| centralnewyorki | 07-07-2005 06:56 AM |
Being a bully
Olivia is being a bully! :eek:
We've noticed in the last few days that our cat, Theo, has lost some hair on the tip of his ear. We think it's because Olivia is always tugging on his ears when they play. Last night, we noticed that he had a cut above his eye. He is never outside, so we assume this is also from rough play. The thing is that Theo LOVES Olivia. I know that if he got mad at her for playing too rough that he could scratch her, bite her hard, or avoid her at all costs. He is obsessed with her and won't even acknowledge us when she's awake. I realize that cats and dogs have different playing styles and haven't seen a problem until recently. What should I do? I hate to seperate them because they really love each other and chase each other and play for hours. I hate to think that she's hurting him. If he cries, we seperate them and tell her to be gentile, but often HE goes back to her after they've been seperated. I don't think she's doing it to be mean or aggressive, I just don't think she realizes that Theo doesn't play the same way as her.
Should I stay out of it or punish Olivia when I see her playing too rough? I was thinking of putting her in a "time-out" if I see her playing too hard, but I hate to punish her for just being a puppy if that's all it is.
Any advice?? :confused: | 