Is my Siamese jealous or unwell?

by Laurie Rouse
(Australia)

I have had my siamese cat biddy for 7 years. She is constantly on my lap or on my bed, in my bed and whereever i sit she has to be there. I got another siamese little kitten about a week ago. Since then she has ignored me and is holed up in an old box of dress up clothes in the spare room. She wont eat. I have put her in my bed and patted her and cooed to her but as soon as I stop she jumps off the bed and goes back in the cupboard. I have made an appointment for her at the vet as im worried about her, but do you think this could be jealousy. I have tried to entice her with warm milk and her favourite snacks but she just stares at them. She did drink water. Hmmm, I hope she is ok.

My Answer:

Hi there Laurie, so sorry to hear about your problems.

It is a great idea to get your older Siamese checked out at the vets. Assuming that the vet gives your cat the all clear then at least you know that it is probably the new kitten that has caused the change!

Adult cats can be quite afraid of little kittens. Kittens do not know anything about cat etiquette. They will rush up to the older cat and often play attack them! When you combine this in your face kitten with a Siamese adults propensity for jealousy then you can get the problems you have described.

It is still quite early in the introduction process for your resident cat. I would try and keep the kitten confined to one area and let your adult Siamese have the rest of your home initially. This way your older cat gets to have her home back. If possible allow the two to see each other at a safe distance, I have a wire mesh door screen that I clip onto the door frame of my 'new cat' room. This allows the cats to get to know each other without any fights.

After some time you can allow supervised contact, some people say that introductions at feeding time works because the cats are more interested in the food than fighting but make sure they eat apart!

Try and make sure that life goes on as before to help your older cat get used to the changes. With any luck she will in time be pleased you have another cat, or at least allow the new kitten to share her home.

I am sure you are doing the right things, keep making a fuss of the older cat but try and do it in the same way that you did before the new arrival. Cats don't like change it upsets their equilibrium. If you are still having problems after a few weeks please get in touch and I will see if there is anything else that we can do to get your cat less stressed about the new kitten arrival. Good luck