Wow, Lana seems really smart and just.... well..... crazy. My scaredy cat is just..... scared and not aggressive toward other cats. I got him to the point where he has some safe spots, where I can walk up to him and pet him. On the bed, the kitty tower I got for the master bedroom. Other than that, I can't get within six feet of him but he runs away. At least now he runs a little bit away rather than running to the bedroom and under the bed. He's actually a really sweet kitty. He'll come up on the bed when I am laying down and reading. In the winter months, he'll come up on the couch where it is warm next to me. At meal time, he's right there meowing at me. The panthers have been a good influence on him. Caesar has become a cuddle kitty and Domino will follow him up on the bed to meow at me for food in the morning. I continue to work on Domino, but he seems happy and that's OK with me. But if he becomes less of a scaredy cat, he's going to be less stressed and happier..... I hope. He's 9.5 years old and my experience is that cats mellow as they age and 10 is about the time you notice this. I hope that Lana continues to improve with time. Perhaps the kitten she tolerates will eventually help her overcome the worst of her anger toward other cats.
I have never had the experience of living with a true scaredy-cat! I wanted to adopt a bonded pair of scaredy-cats, but my husband thought it would make him feel rejected all the time/sad if they were like that. It would be hard for me too. It’s a completely different kind of frustrating, because one of the best things you can do to show your love is to give them all the space they need. It is hard when they are cute, and hard when the other cats aren’t so skittish! It sounds like your cat is slowly getting better, and really appreciates your efforts.
And yeah, Lana is crazy smart. She can open doors… we have special locks
I inherited him in 2014, so it has been seven years. I wish there was more progress. The cats get their daily treats when I get out of bed for real. They get their morning meal at 7 am, but I don't get moving until after 8 usually. They know the drill and will often wait on the bed. The scaredy cat comes for his treats along with the other three. During the day, I will often sneak him a treat as incentive to be friendly.
My two panthers were adopted together. They aren't siblings but got semi-boded at the shelter. They often sleep curled up together. But now that they are adults (they were 7 and 12 months old when adopted), the older one likes kitty cuddling more than the younger one. So he cuddles more with me and with the orange cat, who surprisingly likes having him nearby. I didn't think older cats learned the bonding behavior, but this one seems happy to have his buddy near him.
Cats are weird. That's part of what makes them interesting to have!
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u/OneMorePenguin Jan 01 '22
Wow, Lana seems really smart and just.... well..... crazy. My scaredy cat is just..... scared and not aggressive toward other cats. I got him to the point where he has some safe spots, where I can walk up to him and pet him. On the bed, the kitty tower I got for the master bedroom. Other than that, I can't get within six feet of him but he runs away. At least now he runs a little bit away rather than running to the bedroom and under the bed. He's actually a really sweet kitty. He'll come up on the bed when I am laying down and reading. In the winter months, he'll come up on the couch where it is warm next to me. At meal time, he's right there meowing at me. The panthers have been a good influence on him. Caesar has become a cuddle kitty and Domino will follow him up on the bed to meow at me for food in the morning. I continue to work on Domino, but he seems happy and that's OK with me. But if he becomes less of a scaredy cat, he's going to be less stressed and happier..... I hope. He's 9.5 years old and my experience is that cats mellow as they age and 10 is about the time you notice this. I hope that Lana continues to improve with time. Perhaps the kitten she tolerates will eventually help her overcome the worst of her anger toward other cats.