Conference misery::feline_v1

    check out note 4544 Bernice.
    
    Jo

    Since people are trying to help by pointing 4544 to here, I thought I
    would add some more information here.  First of all, Trouble does not
    match her name (for the most part).  She was named this by her previous
    owners because she always managed to get the dogs into trouble while
    staying out of it herself.  
    
    Trouble came to me as a very stressed out cat almost four years ago. 
    She had overgroomed herself to the point of having large bald spots on
    either side and on her belly.  She also appeared to be abused, but due
    to the situation in which I got her, I have never been able to confirm
    this.  After a little time passed, I became her "person" and she mellowed 
    out some.  
    
    A little over two years ago we bought our first house and moved in. 
    Trouble didn't take to the move as well as I thought she would, but I
    figured she would settle down eventually.  Three to four months later,
    we got two kittens because she seemed lonely.  I got two because I
    didn't want one high energy kitten to be "pestering" her all the time. 
    She never did accept them.  I suppose I should have taken them back to
    the original owner, but Randy had become attached to them by this time. 
    After a year, I talked with my vet and he agreed that a fourth cat
    might (stressed might) help because the number would be even.  Since I
    wanted a Scottish Fold and there was a straight eared available, I took
    her.  Trouble seemed to accept (or at least ignore) her, so I hoped for
    the best.  This was not to be apparently.  All three cats now chase her and
    it looks like they are still trying to setttle dominance issues.  When
    I became pregnant, this just put additional stress on everyone (human and 
    cat), and I think Trouble has just had enough.  We have tried several things
    to alleviate the problem (including Valium), but nothing has seemed to
    work.  
    
    Things came to a head last Tuesday, when I followed Trouble around
    cleaning up after her.  I thought it was just a hairball, but when it
    went on and on, I called the vet.  After doing what they suggested for
    the night, she seemed fine, nevertheless, I took her in to have them
    look at her and board her for a couple of days (for my sanity and her
    safety :-)  ).  She was a model patient/boarder.  Didn't cry (I
    listened to her all night Tuesday), had a good appetite, and is
    healthy.  The vet says it is just stress.  Of course she did show them
    what a problem she can be when the carrier came out to bring her home. 
    She did not want to come home.  
    
    Since things have not improved since she came home, and the authorities
    would frown on my giving away my human child :-), I have had to make
    the hard decision to find her a new home.  This has not been easy for
    me because she is the first cat that has every been truly my cat,
    therefore, she holds a very special place in my heart.  At this point,
    I only want what is best for her.  Obviously, I will keep her with me
    until the right home can be found.  
    
    Sorry this is so long, but I felt that it needed to be explained a
    little better than I did in the base note.  Even though I said I wasn't
    getting into FELINES very regularly, I guess I should have known I
    can't stay away from it :-)  Thanks for listening.  
    
    Bernice

    As Paula Scott can testify about Tequila, the right home can have
    amazing effects on a cat's personality.  A cat that has been something
    of a problem and has had some physical symptoms like Trouble here
    can become a healthy, happy cat who is far more outgoing and 
    affectionate than you would ever have thought possible.
    
    I hope someone can find the right home for Trouble.
      Nancy DC

    > As Paula Scott can testify about Tequila, the right home can have
    > amazing effects on a cat's personality
    
    I can second that!
    
    We first acquired our current brood as a "package deal"; the owner
    just had another baby, and the daddy cat was getting REALLY jealous.
    We got a whole family that day; Mommy, Daddy, and two kittens.  (The
    cat we already had was a sibling of the kittens).  Anyhow, apparently
    that family has a recessive "Crazy Cat" gene, because one of the
    kittens (a lovely-looking Siamese girl we name Kyushu) eventually
    started absolutely FREAKING OUT at the strangest provocations!  Like,
    she'd be sleeping on my wife's lap and I'm reading a book across the
    room, and the sound of flipping the page would suddenly make her
    leap up and turn into a tangle of flying arms and claws!  Tamara still
    has the scars 8-)
    
    This behavior got worse and worse, and we took to putting Kyushu into
    solitary confinement as "punishment".  Then we noticed: after a few
    days in solitary, she became all lovable and friendly... so we'd let
    her back into the mainstream, and eventually she'd freak out again!
    
    After some more experimenting, we came to the conclusion that she
    just could not socialize with cats AND people; it had to be one
    or the other.  If she only had people to play with, she was fine.
    Similarly, she was fine with the other cats as long as no humans
    came around.
    
    So we put an ad in the Want ADvertiser (this was before I worked for
    DEC and knew about FELINE), specifying that she can't have any other
    cats around... she was adopted by a lovely family who have one kid
    and no other animals, and she was kept indoors.  Last we heard, she
    was a darling little purr-pot for these folks!
    
    --jim
    

    GOOD NEWS!!!  Trouble has a new home (and a new name).  Randy sent some
    mail to his cost center manager (who has cats himself) and asked him to
    send it to the cost center.  Less than five minutes after he sent it,
    both Randy and I received mail from someone at ZKO (where I am), who
    was interested.  She had never had a cat before (just dogs) but had
    been passively looking for an animal "companion" for a while.  After 
    talking with her on the phone, I went to her office and continued to
    talk to her.  Eileen came over to the house after work and Trouble came
    downstairs and let Eileen pet her and even rubbed against her (not the
    usual case for Trouble with strangers for quite a while now).  I set
    Eileen up with a spare litter box, some litter, food, Trouble's brush,
    etc (basically a "starter kit") and offered to help her cat-proof her
    home.  We went to her apartment and I took a quick look around and
    found no real problem spots, so we let Trouble out of the carrier.  I
    think she sensed she was in a new "home" because she was all over the
    place checking things out.  When I left, Trouble was laying on the bed
    looking very relaxed.  I think this was the hardest part of the whole
    thing, actually leaving her.  
    
    Since Trouble had her yearly vet appointment the following weekend, I
    left the carrier with Eileen.  This was a week ago.  Eileen and I took
    Trouble to the vet last Saturday, since Eileen didn't know where the
    vet was, or what to expect, and she checked out fine.  In just a week,
    I saw such an improvement in Trouble that I *know* I made the right
    decision, hard though it was.  At least I do have visitation rights.  
    
    I just wanted to let everyone know that this story has a happy ending.  
    
    Bernice
    
    By the way, her new name is Bubble because Eileen really didn't like
    the name Trouble, but she will always be Trouble to me.  

    That's nice, Bernice.  I'm glad things worked out for you both.  It
    must have been hard for you but at least you know it was a perfect
    match and can see her now and then.
    
    She's a very lucky cat.
    
    Pat, Holly, Buffy, D.P., Thai, Midnight, Jamie, Dandy (& Cookie)
    

    I'm glad "Bubble" has a new home...and I'm not surprized that she
    has a new name too.  Its amazing what an effect the environment
    has on a cat's personality.
    
    I wish Eileen many happy years with Bubble/Trouble.  Hey! That 
    rhymes!