Conference misery::feline_v1

    How did silver react to tabitha, snooks, and (I can't remeber the
    other cat's name right now - sorry)?

    I think the more cats a person has, the harder it is to keep peace
    in the family.  Someone always seems to feel left out and hurt.
    (Elaine - do you have these problems?!!  Your catdom always sounds
    so picture purrfect!)
    
    Chin up, Holly!  I'm going through the very same thing.  Chauncey
    and Nikki can't stand my new kittens and just this morning, all
    4 cats were in the kitchen waiting for breakfast.  Shelby happened
    to break the pecking order by getting in Chauncey's way, and Mr.
    Grand Poobah himself raised his royal paw and swatted Shelby right
    across the eye!  This was the first time I have hit Chauncey (not
    hard) since we got the kittens home.  Luckily, Shelby came out
    unscathed.  I plan to keep the kittens separated from the cats until
    I am 100% sure that they can all get along nicely.
    
    I'm sure you know to give Silver extra special attention during
    this adjustment period.  Some cats are just more ornary than others.
    She'll come around soon enough.  When we're home, I let all 4 cats
    have the run of the house.  I feel the more they interact with one
    another, the faster they'll learn to accept each other.  Maybe
    if you continue to reassure Silver that she's still very special
    to you, her agressive behavior will start to decrease (especially
    reassure her after one of her "tantrums."  It might help).
    
    Congrats on the new addition,
    
    /Roberta
    

    Sounds like my house too.  Madame Charm and Madam Dream arw battling
    it out for top of the heap, and Charm is wandering around looking
    at me like I hate her.  Just last night, Dream was in my lap for
    cuddles, doing nothing but purring, and Charm hopped up on the
    couch, wandered over as if to snuggle in, reared up on her hind
    legs and swatted Dream in the face.  Dream spat, swatted back, and
    I had this wonderful cat fight going on in my lap.  Now old Mom
    doesn't interfere with the ways of the cats much, but when the fighting
    on the front starts moving into personal regions, I do react. I
    yelled, and swatted both of them.  They looked at me like I was
    some kind of monster and high-tailed it down the stairs, not caring
    that they were just inches apart the whole way down!!!  
    
    Things were much calmer this morning.
    
    Mary-Michael, Niniane, Charm, Dream and Boogie

         I've got the same thing going on in my house between Lucky
    and our new kitten Princess.  Lots of hissing and growling from
    lucky as well as paw swinging.  Twice I reached in to rescue Princess
    and got swatted by lucky(he's "Lucky" his claws weren't out!).
    When I picked him up to hug and pet him he nipped my hand and 
    swung his head around and just missed my nose!  It has been over
    2 months now and it's getting worse.  Lucky is NOT going to be
    a happy cat when we move to Seattle next month!!  I sure hope
    he settles down some by then.  Several times our Keeshond has
    broken up potential fights.  Lucky and King will be outside waiting
    for the door to open to come in and Princess will be waiting to
    sneak out.  I open the door and Lucky will start forward and princess
    will jump for the opening meeting Lucky right at the door sill.
    King will then rush in the door expecting Lucky to be out of the
    way(He could really care less if Lucky is or isn't-not his problem!)
    and run right over both cats who are nose to nose growling by now.
    Cats are scattered, dog is in, Princess didn't make it out again,
    and the fight didn't happen.  I wonder how many times this will
    happen before they learn??
         Are we having fun yet??
               Ken

    Oh God, is this discouraging!  I have just decided to add a third
    cat to my household and all this talk about fights is not doing
    much for my confidence level.  My husband, who is not crazy about
    getting cat #3 has exactly this fear in mind.  He keeps saying that
    the two we have get along so well that I'm taking a big chance on
    adding another one.  He is very afraid of ending up with 3 cats
    that just won't get along and then what would we do?
    
    Best of luck to all of you and I do hope to see some positive news
    from you very soon.  Until then, maybe I'd better do some more thinking
    before adding another kitty to our family!
    
    Jeanne, Cali and Sam
    

    We've had Elmo for 3 months now.  Portia still beats him up.  I
    have given up defending Elmo.  You'd think he'd learn that Portia
    doesn't like his kisses.
    

    RE:  .5
    
    Jean,
    
    Get *two* more kittens (or cats).  The reason I got 2 kittens is
    because I wanted them to have each other for support.  It is working
    out much better than just 1.  The poor thing would be all alone
    during the day (separated from my 2 monster cats) with no one to
    play with, and I find that with 2, they play with each other rather
    than the plants, the silk flowers, the trash, etc.  And they're
    much braver when they face the two bullies together.
    
    Don't mean to be pushy by saying have 4 cats instead of 3... just
    glad I took 2 littermates that depend on each other.  And as far
    as food and vet care is concerned, 4 really isn't that much different
    than 3!
    
    /Roberta
    

    re:5
    
    Jeanne, worry not -  it can be done - there is almost always be
    "some" noise/action.  If they have enough space, even the ones
    that don't socialize that well will be fine.
    
    What would you do with 3 cats?  Get a 4th, of course.  Even 
    numbers generally work best, even with children (avoids the
    middle child syndrome).  Just one more furry body to hug &
    love!!!
    
    E.T._who_from_here_on_out_will_not_tell_how_many_are_at_the_Inn.

    >E.T._who_from_here_on_out_will_not_tell_how_many_are_at_the_Inn.
    
    Can we take that signiture to mean that there has been another
    arrival?
    
    Deb

    Deb, Deb, Deb.  Deb.  Only those going to the Party_in_the_North
    will know.  I think that thae signature really means, that crazy
    Elaine really isn't sure how many she really has...

    re: .4, Ken,
    
    < Lucky is NOT going to be a happy cat when we move to Seattle 
    next month!!
    
    You never can tell--many years ago I had lost one of my two cats.
    Friends at work gave me a new kitten.  Unfortunately, the surviving
    cat did not like the kitten (as it sometimes goes) and made life
    living hell for him.  She even caught him by the neck in her mouth
    one time and tried to break his neck by shaking him, just like any
    other rodent she wanted to kill.
    
    We moved across the country after 2 months of this constant
    fighting.  The cats where shipped by air, and when we took them 
    to their new home, they were friends.  It was probably due to the 
    fact that they were now on new grounds and could establish their 
    own territories, but I like to think that since they only had each
    other to commiserate with on that horribly frightening airplane
    flight, they each made a pact along the lines of "God, if you let
    me survive this, I promise never to try to kill that other cat again."
    
     :-)
    
    Jill

    re: .7, .8
    
    Roberta and Elaine, your both so optomistic!  Cali and Sam are still
    both young 1 year and 2 1/2 years old so I guess they can adjust.
    
    As far as getting two kittens, well, that's out of the question!
    My husband is very undecided about this whole thing and my getting
    one more kitten into the house will be an accomplishment!  So, what
    ever little kitten we get will have to make it on its own.
    
    I talked to some siamese and snowshoe breeders this week and I think
    I may have found the kitten for me.  The one I am most interested
    in at the moment is a female bluepoint and white snowshoe.  The
    breeder sais that she is the most loveable of the litter.  She will
    actually climb up the breeders legs in order to be on her and be
    held.  I'm going to see her on Saturday.  I'm hoping this will be
    the clencher for my husband (I'm sure he'll just melt when he sees
    them - but then again, not enough for two!)
    
    Jeanne, Cali and Sam
    
    
    P.S.  How are all the squabbling kitties doing today?
    

    Well, the squabbling kitties still aren't doing very well.  I let
    them both out together last night and lets just say that I have
    the marks on my hand to prove it.  Seasea isn't very aggressive
    at all.  Silver is the culprit!   Last night Seasea was at the top
    of the kitty tree (5 1/2 ft tall) and Silver jumped up and attacked
    her!  There was a fight going on in the crow's nest in the top of
    the tree!  I grabbed Silver, she bit me, I "patted" her bottom and
    threw her down on the floor.  I then grabbed Seasea and brought
    her back into my neice's room.  I sat down and tried to cuddle Silver,
    but she just growled at me.  She finally settled down and started
    to purr.  
    
    Holly
    

    Still squabbling at my house, too.  I'm beginning to wonder if they'll
    *ever* get along!  But I know in time they will.  Chauncey and Nikki
    are acting as if they are much too dignified for the antics of little
    kittens.  Lots of hissing and swatting still going on so the kittens
    spend the day in their own room and the cats have the run of the
    house.
    
    Jean - your potential new baby sounds adorable!  I have a sealpoint
    and bluepoint also (isn't Sam a seal) and love the variations in
    coloring.  I am much more partial to the seal, though, and so are
    the people who vist and see them together.
    
    Best of luck.  Cali and Sam are still young (Chauncey and Nikki
    are around 4 years old) and might adjust more willingly than mine.
    
    /Roberta
    

    I came up with a plan to help Silver get use to Seasea!
    
    Saturday, I let Seasea out of my neice's bedroom, but instead of
    putting Silver into my bedroom, I put her into my neice's room.
    That way, Seasea's smell was all over that room, and she could really
    smell the other cat.  Seasea stayed out all day while Silver was
    in her room.  Then Sunday, I let the two of them out together, and
    (TADA!!) No fighting what so ever!  Of course there was a little
    bit of hissing every once in a while, but there was no fighting!
    I cuddled silver just like I always do when Seasea is out.  She
    didn't want to be cuddled, she wanted to follow Seasea.  She just
    wanted to watch this other cat.  It was so funny to watch her try
    and keep an eye on Seasea, but still keep her distance.  It looks
    like everything is going to work out just fine!
    
    Thanks to everyone for all the help.
    
    Holly
    

    I am glad to hear that things are working out for you.  I have never
    had a grown cat attack a kitten upon introduction, and had always
    thought that they wouldn't.
    
    One suggestion, instead of getting in their with your hands and
    trying to break them up, maybe try spraying both of them with a
    spray bottle of water.  Saves wear and tear on you.  A friend was
    bitten very badly by her normally sedate persian while trying to
    break up a scuffle.
    
    I go along with the school of thought that it isn't good to punnish
    the attacker since he is only doing what comes natural to a cat,
    defending territory.  I do believe that fighting cats should be
    seperated tho.  
    
    It was a terrific idea to let Silver spend some time in Seasea's
    room.  That may have solved your problems for good.
    
    Jo
    
    

    I hate typo's, don't you.  I meant "Watch those teeth and claws"