Just a tiny little baby flower stalk, but the pic on the side showed red flowers and the leaves are exactly like the first one's "used" to look. It looks extraordinarily healthy though, I was surprised! It's still in the cube, but i'm removing the lid a little bit more each day. As far as the cat goes, I've whipped up my old crafting skills and made some plant hangars to keep stuff out of Ed's reach but still where I can see and obsess over them. The adelae he nibbled on is still green and the new growth that was on it that survived the attack seems to still be growing. Maybe it will pull thru... The miranda also seems content, and is shooting out both a new leaf and what looks like may turn into a pitcher on another leaf. Doesn't seem a bit shocky...I may get bold and bump up her repotting date :)

Cat Deterrents for your Garden: Keep in mind that each cat is different (like people), what works for one may not necessarily work for another. On the plus side, most cats will keep pesty squirrels, moles and other critters out of your garden. They're great for keeping out moles, rabbits, squirrels, and other critters which can do more damage in your garden than a cat ever will. Birds aren't stupid, they watch for cats and stay away. Sometimes natural law comes into play and the quicker animal wins, it's natural law. If the cats have owners, talk to them without being confrontational. The cat owner who allows his cat to damage other peoples' property is as guilty as the cat hater who kills the cat for trespassing. Remember, cats will be cats, and it is unfair of us to blame them for being what they are and how nature intended them to participate in this world. After-all, we praise them when they catch mice or rats or other creatures we deem to be 'pests'. * amonia soaked (corncobs, etc) * aluminum foil * bamboo skewers * black pepper * blood meal fertilizer * bramble cuttings * Carefresh - "recycled" wood pulp * catnip - donated into your neighbor's yards (so they'll stay in their own yards) * cedar compost * chicken wire (metal or plastic) * cinnamon * citrus peels * citrus spray * cocoa bean shells * coffee grounds -fresh & unbrewed, not just a light sprinkling (highly recommended by MANY Gardenwebbers!) * dogs * electric fence for animals * essence of orange. essence of lemon, lime (citrus essential oils) * fresh manure(ditto) * garlic cloves * gumballs from the Sweet Gum Tree * gutter covers * hardware cloth * heavy bark mulch * holly leaves * keep the area damp, they like dry soil * lavender * liquid manure (good for your garden too) * motion sensor sprinkler * pennyroyal * pinecones * pipe tobacco * plastic forks * predator urine * red wine vinegar * river rocks over the exposed soil * rocks, crushed * rose bush clippings * rue, an herb (Ruta graveolens) (highly recommended in plant form only) Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler (do a froogle.com search or www.safepetproducts.com) Shake-Away Domestic Cat Repellent Urine Powder (do a froogle.com search or www.safepetproducts.com) * short twigs throughout the planted area about 6" apart * six-inch bamboo skewers (pointy side up) * Spray on your leaves (not the cat): fill a spray bottle with 1/2 t chili powder, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dish soap and water * squirt gun with water * talk to your neighbors * tansy * thorny berry, lilac, hawthorn, rose clippings * toothpicks * upside down vinyl carpet * vinegar sprayed on areas where they roam * water bottle on "stream" NOT RECOMMENDED: *** chili powder, red crushed pepper, cayenne pepper (NOT recommended), it gets on the cat's paws then they wash themselves and they get it in their eyes, beware cats have literally scratched their eyes out because of this. Even if it's one cat out of 500 infected in this way, that's one too many for me. *** Don't ever use mothballs or flakes. Those little toxic waste pellets destroy cats' kidney function, could seriously harm people who handle them, and yes, contaminate your own garden soil. Their packaging even warns against using them this way. Give them their own areas: (To keep them out of where you don't want them) (If you don't mind them protecting your garden from other critters) + pick the cat up and bring it to eye level with the plant to see and smell it up close. She noted that once her cat has seen and sniffed at the plant, she usually doesn't bother with it later. + give them their own plants - i.e., pots of grass for her to chew on and a place in a large planted container on her balcony with some miscanthus grass in it (the cat likes to curl up in that for some reason) + if the cats are strictly indoors and attracted to your houseplants, grow catgrass for them. If someone forced you to remain inside one enclosed structure all your life, you might be attracted to the plants too. + Barley Grass + Any type of "catgrass" from the pet store + Carex elata 'Bolwes Golden' but put it in some shade + Catmint Nepeta mussinicultivars (Simply put, Catmints are Catnips without any culinary or feline use. In any case, they are, however, phenomenal, long flowering, hardy perennials that belong in every fairie or flower garden.) + Catnip Nepeta cataria (in your own yard) The oils of which also work as a mosquito repellent that works 10 times better than Deet! Catmint is the common name for all varieties of Nepeta. Catnip is the common name for the specific variety of Nepeta called nepeta cataria, which is the variety that cats are most attracted to. + Cat Thyme (Teucrium marum) + Flax + Oat Grass + Jacob's Ladder + Lemon Grass + Loose soil and mulch like small bark mulch + Mints + Purple Fountain Grass so the cat lays in the long leaves all day. Maybe put something in that the cats really like and - you know cats won't winky were they like to hang out. + Sandy area + Silver vine (Actinidia polygama) + Striped Ribbon Grass (can be invasive) + Sweet grass + Trificum aestivum (type of cat grass) + Various Varieties of Cat Mints (Catnips) + Wheat Grass + Wheat Berries + Valerian As a gardener, grow your indoor cat some catgrass and catnip. They're healthy alternatives for your houseplants and they'll much prefer them. Change the litter to something they prefer. If you don't clean it out everyday, consider it. Cat's appreciate a clean, comfortable place to go just as much as humans do. This list compiled by Violet_Z6, email at violetgw@care2.com for comments and suggestions regarding this list.

The integration of the cats is coming along well. He's out of isolation now. Might have kept him separated a bit longer at least when we weren't home but for the fact he started going crazy being confined once he'd been out. He did quite a bit of damage clawing at the trim around our bathroom door so that was no longer an option. Fortunately they are all tolerating each other pretty well - gets noticeably better each day - though it got a little exciting when all three of them ended up on the bed around 2am last night.

Hello William, its not clear from your post what's happening - in your first paragraph you write that he is loving when he's by himself with no other cats around, and then in the second paragraph he's biting people - is this a sister's daughter a child? Sadly you don't know what happened in his other life - could be children mistreated him. And sadly, often the more insecure and scared an animal is (again you don't know what kind of past hes had) the more they may be aggressive to other cats - cats still have a bit of the wild in them, and in the wild they would be competing for food and resources if these are scarce. If this cat came from a shelter, some have a harder time than others - animals know when they're not wanted, if their people have given them away and some may need an extra amount of love and reassurance before they start to relax and show their true personalities. And its sad too that shelters are so over burdened with unwanted animals and that you can't get assistance from them when you need it What I want to say is that you may be the person who may be in the best position to do right by this cat. If you look for a home for him then you are in the best position to be able to tell possible adopters things they really need to know - like he needs to be the only cat , in a home without children (if its children specifically he's having a problem with - not clear from your post ). The shelter you adopted him from should have provided you this type of information but for whatever reason did not. I have been in the situation of finding homes for stray or unwanted cats many times ... Word of mouth amongst friends coworkers and acquaintances is the best for a situation like this.-Otherwise, there's a way to screen people and be sure of a good match. In this situation you don't want first come first served - you want to know that its a situation that he'll do well in. If someone gets huffy about your screening them, then too freaking bad. The person you want understands why you're doing it, and I've also found that if YOU care about the cat, that appeals to people and they're more likely to want to adopt from you - Just be honest, be his advocate, make it clear that this cat has had a difficult time of it, that you want him to be in a place where he fits in and will do well, you want to be sure his next home works out, and of course along with the explanation of why he would do better in another home dont forget to point out his good qualities ( you did say he was loving right?) (BTW is he declawed? Declawed cats do sometimes become biters because they have no other defense. You and/or the adopter would need to learn to read his signals when he's had enough - ears flattened back, tense look on face - before he resorts to biting.) I hope this helps - I know from personal experience its a very difficult situation.