Conference misery::feline_v1

    You might try calling the Police Station for what it's worth.  Whenever
    my sister's cats run away that's the first place that she calls.
    They probably don't keep a log of it though.
     
    Sounds like a great kitty!  Too bad you can't keep her.
    
    Good luck!
    There's also the local papers- but that cost's money and you could
    get some weirdos calling.

    Well I've had her 2 days now.  I'm getting very attached and I've
    discovered I'm allergic to her.  She has had a bath and has been
    flea combed (yielded a bundle of fleas too) and is looking mighty
    pretty.
    
    We're having a problem finding a food she likes.  She seems to like
    the Kal Kan Mealtime but eats it too fast and ends up tossing it
    back up.  Was hoping I could get her to eat something with brewers
    yeast on it (seems to help my two keep fleas down to a minimum)
    but she doesn't care for it.  I don't have any regular Science Diet
    around right now since my two have been on the Light Formula.  This
    kitty certainly doesn't need to eat light.
    
    Dave says she has an Angora-type body (if that tells you anything
    about her looks).  She's very slender and long in the body.  Her
    fur is silky and soft.  She is soooooo georgeous.
    
    Having worked for a local police department, I know they're not
    an option in finding her owners.  They won't take information on
    found pets.
    
    I spoke to the people at Nike and now have a card on file with them
    and the Humane Society.  I'm going to call the San Jose Mercury
    News this morning.  They will place an ad free for 4 days for found
    pets.
    
    Also, I listed The Campbell Veterinary Clinic as one of the vets
    I left information with.  I forgot when writing the note that they
    were the one place I called that wouldn't take information.  The
    woman who answered said the owner told her they couldn't do that
    anymore.   I placed some cards around my apartment complex and Bel
    Aire apartments with information about her and my phone number.
    After walking around that complex I'm sure glad my complex put up
    the chain link fence with the barbed wire on top.  Boy, what a scuzzy
    place to live.  I sure wasn't happy about leaving my number there.
                                                                      
    I've been trying to think of something to call her.  I was hoping
    to combine the names of the two apartment complexes (Bel Aire and
    West Park) but nothing sounds good.  I've been sort of calling her
    Belle or Bonnie Blue Belle (I don't know why it just comes out of
    my mouth when I look at her).
    
    I CAN'T KEEP HER, I CAN'T KEEP HER, I CAN'T KEEP HER.  Gads, I want
    to keep her.
    
    Jan

    Jan,
    
    Panther and Eirene had trouble with KalKan at first as it was too rich
    for them. What I did was wean them onto it by mixing it with scrambled
    hamberger (with all the grease removed) iuntil finally htey got
    straight KalKan.
    
    Deb

    Thanks for the tip Deb.  I'm going to go have to shop for food soon.
    I've been feeding her the cans I'd collected from the various cat
    shows.  I believe she's less than a year old.  I can't remember
    how long I fed my two Feline Growth.  Seems it was for the full
    1st year.  Maybe I should put her on kitten food.  I'll try the
    scrambled hamburger in the mean time.
    
    Jan

    Well "little gray and white cat" is spending the day at the vet.
    She wasn't eating and nothing was staying inside her.  I came home
    to a spare room rug full of stuff last night.  (Somehow the bulk
    of it ended up on the plastic bag under the litter box, thank
    goodness.)  The vet called me last night after I left a message
    on their answering machine telling them I would be bringing her
    in.  He says she probably has a good case of parasites.  I hope
    that is all it is and that she doesn't have a blockage of some kind.
    I gave them permission to do a blood workup if necessary.
    
    I knew I had a pretty wonderful boyfriend when he rushed Bailey to
    the vet for me one day and then paid the bill.  I'm absolutely
    sure of it now as he has offered to help me with "little grey and
    white cat's" vet bills.  Whatta guy!
    
    Jan

    Your right.  He sounds like a great guy.  Larry, on the other hand,
    will only bring a cat to the vet if I give him 2 blank checks first
    - one for the vet and one for him!
    
    Hope LG&W is going to be OK.
    
    	-Nancy

    I've spoken with people at The Cat Hospital and they think LG&W
    cat may have an intestinal virus (I was beginning to think this
    after reading the Home Veterinary book I have.) 
    
    When I asked how much money I was up to they ran off a list which I 
    didn't get written down fast enough.
    
     8.00 for something
    17.50 for something
    18.00 for something
    ????? for bloodwork
    etc.               
    
    I don't know what I'm paying for yet.  They do want to keep her
    overnight and give her fluids (another 6.00 for overnight + cost
    of fluids).  
    
    Pretty soon I will have bought myself a brand spankin' new cat (the
    new and improved version).  I think she's worth it though.  What
    a sweet girl to let a near stranger dump her at the vet for 2 days.  
    I'll probably hear about it when I get her home; that is if she's
    still speaking to me.
    
    Jan                  

    since I'm married to a real animal lover who has never questioned
    my decisions to help animals, I can tell you, they're a real prize!
    I married this one (today's our 3rd wedding anniversary already!)
    cause I was so impressed!
      Nancy DC
    

    Nancy,
    
    Congrats on your third anniversary.  (Don't you need a new cat as a gift
    or something? ;-) )
    
    Jill

    Jan,
    
    > Pretty soon I will have bought myself a brand spankin' new cat (the
    > new and improved version).  I think she's worth it though.  
    
    Does this mean you've got a new kitty?  How are Amelia and Bailey
    taking it?
    
    Jill
    

    No introductions will take place until the GBOF has gotten a negative
    leukemia test result and a clean bill of health.
    
    I am sure that Amelia and Bailey will be properly pushed out of
    shape when the time comes.
    
    Jo (not Jan, but still up on the situation)
    
    

    Happy Anniversary Nancy!
    
    Jill,
    
    I still have an add in the paper trying to find GBOF's (gray ball
    of fluff's) owners.  So far I've had 2 calls, both looking for a
    tabby kitty.  She stayed overnight at the vets and they have leukemia
    tested her (results today).  If I can't find her home I will probably
    keep her (against my better judgement), unless someone feels the
    need to adopt this wonderful kitty.  I've already picked out a name 
    for her.  I think Dave knew when I started thinking of things to
    call her that I was hooked, he'd just smile and look at me with
    that knowing look. 
    
    Keeping with the tradition I've started of naming kitties after
    famous people (or alcohol) her name will be (da-da-da-daaa) 
    
    			Carrie Nation
    
    She will be joining Bailey's Irish Cream and Amelia Earhart.  Amelia
    and Bailey are totally thrilled.  GBOF has not been in the spare
    room since yesterday morning and I've showed this to Bailey and
    Amelia but they insist on keeping vigil in the hallway just in case
    she decides to show her face.  Introductions ought to be a blast.
    
    As I said before though, my adopting her is not an absolute if there
    is an interested party out there.  I still live in an apartment
    complex which had "no pets" as a policy when I moved in.  Although,
    it is possible that has changed recently (I've seen lots of cats
    and even small dogs around) I'm not willing to push the issue since
    it will probably require a large output of cash which I don't have
    for a deposit.
                                
    Jan_whose_cat_max_seems_to_be_increasing_by_one_suddenly
    
    

    re: Anniversary gifts and another cat
      Well, Jack promised me that if I could place Tym & Melynda/Tiffany/
    Willow that we could have another scottish fold.  Actually, I'd
    be happy with Tym if we could convince the crew to get along better.
      N
    

    Well, Carrie is home.  Dr. Weller says she either had some kind
    of intestinal virus or ate something really bad that did her in.
    I don't have to give her any medication.  They said the fluid treatment
    seemed to be all she needed and that the problem was probably in its 
    final stages already.  
    
    Carrie comes home complete with 3-in-1 vaccination, rabies vaccination 
    and a negative leukemia test.  All in all, she's a pretty healthy 
    (albeit expensive) girl.  Dr. Weller figures she's approx. 8-10 months 
    old which is about what Dave and I figured.
    
    Jan

    Jan,
    
    Congratulations!! Carrie Nation is a perfect name!!  May
    Amelia and Bailey be as welcoming as you are!!!  Can you bring in
    pictures?                                        
    
    Jill 

    I'll bring pictures as soon as I can get Dave to take them.  If
    I take them they'll sit in my camera through a few birthdays and
    maybe Christmas before they get developed (unless I'm already near
    the end of a roll).
    
    Jan

    re:15
    
    My Charlie (which is already heading for Chow Lee) is also home.
    Gave him another bath last night - helped a lot.  The kids are
    doing very well making him feel at home.  He was a little on
    the expensive side also - about $85.00 worth of homeless waif!
    He's so cute - he purrrrs and then rolls over on his back and
    waits for his belly to be scratched - throws his paws up over
    his head and just purrrrs.  some stray,, huh ??
    
    E.T.

    Wellllllll.  ah, hmm, yup.
    
    Cattyshack's Tiger Lily of ????? made 17 - it's like she's always
    been with the other kids.  She sort of looked around and said,
    well this place is ok - I think I'll stay and play with these kids!
    This little shinny brown bullet is faster than the speed of lightening
    I wonder if it's because she is so close to the ground or is it
    because her Grandma oiled her wheels before I brought her home????
    What's even funnier is to watch this munchkin eat!  With her right
    paw, she reaches in to the bowl of crunchies, scoops out some, eats
    one, and lets the remaining pieces fall on to the rung under the
    pan.  Of course she decides that the pieces on the floor mustn't
    be touched again by a feline paw, and repeats the process all over
    again (many, many, many, many times).  End results - one large pile
    of rejected crunchie pieces on the rug beside the pan (14" puppy
    pan full of crunchies) - well, along comes the next hungry creature
    and cleans up that large pile of previously rejected pieces.  Each
    kid takes care of the next guy.  Lil is also helping with the following
    chores:  litter box duty, scooping am & pm, brushing my teeth, bathing,
    washing dishes, cooking, eating my dinner (eating anything), sleeping,
    she thinks she owns my pillow and my hair - the help list is endless.
    I wonder when she finds time to play!  She is a very busy little
    girl - busy and very beautiful with a face that could melt your
    heart in a nanosecond!!!
    
    Charlie (Chow Lee) the resident North Road neighbor vagabond, who
    always lived outside makes 18.  Charlie really enjoys:
    three square meals a day, sleeping on the couch, curling up in
    a clean, round kitty bed, being hugged and scratched on his 
    tummy and head, and being carried around, big lug that he is.
    Chow Lee has no idea what cat toys are - I don't think he has
    ever learned to play - what fun it will be to introduce him to
    toys!  This morning before I left for work, I had to show him how
    to jump from the 2 big trees to the ladder to the window sill -
    he seemed to think that he would fall or something.  He caught on
    very quickly!  He's a sweet loving baby!
    
    E.T._guess_the_Inn_will_never_be_full - Always_room_for_one_more
    
    

    My cat max has been 2 (in a no pets apartment) up until a couple
    of days ago.  I don't know how you do it with 18.  I really didn't 
    plan on taking in another cat, if I had I can think of three cats 
    very close to me who might be interested in new surroundings.  I 
    feel a little guilty that I ended up with Carrie instead of one 
    of them.
    
    Carrie is a different kitty.  She is obviously feeling much better.
    She was running all over the house last night, playing with anything
    she could find.  She still purrs and falls over for a tummy rub
    when I pet her so she hasn't lost her affectionate nature since
    she's gotten well.  And, she's eating dry food...with brewer's yeast
    on it; something she wouldn't touch a couple of days ago.
    
    Bailey and Amelia are still keeping watch at the spare bedroom door
    lest she decides to show her face outside the room.  I take turns
    with them being shut in a bedroom.  Amelia hates it when its her
    turn to be confined.  She scratches constantly to get out and put
    Carrie back in her place.  I still think introductions are going
    to be a blast.  I've opened the bedroom door and let them look and
    sniff at each other.  There's been a little growling going on but
    nothing severe.  I wish I had a screen door on the bedroom or that
    I had some kind of cage where they could see each other and get
    to know each other without making contact for a while.
                                                             
    Jan

    Well, this time I really didn't have much time for long
    introductions - I brought Chow Lee home in a cage (the one
    I used to travel to shows with - not huge) set the cage on
    the table - and started feeding up, doing the cat dishes,
    starting supper, delumping the pool, etc.  After about 20
    or 30 minutes, I sort of looked around, and the cage was
    dripping with fur - you almost couldn't see what was inside
    the cage - poor Chow Lee was just sitting there - he didn't
    do anything, my kids didn't do anything - there wasn't
    even any hissing.  I then took him out - introduced him
    to the pool and food in the cattery, and then brought
    him up stairs to the great room, and he found the couch.
    He hasn't gotten very inquisitive yet, not very brave,
    but getting better every day - it's only been since
    Monday night.  Time takes care of everything. 
    
    The truth is, that they DO IT - I just vacuum up after they
    do it!  They entertain themselves very well.  If there is
    only one string, 2 cats play with it - one on each end!  Sometimes,
    two or three want attention at the same time and I only have 2
    hands to pat & sratch with so I rotate heads and necks !!
    
    Oh, I almost forgot - I have discovered a great way to feed a
    cat separately if you need to do that - I'm slipping my ten year
    old a little extra (IAMS) she needs to pick up 1/2 lb or so.
    I put her in the shower stall with the magnetic door - no one
    else can get in when she is snacking!  They sit in front of the
    frosted glass and wonder what the H&*L is going on in there that
    they are missing!!  It's a hoot, but it really works!
    
    E.T.

    I got brave last night and decided it was time to let everyone decide
    for themselves if they wanted to sleep in the same room or not.
    Things had been going pretty well all evening.  Everyone was getting
    along.  'Bout the time I decided this all sorts of hisses started
    up.
    
    I stuck to my decision and placed the water spritzer within in quick
    reach on the nightstand and settled into bed.  Bailey took her position
    near my feet and Amelia was hanging back by the window waiting for
    the light to go out before she jumped up.  Carrie was exploring.
    I tried to get her interested in sleeping on the carpet square I'd
    put on the bookshelf she seems to like laying on but she wasn't
    having any of that.  She brought herself over and settled in on
    the bed next to my left side.  Bailey's eyes got as big as saucers.
    I kept talking to her saying "good Bailey, make friends with Carrie"
    she didn't hiss or growl, just settled caustiously down on my feet.
    
    That was the easy part.  I was more worried about Amelia's reaction.
    I turned out the light and waited for Amelia to join us.  Soon she
    jumped on the bed and plopped her 13 lbs. down on my legs with her
    back to Carrie.  She stayed that way for a few minutes then I felt
    her readjust so that she was facing Carrie.  I waited...nothing
    happened.  Feeling reasonably confident I fell asleep.
    
    Now you're probably expecting that I didn't get to sleep through
    the night but believe it or not I did.  I didn't wake to a single
    hiss or growl (either I slept like a log or no one cared enough
    to hiss).  When I woke up this morning Bailey was still at my feet
    and Amelia and Carrie had wandered off.
    
    A successful kitty sleep over!  Yea!
    
    Jan

    Must be 'cause they all "sniffed butt" that day!
    
    :^D
    
    Jo

    well, I highly recommend the "butt sniffing" method - I hold the
    new kid up to the old kid with the new kid's butt-end forward and
    let the old kid sniff to his heart's delight!  3 or 4 times doing
    this is usually all it takes - they just want to be able to
    identify the new smell.  

    Actually, when I tried to hold Carrie up to get Bailey and Amelia 
    to "sniff butt" they wouldn't have anything to do with it.  I just
    don't understand what the problem is, I mean really what's a little
    butt sniffing among kitty friends.  They funny thing is that since
    they woke up this morning, the butt sniffing has been occurring
    a little more frequently without my help.  Funny how that works.
    
    Jan

    As a bit of a side note (or should I say rear note), butt-sniffing,
    as we so daintily call it, is something that is supposed to be quite
    some honor among cats--for instance, I'm sure we all have had our
    kitties walk up to us and rub and then turn around, right?  Well,
    I never realized Ash was bestowing a gesture of friendship on me
    until I learned a bit more about cat behavior, but nevertheless,
    I think it's an honor I shall forego....   ;)
    
    
    kim

    I'm glad your "kitty sleep-over" went ok.  Just wish ours had. 
    Trouble has not been sleeping on the bed since we starting letting
    the "kids" stay out all night.  A couple of nights ago, I got her
    to stay on the bed between our pillows where she used to sleep.
    She let Becky and Velcro stay at the foot of the bed.  Oh boy, I
    thought, all three on the bed in peaceful coexistance.  HA!  About
    an hour later, one of the kittens came a little too close and Trouble
    growled, hissed, and batted.  I don't recommend a cat paw across
    the mouth for an alarm clock :-)  I came awake in a hurry to find
    Trouble and Becky both gone.  I have to say, this is one time I
    was glad Trouble was declawed, or I might have had to come up with
    an interesting explanation for the fat lip.  
    
    Bernice
    Mother_of_the_trio
     

    Jan,
    
    Congratulations!!  The tough part is done now!!  Whew....
    
    Jill

    .28  
    
    I know what you mean about explaining that fat lip.  There's only
    been one time ever that I wished my cat was declawed.  That was
    the time I was holding Amelia and she got startled by a noise and
    managed to snag the crease of my eyelid (above the eyeball) with
    one of her nails.  That was pretty scarey.  Got a nice little rip
    in the lid which healed fairly quickly.  Since I couldn't remember
    the last time I'd had a tetanus shot I ended up getting one (I can
    tell you when now, April 1988) and I absolutely hate getting shots.
    
    .29
    
    Just when I think everything is going well someone moves to fast
    towards someone else and the whole house becomes one big hiss festival.
    All-in-all they're doing okay as long as Carrie doesn't get too
    playful with anyone everything is semi-cool.  We did our 2nd kitty
    sleep-over last night and everything went okay.  I did wake up with
    only Bailey on the bed and got a little nervous about where Amelia
    and Carrie were but everything seemed to be okay.  I didn't hear
    and hissing and they both came when I called their names.
    
    Jan

    The other night Sage and Sasha had a little run-in over who maintains 
    possession of my face, neck, and shoulder when I'm sleeping (obviously it's
    not me ;-) ), and my face is a battle zone.  Strangers come up to me,
    gesture at the scratches running down my face, and say, "Cats, huh?"
    The scratches are healing, but like you, I am glad they didn't hit my 
    eye.  What a rude awakening! And it certainly is scarey, like Jan said.
    
    Jill
    

    Jill, altho this is kinda Jan's note, aren't you the one who lives
    up in the big trees (Felton) and has mucho cats??  And aren't you
    the one who has the ragdoll you kindly sent me a pic of??
    
    kim who is trying attach cats and people to names...
    (this is why i made it a point to remember jo ann's cats!)  ;)
    

    Kim,
    
    That's me.  I'm the one.  The fellow you saw was Merlin the Ragdoll
    who tried to itimidate everyone in the house last night.  He succeeded,
    especially by lunging at Sammie to piss her off.  It worked, and he
    swaggered off.  No one can convince me that he doesn't know what he's
    doing.
    
    Jill
    
    

    Are 8 or 9 cats mucho?  My perspective is all gone now.  Especially
    with Elaine's headcount.  18 cats..., now *that's* something to strive
    for!!  :-)
    
    

    Jill, When I went into a bookstore recently to purchase a magazine
    (Cat Fancy, what else?), the woman behind the counter asked me how
    many cats I own.  I told her five and mentioned that most people
    think I am totally insane for having five cats.  She told me that
    anything over 7 is considered too many; anything under is perfectly
    normal!
    
    So, Jill, since you are presently in the "too many" category, might
    as well keep on adding cats to the household (and congrats on your
    upcoming new addition!  Wonderful news!!)
    
    
    /Roberta
    

    To get back to Carrie...
    
    I've only had 3 calls since I placed the ad in the paper.  This
    is the 2nd 4 day ad I've run and someone in the 415 area code called
    looking for her cat.  This is so sad, she lost the cat a year ago
    but says she keeps trying to find her anyway.  I feel so bad for
    these people when I have to tell them it doesn't sound like their
    cat.  The other 2 calls were for male tabbys. (I'm not sure why
    they called since I specifically said she's a female gray and white
    tuxedo type cat.)
    
    Things are not totally settled in the house.  In fact, it seems
    the hissing is picking up.  I think Amelia is having a problem with
    the fact that Carrie acts like she owns the joint and Amelia doesn't
    want to give up ownership.  Bailey just tries to stay as far out
    of it as possible.  I think we're very close to deciding who is
    dominant cat and I keep hoping that Amelia stays on top.  Carrie
    needs to learn a little respect for her elders.  She's still such
    a kitten inside, even though she seems larger that the other two.
    She's a longer slimmer cat than both of them so she appears larger.
    I think that has a little to do with why they seem a little intimidated
    by her.
    
    We'll just keep plugging along.  I'm still not totally set on keeping
    her but if I can work it out I will.  I keep reminding her when
    she pulls her little "I'm queen of the house" stunts that she is the
    newcomer, therefore the burden of fitting in rests on her shoulders.
    
    Jan

    re: .35, Roberta,
    
    Yup, I'm in the "too many" category--but how do they know?  How can you
    ever have too many of those wonderful balls of fur?  I should have our
    new family member sometime after June 11th.  I'll post her arrival
    here when I bring her home.  (She is so neat!!! ) :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)
    
    Re: .36, Jan,
    
    Keep us posted on the fire/ceasefire situation.  I'm interested in
    hearing how it turns out.  Best of luck to you and them in the
    meantime.
    
    Jill
    

    DATELINE SAN JOSE - Tensions mount as the cat hierarchy continues
    to adjust in the Cordes household.  The newest member of the family
    can be seen turning everything in the house into a toy including
    the ruling resident cats.  The reigning Top Cat (Amelia) has been heard 
    remarking that the "young whipper-snapper" hasn't as yet learned to 
    respect her elders.  When asked to comment Ms. Bailey's Irish Cream
    said "I wish they'd just leave me out of this.  Just when I think
    its safe at the food bowl that foolish Carrie starts another
    confrontation with Amelia and she (Amelia) starts yelling at me."
                                                                 
    When last seen Carrie was terrorizing the house attacking everything 
    that moved and some that didn't.  Bailey and Amelia were heading for 
    refuge under the bed and were contemplating calling out the National 
    Kitty Guard and declaring Meowarshal Law.
    
    We'll keep you up-to-date on this story as events continue to unfold.
    
    Jan
    

    Take heart.  Yours is a difficult but rewarding battle.
    
    

    Have you ever wondered if all the hissing and growling going on
    is just a show for your benefit?
    
    It seems we can get through the nights all together with no problems
    but once it's light and mom's awake the show must go on.  All the
    hissing and growling starts coming from Amelia as if Carrie has
    just walked into the house for the 1st time each morning.  Bailey
    just hides under the bed.  When she does come it out seems Carrie
    decides she has to check this new toy out and Bailey ends up
    hissing/growling and running for cover.
    
    I left them alone together for 6 hours while at mom's for Memorial
    Day and when I came home Carrie and Amelia greeted me at the door.
    There wasn't any noise out of the two of them, in fact, it seemed
    as if they were getting along fine.  Then I sat down here at the
    terminal and it's as if all hell has broken loose.  Amelia and Carrie
    keep going at it.  Well, mostly Amelia growls and hisses and Carrie
    thinks she's a big growling toy and bats at her which makes Amelia
    madder, etc.  Amelia goes after Carrie who lays down behind a paper
    bag and decides to play with it.  I don't know if she's just brainless
    or if this is her type of a power play over Amelia.  She seems to
    instigate all the battles.  Then after Amelia is satisfied that
    Carrie has been duly chastised she comes over to me and purrs and
    rubs all over me.  I guess I'm part of her territory too.  The
    strangest thing Amelia does is to sit here next to me purring and
    at the same time hiss at Carrie who is sitting on a counter she's
    not allowed on chirping and trilling to herself.

    Well, I don't know how all the other cat introductions are going
    (NDC-Tymothee) but mine have settled into a routine.
    
    I wake up in the morning with Bailey in her cat bed on the bed,
    Amelia on my legs and Carrie crashed out on the ironing board which
    I leave up constantly in my room (I'm too lazy to get it out each
    time I need it).  I shower while Amelia and Carrie fight for waiting
    space in the bathroom (this used to be Bailey's territory now she
    just hides under the bed).  When the shower is over I feed them.
    Carrie has graduated to eating in the same room in the opposite
    corner.  What usually happens is Amelia heads for Carries bowl and
    Carrie eats out of Amelia or Bailey's bowl and Bailey hides under
    the bed (she gets brave enought to eat until Carrie chases her back
    under the bed).  
    
    I leave them all loose in the house to fend for themselves during 
    the day now.
    
    When I come home Amelia and Carrie greet me at the door as sweet
    as pie and as I call Bailey and look around the corner I see her
    sitting cautiously in the bedroom doorway.  As I approach her she
    runs for the food bowl so I go and feed them the evening meal.
    We go through the above-mentioned feeding ritual again.
    
    As I relax later in the evening the cat growls begin to become more
    frequent between Amelia and Carrie (mostly Amelia growls and Carrie
    goads her into it) while Bailey hides under the bed, or under the
    dining room table on a chair.  Bailey spends most of her time trying
    to stay out of Carrie's way.  She has gotten brave enough to sit
    in her favorite spot on the cat tree occasionally (which she has 
    claimed as her territory and where she is more likely to stand her 
    ground for a few minutes against Carrie).
    
    When its time to go to bed everything calms back down and all cats
    reclaim their positions from the night before.
    
    I feel like I'm caught in some strange kind of repeating feline
    ritual.  Its the same thing almost every day.
    
    I have begun using the cat-attitude-adjustment-tool (aka: the water
    bottle) on both parties in a squabble just to let them know that
    this is socially unacceptable behavior.  Amelia knows what this
    means and tends to back off some; Carrie just runs all over looking
    around like "where did that wet stuff come from", Bailey has usually
    flown from the area before I can get the water bottle in hand.
    
    I guess this is better than major cat wars.
    
    Jan