# New Stepfather to 2 Abnormal Cats



## Grrrrr (Nov 14, 2012)

Hi all:

I married into a "family" consisting of my wife & her 2 cats. I am going to need some advice, however, as her cats are not normal animals.

In the past she has had other cats that are similarly neurotic; she seems to be the one people dump "unusual", angst-ridden animals on...

Wish me luck...I've never actually owned pets myself before, and now I am the "Dad" to these animals, cleaning poop-boxes and watering, feeding, vacuuming up hair etc.

Oh, and cat puke. :|

So I shall seek the advice of others and maybe not feel so cat-hated after I hear others' stories of cat-woe.


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## Grrrrr (Nov 14, 2012)

*And Introducing My "Step-Children"...*

As I said in my original posting, I have married into a little "family" consisting of my wife and her 2 cats...

Photos of the 2 adorable charges are attached...

The close up is a rather tubby one called "Mama Cat"; the black & white one is called "Missy Mae Mae".

I did not make up these names.

The younger (B&W) one is the "daughter", for lack of a better term, of the large orangish one.

Don't let their cuteness beguile you, dear viewer. The cats despise me. Even the one with her head on my Levi's in the close up. That cat BIT ME IN THE FACE 2 days before an interview for a six-figure job. Really.

My wife was unsympathetic.

Do they look normal? I mean, do cats have "expressions" on their faces that can be read?

The older (orangish) one is maybe 5 and the B&W one is about 3; the litter was hatched in the neighbor's basement window well in winter. My wife was the beneficiary of the Mama Cat and 6 (count 'em...6) kittens, 5 of which were given away to friends of hers. Thank God.

Due to the Mama Cat's exposure, she has only about 4 inches on tail protruding from her rear end. Frostbite got the rest; she seems no worse off for it, though.

The B&W one is not neglected...the dark spot on her nose is not, in fact, a cat-booger or injury. It is pigmented that way, permanently, like a tattoo. Just sayin'.

Those are my new "step-children".

Egads.


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## BengalLady (Nov 15, 2012)

Haha, you sound like my husband. He married into a family of two hyperactive cats. He was also bitten before a job interview, but luckily not on the face. To be fair, he stepped on poor Thina. 

However, as much as he claims to dislike the "vermin," I totally caught him baby-talking to Thina last week.

Moral of the story? 

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

It must be hard moving into a situation where you are the outsider. I wonder if you can ease your way into the kitty hearts with food. Not only treats, but you take over the food duty. Once they realize that you are the bearer of all good things they will welcome you into their family.

Good luck to you.


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## SuzieeQ (Nov 15, 2012)

You're new stepchildren are adorable. Just be patient. They are probably adjusting to you, just as you are adjusting to them. It may take awhile to earn their trust and love, but once you do, you won't regret it. 

Leazie had a great suggestion. Try being the one to give them their food. Maybe try playing with them with a feather dangler or other cat toys.


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## Grrrrr (Nov 14, 2012)

*The Food-Man*

Yep, I've been the feeder since early February, now. The evil little hairy monsters will take food from me, no problem.

They seem like rather uptight creatures, still.


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## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

The thing that got Lickorish to start tolerating my hubby was play, and lots of treats. He would get out the teaser toy (her fav was da-bird, also liked a similar toy with leather tassles), and she would forget that she was afraid of him for awhile. Took about 4 months for her to stop hissing whenever she saw him. Not going to say they're best friends now, but she does let him pet her from time to time, and she only hisses when he startles her.


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## Krista2882 (Jan 26, 2012)

I agree with what the others have said. Take the food duty for a while. You be the one to feed them, give them treats, etc. Also try not to be on edge when you're around them (worrying that they will bite your face again). They can pick up on your emotions and be more likely to act out. My brother and my parents' cat have a mutual dislike of each other. This is the first time my brother has lived with the cat. My parents got her when my brother was in college so she wasn't used to him being around. so whenever he came home she would hiss at him and then hide a lot. He got annoyed so he tries not to interact with her but I think she can tell he doesn't like her so she hisses at him and scratches him more than she scratches anyone else. So I guess try to get to know the cats and spend more time with them. Try not to be upset or on edge when you're with them, and be the one to feed them. They'll come around.


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## RebelKittysMomma (Nov 15, 2012)

Aww! I hope the come around to you!:wolfie


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Give them time - and I so agree with the advice about feeding and treats.


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## cullenus (Nov 15, 2012)

I've always found keeping my hands behind my back makes new animals trust me. They usually are scared of hands and people trying to touch them or grab them. I once approached my brothers mean chihuahua against my brothers recommendations because he says he bites everyone, I approached him with my face first and my hands behind my back. My brother thought I was crazy, but his dog ended up trusting me and licking my face to my brothers surprise!


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