Sometimes a jealous cat may do something like this. Example: It's
supposed to be one of the happiest moments of your life. You bring your new baby home and take her to her brand new nursery, where you cuddle her and give her all your attention. Your cat, ;) the previous baby of the family, comes in to say hi, but soon he begins hissing at you and your little one. He even sprays the leg of the crib with urine! Oh no! Your bundle of joy has made your cat quite jealous!

Any change that affects a cat's privileges, attention received, and normal daily life can lead to the cat feeling jealous and territorial. A new baby or a new pet can cause our cats to receive less attention than they previously received. The new addition may also be playing with the existing cat's toys or living in the existing cat's favorite spaces, :mad: making him feel threatened and jealous.

Signs of Jealously

Cats show jealousy through a change in their normal behaviors. The outspoken cat who is not blunt about his unhappiness may hiss, growl, or swat at the new arrival. A quieter kitty may hide or stop eating. He may also seem extra needy, following you around and seeking attention. A cat may also feel that his territory is threatened by a new arrival, so he will claim what is his by spraying vertical surfaces with urine.

It is important to establish that changes in behavior are because of the cat's emotional state, and not a health problem. If your cat is persistently not eating, hiding, or acting odd in any way, a visit to the vet is necessary. There may be an underlying problem that happened to correlate with or was exasperated by a household change, or the stress of the change may be leading to illness. Stress can lead to gastrointestinal upset and urinary problems, such as FIC and urinary blockage, amoung some stress/health related issues.

Dealing with Jealously

When introducing a new cat to the home, it is extremely important to supervise, supervise, supervise! A gradual introduction is also very important. As most pet owners already know, it's extremely important to place the new kitty in a room by herself, with her own food, water, and litter box. Do NOT allow the resident cat to enter the room or hiss and growl at the new arrival from outside the door. Sniffing at one another or playing under the door is fine.

Do NOT allow the new cat to take over the old cat's favorite things. For example, do not allow the new cat to lay in your old cat's usual spot on the back of the couch. You should purchase new toys, food bowls, and a bed for the new cat so the resident cat feels less threatened.

When bringing a new dog into the home, supervision is again EXTREMELY important when introducing pooch to kitty. If you feel your cat won't tolerate the energy of a pup, consider getting an older dog who is friendly towards cats. Keep the dog on a leash, and make sure there are places for your cat to get away and hide when introducing the dog.

When introducing a new baby, start before the baby is born. Use baby lotions and powders on your skin so your cat can adjust to the new smells. Play recordings of crying babies to help your kitty become accustomed to the new noises. Encourage friends to bring their babies and children to your home for short visits. When the baby arrives, allow your cat to sniff and inspect the new arrival, but closely supervise the interaction and watch your cat's body language. Give your cat positive reinforcement for being friendly to the baby.

The key to minimizing jealousy in your cat when introducing a new pet or baby is to be sure your cat continues to get adequate attention and love from you. Do not cut back on this; do not allow your cat to feel replaced by the new arrival. In fact, provide your cat with extra attention while he adjusts to the new situation.

Not everyone believes that a cat can feel emotions. Regardless of how you feel about the existence of your cat's psyche, it is obvious that cats need & thrive on the love and attention given by their owners. Quality time spent with others is crucial to the well-being of humans and animals alike. Even if you do not agree that your cat may become jealous of a new baby or pet, do not deny your cat the gift of your time and affection

Excellent post! :thumbsup:

Cats definitely do get jealous. If Fig even hears me giving lovin' to another cat he needs to come in and get between me and that cat - he's my baby and he knows it! ;)

And that's a good point about giving them equal or more attention. Every time we add a new cat to the house, I make sure to shower our originals with love and try to make sure I don't give new attention to addition. Play time is also fun because I get everyone involved - it helps socialize and it also helps keep things normal.

I think that they can be.... I'm not certain about all the "emotions" a cat can have, but a few times I've seen what I perceived to be jealousy in cats.....

I agree that they can be jealous and show it.

Coco is such a little diva that if she is laying on my lap and Midnight or any other cat, comes too close, she'll smack them and make some noises.

It's stange though how certain ones in the household, could care less on the issue.

Lucky is going thru a major jealousy thing I think. She hisses at Jake when he is sleeping. :rolleyes:

I've noticed jealousy in only two of my four cats, one of them gets something the other has to have it too...and often immediately