Back in December we got a new kitten who our current cat (8 year old tortie moggy) immediately took a disliking to. Kitten is a little 'too friendly' with our older cat who growls and hisses and 'huffs' if they get too close. Kitten (who is now 9 months old) now generally keeps a distance although it hasn't stopped the growling.
Kitten also seems to have usurped our older cat's position on the bed at night, for cuddles etc as cat can't bear to be too close to them.
Then we moved house in January. Both cats seem to have settled well despite the growling but I've noticed that older cat seems to be spending more time outdoors (not unusual in this weather) but also not coming in for mealtimes or when I call her (we have an automatic cat feeder so she is still eating at home sometimes). She's never been very cuddly but comes for strokes and fuss even less than before, sometimes growling at me.
Now I've had a letter from a neighbour who is very concerned that older cat seems to be hanging out in their garden 'day and night', yowling at their back door and trying to get into the house. They don't have a cat themselves and promise they havn't been feeding her and don't want to.
My guess is that our older cat is very unhappy, with the kitten and (possibly) also the house move although they have more space now. But I don't know how to remedy it. I've had a Feliway unit going since we moved in, and feed the cats separately.
I'm quite upset now and don't want our cat to abandon us. What can I do to make her happier? :(