Cat frat hazing or attempted murder?

“Moe” in a peaceful moment

First in a series

Karen and Richard loved “Larry” and Curley”, a couple of fuzzy BFFs who’d shared their home with them since kittenhood eight years earlier. Everybody snuggled. It was feline nirvana. Then a college kid they knew needed to move and couldn’t keep his kitty, 2 year old “Moe”. Mmm, they reasoned. This could work. So they dropped by Moe’s house to size him up and, wow, another sweet cat who loves to cuddle! What could go wrong?

What Richard and Karen didn’t understand is that Larry and Curley, having never shared their indoor lives with anybody but each other, had developed permanent brain networks that supported only their little world. Cats are actually programmed to live in colonies – “villages” that raise the youngsters. Some adolescents and adults come and go. Those living in this type of fluid environment, including permanent residents in feline foster homes, do fine with newbies.  Sadly, Larry’s and Curly’s lifelong sheltered existence caused them to regard outsiders as threats that needed to be exterminated or at least driven to the next county. No discussion, no debate.

This can be a difficult concept to grasp. We love our pets like little people in furry suits. Shouldn’t they behave that way? A lap sitting, heart – to – heart on the merits of kindness and peaceful coexistence should get the message across, shouldn’t it? The fly is this ointment is that cats don’t think that way. They’re members of a different species. They don’t even speak a human language.

Having consulted Dr. Google, the renowned purveyor of urban drivel, Richard and Karen were prepared. They fed and petted their cats, Moe on one side of a door, Larry and Curley on the other. A few days later they opened the door a crack and repeated the process until they felt a winning vibe. That’s when they learned the true meaning of loathing. Curley and Larry, screaming like banshees, launched a full-on assault at poor unsuspecting Moe. Overwhelmed by panic and guilt, our well-intentioned cat parents sprang into action hoping to prevent the disemboweling and dismembering of their beloved cats.

Next week: Another nefarious character lurked.

For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups by Zoom (drjeffnichol.com). Each week he shares a blog and a video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol.com. Post pet questions through my website, drjeffnichol.com/contact/ or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.