me and my partner just broke up. We have 2 cats together, we’ve had them for 2 years. He wants to take one of them and let me keep the other one. I didn’t want to break up, and my heart breaks at the thought of splitting them up and then putting them through the stress of moving to a new house.
He doesn’t believe that they are bonded. He says that they are “just cats” and they’ll get over it. He hasn’t had cats before, and has previously taken things I consider to be common sense for a cat owner for granted, like keeping them out of the midday sun, letting them roam the neighbourhood, leaving a big bowl of biscuits and expecting them to self regulate, etc.
I believe the cats are bonded to each other. They are 2 boys, 2-3 months apart in age. They do not snuggle or intertwine tails, like I’ve read about in so many articles about bonded pairs, but there is other behaviour I’ve observed that makes me think they are bonded;
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the younger cat grooms the older cat daily.
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they don’t sleep in a cuddle puddle, but if they are left alone in the house when I come home they will be dozing in the same room, most often our old bedroom, both on the bed about a foot apart.
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they play together constantly. they scrap and playfight, they play chasey with each other, they will hide from each other and jump out like they’re playing hide and seek, tumble rolling all over the place.
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they can’t be in separate rooms. whenever one of them has ended up accidentally shut in a room, the reason I know ones in there is the other one will be at the other side of the door scratching to get in, sticking a paw under, etc.
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when they are scared (thunderstorm, loud noises, etc) they huddle and hide together.
We got 2 to keep each other company while we work. It doesn’t feel like he’s considering whats best for both cats, and keeps saying HIS cat this and HIS cat that, not taking into consideration how badly it also might affect the second, younger cat who is already needy and cuddly.
It is my feeling that they were OUR cats. We were a family, and he is choosing to leave that family, so he doesn’t get to rip apart whats left of it, on the off chance that the cats MIGHT be alright because he wants to “cut the baby in half”, as it were. I’ve lived with many cats, and seen the damage separating them after they’ve paired, how sad and destructive they can get without their companion to play with/burn their energy off with/ect.
Does anyone have any advice?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/b5xoi2/separating_2_cats_after_2_years/
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