Saturday, May 13, 2006

Mom Here....

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your comments about the new addition to our family. Already we are having so much fun. She doesn't have a name yet, but she is a beautiful, spunky little kitten. The interactions between the gate are going great and we have been moving the gate around the house so Mattingly can get used to her being in other rooms. We've introduced her a few times without the gate, but we aren't so sure how that is going. I've had cats in my family since I was 9, but I've never had an experience like this. Whenever we would bring a new cat or kitten home, we would just sort of plop them in the living room, everyone met, and then we were good. Any newcomers learned quickly that they needed to steer clear of the oldest cat in the family and then everything was fine. Maybe because Mattingly is such a different cat from any that I've had, or maybe because I have such a different relationship with him than I've had with any other pet, or maybe because he is truly a part of the family and not a "pet" like I grew up with, this transition is much harder. When they play through the gate, they bat at each other, purr, and show each other their bellies. We take that as a very good sign. But when they play face to face, it seems he might get too rough with her because she starts to growl and hiss and run away. But then she attacks him and starts it all right over again. She is always the first to present her belly, but then seems to get very agitated and tries to get away. Mattingly doesn't appear to be using any excessive force, and he's not showing any other signs of aggression toward her, so we don't know if maybe she is just sensitive or cranky. In any event, we don't know if we should allow this type of "play" to sort itself out, or break it up. Is this normal or is it unhealthy? When they are separated, they are constantly trying to get to each other, so I just don't know what this all means.

Finally, there is one particular toy that Mattingly loves among all his toys, and we are trying to keep that specifically for him right now. We have not let her near his hidey spot, or allowed her to play with this toy so that he can have these two comforts to himself. However tonight she snuck up on Mattingly and I playing, grabbed his toy, and then growled at us as we tried to take it away from her. She hissed at my husband later when the same thing happened. This is puppy behavior! Not kitty behavior! Have any of you out there experienced this before or do you have any tips you could offer? Our two main concerns are her toy aggression, and what we should do about their play face to face. Should we just let it work itself out and not be such nervous ninnies? I just can't help it though. Mattingly is our baby and we are growing to love this new little thing very quickly. We just want what's best for them.

Thank you! I promise some pictures tomorrow. The camera ran out of batteries today!

12 comments:

Edsel/The Pooch said...

it sounds like they are doing well. and it also sounds like you're being a bit of a nervous ninnie too, but that's understandable. it's probably time to let them sort it out. they, because they're young, will most likely be buddies. i think it's time to lift the gates and let them go!
Edselsmom

=^..^= said...

They had a good start together. I think things between them will iron themselves out. Look at Gucci and Tiffy! There couldn't be a rougher start for those two. Now their Mommy tells me that they are inseparable. Good luck! I look forward to reading more updates about your babies. :)

~5-Cat Style

Fat Eric said...

As they already seem to want to play together, I think you should just let them be together and get used to each other now. I think they will get used to each other and work things out. All siblings have moments of disagreements but learn to live together OK. Has the kitten got a name yet - she is so cute!

Shaggy and Scout said...

Scout was kept behind a gate until he figured out how to escape it (about 4 days!) Scooby & Shaggy used to lay in front of it & hiss & growl the whole time. When Scout got out Scooby would avoid him and still hiss & growl. I would let Scout be out if I was at home but I was not comfortable leaving them unsupervised, so if I left, I'd put Scout in a seperate room and shut the door. This went on for about a month before I felt comfortable enough with the situation to leave them alone. Scooby still hisses & growls at Scout & really doesn't to like him but I do catch them curled up for a nap sometimes. It takes time for them to get used to each other, and with the kitten being aggressive I advise to take it slowly.

The Meezers or Billy said...

We have toy jealousy around here too, but it also works itself out. To me, they sound ready to see what happens for a whole day together with no gate.

BTW - Happy Mother's Day!

Petey said...

Wow she's really cute for a sissyfur kitten. At our house, gates are used to keep the dogs out of places. Cats and kittens can jump and climb them easily. There are 5 of us and we've never needed a gate to separate us. The mom just lets us work it out ourselves.

Boni said...

She's an awfully cute baby and she's lucky to have such a nice big brother! My Mom says not to worry cuz sometimes kitties act like that, specially when one kitty isn't used to having a sisfur or any other cats round. Even Sanjee and Mini haven't hurt each other and they don't like each other anybit at all. So sounds real good that they wanna play. They'll work it out.
Happy lated Mom's day Mattingly's Mom!

Ivan from WMD said...

I wouldn't worry about it too too much. Really, we think it will just take time.

The Crew said...

The new baby is adorable. She looks like Tipper when she was little. Kittens are fearless and can be agressive, not realizing the trouble they're creating. Just keep monitoring their "together" time and let things take their course. Most adult cats instinctivly realize that kittens are babies and react accordingly. With Mattingly hardly more than a baby himself, everything should be fine.

Crews Mom

Kukka-Maria said...

I can't wait for more pictures!

When Brach came to live with us, I played pretty rough with him, too. My mom worried, but then decided that, as long as Brach kept coming back to play with me, I hadn't overstepped any boundaries. If Mattingly kept her cornered against her will--well, then that might be a different story.

As for the agressive behavior and growling? Very doglike! Brach plays fetch for hours, though, and he is all cat.

Congrats on the new addition! I can't wait to hear her new name! And, before you ask...YES. You can name her after me if you want!

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