Jess

So I have two cats. The younger one is always hiding and disappearing on me BUT I always can find her or convince her to come out with some bribery tuna. This time, I have no clue where she could be. I and the two cats have the entire upstairs to ourselves but there is a lower floor. They don't go down there, there is no way they can get down there without me knowing. I cannot find this cat anywhere up here. I have taken apart the room up, down, left, right. Looked in every little nook and craney...nothing. It has been almost five days of searching. She hasn't been out eating from what I have seen. haven't seen her use the litter box. anything. I have called and put out her treats. She always gives me a little meow when food is concerned. I am heartbroken that I cant find her, I miss her, she has a very sad past of being an abused cat that I fostered but eventually adopted and she has been with me every since. I just don't know how or where to start looking for her to try and see if she is just hiding or if something else could be going on.

Basic info:

No way she could get to the lower level of the house. Without me knowing. Its a staircase with two doors that would have to be left open. I have checked vents and under the bed and in the walls and all little areas. I don't see how she could have gotten out of the window. She is food oriented and I couldn't get a response with her fave food.

what else should I try?

So I have a cat named Bear. She was a rescue cat that I was fostering. Due to her behavioral issues she wasn't having a lot of luck being placed. I bonded with her and decided that the best thing would be to keep her rather than putting he with someone who would give up on her or have her put down. She Isnt aggressive, she isn't confrontational, and she isn't standoffish with humans. She is terrified of other animals because when she was found she was homed with 5 large dogs and 4 cats in a tiny apartment. The owners abandoned them and left them with no food or water, and no care or human contact for over 2 weeks.

I took her in. Took her to a vet. Got a clean bill of health after they treated her for old injuries, missing teeth, and dehydration and malnutrition. She was still emotionally terrified. I expected this and probably didn't correct behaviors I should have started attempting to address immediately.

For good news. She is physically recovered. Emotionally she is in a very good place. I make sure I observe her an see if she is feeling safe and do what I can to fix anything that scares her (hiding the brooms, only approaching her slowly, not forcing her to interact with me if she isn't in the mood). It literally took 6 months to introduce her to my other cats without freaking her out. They avoid eachother and she is ok with that.

The only problem I haven't been able to address is her litter box issues. I have tried every litter box under the sun, every litter, every trick or method. She still will not use the litter box. She will jump in....but jump right back out and pee and poop on the litter pad I put under the box. She knows how to use the box. I have seen her do it many times before, but 90% of the time she wont use it. She has no bladder infection, or constipation. She is very healthy now.

She also pees in inappropriate spots. The bed and the pillows are the main spot. If I wash and clean the scent off fully with a cat urine neutralizer she will do it again. Its not territorial because she doesn't even like sitting on the bed.

I don't know how to begin even getting her to stay in and use the box. I can sit with her and pet her and praise her when she is in the box but she isn't having it. she has her own box in her own area, and I have tried positive reinforcement.

I refuse to give up on her since she has made so much progress and has suffered way too much at the hands of humans but its just so frustrating to having her peeing on the bed. I can only wash things so much. The litter box or litter just seems to scare her way too much.

I just want to know if anyone else has had this problem and how they fixed it. If there are any solutions I have not tried, please let me know.

So my cat Ice has had some issues ever since I got her. She is as far as I can tell around two years old. I moved into a new apartment and the manager mentioned they were trying to find a home for some of the animals left behind by evicted tenants. There were 5 dogs and 2 cats in that tiny apartment, with very little food and almost no sanitary water. The dogs had been homed and I immediately took the two cats (gave one to my mom who had just lost her cat). Ice came with me. I slowly introduced her to my cats and she took it well but seemed very nervous. She stays apart from them a lot. She has her own area in my house where she can relax and be alone if she wants.

Her main problems in the beginning was both the fear and her medical issues. My sister is a vet so I was able to get her treatment. The poor thing was missing teeth, she had infected paws from the nails growing too long. She is 2 and has arthritis and several improperly healed fractures. She was always hiding from others so she walked crouched like she couldn't stand up right....she 100% better physically currently.

The main problem is the psychological problems. She is terrified by certain things (brooms, shoes, anything that can be held in a hand and thrown). She now knows I wouldn't hurt her but she is still skittish and I don't blame her. She has bathroom issues like peeing and pooping on things which has been fixed slightly by giving her a litter box far away from anyone else and left open so she can see whats going on around her.

This is the main issue. She pulls out fur and skin to the point of bleeding and gashes. My sister checked her out she has no allergies or skin conditions, no bladder problems, I feed her a special diet just in case. I feel its probably a psych issue of her getting nervous. I cant get her to stop and every time I put antibiotics on her she thinks she is going to get beat and she gets even more nervous.

She never comes out from under the bed unless I am there and feeding her. I'll spend hours petting her and the second I stop she runs back under the bed and wont come out.

I just feel like maybe there is something I haven't tried. I have tried medication, natural calmers, one on one time, you name it. I want her to be a happy cat, she deserves it after what happened to her but I am at a loss.

Also the other cat that was with her has no issues but he is a bit of a bully even though he is very young. I think she might have been bullied by other animals. She is ok around people for the most part but the smallest thing will upset her. She does get along with my other 2 cats and they are pretty laid back and have exhibited no behavior's that would indicate they were picking on her. I do keep an eye out for that and she has her own space away from them and they are too lazy to even try and find her

So bored with it. My hair is in decent condition, takes color well (natural color is dark blonde), and I am pretty much game for any kind of cut or style...just not really sure what direction I should go to.

Pic included

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76666361@N06/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76666361@N06/

Eh I am just really bored with it. I would like to keep the same length and my natural color is blonde. But like I said "I am open to all suggestions" and I pretty much game for anything when it comes to my hair.

I distinctly remember being very good at this as a child. My sisters and I could turn anything into a weapon (Hot Wheels tracks, Barbies, Slinky's...ect). Now I see the same things with my daycare students. I swear the could fashion a shiv even before they could walk. Is this normal or do I just attract Rambo like kids.

Ok, so the parenting section is going through some feuding right now. Its between one of the top parenting titans, Pdooma, and the many many many many many accounts of Eva Braun, Hat, and Hadassah. I think a cage match is in order here. Who do you think would win? and if there was a battle royal between all the regs, who would each reg get matched up to?