cat fight

I've been meaning to write a bit about the cats. They have been doing well and seem to have become closer to each other. Koa demands to have her head licked; Theo sometimes obliges and is sometimes completely oblivious to her wishes. It is very sweet to see them wash each other.

Koa has been spending more time downstairs and is getting braver in general. I've been working on picking her up, usually just a few inches at a time. She is acclimating to the indignity. She seems happy most of the time.

Unfortunately, she is Theo's favorite toy. I don't think he'd intentionally hurt her, but he likes to play at being Alpha dog and he loves to chase her. She runs away. He catches up and mounts her and acts as if he's biting her neck. She sometimes meeps at him. We try to ignore the rough housing or distract them from it. Eventually they go back to greeting each other and getting along.

Something happened yesterday and now the cats are taking a vacation from each other, courtesy of moi. Last night, I noticed that Koa was on the high shelf. I haven't seen her up there for months. She didn't come downstairs all evening. When I got into bed, she hissed at Theo, who seemed hurt and confused by her hostility. He got into muffin position on the floor (very non-aggressive, especially for him) and tried blinking at her. After lights out, Theo crept onto the bed and snuggled along my ankles.

Then at 5:30 this morning, I woke up to a screaming fight. Theo would not back off. Koa was under a chair and still hasn't come out. I finally caught Theo, held him for a little while, gave him a treat, and shut the door behind him. Koa has the addition to herself; Theo has the rest of the house.

I'm hoping they can somehow reset and re-establish a relationship. It saddens me that they can't get along right now, but I don't want them to endanger each other or upset themselves more. Theo continues to be oblivious. He seems to miss his pal. She just seems worried and nervous.