As many of you know, we have two cats. Elderly Cat, and White Cat. White Cat is actually just on the age where vets call him 'senior', but Elderly Cat is 15 - definitely well into feline old age.
Ever since we got him, White Cat has tried to play with Elderly, who just didn't want to play. White Cat wants to play sneak-and-pounce. With his claws extended. Elderly would hiss and swat.
White Cat is not the sharpest pencil in the box. (IE: he STILL hasn't learned.)
Our dog plays with White Cat, and we humans do as well: it's not like he's lacking in people to play with, he just doesn't have another feline to play with and/or he's DETERMINED to pounce on Elderly.
The problem is that Elderly is becoming frail. She's not as fast at the swat and hiss, and she's taken to taking paranoid paths around the house, looking for White, behaving afraid. We don't want that for her.
White KNOWS he's misbehaving when he pounces Elderly. Shouting 'No!' sharply, water pistol squirting, swatting him (appropriate level of strength only), and Elderly's own feline-language 'no' has no effect. Well, it has guilty body language, especially if we catch him before he pounces. But he still pounces at the next opportunity.
In fact, we can say 'White, we're watching you', and he'll turn to the talker, look guilty, wash his paws, then go right back to pre-pounce stalking.
We're considering fostering him out until Elderly dies, or rehoming him entirely.
Any other suggestions?
Ever since we got him, White Cat has tried to play with Elderly, who just didn't want to play. White Cat wants to play sneak-and-pounce. With his claws extended. Elderly would hiss and swat.
White Cat is not the sharpest pencil in the box. (IE: he STILL hasn't learned.)
Our dog plays with White Cat, and we humans do as well: it's not like he's lacking in people to play with, he just doesn't have another feline to play with and/or he's DETERMINED to pounce on Elderly.
The problem is that Elderly is becoming frail. She's not as fast at the swat and hiss, and she's taken to taking paranoid paths around the house, looking for White, behaving afraid. We don't want that for her.
White KNOWS he's misbehaving when he pounces Elderly. Shouting 'No!' sharply, water pistol squirting, swatting him (appropriate level of strength only), and Elderly's own feline-language 'no' has no effect. Well, it has guilty body language, especially if we catch him before he pounces. But he still pounces at the next opportunity.
In fact, we can say 'White, we're watching you', and he'll turn to the talker, look guilty, wash his paws, then go right back to pre-pounce stalking.
We're considering fostering him out until Elderly dies, or rehoming him entirely.
Any other suggestions?
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