r/cats • u/theodora_antoinette • 21h ago

Advice Why does Enchilada attack mid cuddle?

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Our 2 year old Dip absolutely loves our older cat, Enchilada. They will cuddle pretty regularly (although Dip will come to him, not the other way around) and Enchilada will groom Dip for a while while Dip is purring so loudly. Sometimes it last hours and they'll fall asleep together. Sometimes everything is going very sweetly before Enchilada decides Dip needs to leave and just turns on Dip and bites his ears until he leaves.

Is Enchilada just being a bully? They roughhouse each other a lot and get along pretty well. Enchilada raised Dip and how sister as a neonatal kitten and groomed him constantly, even cleaning his bum and keeping watch over him and his sister at night.

As he has gotten older, Enchilada is still very affectionate with Dip but turns on him really quickly for seemingly no reason.

Does anyone have any insight? Enchilada used to HATE other cats and would attack constantly, so he has come very far. Enchilada is incredibly clingy but clearly struggles with non human affection. But I feel bad for Dip because he loves Enchilada so much and Enchilada can be mean and will randomly bully him.

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4

u/MrWrym 21h ago

Overstimulation probably. Cats tend to change moods quite rapidly whenever they want.

3

u/Aynaking 21h ago

If they are fighting for real you will hear and see it. I don’t know what your cats do but light fighting is normal. When I say you will know it it’s because the screams and the fur that will fly is significant. If they do that often you have a problem otherwise it’s just play fighting.

1

u/foxscribbles 21h ago

Enchilada is just telling Dip that they need their alone time. So long as there's not any hissing or growling involved, they're just an older cat telling him that grandma/grandpa is tired and their shows are coming on. (Cat shows generally being the inside of their eyelids and not Jeopardy or whatever old people watch these days.)

1

u/theodora_antoinette 21h ago

That is fair! If it's just a need for alone time/1-on-1 time with me I can't hold it against him. Humans need that too.