Behaviour reversal
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:58 pm
Drat.
We've had a set back with Winston. He's getting worse with my partner again. Treating him as someone to avoid. So James has been almost exclusively feeding them dry and I've been feeding them a small bit of wet every morning. We've just switched them to adult as they're 9 months old and going by by what some chat chatters have said that seems okay. Yesterday James dangled a slither of bacon for Winston as a treat, even though he still keeps inexplicably running away from him, James is still trying to make friends and Winston is a greedy cat. However, Winston grabbed the bacon and because James didn't let go of it instantaneously he hissed at him!
Bit by bit all the things Winston has trusted James with has slowly eroded, and we're baffled. James is quite upset, especially as in the past he has been privileged enough to give him a belly rub so HAS been on track to being friends. We have a video of James fussing both him and Whisper when we first got them. Now Winston is hissing!
We're in our computer room at the moment and normally I have one cat on a pillow in an open drawer next to me & my PC and one cat tucked snug under my keyboard tray enjoying the warmth of my computer. Normally the exclusive spot is the pillow as I'm favoured human, so Winston being boss cat tends to get there first. However this evening he hissed at James again and has gone under the keyboard. So, not out of the room, but has sort of hidden. I'm not happy because it took me ages to gain his trust. I think Winston may be picking up on my anxiety.
Since the beginning both cats have seemed very wary of hands coming in close - which is why I was worried they may have been abused. But the general consensus was they were just very badly socialised. I do wonder if Winston is a little unhinged, which is all the more reason not to give up on him.
What can we do? Can anyone offer some practical advise, or point to some advise pages.
We've had a set back with Winston. He's getting worse with my partner again. Treating him as someone to avoid. So James has been almost exclusively feeding them dry and I've been feeding them a small bit of wet every morning. We've just switched them to adult as they're 9 months old and going by by what some chat chatters have said that seems okay. Yesterday James dangled a slither of bacon for Winston as a treat, even though he still keeps inexplicably running away from him, James is still trying to make friends and Winston is a greedy cat. However, Winston grabbed the bacon and because James didn't let go of it instantaneously he hissed at him!
Bit by bit all the things Winston has trusted James with has slowly eroded, and we're baffled. James is quite upset, especially as in the past he has been privileged enough to give him a belly rub so HAS been on track to being friends. We have a video of James fussing both him and Whisper when we first got them. Now Winston is hissing!
We're in our computer room at the moment and normally I have one cat on a pillow in an open drawer next to me & my PC and one cat tucked snug under my keyboard tray enjoying the warmth of my computer. Normally the exclusive spot is the pillow as I'm favoured human, so Winston being boss cat tends to get there first. However this evening he hissed at James again and has gone under the keyboard. So, not out of the room, but has sort of hidden. I'm not happy because it took me ages to gain his trust. I think Winston may be picking up on my anxiety.
Since the beginning both cats have seemed very wary of hands coming in close - which is why I was worried they may have been abused. But the general consensus was they were just very badly socialised. I do wonder if Winston is a little unhinged, which is all the more reason not to give up on him.
What can we do? Can anyone offer some practical advise, or point to some advise pages.