My parrot barn cat, Tuffy, continues to poop in my his barn room sanctuary.
I have tried several things, and he will start to use his box regularly (he has two, one inside the room, and one outside the room), but then reverts back.
Today, my husband informed me it happened again, and suggested we evict Tuffy to the part of the barn he used to mostly inhabit, the hay storage. But I told him the last two years have been nothing but losses for me, and Tuffy gives my sanctuary the necessary heart and spirit I need right now. I don't mind cleaning it up as I continue to brainstorm solutions.
It is my barn room after all. My sanctuary. But my husband can't help but feel some ownership, too, after having done all the work to build it. Can you imagine? The nerve! Haha!
My room. No, my room.
Okay, it's your room, your cat, your poop to clean up.
I just ordered Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract.
I know this won't be an issue when the weather warms up and he's able to comfortable spend time outside again. Wish me luck.
Speaking of ownership issues, my daughter and I are co-owners of Epona, and the topic of training came up today. My daughter reserved a spot for her in June, but she will be only three. I told her I'd prefer to have a vet check first to make sure her growth plates are closed. She had such a rough start and I had to slow down her growth when she started to spurt up too fast with all the good nutrition, after having almost starved herself to death refusing milk replacer. I had her on a couple different formulas to balance growth, and I pulled her off grain. She definitely slowed down, but I'd like to have her evaluated.
Epona "was the Celtic goddess of horses and the patron goddess of mares and foals." Oddly enough, her nickname, Pona, means to heal and survive.
If you have followed Epona's journey, you know the Pona part is very true.
However, the Epona part is also coming to be. Epona is now the one ordering the herd, and making sure her mama eats first. She had to beat out the Tumbleweed / Foxy duo for that honor. I don't know how it happened, but it did.
And now all the mares do as Epona tells them to. She is a very brave little soul, having endured so much in so little time, and it will be interesting to see what this new order brings about in each of their personalities.
I think you’re smart to have the vet evaluate. Quaid’s growth slowed last year and lost a lot of muscle from the stall rest and healing. I have no regrets about postponing my plan to send him for training. It was good, I think, to slowly introduce him to grownup things.
ReplyDeleteShe and I agreed to let the vet decide, and that gives me some comfort. Epona is one that I think would benefit from being trained at home, but that probably won't happen. Although, I will work with her with my trainer, Regina, before she goes, and my daughter will probably do the same.
DeleteI think it's a good idea to have her evaluated also. You want to be sure she's ready to start training. That's funny how she's taken over the herd. She sounds like a feisty gal who gets her own way!
ReplyDeleteShe's a combo of sweet and dominant. Having been somewhat an orphan, I thought she might not ascend to herd boss, like her mama had been, but apparently she got enough time with mama that she is well trained in leading other horses. She's even bossing mama around. I have found that the babies sure are loyal to their mamas.
DeleteThat filly certainly lives up to her name! It will be interesting to see what the vet says about her.
ReplyDeleteMy old cat Foose (he will be 15 in April) has issues too- sometimes he goes in the litter box, and sometimes ,well, I have kitty poo to clean up. He and Thumper live in the heated garage in the winter, thankfully it has a cement floor. It's a small price to pay for his company and his well being.
I called my vet this morning, and picked up some dewormer for him. She didn't think that was the issue, but that he is probably having age-related health issues. One step at a time, I guess. I was able to catch him in the act this morning, and put him in his box, and there weren't anymore accidents today. I'm also curious if it is possibly due to the stress of all the changes around here. I went to the store and stocked up on cleaning supplies, and I'm covering the tables and cabinets with old linens when we're not using the room.
DeleteYou have a big heart Linda. Good idea to consult your vet. Cats are so sensitive to change. Tuffy may just need more time to adjust. It is hard learning new things, especially when older.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about Epona. We think Hope will eventually become boss mare.
Thanks, Aurora. I came out to the barn just now and couldn't find Tuffy, and my heart sank. He just showed back up. It's in the 50's today here and feels like spring. I'm sure he was out hunting. That little scare is a reminder of how important his presence here is to me.
DeleteI think the babies end up taking the positions their mamas inhabit in the herd. At least, they often do in the wild. I'm not sure what would happen if you weaned them and sent them away to a new herd. Maybe Shirley would have experience with that aspect.