Conference misery::feline_v1

    It is more difficult to get adults to accept each other then it
    is when you bring in kittens.  When I brought home the two kittens,
    the two adults did the spitting act, with one actually trying to
    injure the kittens.  A week of supervised "viewing" and random spitting
    and growling, and the next thing you knew, two 6 week old kittens
    were nursing on the two MALE adults.  The big guys washed and nursed
    these two like they were mommy kitties.  Now, at 8 months, one still
    nurses on one of the adults.  The adults at your house have had
    their territory invaded by a stranger, and will take quite a few
    weeks to adjust (some might not ever adjust).  They might even start
    fighting among themselves.  Just keep an eye out for any serious
    injuries, try to treat the originals the same, feed separately if
    you can, so no one feels they are being pushed out by the new guy.
    The cats have their own level of standing, and the new kitty is
    fighting for a place in this level.
    
    Good Luck!
    
    
    Lynne & Casey, B.K., Rusty & Pepper. 
    

    re: 0
    
    What to do?   Do Nothing.  They WILL work it out to their own
                  satisfaction and comfort.  They may or may not
                  become best buddies, but will learn to tolerate
                  and maybe respect each others space.  There WILL
                  be tiffs - either ignore them, which is VERY hard,
                  or use the C.A.T.  They will eventually realize
                  that they are displaying negative behavior.  
                  Praise them highly when they are GOOD.
    
    You are making progress!!  Good Work,
    
    E.T.

    I don't know about everyone else, but my house gets full of fur in a
    matter of minutes lately.  I have a Golden Retriever and 2 cats, 1 long
    haired and 1 short haired.  It must be all this warm weather that we're
    having.
    
    Sonia

    YUP,  Elaine is right... As usual.....
    
    I brought an adult female stray into my 3-adult-female household about
    3 weeks ago and they are still working out territory.
    
    It isn't as bad as the beginning week.  They do all come into the
    kitchen at can-opener time and when mommy comes home.  They do still
    hiss, but there have been no major battles in the past week (knock on
    wood).  My original 3 are indoor-only and the stray is an indoor-mostly
    kitty.  She does get the option to go out, but I already see her
    wanting to stay in more and more.  This morning she stayed out a total
    of 10 minutes.  
    
    I feed them separately as well.  Patches the Stray, eats in my
    daughter's room.  Thunder and Lightning eat in the kitchen.  DejaVu is
    temporarily eating in my bedroom.  She is the timid one and feels
    threatened when eating in the kitchen.  She will eventually be eating
    in the kitchen again.
    
    Patches has taken over my daughter's room as *her territory*.  Thunder
    likes to go in and *check things over* What an INSTIGATOR she is!  She
    usually comes *flying* out with Patches right behind her.  Lightning
    takes guff from *NO-ONE*.  Patches has claws and Lightning doesn't but
    boy, Patches KNOWS that Lightning is definitely *QUEEN of this
    household*.
    
    All in all, the household is surviving.  Patches is still considered
    Patches the Stray because I would really like to find her a good home.
    I already have 2 kittys with medical problems and really don't want to
    increase my kitty population.  BUT,  she is such a loving kitty and so
    clean,  it is hard to really work at finding her a home.  My daughter
    adores her.  I have put an ad in the vet's office and have notified
    various people that I do have her just in case her ex-owner's are
    looking for her.   Nothing yet.....
    
    As Elaine says,  Hang in there.  It does get better.
    
    Sandi mom to Thunder, Lightning, Storm, DejaVu & Patches the Stray
    
    

    re: 3
    
    I've been hearing the 'lots of hair' cry from a bunch of
    folks!  The hairbags must think we are having an early
    spring.
    
    E.

    Yup, it's shedding season at my house too.  Kelsey is starting to
    lose that gorgeous ruff he grew over the winter :^(.  Sigh, and
    I waited so long for his coat to finally grow in.
    

    Another thing to remember is that when cats are seriously angry,
    in a fight, whatever you want to call it, they can "blow" coat.
    It literally falls out in clumps during a fight, without much effort
    on the part of either cat.  Nothing to worry about really, just
    keep a good vacumm handy.
    
    This sometimes will happen at a show too, if one of the cats gets
    really upset, or blows.  The fur will start flying in a matter of
    seconds.
    
    Jo

    I find that two of mine tend to lose a lot of fur on the ride to
    and from the vet's office.  We get there and they are shedding all
    over the place - so now i keep a brush in the van and give them
    a serious going over on the way back home - this also tends to calm
    them down.
    
    
    Giudi

    re: .8 - Ya, Mao leaves a cloud behind her at the vets.

    This shedding is very normal.  Especially with Siamese.  My Omar Khyham
    used to leave clumps of it.  And his paws were especially sweaty.  They
    get very nervous.
    

    Yes, we get this at the vets - we take 2 well groomed shining
    shorthairs into the surgery and hey presto, by the time they come
    out of their travelling box and onto the table they look like they've
    been fighting in the hoover bag.
    
    "She never combs us and there's only so much you can do with one
    small tongue each".
    
    In embarrasment I mentioned this to the vet once and he said that
    it is a natural fright reaction - not much you can do about it I'm
    afraid.
    
    K