that recliner ... and cain and abel

Gracie and Jenny were indoor only sisters from the same litter, but
Jenny died last November. Gracie has gotten too used to being an only
cat, besides I am certain that she was starting to go nuts with the
solitude. A two year old calico.

So we took in Max, when we got the chance, last Monday. A one year
old indoor only mail.

How that is going is not what this is about, but I have been tempted
to rename them Cain and Abel,...

.... and I think Maxie is half troll -- his favorite locations are
hiding behind the couch, or under a bed squeezed between the springs
and the floor, or spending nearly all his time hiding inside a thick
dark quilt that hangs down inside a bed.

The one "horror" - One of Maxie's hiding places has been inside and
under the living room recliner. You know those things? The ones
that, sometimes, when you close them, will mangle a pet that is hiding
underneath? Or when you rock on them, a pet inside the recliner gets
part of a limb cut off?

I'm trying to figure out what to do. If I could immobilize the
recliner, making it a normal stuffed chair, I would do it. I am
hoping there is some way to keep Maxie from -ever- going inside the
recliner again, but don't know how to do that.

Instead, probably one of the first times we have guests, they'll
innocently settle in the recliner and ... diced cat.

Any ideas? Maybe I can weld the recliner into one position?

tom

"Tom+Gracie+Max" wrote

Any ideas? Maybe I can weld the recliner into one position?

Ditch it. They are usually ugly anyway.

Tom+Gracie+Max wrote:
Gracie and Jenny were indoor only sisters from the same litter, but
Jenny died last November. Gracie has gotten too used to being an only
cat, besides I am certain that she was starting to go nuts with the
solitude. A two year old calico.

So we took in Max, when we got the chance, last Monday. A one year
old indoor only mail.

How that is going is not what this is about, but I have been tempted
to rename them Cain and Abel,...

... and I think Maxie is half troll -- his favorite locations are
hiding behind the couch, or under a bed squeezed between the springs
and the floor, or spending nearly all his time hiding inside a thick
dark quilt that hangs down inside a bed.

The one "horror" - One of Maxie's hiding places has been inside and
under the living room recliner. You know those things? The ones
that, sometimes, when you close them, will mangle a pet that is hiding
underneath? Or when you rock on them, a pet inside the recliner gets
part of a limb cut off?

I'm trying to figure out what to do. If I could immobilize the
recliner, making it a normal stuffed chair, I would do it. I am
hoping there is some way to keep Maxie from -ever- going inside the
recliner again, but don't know how to do that.

Instead, probably one of the first times we have guests, they'll
innocently settle in the recliner and ... diced cat.

Any ideas? Maybe I can weld the recliner into one position?

tom



If you are sincere, disable the recliner or get rid of it. Or perhaps
you could find Maxie a home where he would be an only pet. He doesn't
seem happy where he is. He should not have to feel the need to hide.
Best wishes MLB

"MLB" wrote in message
...
Tom+Gracie+Max wrote:
Gracie and Jenny were indoor only sisters from the same litter, but
Jenny died last November. Gracie has gotten too used to being an only
cat, besides I am certain that she was starting to go nuts with the
solitude. A two year old calico.

So we took in Max, when we got the chance, last Monday. A one year
old indoor only mail.

How that is going is not what this is about, but I have been tempted
to rename them Cain and Abel,...

... and I think Maxie is half troll -- his favorite locations are
hiding behind the couch, or under a bed squeezed between the springs
and the floor, or spending nearly all his time hiding inside a thick
dark quilt that hangs down inside a bed.

The one "horror" - One of Maxie's hiding places has been inside and
under the living room recliner. You know those things? The ones
that, sometimes, when you close them, will mangle a pet that is hiding
underneath? Or when you rock on them, a pet inside the recliner gets
part of a limb cut off?

I'm trying to figure out what to do. If I could immobilize the
recliner, making it a normal stuffed chair, I would do it. I am
hoping there is some way to keep Maxie from -ever- going inside the
recliner again, but don't know how to do that.

Instead, probably one of the first times we have guests, they'll
innocently settle in the recliner and ... diced cat.

Any ideas? Maybe I can weld the recliner into one position?

tom



If you are sincere, disable the recliner or get rid of it. Or perhaps you
could find Maxie a home where he would be an only pet. He doesn't seem
happy where he is. He should not have to feel the need to hide. Best
wishes MLB

Give Maxie more time to adjust. It's not uncommon for a new cat,
particularly when moving into a household with a cat already living there,
to go into hiding for a week or two, sometimes longer. Be patient, and
he'll come around. In the meantime, give him a safer area to hide, such as
his own room without the recliner. If you choose to keep the chair, then
everytime you find him underneath it, spritz him with water from a spray
bottle and make a really loud noise. He'll very quickly learn that recliner
is most definitely NOT a safe place to hide.

Some kitties are hiders and some aren't. I have a kitty who is
uncomfortable around people he doesn't know, and when I have guests, he
hides under the bed. As soon as they leave, he comes out from under the bed
and becomes quite the socialite. I don't fight it - it's just who he is.
But I don't let him get under furniture that can hurt him.

And warn your guests. I'm sure they'd feel terrible if a cat got hurt when
they sat down. Good luck with Maxie and give him a little more time to
adjust. He may become less of a troll when he gets more comfy in his new
home.

"MLB" wrote
If you are sincere, disable the recliner or get rid of it. Or perhaps you
could find Maxie a home where he would be an only pet. He doesn't seem
happy where he is. He should not have to feel the need to hide. Best
wishes MLB

No no, he has only been there a short time! And, my Gracie hides a lot,
though she is very affectionate and seeks and gets a lot of petting and
brushing. I think she thinks hiding is funny.

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 20:42:32 -0500 from starcat :
It's not uncommon for a new cat,
particularly when moving into a household with a cat already living there,
to go into hiding for a week or two, sometimes longer.

And it is normal for them to take many months to feel really
comfortable.

I adopted Milo from a shelter when he was about 14 months old. It
took him about six months to really relax, even though he is the only
cat (the only pet) in the house.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Kids have been killed inside these recliners. I was chucking an extra heavy
sofa that I had bought used to try out leather with my cats. The gal who
bought it showed me it was actually a recliner. I was horrified and glad to
get rid of it.

My advice- ditch the recliner immediately even if you have to donate it to
charity. Don't set yourself and others up for something you will regret
forever.

Barb