Conference misery::feline

    I'm such this will get better pretty soon.  Fluffy just needs
    some time with just you folks and a lot of peace and quiet.  Ex-ferals
    often make a big distinction between family and strangers for a long
    time.  I would keep her in a room with a litter box and food and the
    door securely closed during any future times non-family members
    will be in the house.
    

	Time. He'll forgive you. He got shookup. Spooked.
	Takes a long time to earn trust from a wild one..
	and they can get really spooked really fast.
	You just keep being you in your normal 
	patterns and he'll chill pretty soon.. Agree with
	last, though...that in future it might
	be wise to keep everyone away from him..or vice versa.


	peace
	dotty

    It does sound like something has spooked your cat all right.  It could
    be the sound of children, if kitty has been hurt by children.  It could
    be the sound of a dog.  Maybe kitty's life was put on the line by a
    dog in the past.   
    
    I remember when our neighbors dog killed one of our cats, in front of 
    the other cats.  It took Miss Moffet 2 months to come out of the heated 
    basement, and during a summer as hot and humid as this one.  She was
    never the same again, I think she went into a depression.
    
    I have had several strays, and they never really forget their past.
    My latest, Ninja, I think was left behind in an apartment when her
    people moved.  She can't stand it when I clean house (neither can I
    but that's another story).  It's been a year and she still isn't
    comfortable with furniture being moved around.  
    
    Don't forget that the heat can effect cats, along with static electricity. 
    Our bunch don't understand why we keep shocking them when ever there's a 
    storm around.  They look at me as if to say, "Why did you do that for
    goodness sake?".
    
    I also had a Maine Coon that used to sleep on my head.  I looked like
    I was wearing a Cossack hat, which looked strange with a nightdress.  
    Even when it was hot I didn't mind.  He was one of the sweetest cats I 
    have ever lived with.  
    
    I would keep alert to things happening to animals in your area, even if
    your cat is indoors only.  Serial killers almost always start young by
    hurting small animals.  

    I also would keep my eye on him for potential medical problems
    as well.    It's amazing how kitty's react when they don't feel
    well too!!
    
    Sandy

    He is still acting a bit strange, but overall more normal.  Last night
    friends came to visit; husband, wife and older teen daughter (they have
    either 4 or 6 cats, at least 3 from their mother's litter.)  Fluffs
    pulled a disapearing act.  I literally looked in, under over and around
    everywhere (this in a three level home), then like a fool I started
    walking around the neighborhood with the food bucket shaking it.  The
    woman next door came home and asked what I was doing, even she knows my
    babies don't go out.  She even asked was I letting  them out now?  So I
    explained I thought the wife might have let him out when she let Barney
    back in.  (she didn't and I'll explain)... I was doing something for
    their daughter on our PC and wasn't at the door when she let Barney in.
    
    We ate dinner, I decided if he's out he'll find his way back, if he's
    in he'll come out when he's ready.  As I came back from talking to the
    neighbor here sits Fluffy on the back of the kitchen chair looking at
    me like "so what's the big deal here?"  but this was two hours later
    and no amount of calling would get his attention, NOT like him at all! 
    The friends came back to see what progress I was making on the PC and
    he pulled the same disapearing act again, this time it was another two
    hours.  Now they have seen him, met him, held him.  I can't figure this
    out at all.
    
    He wasn't upstairs at all last  night that I am aware of, usually if
    it's not on my head it's on the cat shelf in the window. He was in his
    other favorite spot at the end of the couch.  He was, however, content
    enough this morning that he sort of looked a me and went back to sleep
    rolling over on his back in the process.
    
    I don't know what to make of all this.
    Lyn

    Lyn, if you haven't done so, I'd call your vet.  Maybe he's physically
    ill....don't over look the fact that Fluffs may be dehydrated.  That
    can cause strange behavior in humans and in animals.
    
    Good luck to both of you!
    Kate

    Just to let everyone know, I don't know what the problem *was* but he
    seems to have bounced back to normal, well whatever normal is for a
    very strangely behaved cat anyway.  Aparently his main problem is
    that he just doesn't like to meet new people!  Period.
    
    Now that the extreme heat and humidity have taken a small break he's
    much like his old self.  I did spend the weekend taking each of the
    three boys one by one, with an ice cube in my fist I would "pet" each
    one's head and body (including the bellys)  just enough to get them a
    little wet, and cooled down a bit.  OK it didn't earn me favorite
    person of the week award, but it did make them all a little more
    comfortable.  Boy do they look strange when they are wet!!
    
    I also made sure there were extra bowls of water around on all three
    levels of the house and the back deck!
    
    Lyn 
    

He's just spooked by all the noise and smells of your friends.

I have rescued a pair of cats which have been badly treated for years before I 
got them. Candy has obviously had a major problem with a dog in the past and 
goes barmy if a strange dog somes near the house (although she's now OK with my 
big black lab). Recently I had a neighbour come round with her dog and the cat 
made a rather silly appearance (my fault, I should have locked her away 
somewhere). Anyway, the dog chased the cat who in her haste to get over the 
garden fence managed to rip out a couple of rear claws. She was OK, but wouldn't 
talk to me for days and days and days. She would run away from me, growl if I or 
my wife went near her and would bwcome a mass of claws and teeth when I picked 
her up. Now, she back to her normal cuddly <fat> and happy self.

Smokey is completely barmy. She lives her life mainly hidden from view, on her 
own, but loves attention when she's prepared to let you give it! She'll never 
get over he ill treatment, but seems as happy now as she could be anywhere.

The only sane one is Giamas (Yamas) who is my little kitten. She doesn't (yet) 
have any hangups at all, apart from *hating* moths which she chases and eats to 
the exclusion of all else.


Phil.