growling | Ragdoll Cat Behavior | Ragdoll Cat Forum

Cali Coco said:

Hi, my new kitten has started to growel at her sister when given a treat. we have had the girls for one week now and this is the first time its happened. any suggestions other than don't give a treat or give it too them in seperate rooms?

 

Debbie

I've had this happen in my household and the good news is it didn't last.  In our house, one cat developed an anxiety about the new kitty gobbling down her treats and then bullying the other cats out of their treats that my 12 year old Maine Coon cat started to growl in anticipation of the starving little ragdoll kitten bullying the Coonie out of her treats!  I didn't react to the growling other than saying a soft but stern "Stop that!" to the Coonie.  Then I started to set their treats out in small bowls, with one for each cat.   I set the bowls down on the floor about 3 feet apart and stayed to supervise their snacking manners.  With a little effort I was able to put an end to treat stealing and made certain each cat only ate their portion. Establishing myself as the "treat cop" has gone a long way towards ending the anxiety growling and restored civility.  This next part may have been an unnecessary precaution, but I found four little bowls that were the same size and style so the bowls themselves would not present a source of stress about who's getting fed from a bigger ("better") bowl.    -bj