My 18 mo. old Silver MC, Mallorie, has always been aloof and not very affectionate. 7 months ago we got her a friend as we felt she was bored with us (just sat around moping all the time). Our new white MC, Nikki, is very outgoing, playful and affectionate (to the extreme - sometimes demanding her love and plays).

Mallorie will play a little (although she rarely gets really into it and it usually doesn't last very long) when Nikki is not around, but if Nikki is there, she (Nikki) buts in and takes over the toy and Mallorie just shrinks back into the corner and watches Nikki have all the fun. Up until the last few weeks they would chase each other several times a day and wrestle, but lately they're not doing that either.

Nikki is acting normal, but Mallorie just sits around. She hardly does anything other the eating, drinking and going to the bathroom. She occasionally looks out the window at the birds. She sits in her two favorite places in the house (neither rooms where we go very much). She lets me pet her (more than usual sometimes - she used to get up and leave when I'd try to pet her). She even lets me hold her for more than a few seconds. (She used to not let you hold her hardly at all.) She also used to sleep on the end of our bed and she's stopped that, too, recently. If you could see her and the way she acts you'd understand. She doesn't prance (quick walk with tail up in the air - like look at me) like she used to.

I don't know if she's jealous because of the attention Nikki gets, even though Nikki demands her attention and crawls up in our laps and meows if no one is paying her any attention. I always pet Mallorie right before or after I pet Nikki to try to avoid her being jealous as long as Mallorie is in the room.

Nikki is also growing to be bigger than Mallorie. Is this the changing of the dominant kitty?

I am also pregnant (7 months). Is Mallorie figuring out I'm going to be bringing a baby home already? A few weeks ago she had all of the sudden taken to being very buddy-buddy with my husband and affectionate to him. It lasted about 2 weeks and it quit as soon as it started. She's been in her current state since then.

Can anyone make sense out of my sad baby Mallorie?

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000

Answers

Cyndi, Thanks for your reply. I guess she could just be lazy, but she seems so young to be so lethargic. Haven't noticed any difference in perfume etc. And she acts the same with both my husband and I at this point. She did sleep at the foot of the bed last night for the first time in a week. I was so glad. She hates brushings. Her fur is very dense and gets knotted and matted. I brush her as often as I can without really making her mad and cut out the mats when needed. I thought maybe it could be her food. I switched their food from kitten to adult @ a month ago. They've been through 1 1/2 bags (6 or 10lb?). They were eating the Nutro Natural Choice Kitten and now they're on Nutro Odor Control Cat food. Seems like we would have noticed a difference sooner, though. If this continues we will take her to the vet. We've had a several sickly kitties and we feel like hypochondriacs when we take in a kitty who is showing no real symptoms other than being lazy, but I know it is an early sign of sickness. Janet

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2000