12-14-2008, 10:46 AM
We've had Socks now for two weeks and she is settling in quite nicely with the kids and the house. She is so loving and happy. She sleeps next to the kids when they are watching TV and lays on my lap. She is quick to purr, and loves to snuggle and play. It's made me realize how aloof Mittens (2 year old female) is. She lives here, but that's almost it. She asks for attention when she wants it - which is rare, but never lays next to us on the bed (only at the foot), never on our laps and rarely is heard purring. She doesn't do the head bump, doesn't rub against our legs except sometimes when I feed her. It's made me really very sad. I knew she wasn't lovey dovey, but the differences in personality between the two are so very obvious.
We have Socks in the master bed/bath any time we are gone and during the night. Mittens has food and water along with a litter box upstairs. Things have gotten better. There is no more hissing and growling which is great. Mittens has become more relaxed and has been venturing downstairs more. They do share the downstairs litter and water and neither seems to be having a problem with that.
They do seem to "play" together and chase each other around the house which is also good, but I'm not sure if Mittens is trying to be mean, but sometimes she is so rough. She has started to nip at Socks and today wrapped her body around her and was using her back nails on her like she does with her stuffed animal toys.
I try not to interfere but they are so different in size I'm afraid that Socks will get hurt. (So I have been breaking them up with things seem to get heated.) I'm also afraid that Socks will become jumpy and nervous. (Mittens is terribly jumpy, she is running away from any little noise or sudden movement where Socks blissfully sleeps through my kids screaming and playing.)
When they get too rough, I separate them behind a closed door, but when they are not sleeping, I can barely relax wondering when they will go from "playing" to fighting. My husband says let them go totally, but I don't want something terrible to happen. Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I let them go?
I know there probably isn't a magic solution, but I'm just hoping that things will get better. I'm so upset about this that my hands are shaking just typing it up, so if it's worded poorly, that's why.
Thanks,
Kim
We have Socks in the master bed/bath any time we are gone and during the night. Mittens has food and water along with a litter box upstairs. Things have gotten better. There is no more hissing and growling which is great. Mittens has become more relaxed and has been venturing downstairs more. They do share the downstairs litter and water and neither seems to be having a problem with that.
They do seem to "play" together and chase each other around the house which is also good, but I'm not sure if Mittens is trying to be mean, but sometimes she is so rough. She has started to nip at Socks and today wrapped her body around her and was using her back nails on her like she does with her stuffed animal toys.
I try not to interfere but they are so different in size I'm afraid that Socks will get hurt. (So I have been breaking them up with things seem to get heated.) I'm also afraid that Socks will become jumpy and nervous. (Mittens is terribly jumpy, she is running away from any little noise or sudden movement where Socks blissfully sleeps through my kids screaming and playing.)
When they get too rough, I separate them behind a closed door, but when they are not sleeping, I can barely relax wondering when they will go from "playing" to fighting. My husband says let them go totally, but I don't want something terrible to happen. Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I let them go?
I know there probably isn't a magic solution, but I'm just hoping that things will get better. I'm so upset about this that my hands are shaking just typing it up, so if it's worded poorly, that's why.
Thanks,
Kim