From: ac999257@umbc.edu (ac999257)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Help! Cat in distress!
Date: 25 Jan 1993 19:11:16 -0500
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu

The distress story -- I need some advice, well my sister does.
I'm posting for her since she doesn't have a computer.

Background details:

My sister and I, and 3 cats used to all be roommates. We got
all cats as kittens -- Agnes was 1 year older than Booger and
Booger was 5 months older than Carmen. Booger, the large fluffy
white male is deaf and is startled very easily. Also, Booger
was never an only cat -- only Agnes was an only cat. This past
summer, Julie and her fiance bought a house and were married
in October. We had to split the cats up in July. Julie took
Booger, and I took the other two. None of the cats really got
along or seemed to like each other, so we didn't think they'd
be lonely for each other. Since the move, Carmen and Agnes
barely tolerate each other and often fight -- Carmen is an
attention hog and is extremely jealous of Agnes. But they
are both healthy and thriving and are normal except for the
occasional fight (about daily they fight).

The problem child:

Booger, on the otherhand, is not a happy cat. After about
2 months, Julie noticed a big bare spot under his arm. He
had licked off a patch of fur -- no broken skin. She took him
to the vet, who gave him an allergy shot. We all thought
that the new house with fresh paint and a different carpet 
may have bothered him. The fur grew back and everything
seemed okay. The other day, Julie noticed another bare
spot on another part of his arm. She also read and article
in Cat Fancy that stress could cause this behavior. But she
has another appointment with the vet to take care of
Booger -- next week.

My theory is that Booger is lonely. He likes his new dad okay,
and he gets as much attention from Julie as before -- believe
me, he does! The wedding and move didn't interrupt the flow
of love this big guy gets. Julie even made a point of finding a
wedding photographer that would take her picture with him --
it's the best portrait she got out of the deal! But Booger
is now alone during the day, where he at least had the
other two cats before. As I said, he's deaf, and he is easily
scared. I remember him crying in Julie's room when he thought
he was all alone. I'd walk in and he'd be surprised -- like
he didn't think anyone else was there. I think he's stressed out
because he's completely alone for 9 hours a day, and he's never
been completely alone before.

I suggested getting a new cat, or possibly taking one of mine.
When Booger is reunited with his sisters, he hisses and growls
for a while (usually a day or so), then remembers them and 
calms down. When he sees a strange cat, he goes bonkers and
is livid for quite some time. He especially gets upset by
black cats (an all white cat that can't stand his opposite!).
I don't want to give up one of my cats, I love them both!
Carmen can't stand Julie's husband (I don't really blame her)
so I can't give her up, and if I give up Agnes, I can't get
another cat because Carmen won't tolerate another -- she
barely tolerates Agnes. Carmen will be an only cat then, and
she might get lonely while I'm gone. Julie is afraid to get 
another cat because it may upset Booger even more, and she's 
worried he might kill a kitten. We tried once to bring a fourth 
cat into our home, and after over a week we had to give him to 
a friend because of Carmen -- but Booger never warmed up to 
him either.

The advice Julie wants is 
  1. has anyone ever had a cat who licked chunks of fur off and 
     was it because of stress?
  2. Does anyone think another cat will help Booger? Keep in
     mind that Booger is not a normal cat -- he reacts very
     differently because he is deaf. He really gets scared of
     monsters from the most ridiculous events. He would be
     *EXTREMELY* upset by a new cat at least at first.
  3. has anyone had a deaf cat that they managed to get
     to accept a new cat (Booger is ~5, so keep that in mind)?
  4. does anyone know of a particular breed of cat that may have 
     a better temperament to get along with Booger? (Julie wants
     to go to a shelter if she's going to get a new cat, but if
     there is a breed that is known for getting along well with 
     another cat, that might be a better choice. Siamese are 
     probably out since they are attention hogs -- the 
     aforementioned Carmen is a prime example.) 
  5. Has anyone ever tried to introduce a new kitten to a 5 year 
     old male and had the male kill or hurt the kitten? This last 
     question is really important, because we know he won't kill
     Agnes or Carmen, so I'll give Julie Agnes before endangering
     an unsuspecting kitten. And by kitten, I mean less than 6
     months old. We know he won't kill a 6 month old new cat.

Any suggestions or stories would be appreciated, and I'll give all
replies to Julie. 

Thanks!

Mary
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats