My Ragdoll turns into a total cuddle machine everywhere EXCEPT home in NYC, where there’s another cat. How do I get that version of him back?
Some background first. When I lived with my ex, my cat was the most affectionate animal you could imagine , cuddly all the time, glued to me, the whole deal. He’s a Ragdoll, so being a floppy lap cat is basically in his DNA, which makes everything below even more confusing.
Then I moved in with my roommate (we broke up), who has a female tabby cat. The two of them sort of got along from the start. My guy pounces on her and they play-fight, but it’s almost always good-natured, mostly they seem happy around each other and the fighting never gets serious or nasty.
Here’s what’s killing me. I recently took my cat to Miami for a stretch, just the two of us, and he completely transformed back into that old version of himself, super affectionate, cuddling constantly, sleeping on my head at night, following me everywhere. Exactly like the old days with my ex.
Now we’re back in our midtown NYC apartment with the other cat around, and he’s distant again. He meows a lot, barely cuddles, is way less affectionate overall, and always seems more interested in the other cat than in me.
Current setup, for context:
• One litter box
• Auto feeder
• At night I close him in my room and the other cat in a separate room
I know the cuddly, head-sleeping, affectionate cat is still in there because I literally just spent weeks with him being exactly that in Miami. I just can’t figure out how to bring it out when there’s another cat in the house. Is this territory? Stress? Resource competition? Something about the other cat specifically? What would you change about my setup?
I desperately want my cuddle machine back. Thanks in advance.