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#11
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I hate to say it, but you have your hands full. Sometimes cats that have
problems like this, at this age are almost irreversible. I agree with Mary regarding putting her in a bathroom until she settles down, and you get on a normal sleeping schedule, and minimize your damages. Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. You are dealing with two elderly cats, not tigers. They are going to have to deal with each other eventually, unless you give the newer cat back. What is the worst that can happen? They scream, hiss and spit at each other? Bonding will have to be established eventually. I do know what you are going through. If at all possible, you may want to separate your resident cat in another room to keep him from screaming at your door, and put the new cat in your bathroom, so you can get some sleep. That way everyone is a happy camper for the evening. Good luck with the Feliway. I expect to see updates as they happen. |
#12
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I hate to say it, but you have your hands full. Sometimes cats that have
problems like this, at this age are almost irreversible. I agree with Mary regarding putting her in a bathroom until she settles down, and you get on a normal sleeping schedule, and minimize your damages. Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. You are dealing with two elderly cats, not tigers. They are going to have to deal with each other eventually, unless you give the newer cat back. What is the worst that can happen? They scream, hiss and spit at each other? Bonding will have to be established eventually. I do know what you are going through. If at all possible, you may want to separate your resident cat in another room to keep him from screaming at your door, and put the new cat in your bathroom, so you can get some sleep. That way everyone is a happy camper for the evening. Good luck with the Feliway. I expect to see updates as they happen. |
#13
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I hate to say it, but you have your hands full. Sometimes cats that have
problems like this, at this age are almost irreversible. I agree with Mary regarding putting her in a bathroom until she settles down, and you get on a normal sleeping schedule, and minimize your damages. Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. You are dealing with two elderly cats, not tigers. They are going to have to deal with each other eventually, unless you give the newer cat back. What is the worst that can happen? They scream, hiss and spit at each other? Bonding will have to be established eventually. I do know what you are going through. If at all possible, you may want to separate your resident cat in another room to keep him from screaming at your door, and put the new cat in your bathroom, so you can get some sleep. That way everyone is a happy camper for the evening. Good luck with the Feliway. I expect to see updates as they happen. |
#14
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I recently adopted a 5 year old dsh/declawed/spayed female who was taken from her home when the owner threatened to dump her in the street. She was put into a waiting shelter for one month before I adopted her. I've had 2-cat combos twice before with little problem...now, I have big problems. My resident cat is a 10 lb. dsh/neutered/declawed alpha male who lost his companion 3 months ago. He's claimed every part of the apartment since then. The new girl was an only cat and is a sweetheart. I brought her into my bedroom (w/a cage) and introduced the two. It went ok until the second day when my boy jumped on her. This was a mistake. This cat was just brought into a new home (stressful) from a shelter (stressful) and is with a strange person (stressful) and is then confronted by a strange cat when she has been an only cat up until this point (*very* stressful.) I kept them apart since then. She has exclusive use of my bedroom. It's good that you have separated them, but you need to understand that the damage has already been done and will take some time to undo, so the best thing you can do is be very patient and don't try to reintroduce her to your resident cat until you get her other issues resolved. Problem 1: She has peed on the bed..the sheet..my quilts 3x so far and deficated on my quilt. I cleaned the mattress as best as I could with a diluted bleach solution, but she peed again and again. Take her to a vet and have her checked for a UTI. She is clearly stressed and stress can cause UTIs. Until you do this, don't assume she has a behavior problem. While I was cleaning (when she threw up - problem 2) she peed on the bed again. I don't know what to do. Currently there's the litterbox that was always there AND the litterbox that is in her cage. She used the box twice for peeing but is not consistant. After peeing in the box, she deficated next to the box. I put large garbage bags over where she peed on the bed. So...she peed on the garbage bag. Plastic seems to be very attractive to cats for peeing on. Shall I keep her caged? For now I think this would be a good idea. Keep it partially covered by where her sleeping area is so she feels secure, and leave the introduction to the resident cat for later. How can I stop her from going on my bed. Get her to the vet first and see if this is a health issue. It sure sounds like it. Can I teach her to use the litterbox exclusively? Probably, but until you know if this is a medical or behavioral issue you can't formulate a plan. Problem 2: She doesn't keep food down. I feed her a little more than a teaspoon of food at a time. When I feed her at breakfast and lunch, she vomits by dinnertime. Originally, she was given Fancy Feast. I changed it to Friskies (regular, not shredded or chunks), but she threw that up too. All food given to her had fish or turkey as the first ingredient, not by-products or water. I had her at the vets for 3 days so they could monitor this situation. She was x-rayed and declared fine. Supposedly, she DID keep food down at the vet's office AND at the month-long stay at the shelter. They fed her Friskies. She had 5 teeth extracted before I got her and one tooth extracted after I got her. Dry food isn't an option. It sounds like this may be stress related, and considering what she's been through its not surprising. I would suggest you try a high quality canned food such as Wellness or Felidae and try it out in very small amounts. Try brushing her and loving her up for a few minutes to get her to relax just before you feed her and see if that helps. Leaving a radio on at a low volume tuned to a classical music station will also be helpful and soothe her during the day, even when you are away. Once the Feliway comes (I hope you got a diffuser) plug it in close to where her cage is. If you got the spray, you can mist the sheet you use to partially cover her cage and mist her bedding at least once a day. Problem 3: My resident cat cries from the other side of the door. I haven't slept more than an hour an a time since the new cat arrived. (two weeks ago - except for the 3 days she was at the vets). The inital arrangement was that she was kept in the cage (in my bedroom) while my resident cat checked her out. They met nose-to-nose (through the cage) and there was no hissing. So, I let her out of the cage and he kept his distance for a short time. Pretty soon, she hissed at/batted him..so he did the same. Then he started jumping on her (a habit he had with his former companion..she didn't like it but she was twice the size of this new cat and defended herself). I felt that made her ill so I banished him from the bedroom. And there's your problem. You took away something that he has been used to for all of his life. This is unfair and upsetting to him and then he got punished for reacting appropriately. It also may cause resentment towards the new cat, which could cause problems and is the last thing the new cat needs to deal with. When bringing a new cat in it is extremely important to keep the routine the *resident cat* is used to, and fit the new cat into it. What you need to do is set up a litterbox, bed, water, etc. in the bathroom and put the new cat in there at night so your boy kitty can have the sleep time with you that he is used to. You can put her back in the cage in the morning and close off the bedroom for the day. I visit her in the bedroom often (even though I can't sleep on the bed). She appears to be very affectionate and nuzzles me constantly. I make sure the resident cat gets plenty of lovin', too...but sleep has been out of the question. I placed over 15 calls to the vet who treated her, my regular vet, a pet columnist, three cat rescue faciities, two members of the rescue group who handled this adoption, and other pet people. Perhaps she was given away because she had these problems. Who knows? I ordered Feliway (to help the cats co-exist) but I don't know if that'll work. I don't know how to solve any of the above problems. Perhaps she isn't meant for a 2 cat household. It breaks my heart, but I am turning psychotic from lack of sleep. Any advice here or email at would be so appreciated. Thank you. Again, getting her checked for a UTI is imperative. Beyond that, be patient, go SLOW and things will work out. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#15
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I recently adopted a 5 year old dsh/declawed/spayed female who was taken from her home when the owner threatened to dump her in the street. She was put into a waiting shelter for one month before I adopted her. I've had 2-cat combos twice before with little problem...now, I have big problems. My resident cat is a 10 lb. dsh/neutered/declawed alpha male who lost his companion 3 months ago. He's claimed every part of the apartment since then. The new girl was an only cat and is a sweetheart. I brought her into my bedroom (w/a cage) and introduced the two. It went ok until the second day when my boy jumped on her. This was a mistake. This cat was just brought into a new home (stressful) from a shelter (stressful) and is with a strange person (stressful) and is then confronted by a strange cat when she has been an only cat up until this point (*very* stressful.) I kept them apart since then. She has exclusive use of my bedroom. It's good that you have separated them, but you need to understand that the damage has already been done and will take some time to undo, so the best thing you can do is be very patient and don't try to reintroduce her to your resident cat until you get her other issues resolved. Problem 1: She has peed on the bed..the sheet..my quilts 3x so far and deficated on my quilt. I cleaned the mattress as best as I could with a diluted bleach solution, but she peed again and again. Take her to a vet and have her checked for a UTI. She is clearly stressed and stress can cause UTIs. Until you do this, don't assume she has a behavior problem. While I was cleaning (when she threw up - problem 2) she peed on the bed again. I don't know what to do. Currently there's the litterbox that was always there AND the litterbox that is in her cage. She used the box twice for peeing but is not consistant. After peeing in the box, she deficated next to the box. I put large garbage bags over where she peed on the bed. So...she peed on the garbage bag. Plastic seems to be very attractive to cats for peeing on. Shall I keep her caged? For now I think this would be a good idea. Keep it partially covered by where her sleeping area is so she feels secure, and leave the introduction to the resident cat for later. How can I stop her from going on my bed. Get her to the vet first and see if this is a health issue. It sure sounds like it. Can I teach her to use the litterbox exclusively? Probably, but until you know if this is a medical or behavioral issue you can't formulate a plan. Problem 2: She doesn't keep food down. I feed her a little more than a teaspoon of food at a time. When I feed her at breakfast and lunch, she vomits by dinnertime. Originally, she was given Fancy Feast. I changed it to Friskies (regular, not shredded or chunks), but she threw that up too. All food given to her had fish or turkey as the first ingredient, not by-products or water. I had her at the vets for 3 days so they could monitor this situation. She was x-rayed and declared fine. Supposedly, she DID keep food down at the vet's office AND at the month-long stay at the shelter. They fed her Friskies. She had 5 teeth extracted before I got her and one tooth extracted after I got her. Dry food isn't an option. It sounds like this may be stress related, and considering what she's been through its not surprising. I would suggest you try a high quality canned food such as Wellness or Felidae and try it out in very small amounts. Try brushing her and loving her up for a few minutes to get her to relax just before you feed her and see if that helps. Leaving a radio on at a low volume tuned to a classical music station will also be helpful and soothe her during the day, even when you are away. Once the Feliway comes (I hope you got a diffuser) plug it in close to where her cage is. If you got the spray, you can mist the sheet you use to partially cover her cage and mist her bedding at least once a day. Problem 3: My resident cat cries from the other side of the door. I haven't slept more than an hour an a time since the new cat arrived. (two weeks ago - except for the 3 days she was at the vets). The inital arrangement was that she was kept in the cage (in my bedroom) while my resident cat checked her out. They met nose-to-nose (through the cage) and there was no hissing. So, I let her out of the cage and he kept his distance for a short time. Pretty soon, she hissed at/batted him..so he did the same. Then he started jumping on her (a habit he had with his former companion..she didn't like it but she was twice the size of this new cat and defended herself). I felt that made her ill so I banished him from the bedroom. And there's your problem. You took away something that he has been used to for all of his life. This is unfair and upsetting to him and then he got punished for reacting appropriately. It also may cause resentment towards the new cat, which could cause problems and is the last thing the new cat needs to deal with. When bringing a new cat in it is extremely important to keep the routine the *resident cat* is used to, and fit the new cat into it. What you need to do is set up a litterbox, bed, water, etc. in the bathroom and put the new cat in there at night so your boy kitty can have the sleep time with you that he is used to. You can put her back in the cage in the morning and close off the bedroom for the day. I visit her in the bedroom often (even though I can't sleep on the bed). She appears to be very affectionate and nuzzles me constantly. I make sure the resident cat gets plenty of lovin', too...but sleep has been out of the question. I placed over 15 calls to the vet who treated her, my regular vet, a pet columnist, three cat rescue faciities, two members of the rescue group who handled this adoption, and other pet people. Perhaps she was given away because she had these problems. Who knows? I ordered Feliway (to help the cats co-exist) but I don't know if that'll work. I don't know how to solve any of the above problems. Perhaps she isn't meant for a 2 cat household. It breaks my heart, but I am turning psychotic from lack of sleep. Any advice here or email at would be so appreciated. Thank you. Again, getting her checked for a UTI is imperative. Beyond that, be patient, go SLOW and things will work out. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#16
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I recently adopted a 5 year old dsh/declawed/spayed female who was taken from her home when the owner threatened to dump her in the street. She was put into a waiting shelter for one month before I adopted her. I've had 2-cat combos twice before with little problem...now, I have big problems. My resident cat is a 10 lb. dsh/neutered/declawed alpha male who lost his companion 3 months ago. He's claimed every part of the apartment since then. The new girl was an only cat and is a sweetheart. I brought her into my bedroom (w/a cage) and introduced the two. It went ok until the second day when my boy jumped on her. This was a mistake. This cat was just brought into a new home (stressful) from a shelter (stressful) and is with a strange person (stressful) and is then confronted by a strange cat when she has been an only cat up until this point (*very* stressful.) I kept them apart since then. She has exclusive use of my bedroom. It's good that you have separated them, but you need to understand that the damage has already been done and will take some time to undo, so the best thing you can do is be very patient and don't try to reintroduce her to your resident cat until you get her other issues resolved. Problem 1: She has peed on the bed..the sheet..my quilts 3x so far and deficated on my quilt. I cleaned the mattress as best as I could with a diluted bleach solution, but she peed again and again. Take her to a vet and have her checked for a UTI. She is clearly stressed and stress can cause UTIs. Until you do this, don't assume she has a behavior problem. While I was cleaning (when she threw up - problem 2) she peed on the bed again. I don't know what to do. Currently there's the litterbox that was always there AND the litterbox that is in her cage. She used the box twice for peeing but is not consistant. After peeing in the box, she deficated next to the box. I put large garbage bags over where she peed on the bed. So...she peed on the garbage bag. Plastic seems to be very attractive to cats for peeing on. Shall I keep her caged? For now I think this would be a good idea. Keep it partially covered by where her sleeping area is so she feels secure, and leave the introduction to the resident cat for later. How can I stop her from going on my bed. Get her to the vet first and see if this is a health issue. It sure sounds like it. Can I teach her to use the litterbox exclusively? Probably, but until you know if this is a medical or behavioral issue you can't formulate a plan. Problem 2: She doesn't keep food down. I feed her a little more than a teaspoon of food at a time. When I feed her at breakfast and lunch, she vomits by dinnertime. Originally, she was given Fancy Feast. I changed it to Friskies (regular, not shredded or chunks), but she threw that up too. All food given to her had fish or turkey as the first ingredient, not by-products or water. I had her at the vets for 3 days so they could monitor this situation. She was x-rayed and declared fine. Supposedly, she DID keep food down at the vet's office AND at the month-long stay at the shelter. They fed her Friskies. She had 5 teeth extracted before I got her and one tooth extracted after I got her. Dry food isn't an option. It sounds like this may be stress related, and considering what she's been through its not surprising. I would suggest you try a high quality canned food such as Wellness or Felidae and try it out in very small amounts. Try brushing her and loving her up for a few minutes to get her to relax just before you feed her and see if that helps. Leaving a radio on at a low volume tuned to a classical music station will also be helpful and soothe her during the day, even when you are away. Once the Feliway comes (I hope you got a diffuser) plug it in close to where her cage is. If you got the spray, you can mist the sheet you use to partially cover her cage and mist her bedding at least once a day. Problem 3: My resident cat cries from the other side of the door. I haven't slept more than an hour an a time since the new cat arrived. (two weeks ago - except for the 3 days she was at the vets). The inital arrangement was that she was kept in the cage (in my bedroom) while my resident cat checked her out. They met nose-to-nose (through the cage) and there was no hissing. So, I let her out of the cage and he kept his distance for a short time. Pretty soon, she hissed at/batted him..so he did the same. Then he started jumping on her (a habit he had with his former companion..she didn't like it but she was twice the size of this new cat and defended herself). I felt that made her ill so I banished him from the bedroom. And there's your problem. You took away something that he has been used to for all of his life. This is unfair and upsetting to him and then he got punished for reacting appropriately. It also may cause resentment towards the new cat, which could cause problems and is the last thing the new cat needs to deal with. When bringing a new cat in it is extremely important to keep the routine the *resident cat* is used to, and fit the new cat into it. What you need to do is set up a litterbox, bed, water, etc. in the bathroom and put the new cat in there at night so your boy kitty can have the sleep time with you that he is used to. You can put her back in the cage in the morning and close off the bedroom for the day. I visit her in the bedroom often (even though I can't sleep on the bed). She appears to be very affectionate and nuzzles me constantly. I make sure the resident cat gets plenty of lovin', too...but sleep has been out of the question. I placed over 15 calls to the vet who treated her, my regular vet, a pet columnist, three cat rescue faciities, two members of the rescue group who handled this adoption, and other pet people. Perhaps she was given away because she had these problems. Who knows? I ordered Feliway (to help the cats co-exist) but I don't know if that'll work. I don't know how to solve any of the above problems. Perhaps she isn't meant for a 2 cat household. It breaks my heart, but I am turning psychotic from lack of sleep. Any advice here or email at would be so appreciated. Thank you. Again, getting her checked for a UTI is imperative. Beyond that, be patient, go SLOW and things will work out. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#17
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Iso wrote:
Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. This is incredibly CRUEL and STUPID advice and I hope the OP has the good sense to ignore it. Doing the above will only increase the stress levels of BOTH cats and create unnecessary trauma for the new cat, who up until this time has been an *only* cat. This would be cruel and is NOT in the best interests of either cat. I really wish you would stop posting this sort of crap (but you've done it so consistently I'm not going to hold my breath.) It doesn't help the cats and often hurts them. You prove time and time again that you know *nothing* about cat behavior and are geared towards what seems to be convenient without taking into consideration the consequences that following your idiotic advice will cause. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#18
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Iso wrote:
Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. This is incredibly CRUEL and STUPID advice and I hope the OP has the good sense to ignore it. Doing the above will only increase the stress levels of BOTH cats and create unnecessary trauma for the new cat, who up until this time has been an *only* cat. This would be cruel and is NOT in the best interests of either cat. I really wish you would stop posting this sort of crap (but you've done it so consistently I'm not going to hold my breath.) It doesn't help the cats and often hurts them. You prove time and time again that you know *nothing* about cat behavior and are geared towards what seems to be convenient without taking into consideration the consequences that following your idiotic advice will cause. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#19
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Iso wrote:
Also, granted your resident cat is neutered and declawed, I would just let them go at it. This is incredibly CRUEL and STUPID advice and I hope the OP has the good sense to ignore it. Doing the above will only increase the stress levels of BOTH cats and create unnecessary trauma for the new cat, who up until this time has been an *only* cat. This would be cruel and is NOT in the best interests of either cat. I really wish you would stop posting this sort of crap (but you've done it so consistently I'm not going to hold my breath.) It doesn't help the cats and often hurts them. You prove time and time again that you know *nothing* about cat behavior and are geared towards what seems to be convenient without taking into consideration the consequences that following your idiotic advice will cause. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#20
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Since she DID keep food down and used the box 1) at the shelter for one month and 2) at the vets for 3 days, I believe it is not medical. Don't assume that there is no medical issue based on the above. A UTI can crop up in a day, not to mention the fact that at the vets she was confined to a very small area and peeing in the litterbox was probably her only choice. Please get her urine checked to rule out a medical cause. That is the *only* way to be sure. Assuming it's behavioral, when indeed it might be medical and causing her pain and discomfort, would not be right. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
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