Have they been fixed?
A "whole" male cat is notoriously aggressive, whereas a formerly male cat is a little more laid back. Usually.
Food issues - well, we've got a formerly male and a formerly female cat. Both were strays and we got them at a no-kill, responsible shelter - they don't adopt out sick or un-fixed cats. We feed them a few bites of wet food each morning - their breakfast - and we feed them in separate rooms because the smaller female (Emma) will scarf hers down then go eat his.
They eat dry food otherwise.
I suggest putting out dry food for them, and let them get used to the idea. When they don't get what they want when they want, they'll warm up to the idea of eating what you put out for them.
Human kids operate in very much the same fashion, BTW.
I also suggest you coax the female into the open and give her the attention she obviously needs, firmly but not agressively. Our Emma was feral for a while, we think; she did not want a lot of attention when we first adopted her. Now she'll climb onto our laps or shoulders and purr, or lean into the scratch on the head I give her every morning.
And she's learned to give as good as she gets in her tussles with Salem, who is a bit larger.
And don't forget to establish yourself as Alpha over both of them - never let them forget who's actually running the show.
I am
Dawg
