Maybe It's Time, To Wave Goodbye Now
Have you ever noticed how "doing the right thing" often makes you feel like complete and utter crap? I guess that's because whatever the "right thing" is, is usually completely different from how we'd want things to be. So why the hell am I rambling about the misery of "doing the right thing"? because, after several months of frustration and unsuccessful re-socializing attempts, my family and I have decided that it's in everyone's (both human and feline alike) best interest if we return the cat we recently adopted to the animal shelter.
In spite of all that we have tried to do to make our house a safe and happy environment for all the animals living here, Gypsy (the newest kitty) and my oldest cat Kitty, cannot get along. They fight constantly and mercilessly. I have had to extract pieces of claws from faces -- that's how bad the fightng has been. Then marking became a problem. Kitty got so freaked out by the new cat that she almost always refused to use her litter box, and decided that the bathroom rug looked like a much better place to pee. And the current situation isn't fair to Gypsy either. She deserves to live in a household where she can feel like she doesn't need to be on the attack 24/7, and just enjoy the company of people. (I think she's best suited to a single cat home. She wants attention from people. Other animals she could care less.)
I've done everything that I could have. I tried short term separation. I tried long term separation. I've tried rubbing a towel on all of them to get the same scent on them, putting a bell on Gypsy's collar (to prevent sneak attacks), and using mild sedatives. Nothing has made anything any better. And aside from stress on the cats, the tension level in my house has beem sky-high for months. we can't live like normal people anymore. We have to treat every doorway like an airlock that will somehow seal out the kitty apocalypse. I know that everyone will benefit from Gypsy going back to the shelter. She'll get a new home full of people to love her, life will become more peaceful here. I know I'm doing the right thing. But I still feel like I'm about to cry.
In spite of all that we have tried to do to make our house a safe and happy environment for all the animals living here, Gypsy (the newest kitty) and my oldest cat Kitty, cannot get along. They fight constantly and mercilessly. I have had to extract pieces of claws from faces -- that's how bad the fightng has been. Then marking became a problem. Kitty got so freaked out by the new cat that she almost always refused to use her litter box, and decided that the bathroom rug looked like a much better place to pee. And the current situation isn't fair to Gypsy either. She deserves to live in a household where she can feel like she doesn't need to be on the attack 24/7, and just enjoy the company of people. (I think she's best suited to a single cat home. She wants attention from people. Other animals she could care less.)
I've done everything that I could have. I tried short term separation. I tried long term separation. I've tried rubbing a towel on all of them to get the same scent on them, putting a bell on Gypsy's collar (to prevent sneak attacks), and using mild sedatives. Nothing has made anything any better. And aside from stress on the cats, the tension level in my house has beem sky-high for months. we can't live like normal people anymore. We have to treat every doorway like an airlock that will somehow seal out the kitty apocalypse. I know that everyone will benefit from Gypsy going back to the shelter. She'll get a new home full of people to love her, life will become more peaceful here. I know I'm doing the right thing. But I still feel like I'm about to cry.