So apparently things are NOT OK after all...
She just did it again.
Massive puddle of pee -- I don't even know how all that fit inside one cat -- right up by the head of the bed, more or less dead centre (so I won't be able to avoid it when I sleep there tonight), exactly where my pillow would have been if it were not off to one side leaning up against the headboard from when I was sitting there reading to Aidan earlier tonight.
The laundromat is not open this late, and I only have one set of sheets. And only one bed, for that matter. No couch or anything either. So I pretty much have to sleep in cat pee tonight.
I mopped up as much as I could with paper towels, then sponged down all the affected layers with lemon juice and water (since I am out of vinegar after the last time) and spread them out to dry as best they can. Stuck a newspaper in between the quilted cover and the mattress to help keep any more from getting on the mattress than already has -- and yes, it did make it through to the actual mattress this time, because the eggshell foam thing was still hanging over the shower rod drying from last time, so there was one less layer for it to make it through.
I had really thought things were going to be OK. She seemed to be much more relaxed, and has been out into other parts of the apartment several times. Kiska wasn't reacting to her nearly as much, and her interactions with Claribell have been limited to a bit of mutual hissing from a distance. And she's been all purry and affectionate and cuddly with me. So WTF is up with this?
I did move the litter box back into the bathroom today, because Aidan was here today and I didn't want him messing with it. But the damn cat has been in the bathroom - she was actually curled up sleeping in the bathroom sink at one point, about two feet away from the litter box! So it's not like she doesn't know where it is or is unable to get there. All I can think of is that maybe, as emerlion said, that she's acting out because she's unhappy. It did happen shortly after a minor confrontation with Claribell when she was coming back from the bathroom & kitchen area where she'd been hanging out. But it didn't seem like anything that major -- a little hissing and growling, and a little bit of Kiska trying to be playground monitor and growling at both of them before I called her away. The whole thing probably lasted less than a minute.
This whole situation is just maddeningly frustrating. I guess I can try rearranging the bedroom furniture so that the door can close and keep her out of the bedroom, but that means keeping all the animals out of there 24/7, pretty much, or maybe at least letting Kiska in at night while keeping both the cats out. And I don't even know if it would be temporary or if I'd have to keep my bedroom closed off forever. Plus if this is a sign of unhappiness, shutting her out of the one place she seems to feel safe probably won't make her feel any happier, and maybe she'll just pee on more stuff out in the living room instead.
And I'm not sure how long to give it before I decide that she's just not working out here. I can't keep washing all my bedding every day or two -- I did it Friday, again on Saturday, and I'll be doing it again tomorrow, and I just don't have that kind of spare time, especially when you also factor in all the mopping up, stripping the bed and remaking it repeatedly, and what not.
If she's unhappy enough to be registering that sort of protest on a regular basis, maybe she doesn't want to be here. I know there's always some difficulty when first trying to get a new cat used to a household with other animals in it, but this seems a bit much, and I'm really not sure how long to keep trying.
Massive puddle of pee -- I don't even know how all that fit inside one cat -- right up by the head of the bed, more or less dead centre (so I won't be able to avoid it when I sleep there tonight), exactly where my pillow would have been if it were not off to one side leaning up against the headboard from when I was sitting there reading to Aidan earlier tonight.
The laundromat is not open this late, and I only have one set of sheets. And only one bed, for that matter. No couch or anything either. So I pretty much have to sleep in cat pee tonight.
I mopped up as much as I could with paper towels, then sponged down all the affected layers with lemon juice and water (since I am out of vinegar after the last time) and spread them out to dry as best they can. Stuck a newspaper in between the quilted cover and the mattress to help keep any more from getting on the mattress than already has -- and yes, it did make it through to the actual mattress this time, because the eggshell foam thing was still hanging over the shower rod drying from last time, so there was one less layer for it to make it through.
I had really thought things were going to be OK. She seemed to be much more relaxed, and has been out into other parts of the apartment several times. Kiska wasn't reacting to her nearly as much, and her interactions with Claribell have been limited to a bit of mutual hissing from a distance. And she's been all purry and affectionate and cuddly with me. So WTF is up with this?
I did move the litter box back into the bathroom today, because Aidan was here today and I didn't want him messing with it. But the damn cat has been in the bathroom - she was actually curled up sleeping in the bathroom sink at one point, about two feet away from the litter box! So it's not like she doesn't know where it is or is unable to get there. All I can think of is that maybe, as emerlion said, that she's acting out because she's unhappy. It did happen shortly after a minor confrontation with Claribell when she was coming back from the bathroom & kitchen area where she'd been hanging out. But it didn't seem like anything that major -- a little hissing and growling, and a little bit of Kiska trying to be playground monitor and growling at both of them before I called her away. The whole thing probably lasted less than a minute.
This whole situation is just maddeningly frustrating. I guess I can try rearranging the bedroom furniture so that the door can close and keep her out of the bedroom, but that means keeping all the animals out of there 24/7, pretty much, or maybe at least letting Kiska in at night while keeping both the cats out. And I don't even know if it would be temporary or if I'd have to keep my bedroom closed off forever. Plus if this is a sign of unhappiness, shutting her out of the one place she seems to feel safe probably won't make her feel any happier, and maybe she'll just pee on more stuff out in the living room instead.
And I'm not sure how long to give it before I decide that she's just not working out here. I can't keep washing all my bedding every day or two -- I did it Friday, again on Saturday, and I'll be doing it again tomorrow, and I just don't have that kind of spare time, especially when you also factor in all the mopping up, stripping the bed and remaking it repeatedly, and what not.
If she's unhappy enough to be registering that sort of protest on a regular basis, maybe she doesn't want to be here. I know there's always some difficulty when first trying to get a new cat used to a household with other animals in it, but this seems a bit much, and I'm really not sure how long to keep trying.