Why can't we all just get along?

[mamaducky]

You've all made such great suggestions, and have made me feel a lot less panicky about the whole situation.

Meg, despite her present issues, is SUCH a sweet girl, and I'm just determined to make it work for her. I'm taking her to the vet on Monday (would go sooner, but my 2-legged baby is graduating high school TOMORROW!), and will see what he has to say.

Meanwhile, I'm off to try the Cat Attract litter and get hold of some enzyme spray to get rid of the smelly spots!

Thanks again!
Diana

[cristy]

You said that your husband was starting to get aggrevated with Meg. Make sure that he isn't treating her any different. When I moved in with my husband my cat started peeing an pooping everywhere....I was SHOCKED because Jasper had NEVER had a single issue before. It wasn't until he disappeared for three days (he crawled into a hole in the wall under the sink!!!) and had me frantically casing the neighborhood that steve told me how evil he was being to my poor baby. He didn't hurt him or anything, but I always left a heating pad on in his cat bed and when I went to work, steve would turn it off...just to be mean! I was soooo angry!! Once steve realized that if he wanted me around he was going to have to be nice to Jasper too they became the best of buds. Now, he spoils Jazzy more than I do and Jaz hasn't had an issue since. I'm not suggesting that your husband is abusing Meg, just that maybe she senses his displeasure and is acting out. Sounds like she has had quite a bit of upheavel lately!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

You said that your husband was starting to get aggrevated with Meg. Make sure that he isn't treating her any different.

That is a very valid point Cristy. It certainly won't be making Meg feel any more secure

[mamaducky]

Yes, those are all certainly good points.

The funny part, however, is that Megan adores both my husband and my 18-year-old daughter -- I'm only sought out when it's feeding time! (Go figure...) In the 5+ months we've had her, her relationship with her "Dad" has been very good.

Though Stephen is distinctly unhappy about the littering accident situation (which has cleared up entirely with the placement of boxes on each floor -- though he doesn't like that either), he's very fond of Meg. He blames Zorro for being mean to her -- but Zorro is such a dyed-in-the-wool mama's boy that it doesn't bother him much if someone else is ticked off at him.

Come to think of it, since Meg is not nuts about Zorro, that might be why she's not so crazy about me either! Lordy, this whole cat psychology thing is more than I can handle on a Friday morning! For now, I'm just stepping forward in faith that I'll be able to find answers to make the situation work out.

Thanks again, all of you, for your help and advice!

[mamaducky]

Hi all,

Well, I just brought Miss Meg back from the vet, and it turned out to be a pretty well-timed visit. Turns out she had a bite that had abscessed over the past couple days, and we were able to get that cleaned out and taken care of. (And yes, I feel absolutely awful that I hadn't noticed it -- but since she rarely lets me pet her at the best of times, I don't get the chance to get up close and "purr-sonal" like I do with the other two.)

Anyway, the vet is going to see her in 2 weeks after she's had her course of antibiotics, and will do blood work to make sure she's not hyperthyroid -- which he says can sometimes cause aggressive behavior. (That would REALLY suck...!)

He sent me home with a can of Feliway aerosol spray, as they were out of diffusers at their office -- and though he told me to spray "prominent objects" in rooms where she hangs out, I'll admit to still being a little confused. I'd LOVE it if you all could give me some pointers on how best to use the Feliway spray.

I kind of feel as though I'm living in a 4-legged soap opera; this is going to get better, right?

[Jessika]

No suggestions other than what has already been posted... just wanted to pop in and say I hope your kitty gets better SOON and also to say... howdy, neighbor! What part of St. Louis are you from?

[mamaducky]

Howdy to you as well!

I'm out here in beautiful Ballwin -- west St. Louis County!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi all,

Well, I just brought Miss Meg back from the vet, and it turned out to be a pretty well-timed visit. Turns out she had a bite that had abscessed over the past couple days, and we were able to get that cleaned out and taken care of. (And yes, I feel absolutely awful that I hadn't noticed it -- but since she rarely lets me pet her at the best of times, I don't get the chance to get up close and "purr-sonal" like I do with the other two.)

Anyway, the vet is going to see her in 2 weeks after she's had her course of antibiotics, and will do blood work to make sure she's not hyperthyroid -- which he says can sometimes cause aggressive behavior. (That would REALLY suck...!)

He sent me home with a can of Feliway aerosol spray, as they were out of diffusers at their office -- and though he told me to spray "prominent objects" in rooms where she hangs out, I'll admit to still being a little confused. I'd LOVE it if you all could give me some pointers on how best to use the Feliway spray.

I kind of feel as though I'm living in a 4-legged soap opera; this is going to get better, right?

Hi, I'm sorry to hear that Meg has an abcess but I'm so glad that you brought her to vet where it was caught. So did the vet take a urine sample? If so I guess it was normal and that she didn't have a UTI which is good. Hopefully her thyroid test will be normal as well. I hope that Meg will feel better soon and heal up quickly.

You can buy the Feliway spray and plugins as most pet stores and even online. Use the Feliway spray in the areas where Meg has peed and in areas where she hangs out the most. Hopefully it'll make her feel less stressed out and calmer. Don't spray it near or in or on any of the litterboxes because then your cats won't want to use them.

When I used the spray I would spray my hallway and other areas where the plugins didn't reach in the morning and again at night before I went to bed. My peeing problem mainly occurred at night or in the early morning hours. How's the cat attract litter working? Hopefully you'll soon have a very peaceful house. Good luck and please keep us updated.

[mamaducky]

Hi, I'm sorry to hear that Meg has an abcess but I'm so glad that you brought her to vet where it was caught. So did the vet take a urine sample? If so I guess it was normal and that she didn't have a UTI which is good. Hopefully her thyroid test will be normal as well. I hope that Meg will feel better soon and heal up quickly.

The inappropriate peeing and pooping stopped as soon as I put a litter box on the main floor of the house (there had previously been boxes in the basement & second floor, but not the first floor). All three of the cats ADORE the Cat Attract litter -- when I put it into a new box on the second floor, Zorro just got in and rolled around in it! (I'm happy to report that he stopped that once they started using it as an actual litter box -- that would have been weird, even for him!)

Now my big concern is finding a way to end the aggression between Meg and Zorro. The vet did mention using meds for Meg, but only as a last resort. For now, I'm just doing my best to keep them separated -- which should get easier once I'm not at school all day. I've also ordered a Feliway diffuser online, along with the book "Cat Vs Cat".

Think good thoughts for us, won't you?