Kerry,
I feel for Molly and the cats. Maybe you can help her to understand
that it's not uncommon for acclimation to new homes with adult cats to
take months not days or even weeks. I would suggest she go back a few
steps and confine Katya to a bathroom with a screen door. Tell her to
shower Amber with attention. Amber will soon realize that she has
nothing to fear from a Katya and relax back into her old behaviors.
Katya might be unhappy about this new development, but tell Molly to not
feel guilty about this. She will be providing the best chance for Katya
to keep her new home and not have to go through the distress of bouncing
from foster to placement again, (a far harsher fate). Poor Katya has
been through enough upheaval, enough people have let her down, try to
convince Molly that she will be her savior if she sticks by her long
enough to help her fit in.
When she wants to give Katya some freedom and attention, just have her
put Amber in her bedroom and shut the door. She can give Katya
"exercise" periods the same time everyday and the cats will soon realize
the pattern and not stress out about it. If she really wants to speed
the process along, she can invest, or borrow a 3' x 2' wire cage for
Katya. After Amber is once again feeling comfortable in her home, she
can put Katya in the cage in the living room, or bedroom, or wherever,
to give them a better opportunity to get used to each other without
threat. Tell her to put a small litter box, a bed, food and water in
Katya's cage to help her feel more comfortable.
I've told you, (and the list) about our resident PTSD kitty, Matilda,
(remember Matilda the Hun?). Well, even I, who have sworn to never say
never again, was having my doubts that Matilda would ever get over her
fears and be safe enough to mix with my household. Unlike Katya,
Matilda poses a real danger to others, humans and animals alike. I keep
her segregated, (it's been a couple of months now), in the bedroom
during the day, (screen door so she can see the activity), and in a cage
by my bed at night. I bought a service cart to put the cage on and I've
been wheeling Matilda out into the kitchen when I make everyone's dinner
and into the living room to watch TV with us all at night before bed.
It's made a difference. At first her eyes were wide as saucers watching
all the dogs and cats parade under her cage. Now she's relaxed for the
most part. If she gets stressed, I wheel her back to the bedroom and
she calms down. I also drape a sheet over part of the cage so she has a
place to retreat to. Anyway, a couple of days ago I let Matilda loose
in the bedroom thinking everyone else was out of there. About an hour
later I noticed Timmy standing by the screen door waiting to be let
out. There was Matilda just two feet away, looking scared, but not
attacking him, (I tell you this is huge progress!). Idiot that I am, I
did the same thing this morning with Kimba Cat. Again, Matilda did not
attack him, she just huddled in the corner and watched and waited while
I let Kimba out.
Please tell Molly that there is hope. If she's willing to do what's
necessary and give these guys time to adjust, I'm sure they will figure
out a way to not only coexist, but that having another animal of their
own species has it's benefits. If she's willing to try segregating them
again, encourage her to put a time limit on the experiment. That will
help her to keep her resolve when she gets discouraged. Try for 3
months. I promise you, she'll start to see progress much sooner than that.
Nina
MacKenzie, Kerry N. wrote:
Hi all
I just got an email from the adopter ("Molly")of my former foster cat
("Katya"). Molly emailed the shelter and copied me in part (see
below--I've changed all names to protect privacy!). It seems she's about
to give up Katya because of the effect it's having on her own cat,
"Amber". Molly, I believe, is a good person, and I'm frantically casting
around for ideas to fix the situation. I would foster Katya again in a
heartbeat,and have already let the shelter know this, but it would be
better if we cd resolve the situation. I'm scheduled to speak to Molly
tonight on the phone. I thought if I could give her some hope, maybe
that would encourage her to keep trying. I already encouraged her a
couple of weeks ago to buy Feliway diffusers. I believe she's done this.
All ideas gratefully received.
Kerry
