More on Ice Princess Lizzie

I'm so sorry to hear this about Lizzie. She looks sooo cute as if she is smiling, in that first photo.

I have no advice to give, just hugs and I'm an optimist when it comes to cats so I would take Christa's post to heart. Maybe it will just take some time.

Has she attacked the other cats or hurt them in any way? If so, that would be cause for alarm. If not, maybe all she needs is time.

This may sound crazy, but maybe it's the fuzzy ball toy. Hear me out.

My Sammie cat LOVES those toys, but he too growls and hisses when he plays with it and become very possesive of it. He would not let the other kitties play with it. We decided it would be best to take it away from him. After that, he was fine. You may want to consider a trial period without that toy. Who knows. . . .

Debbie,

I wanted to add...it does get better...just slowly.

Hermie will come out and see visitors after a few hours and if we're just being calm.

Did I ever tell you about Hermie's vaccine story? Or her spay?

Well! It looked like I had a suicide attempt the first time I tried to get her in her carrier! She sliced right through my wrist and promptly hid UNDER the dresser the rest of the day. The second time, David tricked her into the bathroom and got her in her carrier.

Last month, her shots were overdue, so I had my vet and my vet tech friend come over to give her vaccines. Um..that was a huge drama!! We got her into the bathroom and let her calm down for a while. When my vet went to go in, Hermie escaped (I KNEW it was going to happen!). We had to chase her around the apartment and it really, really scared her. She was so terrified when she saw there was nowhere for her to hide, she curled up in a ball and shook. :( :( :( I was horrified, but she had to get vaccinated. Katy was able to get her and they took her in the bathroom for her shots. She SCREECHED at the top of her little lungs.

Luckily, she is still slowly coming around. The other night I was able to pick her up and move her to a different spot on our bed. That's HUGE!!

I just want you to know that if Lizzie is just one of these kitters, its extra rewarding when little things happen. :)

Hugs to you. :)

P.S. Hermie wasn't like this as a kitten. That's why this was so wierd and sad to me. I wondered if it was something we did...but I don't know what.

As hard as it would be with that little beautiful girl.... I would just INGORE her completely, not even looking into her direction or speaking to her and act like she is just not there.. I would try that and see what happens for a few days.. They CAN'T stand to be ignored.. It is worth a try?

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Originally posted by Laura's Babies
As hard as it would be with that little beautiful girl.... I would just INGORE her completely, not even looking into her direction or speaking to her and act like she is just not there..They CAN'T stand to be ignored.. It is worth a try?

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This exact approach worked with Fern. She wasn't a biting cat, but shy to the extreme. But she hated to be ignored.

This is similar to the issues I had (and still have) with Ally. Bottom line - she's very territorial and simply does not want to share her mommy with Connor.

I don't want to step on any feet (paws??) here, and I totally respect your religeous beliefs, but I eventually consulted a cat "communicator" (referred by another PT member), who gave me some insight into Ally's personality and what was causing her to act the way she does. It helped me deal with it, and I would be happy to share some info with you if you are interested.

Oh Debbie, what you are describing is exactly the way Sophie was. She used to bite us pretty hard, and her sharp little teeth hurt! She was such a wild child, wouldn't let anyone pick her up or pet her without biting and scratching. But we just kept trying, and kept pouring on the love in those sleepy times when she would actually let us touch her, and she's now 11 months old and like a changed cat. She still doesn't like strangers touching her, and will still "play bite" us occasionally (ok, probably every day, but it's just a play bite and doesn't hurt), but she's SOOO much better. She will come up to us and snuggle and purr. She will never be as lovable as Tito (well, who is??) but she's her own perfect little sweetheart now. We just had to accept that she just didn't want to be picked up and loved on as much as her brother, and she finally got used to us touching her, and things calmed down. She actually cuddled up against my head on my pillow this morning and purred - something that would have been unheard of for her as little as three months ago. It helps a lot that as they get older they lose more and more of that wild kitten energy. She's probably just bouncing off the walls inside with energy and has to let it out somehow. I'd let her out to play (and wrestle) with the other cats. Maybe they will bite her back and in their own way teach her not to bite.

((hugs)) to you and hope you feel better soon!

Liz

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Originally posted by Ally Cat's Mommy
This is similar to the issues I had (and still have) with Ally. Bottom line - she's very territorial and simply does not want to share her mommy with Connor.

I don't want to step on any feet (paws??) here, and I totally respect your religeous beliefs, but I eventually consulted a cat "communicator" (referred by another PT member), who gave me some insight into Ally's personality and what was causing her to act the way she does. It helped me deal with it, and I would be happy to share some info with you if you are interested.

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:D Yes, I think "communicator" sounds a bit odd but who knows?? I know some people are VERY good at understanding animals and would know more than I do for sure!! According to my vet and tech though - there is no behaviorist they know about.

Thanks for the help and support, Julie. It may be territorial and it sure does not feel good!! I KNOW you understand that. (((HUGS)))

You see, Leila was sweet as could be when we met her in late April 2003, when she was up for adoption and 5 months old. We adopted her and brought her home, and then we figured out that she has two personalities - the sweet cuddly side and the devil side. She has always been that way, and it seems like that's just how she is. Leila, by the way, is a calico tabby (probably oriental shorthair of some kind) mix, and they say calicos can be a bit mean (that's putting it nicely, I think).

She goes through phases where she's all sweetness and light, unless we pet her when she doesn't want it or if we trim her claws (which is a once every couple of weeks occurrence for all of our kitties - last night was the night and it was a hoot (NOT!) as usual).

She bites us even when we think she's comfy on either of our laps and loving the attention and petting we give her. She is the bully of our four cats - she came in second, so she really scares Leo and Claudia if she wants to (sometimes she sleeps with them and plays with them calmly, and other times, she just attacks them for no reason), and probably scares Bailey when they're chasing and wrestling sometimes too, but he's the only one with "seniority" over her, so he can smack her down if needed. If she really is out of line with Leo or Claudia, we separate her from the others for a while until she calms down.

Anyway, I'm not sure if your Lizzie is just going through a phase or whatever, but she sounds a lot like our Leila, who we've come to love and accept for the crazy wild thing she is. She was on the streets alone, from what I gather, in the first few months of her life, and she's thin, acrobatic and scrappy, and probably just tough from that time. Who knows? Her father may have been an evil dude too! The fact that she snuggles with us at all (of course on her terms!) or sleeps with us practically every night is encouraging.

Good luck with your little wild child. We feel your pain! :) We both have the bite marks to prove it. :)

Oh wow Debbie. I had no idea it was this bad. You sound utterly devastated and frustrated. I have no ideas to contribute... just lots of {{{HUGS}}} for you. You've gotten some great advice here and between all these wonderful PTers I am certain that you'll be able to break through to Lizzie and find her inner lap cat.

I spent about a half hour in the bathroom with Lizzie. Well she is like a different cat. I guess she was so lonesome that even *I* was a good visitor. I sat on the floor with her and she climbed all over me, even headbutting me and licking my face:eek: After a few minutes of this, I got her playing and she played hard quite awhile, then very sleepy and wanted to get in her bed and suck on the sides like usual but she wanted my hand in there with her, so I stroked her cheek until she was asleep.

That nap lasted about 15 minutes and she is hollering again. I will try to keep it up at least a day but knowing me, I will cave....unless we move her to a back bedroom that is in the other side of the house. I don't really *want* to isolate her but being without Robbie and alone sure made her happy for a person to come in with her.

I realize that she may just be an aloof cat and that is fine. I can accept that! But what I won't take is her biting!! If I have to clip her nails in hunting gloves then I will. I will be more careful about petting her because I usually read her signals and I probably just missed them when she bit me a few days ago. I will keep her away from Misha for awhile though. Misha is very gentle with her but only a baby and might make Lizzie mad!! I never leave Misha alone though for even seconds and keep my eyes on her most every moment.

I think it hurt my feelings that she bit so hard while I was clipping her naisl and then the scary looks and avoidance behavior. I should be used to that though.

Several of you did not think isolation was a good idea so I won't do that for long. I will also try the ignore treatment because I am usually trying hard to get her to play or at least come.near :rolleyes:
Thanks everyone.

Just do whatever WORKS! If isolation works, do it. If not, try something else. All cats are different and it will be trial and error.

But, if she bites, make it VERY obvious (and loud) that it hurt. That is how other kittens tell their playmates that they are too rough. So yell!!! It may just do the trick.

Have you ever heard of Pam Johnson Bennett? she is a feline behaviorist and author of several feline behavior books. She has a message board called Think Like A Cat at ivillage. You can post your questions to her and she will give you advice. She is a really nice and very sweet person. I am shure if you post your info to her that she would be able to help you with Lizzie.

Here is the link

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...cat?redirCnt=1

Good Luck with Lizzie

Such great shots of her and such a beautiful face.

Melissa

I just remembered something Pam told me once when I first got Elvis and he was biting me. She said instead of pulling your hand away when they bite you to push it in and that will surprise them and they will release it. I don't know if this would apply to your situation or not.
Melissa

Debbie, my Auggie is he most lovable sweet cat, but she can’t stand having her paws touched and will bite me if I do.
Phoenix was worse that Lizzie when he was younger but mellowed out with age.
I don’t know if isolating her is the answer, although my cats will stare at me like that if I pay more attention to one of them. Are cat jealous?
I’m curious, have you noticed her reacting more aggressive after she had some catnip?
It seems to have that effect on Phoenix. How does she react towards loud noises?
Does she seem fearful?
I could always tell when Phoenix was about to attack me, so I backed off and left him alone. We now have an understanding, he allows me to pet him for a treat.
:rolleyes:

Melissa - I am unable to go to that link - it gives me an error message.

I appreciate all the replies - especially those of you who have a similar kitty.

Lizzie does not seem fearful of noises or anything like that. She is also not agressive to the other kitties and not really to us except the biting I mentioned but I was asking for it each time - clipping her nails and not paying attention to her signals to leave her alone. Mostly it is that she stares at us and will not let us approach and doesn't come for any attention. She used to bite as a kitten when playing and we would just quickly put a stuffed toy out and she would bite that instead.

I have learned that even sweet Dylan will bite if I touch his paws!! - also if I touch his belly when he does not have it already exposed:rolleyes:

I am going in to sit in the bathroom with her now:( She is crying and I can't stand that.