If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Ping - Candace -- Question about Marbles -- Very Long
This is really really long. I'm sorry. If anyone else has ideas, I'll
listen. I'm really trying to put off going the drug route, but I'm don't know what else to do. Candace, While going through the archives trying to find information to win the outer prize, I had found a post from or to you regarding Marbles. The jist of the post was the possibility of having all the cats out in the same area, but with Marbles inside a cage or kennel. I'm wondering if you ever tried it. I'm not quite ready for the "better living through chemistry" step yet. The vet suggested caging Lucy for short periods each day, but we weren't sure we even wanted to go there. We don't have a cage to try -- we'll have to buy one. I'm just wondering if it made any difference at all if you did try it. That is the question, the rest of this lengthy post is background. Background info: Cast of players - all three adopted at the same time, 8 months ago. Ty - approx 4 year old Maine Coon type female -- came to us spayed and declawed. Indie - approx 1 year old DSH tortie -- clawed, spayed before she came home from the shelter. Lucy -- approx 3 year (or possibly younger) DMH -- clawed, spayed before she came home from the shelter and the mean one. Indie and Ty get along great. Indie really looks up to Ty. Ty and Lucy can be in the same room most of the time without problems. Sometimes Lucy charges after Ty. I'm not sure if it's aggression or play. Ty doesn't take any chances and immediately starts hissing and getting ready to fight back. Sometimes if Lucy even gets too close, Ty will start hissing. I can live with all that though. Indie and Lucy just don't mix. Lucy and Indie are both very playful, and sometimes I think Lucy might just want to play, but most of the time, it looks like dead serious hunting. If Lucy manages to get into the basement where Indie now stays, she just prowls until she finds Indie and the chase begins. Indie has a favorite hiding place now that's very small and Lucy can't get into without having Indie clawing at her face. Indie will **** right then and there, and often she's untouchable for a few hours afterwards. She does seem to be recovering faster though lately. There has been a time or two that Lucy and Indie have been in each other's presence without anything happening. It doesn't happen often, and it seems that something like a squirrel outside has to have them all distracted. We started out with Lucy in the basement, and bringing her up for several hours of the day to stay in the bedrooms. Then we decided that switching often wasn't a good idea, and brought her upstairs for good. Lucy has made the upstairs her domain now. She'll lay in the hallway and not let Ty get to the back half of the house. One time since that we did take Lucy to the basement, within 15 minutes she climbed over two stacked baby gates to get back upstairs and she just walked right past the other two and layed herself down in the middle of the hallway and looked at us like, "this is my place, and that's that." She's been upstairs ever since. Now Indie is afraid to come upstairs. Ty likes to come up and we just have the baby gate sort of leaned/wedged in the basement doorway. Ty can come up by herself, but we have to let her back down into the basement. The problem with that set up is that sometimes when Ty comes through, she leaves enough opening for Lucy to get through to the basement. This only seems to happen when I'm alone and asleep. I now make sure that she's upstairs when I go to bed on nights that B is gone. The other related problem is that Ty won't use the litter boxes upstairs. So far there have been no accidents, but I'm not convinced it won't happen. Feliway misters spread throughout the house, in case anyone wonders. I think it helps some with Ty and Lucy, but not much with Indie and Lucy. Thanks for any and all suggestions. Lorraine The cats http://www.raineforest.com/gallery/thecats |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Lorraine wrote:
This is really really long. I'm sorry. If anyone else has ideas, I'll listen. I'm really trying to put off going the drug route, but I'm don't know what else to do. Sorry, Lorraine, I just saw this post , it got usurped by so many other threads that it was way down. While going through the archives trying to find information to win the outer prize, I had found a post from or to you regarding Marbles. The jist of the post was the possibility of having all the cats out in the same area, but with Marbles inside a cage or kennel. I'm wondering if you ever tried it. I'm not quite ready for the "better living through chemistry" step yet. The vet suggested caging Lucy for short periods each day, but we weren't sure we even wanted to go there. I never did that. Marbles freaks out in a carrier. It seemed mean. And I don't have an actual cage either. I did every other suggestion I was given, though, I think, including having a screen door on our bedroom for nine months. Finally, I was so sick of that thing and it had done no good as Scottie and Abbey never went near it that we took it down. Feliway misters spread throughout the house, in case anyone wonders. I think it helps some with Ty and Lucy, but not much with Indie and Lucy. Thanks for any and all suggestions. I'm afraid I'm not in a position to give advice as we keep Marbles separated in the back part of the house (we don't have basements in AZ, for the most part) while Scottie and Abbey get the living room, kitchen, family room, and laundry room. Marbles gets 3 bedrooms (one which is temporarily off limits but not for too much longer) and the bathroom and a hall. A few hours a day, in the evenings on weekdays, he comes out and the other 2 hide under a futon in the family room and watch him or doze. They don't act like they care much one way or the other but they still won't come out if he's out. He knows not to go under there...usually. Once in awhile he will stick his head and front of his body under there and look at them. Then hissing usually occurs and howling on Marbles' part. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't whining to get out with them a lot. He is very vocal and loud and doesn't like to be in the back when we're home even if we sit back there with him. The computers are back there so we spend a good amount of time in the back plus he gets to sleep with us, something Scottie used to enjoy, too, but now doesn't get to do unless I sleep out there with him which I do occasionally. It's far from ideal but we have something of a routine. They are all indoor cats but Marbles has a walking jacket and gets to go outside once in awhile...the other 2 would freak out if we put a jacket on them and attempted to take them out so we leave well enough alone. I take him out on weekends but right now, it's over 100 everyday and it's just too hot to sit out there with him very much. I just told him I would take him out in a little while when the sun goes down. That wears him out so he is more docile when he comes back in. We are currently, as I type, having a workshop built so he will get to go out there with his dad sometimes, too. I just feel added space will give everyone the room they need. Someday I hope they will all tolerate each other but we have had Marbles for over a year now. If Scottie or Abbey somehow come out while he is out (seldom happens), he will almost always chase after them if they move. They don't act all that scared anymore, it's just their routine, and I don't know how to break it. I'm just hoping with time that they will all get desensitized to each other and just avoid each other but go on with their lives. Marbles is still on elavil but I have reduced his dose. He now only takes 2.5 mg daily, just enough to mellow him out a little bit. I've tried taking him off altogether but he does become more aggressive if I do so. Candace |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
On 6 Aug 2005 17:25:27 -0700, "Candace" wrote:
I never did that. Marbles freaks out in a carrier. It seemed mean. And I don't have an actual cage either. In the past, Lucy has not had a problem with being in the carrier, but I have the feeling that I'm not going to be able to do it either. I might have months ago, but now I've bonded too much with her, and I just don't think I can do it. Well, I could if we built some elaborate cage with lots of cubby holes, and things to play with -- a cat tree in a cage. I suppose we could build something to later move outside to give them all some outdoor time. That's a thought. Thank you for taking the time to share all of that stuff I snipped. You reminded me of the harness possibility. We put the harness on Lucy before and it slowed her down quite a bit until we tried to actually restrain her. Then she fought until she was able to back out of it. We just won't actually try to restrain her with it this time. Now, I wonder where we put the harness??? We did not have a good weekend. I woke up Sunday morning to poo on the rug. Ty was upstairs all night while I was sleeping, and Lucy must have blocked her from the little box, or she just didn't try. We do have another box in the back bathroom, but it's possible she didn't remember it was there, or Lucy had the entire hallway blocked. Next weekend I'll put it in the other bathroom to see if it helps. When I went downstairs Sunday morning to see Indie, she was in her hiding place, and would hiss and attack if I tried to get her out. So she's figured out that Lucy is most likely to get down there to attack her when Brian's not home staying up late in the basement. I guess the possibility for that is to start bringing her up on weekends when I'm alone and giving her the back half of the house. What a mess. Thanks again for all the info. I'm thinking it won't be long before I give in to the drug option. I might end up having to get some for Indie at the same time. And for myself!! |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ping Candace (and others) - How's Abbey (and other kitties)? | CatNipped | Cat health & behaviour | 7 | July 8th 05 06:26 AM |
Ping Phip P.! (Vaccination Question) | Mary | Cat health & behaviour | 17 | June 29th 05 06:17 PM |
Ping Candace Re Abbey | CatNipped | Cat health & behaviour | 6 | June 4th 05 02:26 AM |
Ping & Weeble visit TED (long) | Magic Mood JeepĀ© | Cat anecdotes | 22 | November 11th 04 01:35 PM |
PING Steve Crane Science Diet question | Rona Yuthasastrakosol | Cat health & behaviour | 12 | September 14th 03 04:13 PM |