I am really in a quandary with these pussycats! Cassie (Old Lady Cat) has turned into as 24 Kt. witch with a capital "B". She has been terrorizing poor Ivy Jane who is the world's most wimpy cat. Ever since Cassie and I returned from Lizard Land things have gone from bad to worse. It's gotten Ivy Jane so traumatized that she is afraid to come upstairs for any length of time. Upstairs is where the litter boxes are so Ivy Jane will come up long enough to take a leak but NOT long enough to go poop. She has taken to going poop on the oriental carpet in the dining room and it is ALWAYS almost liquid. Cleaning that up every day is NOT fun. So, we have -- for the second time in the last three weeks -- isolated Cassie from the rest of the cats. The first time she was kept in the guest bathroom for three days. During that time, there was no poop in the dining room and Ivy Jane was running around playing with Bunnie Sue & Cheeto. We let Cassie out and the next day the poop in the dining room started again :-(. We will be gone on a cruise for the next week and have decided to isolate Cassie again but will give her the run of the guest bedroom, bathroom and the computer room. She started a horrible fight last night about midnight and ended up in the bathroom but today I opened the doors to the other rooms and have spent several hours with her while on the 'puter. Ivy Jane has again been playing and hanging out upstairs and in the kitchen. Unfortunately, Ivy Jane pooped in the dining room again this evening and I'm not sure what is going on. I really don't look forward to coming home in seven days to at least seven piles of dried poop stuck to the wool carpet! I'm starting to wonder if she might have something physically wrong so if we come home to lots of poop, I'll be taking her to the Baby Dr. If the Dr. finds nothing physically wrong with her and she continues to use the dining room as her litter box, then I'll try putting a litter box downstairs. If she *still* poops in the dining room, then she will likely be the one to end up being isolated! Ivy Jane was already traumatized when we adopted her and I hate to think of having to put her back into some sort of cage. If that is the case, I'm going to see about getting a very large dog kennel so that she has room to move around and be a bit active. I've already decided that we will have to make room for the kennel in the 'puter room so that she gets to have some safe interaction with the rest of the family. I know that if cats aren't well and have very loose stool, they will often avoid using the litter box (just when they *should* be using the box, too)! If Ivy Jane keeps pooping in the dining room and it's very loose stool, I need to find out if it's a physical problem or just emotional. If she quits then we know for sure that it's an emotional thing that was eliminated once Cassie was removed from the equation. After spending the previous 4 years or so in a smallish cage, I'm not sure but that Ivy Jane might prefer spending her time in a much larger cage so that she feels safer. She's still not letting us get close to her and only allows a little scratching on top of her head while she waits for her canned food. I'm fine with that as I never expected her to get really friendly. I'm just concerned that, after being with us since early January and using the cat box properly from the very first, she has started having such loose bowels AND making her deposits in the dining room. VBS -- seems like I am going to feel like a not so good cat mom no matter what I do. I'll be saying prayers to St. Frank and want to ask again for everyone to send "good stuff" our way in the hopes that we can find a happy solution to this very vexing problem. Thanks & CiaoMeow >^;;^<
PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at