Territorial/Traumatized.

Question
I have a purebred blue-point Himalayan named Puff, he's almost three years old and an eight-hundred dollar cat, then I have another cat, a female named Sugar who's thirteen, we saved her from being euthanized by the animal-center so I don't know what her breed is. No matter where in the house Puff is, if he hears litter being poured, he runs and practically breaks his neck trying to get into the littler-box before Sugar. I've heard of young male lions being sort of obsessive about marking their territory, and I'm curious if this applies to most felines like Puff, and if this is a dominance and territorial thing. The poor little thing's the cutest cat, but about as smart as a bag of rocks.

One other thing I want to know is a bit more serious. My mother, my step-father and I were in one of the states that Hurricane Katrina hit the hardest, and as a result we had to find a shelter to make sure we were safe. Then, we only had one cat, Sugar, so we packed her in a carrier and made our way to an underground shelter a friend of my step-father's had. My step-father's friend absolutely hated cats, and since we were in the middle of a hurricane, we couldn't leave, so even though I protested, my cat was stuck in a cramped little carrier she couldn't even stand up in or turn around in for three monthes with little food or water in her own waste, which broke my heart, since I had her since she was a baby and I couldn't do anything to help her, and I've had her since I was three years old, and I'm sixteen now. We stayed there for three monthes because our step-father wouldn't allow us to leave, he even stole our gas at one point in time. Needless to say, I was NOT happy with my step-father. After that, she sort of changed. We have bunk-beds now, one of which was my old bed, and one we store random things on until we need them. She stayed in that top bunk for weeks without eating, and after four years, she still, for the most part, bites or scratches me to the point it draws blood and has an absolutely horrible and vicious personality now. We think she has arthritis, but still. Did the event traumatize her and is that why her attitude changed? She's always been a jealous cat, so getting Puff could be a part of it, and we think she was abused before we rescued her from the animal-shelter.

Answer
Karen,

Actually Puff's behavior about the fresh litter is a common behavior. I have one too that is like that. He HAS to be the first one to use the fresh litter! I could change the litter again 5 minutes later and he would still have to be the first to use it....even if he didn't have to go! I also have a couple of those "smart as a bag of rocks" cats that I wouldn't trade for anything! I tell them they are all feathers and no bird! (smile)

That is sad about Sugar, and terrible what you both had to go through. I'm glad, though the conditions were awful, that at least you saved her. So very many lost their beloved pets.

Yes, the experience WOULD traumatize her! Plus getting a new cat  doesn't help any. Older cats don't take stress as well as a younger cat and it can have a definite effect on her personality and health.
Pain can cause aggression too.

At 13, your cat is approximately 68 years old in human years, and at that age you will start seeing age-related behavior and health issues. I would suggest taking her to a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and conditions (not all vets do). She needs to have an 'older cat checkup' to check the function of her thyroid, kidneys, and liver, etc. As a cat ages this checkup should be done about every 6-8 months. In doing that, a lot of age related problems can be caught early. The vet can give her 'comfort meds' that will ease any pain of arthritis or other ailments which will extend her quality of life.  At her age, you need to make things and comfortable and convenient for her as possible.

Being prepared and knowledgeable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cats and for you. For future reference I am including some very good links about elderly cats. Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

You and Sugar have been through a lot together. I hope it won't happen for a long time, but if you do need to put her to sleep at some point, or she passes away, here is an EXCELLENT site for emotional support, a beautiful tribute site for people who have lost their beloved pets, and where you can make a personal memorial:

http://rainbowsbridge.com/hello.htm

If Sugar wants to be left alone don't worry about it, that is common for old cats. Old cats also can get kitty Alzheimer's and act in a bizarre manner at times which can be as confusing to them as to you.
Make sure you give her love and reassurance, and let her know that the new kitty hasn't replaced her in your affections.

Tabbi