Ally again :( *UPDATED*

[Cataholic]

Julie,
A couple of things to keep in mind. In my most recent experience with Jonah, and seven cats, NONE of them wanted anything to do with Jonah as he 'grew'. In fact, as he grew, he lost most contact with all of them. As he became more mobile, they RAN! Today, at 20 months, only two out of seven get within two feet of him.

Of mom's four cats, only one gets withint 2 feet of him. Maybe Ally would be the one to get close to Cali...I don't know, but, **most** cats and toddlers do not exist closely. Just something ot keep in mind re: time constraints.

How long did you do the feliway plug ins? And, did you have enough per square footage? I need more than they suggest, and it took more than 30 days to make a difference.

Finally, I would suggest another pet pyschic.

Good luck, and I know this must be very difficult.

[Lizzie]

I don't think tooth removal is extreme since the circumstances are very extreme. Isn't it the incisors that make the deep puncture wounds? Three of my FIV+ cats have no teeth at all, and two others from the same shelter have only a few teeth. They are all fine, and they eat dry food - their choice. I don't find this repulsive as I do de-clawing, though this is one case where I would think it might be appropriate. I wish I could believe that Abby would do what most cats do, and avoid a noisy baby and toddler, but given the description of the way she attacks, I wouldn't be surprised if she went for him too. To my great surprise, I would rather see Abby lose her teeth and, if essential, her claws so that she doesn't lose her life and your don't lose your beloved cat.

[ChrisH]

Oh, Julie, {{big hugs}}. I don't have anything new to add except that you have my love & support always, and it goes without saying, also my prayers.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

Thanks everyone.

I will have another chat with my local vet and see if there are any new developments in terms of the medications they can offer locally - a friend of mine took her cat to the vet last week, and was given an anti-biotic in a vitimin paste, so maybe they will have options other than pills available. She did give Ally Buspar previously - but with Ally being impossible to pill, the atmosphere in the house got even worse when I had to force a pill down her throat every day!

She did recommend hormone injections, but there I can't find any info about the longterm risks of this, so did not go ahead with it - maybe this is something I should reconsider.

Re removing her teeth - I have actually SERIOUSLY considered it in the past - after all in theory it would "only" be the canines - these are the teeth that cause the puncture wounds. I don't think declawing would be an option - as she is not a "scratcher" - although I suppose she may replace one bad habit (biting) with another (scratching). I DO try to keep both Ally and Connor's claws quite short, as when they fight they have in the past scratched each others eyes and needed vet treatment.

Re the feliway - the area is approx the size of two double-car garages - I had a total of 3 plug-ins running at the same time, and tried for 3 months.

Johanna - I appreciate your input re the cats interacting with Jonah, but it's not a chance I can take - it would only take one unguarded moment and Cali could be badly hurt - even scarred (physically and mentally). I simply can't risk it.

Jen -great idea re sending Connor on a "holiday" to test if Ally stops her nonsense - Connor is terrified of strangers, so the only people I can think of who *may* be suitable would be my next door neighbours (although I am terrified that one of their 4 year-old twins would leave a door open) . I'll have to think about it some more.

I am in touch with another pet communicator as well, but nothing new yet!

[jenluckenbach]

Sounds like a good plan of action. Hopefully the vet can shed some light on other options whether it be a medication in a cream, or the affects of hormones, or even tooth removal.

If you do send Connor to the neighbors, ask them to confine him to one interior room. He'd feel more secure and you could feel better about him NOT getting out an outside door.

[jenluckenbach]

Any news????