What's wrong???

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

My 2 cats Maya and Inka don't get along anymore. It all started in fact in Spring. We left them at a cat-hotel where they shared a large space. We left for 2 weeks to South Africa then. Since then, they never sleep together anymore. Now it is getting worse. Inka is constantly chasing Maya; she jumps on her and chases her out of any cat-bed she is in. At first, Maya didn't mind and took off immediately. But now she is tired of the constant attacking, and she attacks back. I am afraid that they will hurt each other one day. What the heck is wrong? They were the most best friends, it was almost impossible to take seperate pictures, as they were ALWAYS together. Now, it NEVER happens again. The picture in my signature is from April.... . I wish I knew what to do with this... .

a picture from June 2003


Inka getting ready to jump on Maya


10 seconds before Inka chases Maya out of this bed. Look at Maya's ears: she knows!!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Oops, nobody can help me or give me advize??

[jenluckenbach]

Hard problem because we will never know how their minds are thinking. Obviously something about being in a cat hotel so close together has made them act differently. Imagine being in one room with your best friend for 2 full weeks and not being able to get away for private time. There is a good chance that you would end up with some sort of argument.

Now on to how to fix it.........I am really not sure we as humans can help them. I feel time will heal all wounds. But in the mean time, try hard to include them together in many activities. Feeding treats, playing, petting. Do these things only if they are together, so it seems as a reward for them being together. At the same time, make sure there is no reason for rivarly. Make sure they do not have the need to "fight" over space, food, litter boxes, attention.

Best of luck. I know how close they were and it is very sad.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I agree that it is so hard to figure out why cats do what they do. I would say it might just be a phase she's going through and hopefully she'll grow out of it and they will be close again. I remember all the snuggly pics of the two of them and it's sad that they aren't like that anymore, but maybe Inka just grew up and doesn't crave the closeness anymore.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this but unfortunately I don't have any advice to offer you either. When I still had my Pepper, Storm began attacking him because he wanted to play and Pepper just wasn't interested any more. They had been best friends too. This is when I decided to get a 3rd cat,Sunny, so that Storm could have a new playmate. I won't say that this would work for you but it did work for me. Hopefully things will improve with time. Good luck.

[slick]

I knew someone years ago who adopted two littermates. For the first 3 yrs or so they were inseparable then all of a sudden they were fighting tooth and nail. This phase lasted about another 2-3 yrs then they were sleeping together again. I'm wondering if it's comparable to hooman teenagers going through growing pains.

Good luck Lut and please give them kisses from me.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Aw, I thought it would be difficult...
Maya is a peaceful cat, who loves to lay in her bed, and enjoy the world around her. She doesn't like to be bothered, and cuddles on her own terms. Inka is a very active cat. She ALWAYS wants action, food, anything. She follows Maya EVERYWHERE, even to the litterbox. When Maya wants to be left alone by her little sister, the only solution is to jump somewhere on a high cupboard or so. That is the only place where Inka cannot follow her, as Inka cannot jump very well. Luckily we have a large living space, as 3 rooms are connected, not really seperated: the kitchen, the library and the livingroom. This way, Maya has lots of possibilities to run away from Inka. But when she tries to install herself in a cozy cat-bed, InkyStinky is always there to chase her out of it. . It is normal that Maya sometimes gets sick of this behaviour, and attacks back!! How the heck can I teach Inka not to chase Maya all the time?? I cannot follow her all the time... . It is really sad sometimes...

[Wilde-Childe]

I'm sorry to hear your cats aren't getting along anymore! I recently moved in with someone who owned two cats (one female one male), both several years old, with my 10 month old kitten (female). My kitten, Quinlan, and the male cat Pete ("Cowboy") got along fabulously for the first month or so. Quinlan's turned out to be too hyper for Pete and he hates how she attacks his tail all the time. He hisses and bats at her if she harasses him or even gets too close. THE GOOD NEWS IS they are fine as long as Q-bert doesn't attack his tail or look like she's going to. They sleep together on the couch, sometimes all squished together because Quinlan has no concept of personal space. :-p So there's gotta be hope for your two loveys!

+Jess+