LOL, after I posted this, your post re Sam came through and you were trying some of the same things. I'm not absolutely sure what the flower essence thingies do either, but so many people absolutely swear by them, and aside from the $$$, they can't hurt. I like the condo cage idea, but that might have to wait until after we try *everything* else. No, he doesn't have any buddies here except us. I think Luc, who's elderly, is a little jealous, Tribble is a psycho to everybody, Missy pretty much keeps to the living room and doesn't interact with much of anybody (upside of this is, she doesn't get on his case -- although he still defers to her as if she did), and Fred, our ex-quasi-feral, has decided that the coffee table area, where Doyle sometimes sits when he's in the living room, is HER domain and will just sit and stare at him in an unsettling way. So the poor guy can't win. Maybe if we do the screen door thing (that door room door needs replacing anyway) they can all interact in a less intense way. Thanks for the input! Diane R.
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 12:03 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: OT: on the subject of pee (long) Diane I feel for you, your housemate and of course Doyle. I think it's a good idea to give Doyle his own space when you're not home, or when he's not directly under your protection. I've used the feliway stuff too, (I did find a generic brand that was cheaper), I used the flower essences in the water bowls too. I don't know if that stuff really helps or just makes me feel like I'm doing something/anything. It does certainly sound like Doyle is not ready or comfortable enough to be in general population. Working with ferals, (and Sophie Matilda, my resident psycho kitty), has taught me to take it very slow and to not be hesitant to go back a couple of steps in the acclimation/taming process when things are not progressing. I just ordered this great condo cage that has wheels for easy movement. I got it for about $80 bucks. I'd set up something like that in Doyle's room and feed him in there to get him used to using it. Have something like a small open travel crate in there to give him privacy etc. When you think he's ready, you could move the cage out into the living room while you watch tv, put him on your lap and use the condo cage if you think he's getting stressed. You might even want to partially cover the cage to make him feel even more secure. You can always roll it back into his room and open up the cage door if he's too nervous about it at first. I'm betting if you make him comfortable in his room, (a screen door so he can watch and hear the household activity, scheduled time spent with him), maybe even his "comfort table" in there propped against a window to watch the world from), he'll start to regain some confidence and stop the peeing behavior. Does he have a cat buddy that he actually likes spending time with? Maybe you could let that particular cat in Doyle's room with him from time to time for supervised visits. Later, when you think he's ready, you could start releasing him when it's time to go to bed and everyone is more settled. You just have to keep coming up with novel approaches and do your best to put yourself in his paws. It will work out. I don't know why it continues to surprise me, but I try to never say never. Patience and caring have resolved so many situations that I thought might never work out. Keep the faith, Nina Rosenfeldt, Diane wrote: My housemate and I are having a new and interesting problem with our Doyle. We've had him about 2 years and this has just started. This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
