still tried to go after her, Honey and Grumps just happened to be nearby. I ran after her and picked her up but there was a moment where it felt like she didn't even recognize me. I'm worried there's something physically wrong with her but cannot take her to the vet right now because I owe them a considerable amount of money. Could it be Monkey's resemblance to Wednesday? It's a bit uncanny how much they look alike, there are times when even I do a double take. Caseopia has always been my sweetest cat, she's always loved everyone. I really appreciate any advice you guys have. Here's a picture of my girl.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622Maybe they're looking at her funny
Ok, I'm kidding - it's actually sad and frustrating, I am sure. I have no idea what to do about it, but Jackson's personality totally changed after his companion Phantom died. He went from being playful and confident to being shy and scared of everything. Of course, Ms StellaPuss came into our lives and she's got a very strong personality, which contributed....but Jackie was definitely different. Fortunately, not in an aggressive way, but it made me sad to see him so changed Luckily, he developed some nice , but different characteristics as well (he now "talks" to me and to people - especially women). He's also finally coming out of his shell much more (five years later!).
Maybe she needs to be put on "time out" whenever she acts up? I know you don't have the space to really isolate her too much, but that's what I would try on my own. Any time she attacks, into the bathroom she goes for a while.
Have you tried giving her special attention? I made sure to lock Stella out of the room sometimes to give Jackie alone time with mama so he knew he was loved. That seemed to help him too.
Poor baby misses her pal, I bet -
I do give her special attention, she's one of the OG's so she deserves it. She sleeps on my pillow and I hug her and pet her and tell her how awesome she is. She's my special girl with her 3 legs, I'm kind of amazed that she can be so fierce. I'm just worried it's more than missing Wednesday. Thanks sweetie!Go do something useful.
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sounds weird but maybe she knows the other kitty looks like her old friend wednesday, but the vibes are not the same and that aggravates her. She doesn't like this doppelganger! That's a very human response, but who says kittahs aren't complex?(\__/)
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It is strange that it started after Wednesday died. I've had Monkey since September and Caseopia was fine with her, I don't think she ever really noticed her. I miss Wednesday so much, she was the only cat who ever actually sassed me. I guess it's not so odd that Caseopia misses her too and doesn't understand. Thanks, Mama!Go do something useful.
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I know pretty much nothing about cat behavior, other than they terrify me :), but maybe Wednesday was acting as a protector of Monkey or the other cats.
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Subject: cat behavior
Could it be she is trying to be 'top cat' and the heirachy changed with the passing of her old friend? Where were Wednesday's favorite places to sleep and are any of the other cats infracting on her old haunts? Poor kitty... That is so sad... I hope Caseopia settles down soon. SaraTo live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else. Emily Dickinson -
OP, you may not know cats but Wednesday being Caseopia's protector is close to what babynamib said. People think cats are solitary animals, while some of them can be when you look at feral cats they tend to form "packs". They have a hierarchy just like dogs so when one dies the hierarchy changes and they sometimes fight to fill that spot. Wednesday was the oldest cat so she was rarely bothered by the others, they had respect for her. Caseopia is now the oldest so she may be trying to establish her role as the "alpha". I need to look into this more to see how a cat pack deals with an opening. Thanks for the advice, everyone! I feel a little better now that I know there could be something else causing her behavior. Go do something useful.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622The "order" is definitely upset. Stella came home only a month after Phantom died and she immediately claimed everything "MINE! MINE! MINE!" and Jackson just got confused and backed down. Hopefully it will sort itself out soon
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