Okay, I honestly didn't think this would be such a problem, but it's starting to turn into a big one. We have a cat, Sparky, in addition to shy little Maggie. Sparky has been the sole pet for quite a while, except for a few months when we watched a friends' cats, but Sparky never got used to that even though they were there for 6 months.
I should note that Sparky is not the sharpest crayon in the box.. he's a few bricks short, so to speak, poor thing. He was a rescue that had come from this crack house and who knows what they gave him as a kitten, but he's downright dumb if you ask me.. he's sweet as can be (with people), but he does not learn very easily.
It took a couple weeks for Maggie or Sparky to realize the other was there - Maggie was always hiding and Sparky was always sleeping. Once Maggie started getting more comfortable here, Sparky started to realize there was something else in his territory, something that was getting more attention than him. Sparky's first reaction of course is to hiss and bat (he's declawed). He is completely incapable of causing any harm to Maggie whatsoever, but for some reason that dog is terrified of him.
Maggie hasn't bothered him at all, I don't know why he's being such a brat. If Sparky is in a room and awake, there is no amount of coaxing or pulling on a leash that will get Maggie in there. If we do get her to enter the room, Sparky hisses and Maggie yelps as though she's been clawed.
If it wasn't so sad, it would almost be funny. It's true that I love Maggie way more than I've ever loved Sparky.. he's always been Justin's cat, while Maggie is clearly my baby. So it really makes me mad that this spoiled, fat little cat is making things even harder for my Maggie. Sparky still gets the same amount of attention as always, by the way, and we've even tried spoiling him with treats and canned food just to show him he's still loved to NO AVAIL.
What should I do?
I should note that Sparky is not the sharpest crayon in the box.. he's a few bricks short, so to speak, poor thing. He was a rescue that had come from this crack house and who knows what they gave him as a kitten, but he's downright dumb if you ask me.. he's sweet as can be (with people), but he does not learn very easily.
It took a couple weeks for Maggie or Sparky to realize the other was there - Maggie was always hiding and Sparky was always sleeping. Once Maggie started getting more comfortable here, Sparky started to realize there was something else in his territory, something that was getting more attention than him. Sparky's first reaction of course is to hiss and bat (he's declawed). He is completely incapable of causing any harm to Maggie whatsoever, but for some reason that dog is terrified of him.
Maggie hasn't bothered him at all, I don't know why he's being such a brat. If Sparky is in a room and awake, there is no amount of coaxing or pulling on a leash that will get Maggie in there. If we do get her to enter the room, Sparky hisses and Maggie yelps as though she's been clawed.
If it wasn't so sad, it would almost be funny. It's true that I love Maggie way more than I've ever loved Sparky.. he's always been Justin's cat, while Maggie is clearly my baby. So it really makes me mad that this spoiled, fat little cat is making things even harder for my Maggie. Sparky still gets the same amount of attention as always, by the way, and we've even tried spoiling him with treats and canned food just to show him he's still loved to NO AVAIL.
What should I do?
