Quick Clarification

Hi Everyone! Ok, I just wanted to clarify a bit about the Lola situation. Lola was never an only cat - but when Gus and Stella moved in a few months after that she started to pee on the bed and couches. We got her checked and everything was ok, so we thought it was probably just stress. Since we know that others have had luck with separating the one who is having issues we tried it and it did work for a long time. Sometimes she would just stay in her room even with the door open - it was always one of her favorite places in the house (it was my office, and still is but I still call it Lola's room now anyway). See, previously when we got new kittens, there was Floyd there to welcome them in. But Gus and Stella were the first to join after Floyd went to the bridge. Floyd and Lola were super close - he welcomed her in when she was a kitten too (she and Kirzon are tolerant and will sit together but if Kirzon was on my lap and Lola came over, he would leave - so they were not BFF's, that was Lola and Floyd). She was always an angry pee-er, and would pee if she had to be in her carrier for the vets, or if she needed any meds she didn't want - she had to have eye stuff when she was little and was good with that. And when we got the new floor she was afraid to come down - when I tried to take her down to show her it was safe, well, yeah, I got peed on a bit too.

Ok, so she was doing great in her room for a long time - we always have her out when we are home, and she is just in there at night. She did have times she wanted out but it was only for a short time. Most of the time she loves her room. So then a couple months ago she started having tummy troubles, and she didn't want to come down at all. The troubles cleared up with meds and crunchy foods, and all was ok, but then we would go back to canned and crunchy and she would have issues again. She did pee on her couch a couple times BUT she was sick at that time so I understood it. So this last time her tummy troubles came back, I took her off the soft food again as usual, but this time I did keep her off it for longer - and that I think is when the trouble started. See, she always gets fed in teh morning in her room, and at night if she is downstairs she is fed her canned there and I take up anything she didn't finish at bedtime (because they are fed at 9:30 and we go up at 10 on weeknights). She hasn't been getting called to dinner for canned because she was on crunchy only (oh, it is sensitive stomach stuff - can't seem to find anything like that in canned). Also because of the stormyness I had been leaving her light on all night (I have a 40 watt equiv. CFL in a lamp in there for her). It is usually on a timer (in winter it comes on so it stays light in there til she is out) but I have let it be on to hopefully make the storms less scarry if they happen. I leave one on in the rest of the house too. Ok, this is getting long.

Anyway, so my guess is that she is feeling a lot better but hasn't had her canned up there (she always has crunchy and water of course - just like the others), and that, combined with the light is probably part of it. That and Barney chases her like crazy (but Virgil always did too and she was fine - but this is again, before Floyd was gone). Barney gets in trouble for it and is learning, and she always goes up to her room when it is needed. And if she is out she will sit by me or Brad (there is a perfect corner spot on the couch for her - no sneak attacks). So I don't think it is stress like that, but I think she is afraid there won't be any canned for her anymore (which is funny because until she was about 9 they only had dry food because of all the tooth issues I hear about) and she is trying to get out to get it. With the light on, she isn't realizing it is bed time so she stays up, looks for her "squishy" food, can't find it and gets mad. She is actually pretty ok with the other cats most of the time - the problem is if they jump up on the couch and she isn't expecting it - she hates that. But she will go over to areas they are in to lay down if they are there, so she doesn't avoid them. She actually likes Gus and Trixie and Kirzon I think. Stella is still not comfortable with her - she is a big girl after all - and so Stella will hiss and Lola will hiss back, but then that is it. Trixie is afraid of her if she growls (which she will do if Barney chased her onto the couch and he is "stalking" her - she growls and Trixie will leave, but I can usually get everyone calm quickly). Today we are trying a new canned - I got a few that seem like they might be a better, gentler option for her (first up was one of the blue buffalo limited ingredient - she really seemed to like it which is great - the other cats hate anything that isn't fancy feast). I gave it to her in the morning like I used to before the tummy trouble, and tried it with no meds. So, we will see. If it can make her happy and not bother her tummy then that will be great and she will have her own special food - it is pricey but worth it. And I have the timer back on the lamp, and I while she was trying to get out a bit last night (still no squishy food for her til this morning) she did calm down once the light was off. Oh, and I did keep the classical music on for her. She likes it.

The thing is she is ok with the rest of the cats a lot of the time - they will go in her room and sit and she is ok with it. So I think it is more her being sick and then her routine changing than anything else. Hopefully going back to it will make her happier again. She is totally lovey dovey when I am with her and she is very social so we will have to see how it goes.

So I wanted to be sure everyone knows - she isn't locked up in a room all the time - and believe me it is a nice room. It has the most popular window in the house with two beds there, plus a couch, the desk if she wants to hide under it, toys, foods, litter, water, a nice fan, music and even a TV if she wants to watch it. It is very unlikely she wants to be an only cat - I don't even think she knows what that is since she went from her multicat home as a baby to our multicat home. And like I said she does get along with most of the other cats most of the time. So I think she is ok with our place - I just think she didn't like the routine change.