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My hubby thought I was crazy, too, but I
kept talking about it and first we put up a cheap wood framed one ... graduated
to a nicer looking white vinyl frame ... then I won what I really wanted, a
regular $200 professionally installed screen door! Yeah! We mounted
a pleated shade which can open from top or bottom for privacy to use if
visitors are staying here. With the first two we put clear lucite on the
bottom panel so the other cats would not push through the screen or pass germs
(important for the FeLV+).
Del
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:11
PM
Subject: Re: 20 CATS...
You know, when Miss decided she was not coming
out of our bedroom, I considered putting a screen door on the bedroom
entrance. My husband thought that was crazy. Maybe not so much,
hunh?
Sandy
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 9:55
PM
Subject: Re: 20 CATS...
Oh, yeah, one here lived in the bedroom
(screen door to the hall) for about ten months because he thought he should
"take out" some of the resident kitties ... he would come out once a
day when I could supervise and learned that "bad boy, go to your room"
meant going back into his room ... all I had to do was say it and off
he would trot and I'd close his screen door. After a while he would
just sit in there even I didn't close the door. Sometimes he looked
quite proud of himself for being naughty to the others and happily bounced
down the hall to his room like he felt slapping them around was worth
it! One day he strolled out of his room with a visibly different
attitude and all was well ... has been for years now. Go figure!
Maybe because I had been telling him Effie (FeLV+) needed that bedroom
and he understood.
Del
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005
11:14 AM
Subject: RE: 20 CATS...
>>>The first rule at my house is, everybody must get
along. There will be harmony, or else!
:).<<<<
So
clearly it's possible?!!....Nina, do you think I could /should do this with
Tiger? The trouble is, it would mean him being on his own in the bedroom
while I was at work until he got the message. How long did it take Kimba
to "get it"?
Kerry
Sandy,
That's wonderful that you persevered
and allowed the kitties to work things out in their own time. How
frustrating for you that must have been. The first rule at my house
is, everybody must get along. There will be harmony, or else!
:). I'm a bit too alpha to not intercede in squabbles, (must be the
dog trainer in me). When a stray named Kimba adopted us and insisted
on joining the family, we had a terrible time adjusting. You can see
his picture and plea for adoption at my website:
http://www.companiondogtraining.com/kimba.html Poor Kimba is
socially inept and hated all cats, he got along fine with the dogs, but
just couldn't seem to figure out how to be a gentleman around the adult
kitties in our house. I searched for another home for him for months
with no takers. In the meantime, he spent a good deal of time in the
garage looking out at the rest of the family from behind a screen
door. I'd let him out when I had time to supervise, and the second
there was any sort of squabble, back he'd go! I kept talking to him
and telling him the rules. Slowly, he started to get the idea, if he
started something, he'd lose his house privileges. He so desperately
wanted to be with me that it finally worked. Now if I see him
stalking someone, or getting that too tense for comfort posture, all I
have to do is give him a little verbal warning and he backs off. If
Kimba can adjust, anybody can!
Dudes wrote:
Kerry,
It's good and bad to know that these bedroom wars happen.
What I believe happened in my case, is that my little Cricket matured to
adulthood, and felt the need to assert herself.
And I gave you the short version of the bedroom saga. The way things came
to a head, all three cats fought in a flurry of teeth and claws. The male
cat got in on the fight just because it upset him. Miss ended up with a
huge abscess from an ugly bite on her abdomen, and she was very, very angry.
I don't know who bit her, because fur was flying.
After Miss healed up, she refused to come out of the bedroom for SIX MONTHS!
I tried everything, kitty Prozac for one and then the other, and at one time
both of them (made them both sleepy and zombie cats), Amitriptyline,
Feliway, nothing worked. I even considered contacting Sonya Fitzpatrick,
the pet psychic. I was so desperate to right things.
Miss had her food and litter in there, and she stayed put. I could tell she
missed being with her people, because she would walk us to the door whenever
we left the bedroom, but she would run and hide if she saw one of the other
cats.
She could see us in the den from the bedroom window. And it just broke my
heart to see her looking at us, I could see her meowing for us to come and
see her. But she would absolutely not be moved from the safety of the
bedroom.
I spent as much time with her as possible, but then I was neglecting
everyone else. But then slowly, she'd allowed me to carry her out for short
periods of time before she'd panic. And then we worked up to other rooms of
the house for a quick look around before she got upset.
My persistance paid off. One day, she crept out of the bedroom cautiously.
She stayed out longer and longer, hiding under a chair, and dashing off to
hide under the bed less. Finally she decided it was time to join the rest
of the family, as if it had been 6 hours, not six months. That was three
years ago.
Now she and Cricket have this mutual understanding and tolerance. Miss
steps aside if Cricket is around. Cricket doesn't even have to flex a
whisker. Cricket might be the smallest, but she managed to overturn the
position of alpha female.
Sorry that was so long. But I thought it was worth telling. I hope if
anyone else ever has a situation like this, they give it a LOT of time to
resolve.
Sandy
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