My cats and the inlaw's dog! *rant*

[samhainborn]

So my in laws wanted to bring a truck and trailer up to help us move. Great! fantastic! But KNOWING that I have 4 cats in the house, they brought their dog?!

I mean seriously. Like it's not going to be stressful enough trying to keep the cats contained while I get all the boxes on the trailer, they have to bring their yappy, jumpy, snappy little hell dog with them?

AND THEY COULDN'T EVEN FREAKING TELL ME?!

Not to mention the fact that they got here early and didn't bother to tell us. I don't mean a few minutes or an hour. And entire DAY early. So the house was a disaster and the cats were in no way prepared for my inlaws coming in, much less their dog.

Needless to say, I am now covered in scratches, the ones of my chest actually being fairly deep. My husband's favorite shirt is ripped. I'm seething with resentment, and I am sure that's not helping my cats calm down any.

SO I guess I need a little advice. How do I get my cats to even come back in the house. My mother in law is sitting in the middle of the living room with the dog in her lap, and the cats won't even come near the house, much less inside. Once I DO manage to get them inside, how do I keep them calm. Feliway is NOT going to help them not hate the dog.

And please, if someone has mother-in-law disappearing cream, how about fed-exing that to me ASAP, too?

 

[stephanietx]

That's just plain RUDE! I think I'd ask the in-laws (who seem more like outlaws) to relocate the dog, preferably back to where they came from.

 

[samhainborn]

Unfortunately, they're here for the weekend.

They made the 400 mile trip to help us move some of our stuff down. Unfortunately, they brought the dog without even warning me. They were supposed to get hubby's cousin to watch the dogs. I don't know why they brought this one, other than the fact that I think they love this dog more than they care about my husband.

Things are extra complicated because they were supposed to stay at a campsite for the weekend but my husband and I were at the ER all night because he woke up in screaming pain. Turns out he has kidney stones. Now they don't want to go to the campsite, because apparently, I can't be trusted to take care of him.

I don't want to be rude, considering I will be staying at their house once I move, at least temporarily. But I've been trying to talk to them about the cats and make arrangements for weeks now to make things as smooth as possible. The least they could do would have been to warn me before they brought the dog, right?

Prissy is the only one that will come in the house. I'm amazed at how accepting and calm my girl can be. As long as the dog's not jumping on her, she's completely fine. But the others still won't come in. I haven't even seen Ginger since the dog showed up.

I'm worried about my furkids. I've left food and water for them outside but they're not falling for it. I just don't know what to do. If I'd known the dog was coming, I would have had everyone inside and locked up so they'd be safe. Now I'm wondering if I'm even going to be able to find them all again.

 

[stephanietx]

I understand your frustration and your fear. I'm really sorry you're having to deal with all this at one time. Is there any way to ask them to move to the campsite just until you get the cats rounded up and safely inside, or have your DH ask them?

Other than that, you might want to ask in the SOS forum for tips.

 

[howtoholdacat]

I've a mother-in-law who does whatever she feels like doing too. After 8 years of marriage, I've found the best way to work with her is to firmly explain my side of things and ask her to comply. At some point, you're going to have to ask her to make arrangements for the dog so you can get the cats in and it's up to you to make her see that. Sigh, mother-in-laws. Could the dog go to doggy day care one day so you have the chance to catch your cats? Or is there a dog park they could visit for a few hours till the cats come back in?

 

[samhainborn]

There's not a dog park, but there is a park where you can take dogs on short leashes. I will try that.

They can't check in at the campsite until 3 pm today (another 3.5 hours), which is another reason why they weren't supposed to be here until a little later. I've convinced hubby to go ahead and go with them to the campsite around 2. He can't go sooner because he's really doped up on pain meds from the kidney stones, and isn't thinking clearly enough to give them directions. I've got the spare room set up for the cats, and the in-laws can take our room if necessary.

I don't think doggy day cares are an option. I only know of 2 here, and they are both ridiculously expensive. Granted, they're pretty nice and semi- state-of-the-art, but they're still little more than a simple kennel. And did I mention expensive? And they require all sorts of proof of vaccinations which I seriously doubt the MIL has documentation of, even if she actually got any of them.

Prissy is on the porch, but won't come in just yet. I don't want to push her or force her since stress makes her hair shed like you wouldn't believe. Ginger snuck in through the window an hour ago and ran straight for hubby. She won't let him put her down. They're hidden away in bed for now.

Cuddles and Smudge are still MIA. I've GOT to find them tonight, to make sure they're safe here and not running around outside while I'm trying to load the trailer, etc.

In short: Can we say stress? And not just for me. My poor kitties are so freaked out right now. I wish I knew some way to make them feel better, make them calmer, and make them come home.

 

[howtoholdacat]

Wow, that sounds really rough. Hang in there. You'll get through it and do right by your cats. I can tell.

 

[samhainborn]

Prissy, Cuddles, and Ginger are now inside. Smudge, Mr. Scaredy-Cat, is still missing. I can't find him at all. The in-laws are gone for right now, but... They left. The dog.

--sigh--

 

[stephanietx]

Oh sheesh! How very inconsiderate of them! I think I'd drive him over there and drop him off. "Hey, you left your dog!"

 

[samhainborn]

The in-laws went to wal-mart, so they didn't take the dog with them. At least they don't leave the the dog in a locked car with no air.

The last few days have been AWFUL.

Smudge is back inside.

He's been bribed with food all weekend because everyone loves my sleek and shiney black kitty. He's starting to be a little less shy. I guess that's one good thing.

Tomorrow is the big moving day. We got the in-laws out of here finally with a trailer load of boxes. I'll be following them tomorrow with the car and the cats, and a truck and another trailer with the majority of the furniture.

Wish us luck, and if I'm not back for a while, you guys will know why.

I'll be back as soon as I can.

)O( Blessed be all )O(

 

[auntie crazy]

Sounds like you won't see this until your move is complete and you're all settled in your new home, SamhainBorn, but I wanted to say how GLAD I am that you were able to recover everyone. Good heavens, I can totally imagine the tremendous stress you were under. :-(

Hope your move went more smoothly than your packing did!

 

[samhainborn]

Thank you, but unfortunately it has not. During the move, the inlaws decided to keep going when they hit rain, rather than stoping to throw the tarp over my boxes. Then, I was unable to get my stuff into storage because the inlaws decided they were too busy to pull the trailer. It ended up parked under a shelter for 5 days, wrapped up in plastic with water trapped in it. I finally moved my stuff and all the boxes were drenched. Over half of my clothing is ruined and spotted with mildew that won't wash out. I lost several boxes of books that ended up furry with mold.

I'm staying with my grandmother right now, trying to diffuse the situation. But unfortunately, her health isn't too great, and she's lonely. So I've ended up spending a lot of time helping her do things she needs instead of taking care of my cats and finding a job.

Because of this, I think, We've run into a problem. One of the cats at least is using the bathroom everywhere but the litterbox. I can't tell who it is and I haven't caught one in the act yet. So far it's been pee on a pile of laundry and poop on a bathroom rug.

I'm down to my last $14 and can't afford to order another feliway plug. My other one is packed up SOMEWHERE but I have no clue where it could be.

I've tried keeping them in one room, but the room they're in has no air conditioning, and it gets up to 95 in there during the day. Not that they seem to mind, really, but I worry. (I've left that door open, but they just sprawl out and sleep in the hottest part of the room.)

So I can only guess that this is stress, and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions that I just can't think of? At least to narrow down who the culprit is?