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Old May 24th, 2010, 08:50 PM
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Bella meet Kitty. Kitty meet Bella

I started a picture thread the other night which also brought out concerns of our kitties, Bella and Kitty.

14+ has given us a wealth of knowledge and thought that Bella & Kitty deserved their own discussions.

14+; today we brought out the baby powder and hubby lightly rubbed it into his palms then stroked each cat gently with powder on palms. Hubby has always been the "go to" cat person in our house so we all designated him to this procedure.

Kitty has been the one living in our daughter's room while Bella has ruled the rest of the house.

After rubbing the baby powder on each, we re-introduced Kitty back to the main living room with Bella on one couch and daddy coddling Kitty.

Both looked at each other then Kitty got up to investigate Bella's being there. She sniffed Bella while Bella just looked at Kitty.

Kitty then quickly dashed off upstairs back into our daughter's room.

While this was a small step, it was a huge success for Kitty.

We're going to keep working on the re-introductions and allow Bella to venture up to our daughter's room, supervised of course so they can sense each other out calmly.

14+ for your guidance and suggestions. We couldn't have taken this leap without your assistance!
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old May 24th, 2010, 09:41 PM
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Glad to hear it went well!

But having not been around much lately I'm not sure who Bella is?

And not being so much a cat person I have no idea what the heck tha baby powder was for?

But it sounds like good news!!!
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Old May 24th, 2010, 09:53 PM
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Quick overview Chaser;

Daughter was finishing up her university and moved back home in December bringing her newly adopted kitty, Bella with her.

Kitty has disapproved of Bella's existance and 14+ gave some great ideas regarding a re-introduction that includes gently rubbing baby powder on each kitty to start an equal, fresh relationship between them both.

It was so nice to see Kitty finally come out of her hiding today and enjoy a few short minutes with all of us in the livingroom!

Progress continues......
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old May 24th, 2010, 09:57 PM
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Awww...kitty introductions have never seemed like an easy time to me. Best of luck!
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  #5  
Old May 24th, 2010, 10:15 PM
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Yay!!!!!!!
Small baby steps. Even if they are never firm buddies it would be nice if they could be in the same room and not squabble. There is a big age difference between the two of them which at times works against being friends.
My brain was mush last night so I got things a little mixed up. If Kitty is the one who likes spending time in your daughter's room then let her stay there. If things backslide you can always do the re-introductions from there if need be. I thought it was Bella that was always upstairs. For now just let them decide if they want to be in the same room and watch. The only time I would separate them is if there is hissing and excessive swatting going on. Then a "time out" for Kitty wouldn't hurt.
Good luck. I'm glad things were better today.
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Old May 25th, 2010, 09:15 PM
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When Bella first came into our house, she did stay upstairs in our daughter's room. However; after a month, Bella started to scope out the rest of the house which resulted in Kitty running and finding refuge in our daughter's room. Kitty has always felt comfortable in our daughter's room even without Bella here. So we moved all of her food, toys and box into our daughter's room for her comfort.

Since our daughter's return, the room has in fact change drastically in that we moved out the old bedroom furniture to accomodate our daughter's dorm/resident furniture. I'm sure that this change in atomsphere has also triggered this unfortunate behaviour as well.

Today, wasn't a good day. Kitty snuck into our bedroom and did a NASTY job on our bed. Needless to say the duvet cover went into the washer and the duvet got dropped off at the cleaners.

Patience is growing thin.
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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  #7  
Old May 25th, 2010, 09:44 PM
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I am so sorry Kitty is throwing you for a loop. The changes in your daughter's room and Bella being there are most likely the issues. I am hoping it isn't a health problem.
Is there another room where Kitty can be completely on her own? No chance of Bella ambushing or any stress? Preferably a room without good furniture she can ruin or at least something covered in plastic so it's easily cleaned. I bet she can smell Bella in your daughter's and your room and is reacting to that.
Hopefully soon you can get her into the vet for a thorough checkup.

From sounds of things it's time to follow the steps from the website I gave you. Basically starting from scratch with the introductions. It may take some time to get to the point where the cats can be in the same room but I think it's worth the effort. Remember after Kitty comes back from the vet to rub her with the powder. Cats usually come back from there smelling differently than when they went in.

I'm rooting for you. All of you!
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old May 25th, 2010, 09:57 PM
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The weirdest thing about this 14+ is that neither Bella or Kitty have ever stepped foot into our bedroom. With the girls here and hubby stays up late, I usually just take Gryphon & Mollie up to bed and close the door behind us.

I'm sure with all of your advice that Kitty is truly re-acting to all this change as Bella seems very content in her surroundings.

So much information to read and really want to do what is best for both of them and for all of us.

For now, our room is off limits with the door being shut all day. Tomorrow I'm going to wash all of our daughter's bedding and sprinkle baby powder on the mattress and pillows. Off to a clean start.
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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  #9  
Old May 25th, 2010, 10:08 PM
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I can't help but think these two got into it sometime when no one was around. That or something startled Kitty really badly and Bella was nearby so the angst got turned toward Bella. I have seen it happen before and it's takes a long time for things to settle back to norm.
If it was just the hitty, spitty, hissy thing happening I would say don't separate. But now Kitty has started inappropriate elimination. That isn't good.
Is her litter box meticulously clean? Has Bella used it at all? How many boxes do you have? Ideally there should be one for each with one extra. Have you changed litters lately? Even just to a different brand. Maybe she doesn't like the smell.
There are so many variables with cats. They are not exactly an easy read. Sometimes something so small can set them off.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old May 27th, 2010, 08:53 PM
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been absent for a couple days. Moving fridges out, down and in.

It's been quiet the last couple days and bedding has been changed, washed, and baby powdered.

Yes 14+, both Kitty and Bella have their own separate litter boxes along with separate food and water bowls. Kitty's stuff has been placed in our daughter's room which is separated from Bella's in the basement.

I don't know if Bella has ever used Kitty's box but what I do know is hubby cleans both boxes every weekend which includes a new litter change. We've been using the same brand for 10 years as long as we've had Kitty.

Kitty has alway's been skidderish from the time we brought her home. We've always made mention of her beeing our Casper "The Friendly Ghost" in that she would appear and disappear in a single flash. She's only friendly and affectionate on "her" terms and has always been like that and has never played with any of the dogs. If she is approached by them, she runs and hides.

Just trying to keep an affectionate, positive outcome for both of them. Gryphon & Mollie are due to the vet in a couple weeks and I think this may also be Kitty's time too.

Thank you so much for all the advice and
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old May 27th, 2010, 09:26 PM
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Mmm, taking into account Kitty's skittyishness (sp) you may have to be happy with them basically coexisting without contact. If you see something brewing then separate them at that time. They usually give signals. We just don't always see those signals.
Other than that if it's always been Kitty's terms then it probably will always be Kitty's terms.
Just remember when she goes to the vet to use the baby powder trick again.

Curiousity. When you say hubby cleans the boxes once a week - do they not get scooped out at least once a day? 'Cause that can cause problems too. Sometimes kitties just get tired of having to find a clean corner to poop in.
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We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old May 27th, 2010, 09:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 14+kitties View Post
Mmm, taking into account Kitty's skittyishness (sp) you may have to be happy with them basically coexisting without contact. If you see something brewing then separate them at that time. They usually give signals. We just don't always see those signals.
Other than that if it's always been Kitty's terms then it probably will always be Kitty's terms.
Just remember when she goes to the vet to use the baby powder trick again.

Will keep this in mind 14+!

Curiousity. When you say hubby cleans the boxes once a week - do they not get scooped out at least once a day? 'Cause that can cause problems too. Sometimes kitties just get tired of having to find a clean corner to poop in.
The clumps get cleaned out every, other day and new litter layed on Sundays. What we do need to do is to take both of the boxes out and spray them under the hose. Should we just pressure spray them with water or is there some kind of safe cleaner we could use to disinfect/clean the boxes with?
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old May 27th, 2010, 09:41 PM
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You can use diluted bleach to clean the boxes. Just make sure they are rinsed well with hot water and dried before the litter is added.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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  #14  
Old May 27th, 2010, 09:44 PM
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Thank you for the sound advice 14+
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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old May 27th, 2010, 09:52 PM
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You're welcome. Any time. I hope things calm down soon.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old June 1st, 2010, 10:04 PM
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Both boxes have been cleaned with bleach and thoroughly sanitized. So far we haven't had anymore accidents.

It's been rather quiet between the both of them. Kitty still will only stay in our daughter's room and only venture out in the hallway at the top of the stairs. They have had face-to-face human supervised meetings however; Kitty has expressed her vocal discontent. Fortunately, we haven't had any down right wars lately.

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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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Old June 2nd, 2010, 10:50 AM
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It's great that there hasn't been any more accidents. Is it possible the first one wasn't because of a fight or tension between the two but because the boxes weren't clean enough? Sometimes we tend to blame one action on the kitties when in fact it was caused by something else.
I suspect that Kitty will forever be one that cannot be with other kitties unsupervised. I guess that's where the "solitary cat" mentality of some people come in. They have cats like that.
Remember Benni? She's the one the customer told me she was taking to the pound if I couldn't take her because she wouldn't allow her other cats near the house. Well, she has been in her little enclosure with her son for over a year now. She still will take a run at her fence to get other cats away from her. Snoopy, her son, is great! He spends his days out with the other cats. I put him in with his mom at night so she has company. She loves seeing him. Gives him a good washing and then snuggles. Then there's Stormy. She just got moved over a couple of days ago to her new home but I know she won't be able to ever mingle with the others. She was so ticked with me for putting her in there she did a number on my arm and hand. Just showing her displeasure. She's calming down now but I have never heard growling from her like I have lately.
Sorry to get off topic. Just giving you a couple of examples of cats that do like to be alone.
I am sure with continued short "supervised visitations'' the kitties will get to the point where they will tolerate each other. That's all you can ask for.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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  #18  
Old June 3rd, 2010, 05:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 14+kitties View Post
It's great that there hasn't been any more accidents. Is it possible the first one wasn't because of a fight or tension between the two but because the boxes weren't clean enough? Sometimes we tend to blame one action on the kitties when in fact it was caused by something else.
Could very well have been the boxes not beening clean enough

Kitty has ventured out of our daughter's room and as I am looking through the threads right now, low and behold, Kitty came up from the basement! She also wandered around last evening too!

Maybe tonight, we'll try the baby powder and bring Kitty down to the living area again to meet the family and Bella.
__________________
A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever)
Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013
Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel)
Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child
Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter)
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