Nina, where did you get the rollaway kitty condo?
Pam
Nina wrote:
Diane I feel for you, your housemate and of course Doyle. I think
it's a good idea to give Doyle his own space when you're not home, or
when he's not directly under your protection. I've used the feliway
stuff too, (I did find a generic brand that was cheaper), I used the
flower essences in the water bowls too. I don't know if that stuff
really helps or just makes me feel like I'm doing something/anything.
It does certainly sound like Doyle is not ready or comfortable enough
to be in general population. Working with ferals, (and Sophie
Matilda, my resident psycho kitty), has taught me to take it very slow
and to not be hesitant to go back a couple of steps in the
acclimation/taming process when things are not progressing. I just
ordered this great condo cage that has wheels for easy movement. I
got it for about $80 bucks. I'd set up something like that in Doyle's
room and feed him in there to get him used to using it. Have
something like a small open travel crate in there to give him privacy
etc. When you think he's ready, you could move the cage out into the
living room while you watch tv, put him on your lap and use the condo
cage if you think he's getting stressed. You might even want to
partially cover the cage to make him feel even more secure. You can
always roll it back into his room and open up the cage door if he's
too nervous about it at first. I'm betting if you make him
comfortable in his room, (a screen door so he can watch and hear the
household activity, scheduled time spent with him), maybe even his
"comfort table" in there propped against a window to watch the world
from), he'll start to regain some confidence and stop the peeing
behavior. Does he have a cat buddy that he actually likes spending
time with? Maybe you could let that particular cat in Doyle's room
with him from time to time for supervised visits. Later, when you
think he's ready, you could start releasing him when it's time to go
to bed and everyone is more settled. You just have to keep coming up
with novel approaches and do your best to put yourself in his paws.
It will work out. I don't know why it continues to surprise me, but I
try to never say never. Patience and caring have resolved so many
situations that I thought might never work out. Keep the faith,
Nina
Rosenfeldt, Diane wrote:
My housemate and I are having a new and interesting problem with our
Doyle. We've had him about 2 years and this has just started.
