I need cat advice

[Bonkers]

I've had the same cat family for years now - Morgan is 12 years old, I adopted her in 1999, Magic is 8, adopted him as a kitten in 2000. My kids found a stray kitten over the summer, we found him a home and for some reason, we all missed him terribly so I adopted an orphan three week old kitten in September.:)

He was a from a feral litter, siblings killed by racoons, abandoned by mom.

Anyhoo, the kitten is a WILD MAN, he is three months old now. Magic is very aloof, always has been, just his personality, only talks and wants to be loved on at feeding time, otherwise he just kind of sleeps a lot. Morgan on the other hand was completely declawed when I adopted her....she is my pillow cat, always at my feet or in my lap, always talking, demanding attention, never far from me at all. She is also overweight.

I feel SO BAD for Morgan. Fate (the kitten) doesn't mess with Magic at all. He TERRORIZES Morgan though. She hisses and spits and pops him and he knows she has no claws, so he is constantly jumping on her, chasing her, attacking her. She peed on my bathrug the other day and pooped int he middle of my floor in my bedroom. She is highly upset, her life is just turned upside down by Fate.

What can I do? Will he outgrow this anytime soon? I havne't had a kitten since Magic in 2000, and back then Morgan was young enough that she enjoyed playing with him. She is older now and obviously wants nothing to do with this kitten.

Help?

[msmichellemiller]

Can you declaw the other cat, too? Is it old enough to be fixed yet? Maybe those things can chill him out. Sorry I don't have any better ideas; I feel for your older cat that was there first!

[Wilson]

I do wonder if neutering will help, but I don't know anything about it really. Can you keep Fate separated from the other cats for a while? Three months is very young and I do suspect he'll chill out. When? I don't know...

[eaglesprings]

We've got a similiar situation, minus the mishaps on the floor. Daffy is our oldest. Nobody messes with her. Snowball came next, then the two kittens (which really aren't kittens, anymore, but they are still young, and mischevious).

Snowball (our solid black cat) gets along great with Queen Daffy, and gets along well with the dog. But, she's never liked those kittens. When they were nothing but little balls of fur that could fit in the palm of your hand, she was growling and hissing at them. Never swatting them, just growling and hissing. Now that they are older (over a year), they enjoy tormenting her! I think they enjoy getting a rise out of her! They actually chase her now!

How do you explain to a cat that if she would just ignore them, they'd leave her alone? I swear, these cats are worse than kids! They don't mess with Queen Daffy, because Daffy will just look at them like they are nuts, give them a disciplinary swat, if needed, but doesn't get all nuts over their antics. She is like the "Queen of Cool" or something. If Snowball would not react to them so much, they would leave her alone. But, I just cannot communicate this to her.

What to do? I don't know. I just leave them alone in hopes they'll one day work it out in their own "cat way." Or, wait for the young hooligans to grow up enough where they really don't get the thrill out of tormenting poor Snowball.

Of course, I'm not dealing with a cat protesting by pooping, either. I did have a cat like that once. She'd poop whenever I had to leave town for work, which frustrated my mom to no end! But, after the first day or so, she would stop protesting and go back to her litter box. Cats like to stay clean, so it's possible yours will soon decide that's not how she wants to protest her situation. I hope.

I'll be interested in knowing how this works itself out, if you'd be willing to share your stories.

[MomTimesFive]

I've never understood the rule that some of the pet rescue centers here in California have that you HAVE to adopt two cats or already have one at home because cats like to be with other cats :confused: I can understand that if two cats have been raised together and don't want to be separated. I've never seen two cats that weren't raised together get along. At best, I've had cats that tolerate each other, but the two we have right now have been fighting for the last year.

[eaglesprings]

MomX5: That is crazy. Someone could possibly afford the care of one cat, but not two. How many rescues don't get adopted because of that rule?

I've got a lot of respect for rescue organizations, but sometimes I think they go a little overboard with their rules. Mom tried to adopt a cat once from her town's local Humane Society, but didn't want people dropping by unannounced to "check things out." I mean, she's lived in that town all of her life, in the same home for 42 years! This is a little small town, too, where everyone knows everyone else. So, one cat didn't get a home due to this rule. All for the best, though, because several strays later managed to find their way to Mom's house. Amazingly, they get along well, and it's quite cute to see them cuddling with Mom's lab sized dog.

[MomTimesFive]

I know...it's crazy for pets to have to spend more time in shelters because they aren't allowed to be placed in "single-cat" homes. It's funny how things work out sometimes with strays showing up at just the right time. That's how we've gotten most of our cats, and it has worked out for the best for us with no hassles.

[eaglesprings]

Our Queen cat was a stray. I call her our wedding gift from God, because she jumped in my vehicle from the mall parking lot. I had just registered at Dillard's for shower gifts.

Snowball was one of a litter that a stray cat had in a friend's garage. And, the two kittens were from a litter of a friend's cat, a former stray they had adopted after she showed up (pregnant) at their home.

I've never had to go in search of a cat to adopt. I have adopted from a former town's animal shelter before, but most of the cats in my life adopted me or someone in my family. LOL!

[MomTimesFive]

If only it were that easy to adopt a dog! We want to get a dog pretty soon after we get to Texas, but I definitely don't want to get one from a rescue center.

[eaglesprings]

Well, not all rescue groups have strict, stringent rules such as what Mom faced (and that was in Louisiana). We got our little dog from the SPCA of Montgomery County. She's had some health issues, but nothing that couldn't happen with any dog from even a breeder. A friend of mine got her Golden Retriever from Golden Retriever Rescue. She's had her for 10 years now with no major problems, and no problems adopting, either. So, don't rule out rescue groups just because of the bad experiences of a few.

What type of dog are you wanting to get?

[MomTimesFive]

ES, check your private messages :)

[eaglesprings]

Sorry to hijack your thread, Bonkers. I'm still interested in how the cat issue at your home resolves itself.

Momx5: I sent you a reply. Looking foward to having you local!

[Wilson]

We had a fantastic experience with German Shepherd Rescue of Houston, although there is a new group that recently has taken over. Our cat is from Homeless Pet Placement League and we had an equally wonderful experience with them.

[eaglesprings]

We had a fantastic experience with German Shepherd Rescue of Houston, although there is a new group that recently has taken over. Our cat is from Homeless Pet Placement League and we had an equally wonderful experience with them.


We were also really happy with the SPCA foster that had Sprinkle before we adopted her. I called her a few times with questions about vaccines, and she even gave me some Baytril (sp?) when Sprinkle had her first episode, due to the neurological condition she has. I don't know if it was this one particular foster, or the SPCA in general, but they were a huge help to us even after we adopted Sprinkle. They went above and beyond the call of duty, without being intrusive, to help us all get adjusted to our new family member.

I hope nobody got the idea that I'm against rescue groups. I'm not. I just know that some have rules that a lot of people will not be able to accept, such as the "two cat" rule that Mom mentioned, or the surprise visits my mom would not agree to. It just seems to me these well intended rules hurt the animals in need of homes. But, I certainly never intended to put a bad light on all rescue groups! These volunteers, overall, do a great job!

[baby duck]

Ugh. I have two cats now and will never have two together again. They hate each other. I have to keep them physically seperated at all times, and if the tabby is allowed to roam the whole house, he marks everything. If I keep him restricted to one room, he's fine, but that seems like a sad way to live to me. I think he would be fine if there wasn't another cat in the house.

[cgwoolf]

Bonkerx, I hate to tell you but my experience says that onece 2 animals in a family don't like each other...it rarely changes. They continue to hate each other which causes one to be miserable and do things like poop in the house.

[Bonkers]

Thanks all for your advice! Morgan actually doesn't hate the kitten, she has been found grooming him on two occasions all curled up with him. But right now he is jsut driving her BONKERS:D with chasing her and pouncing on her. I really think he will outgrow it, but he is only three months old and I hate to put her through this for the next year or so until he mautres his fiesty butt down!:D

I throw him out in the garage when I see him agitating her too much, but I'm not always here. I suppose when I leave I can shut her in my bedroom, I don't think she leaves that area much anyway, so it would be comfortable for her.

I guess we will just see how it turns out! :o

Oh! yes, my vet waits until they are FIVE months old to neuter! He already his Christmas balls I would like to remove. I know that will calm him in the long run, but I think right now this is just his personality and him being a kitten. I don't remember ever having a kitten like this! He is like a little fireball!

[eaglesprings]

I love fireballs! LOL! I can just picture him sneaking up on unsuspecting Morgan (or anything else that moves).

This problem does sound temporary, although it may not seem like it will be temporary to poor Morgan. I think you're doing the right thing by just waiting to see how it plays out. Morgan probably wouldn't mind the peace and quiet of your bedroom for a retreat when you're out of pocket. Our oldest lounges back in our room for hours on end, even when the door is wide open.