Setback - (was: Cat Introduction & Bi-Polar kitty)

We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

I was in the bathroom at the time, and the only one home. I first
heard the fighting downstairs, meaning that both of them had made it
from upstairs without contest, but finally mixed it up downstairs.

I raced out shouting, and grabbed a blanket. I managed to get Chloe
covered up, and Louis backed off. Chloe went back to her room, and
Louis and Tiger went in the basement.

Louis has a big scratch on his ear, and Chloe a bloody lip. I'm
putting topical antibiotics on both after getting them checked out at
the vet. Miraculously, I emerged unscathed.

Later in the day I put the old door on, and am starting over.

I wish I knew who'd started it.. that might help me figure out who to
coddle more this next round. My guess is that Chloe challenged Louis,
who went into asian-leopard-cat mode and dove in.

Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.

Thanks

BLink

Brian Link wrote:
Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.

Thanks

BLink
Yeah. Throw yourself on Megan's mercy. You're the problem.

Bobbi

Brian Link wrote:
We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

I was in the bathroom at the time, and the only one home. I first
heard the fighting downstairs, meaning that both of them had made it
from upstairs without contest, but finally mixed it up downstairs.

I raced out shouting, and grabbed a blanket.\

Shouting and getting riled up is a mistake. They undoubtedly fed on
your fears.


I managed to get Chloe
covered up, and Louis backed off. Chloe went back to her room, and
Louis and Tiger went in the basement.

Louis has a big scratch on his ear, and Chloe a bloody lip. I'm
putting topical antibiotics on both after getting them checked out at
the vet. Miraculously, I emerged unscathed.

Later in the day I put the old door on, and am starting over.

I wish I knew who'd started it.. that might help me figure out who to
coddle more this next round. My guess is that Chloe challenged Louis,
who went into asian-leopard-cat mode and dove in.

Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.


I would let them smell and see each other (parts) through the door,
without being able to have a full face-to-face encounter. At this
point they know each other exists - it's just a matter of encouraging
familiarity. Oh, and clip their nails.

Keep us posted.
-L.

Brian Link wrote:
We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

I was in the bathroom at the time, and the only one home. I first
heard the fighting downstairs, meaning that both of them had made it
from upstairs without contest, but finally mixed it up downstairs.

I raced out shouting, and grabbed a blanket.\

Shouting and getting riled up is a mistake. They undoubtedly fed on
your fears.


I managed to get Chloe
covered up, and Louis backed off. Chloe went back to her room, and
Louis and Tiger went in the basement.

Louis has a big scratch on his ear, and Chloe a bloody lip. I'm
putting topical antibiotics on both after getting them checked out at
the vet. Miraculously, I emerged unscathed.

Later in the day I put the old door on, and am starting over.

I wish I knew who'd started it.. that might help me figure out who to
coddle more this next round. My guess is that Chloe challenged Louis,
who went into asian-leopard-cat mode and dove in.

Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.


I would let them smell and see each other (parts) through the door,
without being able to have a full face-to-face encounter. At this
point they know each other exists - it's just a matter of encouraging
familiarity. Oh, and clip their nails.

Keep us posted.
-L.

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

I was in the bathroom at the time, and the only one home. I first
heard the fighting downstairs, meaning that both of them had made it
from upstairs without contest, but finally mixed it up downstairs.

I raced out shouting, and grabbed a blanket. I managed to get Chloe
covered up, and Louis backed off. Chloe went back to her room, and
Louis and Tiger went in the basement.

Louis has a big scratch on his ear, and Chloe a bloody lip. I'm
putting topical antibiotics on both after getting them checked out at
the vet. Miraculously, I emerged unscathed.

Later in the day I put the old door on, and am starting over.

I wish I knew who'd started it.. that might help me figure out who to
coddle more this next round. My guess is that Chloe challenged Louis,
who went into asian-leopard-cat mode and dove in.

Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.

Thanks

BLink

You might want to secure the door with other than the hook and eye closure.
They seem to be particularly ineffective as cat deterrents. My Diego took
about 5 minutes to figure out a hook and eye and be able to make his way
into the kitten room on his quest to steal their food. I had to do a bungee
cord thing from the screen door handle to an adjacent door handle to keep
him out of there.

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

snip
Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.

Thanks

BLink

Next time, take off the permanent door (temporarily -- so be sure to keep
it, of course) and use the hardware (door knobs and hinges) from that door
to mount the temporary screen door. If it is fitted correctly, the door
should be impossible for a cat to open when you close it. If it isn't that
secure, you can add a lock -- the kind that slides into "receptacle" instead
of the hook-and-eye closure. If necessary, cut off the bottom part of the
screen door before mounting it -- enough to leave a gap of about 2" when the
door is in place. That way, you can eventually place some tuna or another
treat on each side of a platter. Slide the platter half-way under the door,
and the two cats will be eating from the same plate (but safely separated by
the screen). With this type of door in place, the cats cat see and smell
each other, but there is no danger of confrontation. It's also a good idea
to mount hooks on the top of the door. If either cat seems agitated, you
can then drape a sheet from the hooks to temporarily block the view that
each cat has of the other.

Later, of course, you will remove the screen door and use the same door
knobs and hinges to re-install the permanent door.

MaryL

Photos -- "pictorial history" of Duffy's introduction to Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
news:0AmQe.3116$Ix4.318@okepread03...

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
We've had the cardboard off the screen-door for a week, and were
getting ready to do the inverted playpen thing (reconstructed from
memory out of old advice on cat intros).

Louis the Bengal (outside) figured out how to climb the screen, and
managed to un-latch the screen door, giving him access to Chloe
(inside).

snip
Any suggestions? I'm gonna keep Chloe sequestered for two weeks before
re-mounting the screen door.

Thanks

BLink

Next time, take off the permanent door (temporarily -- so be sure to keep
it, of course) and use the hardware (door knobs and hinges) from that door
to mount the temporary screen door. If it is fitted correctly, the door
should be impossible for a cat to open when you close it. If it isn't
that secure, you can add a lock -- the kind that slides into "receptacle"
instead of the hook-and-eye closure. If necessary, cut off the bottom
part of the screen door before mounting it -- enough to leave a gap of
about 2" when the door is in place. That way, you can eventually place
some tuna or another treat on each side of a platter. Slide the platter
half-way under the door, and the two cats will be eating from the same
plate (but safely separated by the screen). With this type of door in
place, the cats cat see and smell each other, but there is no danger of
confrontation. It's also a good idea to mount hooks on the top of the
door. If either cat seems agitated, you can then drape a sheet from the
hooks to temporarily block the view that each cat has of the other.

Later, of course, you will remove the screen door and use the same door
knobs and hinges to re-install the permanent door.

MaryL

Photos -- "pictorial history" of Duffy's introduction to Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")


We weren't able to use the original hardware because the screen doors aren't
as thick as the interior doors. The dh first mounted spring hinges so the
door would close automatically. The squeaking of the hinges drove me nuts so
we tried the hook and eye instead. Diego foiled that attempt so bungee
seemed the easiest solution and didn't require mounting additional hardware
..... again. That would be the benefit to using a standard door and cutting a
hole and mounting 'screening' like Mary L did.

Hi, Brian

I'm not expert, but since I've gone through my own rounds of cat
conflicts, I'll mention things that helped with mine - you judge if it
works for yours.

I haven't followed all your posts, but it sounds like the cats are
locked up always in the same part of the house (ie, one in a room and
the other to roam the house) If that's the case, maybe changing who
gets locked up might help. That way, they can get used to each others
smells all over the place. It may reduce the territorial assumptions
and also let them "experience" each other in small doses. In my case, I
used two different lock-up rooms, but they traded equal time between
being locked up in their room and being on lose in the house. Only one
lock-up room had a grate, so only have the time was direct contact
possible, but it meant that no one got to feel like he/she owned the
house.

During my first round of fights, I waited a long time between bad
experiences before going the next step. That worked then. During the
latest round, I was making no progress, so we tried the next step
whenever peace existed at the present step (eg supervised visit
whenever peace at barrier was exhibited).

When lock-up was going on behind the grated door, I frequently sat near
the barrier and offered treats to both cats (Kitty Kavier) and played
with toys, using ones I could poke through the barrier so both could
interact. The idea was to associate "happy times" with being together
:-)

Mine are now fight free for 2 weeks (knock on wood) and back to playing
together and everything. Hope this helps.

Becky

OTPS - I've got a killer arpa doppia now.