Conference misery::feline_v1

    Carla, I am still back at the 2nd paragraph of your note where you
    state that your sister shut the door to the room where the cat box
    and food is?  Was it ever taken out so they could get to it?  I
    think the reason Verne was so upset was because your sister locked
    them out of what they consider to be *their* room and this was Verne's
    way of letting you know she didn't appreciate it!
    

    yes, i thought of that too.  she went to bed around midnight and
    shortly after that i woke up to check on them and that is when i
    found the door closed.  shirl was in the room but verne wasn't.
    after that the door remained open.  i'll tell ya, i felt really
    bad about it.
    
    i guess that is the reason.  i hope i didn't do any damage to his
    little insides.  i know that male's have a fus problem, specially
    the neutered ones and was so worried when i saw him peein' on the
    rug.  my first instinct was that he couldn't make it to the box
    but then again i thought to myself, he can be such a pisser when
    he wants to be!  (no pun intended of course)!
    
    cj
    

    Maybe you should watch his litter box habits for a day or two and
    make sure that he was just expressing his opinion.  That way, if
    he is having a bladder problem, you will catch it in time.
    
    Jo

    Speaking from the cat perspective I'd say Verne was "pissed" and
    was letting you know it.  Also from a cat perspective I can easily
    understand it.  Your sister threw them out of their territory -
    a particularly important part of their territory.  Not only that
    but she "took" their food and litterbox too.  I suspect that Verne
    felt very threatened that this big hostile human came into his home
    and took his litterbox and food!  
      Next time your sister visits move the litterbox and food OUT of
    the room she's sleeping in.  Even if she hadn't shut the door the
    cats would have been forced to go into "her territory" for their
    "necessaries". 
      Now why did Verne react and not Shirley - Personal differences.
    Cats react differently to the same situation, just like humans.
      I would keep an eye on him for a couple of days too.  Just in
    case.
      Nancy DC
    

    I agree with Nancy.  Verne was just expressing his opinion.  In his
    place, I probably would too.
    
    Your sister showed very little consideration for you and your babies.
    
    Next time give her the couch.
    
    Sandi (mom to Lightning, DejaVu & Thunder-who lets me know when she is
           upset)
    
    

    i know i know, no consideration at all.  and verne did try and be
    her friend too.  he came up to the table with those big green eyes
    and HUGE black pupils and just stared at her as if he was sayin'
    'i have no idea why you don't like them, but if you just knew me
    you wouldn't' or somethin like that.
    
    this morning he was real lovey, purring on the toilet seat like
    he usually does when i'm in the shower.  but he doesn't sleep with
    me anymore.  just shirl tucked in between my legs.  
    
    seriously though, i'm alittle worried about him.  he just doesn't
    seem to have the energy he used to.  always sleeping and curled
    up by himself.  mom says its the weather but i'm just not sure.
    i'll be watchin him carefully for sure.
    
    cj
    

    When was his last checkup with the vet.  Maybe its a good time
    for another one.  Is Verne a strictly indoor cat?  If not,
    has he had fleas recently?  Fleas carry both tapeworms and
    feline infectious anemia.
      Another indicator of a cat's health is the nictating membrane.
    When they are sick or very tired the nictating membrand (third
    eyelid) will cover about 1/3 of the eye.  If this is the case
    <consistently> with Verne I'd take him to the vet for  checkup.
      He is probably just reacting to the stress of your sister's
    visit.  His behavior indicates that he is more strongly effected
    by the stress than his sister.
      Nancy DC
    

    According to Desmond Morris ("Cat Lore", "Cat Watching" etc), there
    are two possible reasons for a cat misbehaving: 
    
    1) to show disapproval eg when we knocked a wall down between our
    dining room and our living room, Pippin kept pooing in the rubble. 
    Charming! He didn't like the disruption asnd soon stopped when we
    straight again!               
                                                           
    2) to show superiority, apparently only wild kittens and domestic cats 
    cover their "toiletty bits" in deference to their superiors (Wo/Man).
    So perhaps your boy was thumbing his nose, so to speak!
    
    Hope he feels better soon.
    Rosalind
    

    .7, his last checkup was in april (their 2nd birthday) but i wasn't
    too pleased with the vet.  all he did was give them a shot and he
    never checked out their ears, or eyes etc. and we thought that that
    wasn't very good.  next time we'll know better to ask.  i think
    that was the problem because normally our vet is super.  but
    anyway; as the episode continues.............................
                                   
    after reading these comments (did i mention thank you?)  i did
    come to the conclusion that he was 'pissed off' at me.
    but do i learn?  hell no.  we have construction workers in the house
    the following week for two days straight (the first day they stayed
    in my room (their room too!) and shirl was found in my closet inside
    a duffle bag shaking from the noise) and the second day we let them
    roam but found shirl only to hide in closets and verne just
    stayin' calm and curious like he usually is.  
    
    on friday morning we left for the weekend to return last night to
    two very very wild cats. shirl has done nothing but wine and yell
    at me and verne has been running around trying to get shirl to play
    with him and show off.  both of them were very playful and
    cuddly as if they were sayin 'mom, we missed you... come play' so
    i am ... today after work is kitty day, already justified and put
    in writing.  
    
    one problem though, both the kitties seem to be extremely thirsty
    and verne has been licking himself alot.  mom seems to think he
    has fur balls from the way that he cleans himself but i've seen
    him licking other areas of his porky body that seem to irritate
    him.  so hmmmmmmmm... i thought to myself, what now?  
    
    cj
                          

    CJ,
    
         It could be fleas.  We have strictly indoor cats, and yet we still
    have a *huge* problem with fleas.  We've had the boys dipped, the house
    bombed, and are having the boys dipped again in two weeks as the bomb
    killed the adults but not the eggs ... ugh ...
    
         Anyway one of our boys, Loki, had been licking and licking and
    licking and ... well you get the idea.  And having a furball
    practically every morning from all the licking.  It's a little better
    after the first dipping, but they're starting to lick again and Loki
    had the first furball in a week yesterday.
    
         Be sure to give your kitties some petromalt or femalt or whatever
    they call it so that no furballs get "stuck" inside.  It may look
    really gross on the floor, but that's better than being in the cat!
    
                                    - Andrea