We have introduced new cats and kittens to our home a number of times, and things invariably calmed down after a few weeks, except in the case of unaltered males. We had two males when we were raising Abyssinians; *they* lived as pets, but always had to be kept apart until we finally gave up breeding kittens and neutered them. Then they had an armed truce, so to speak, and could be left together in the same room. I agree with Laurie about keeping the kitten from bothering the male and not disciplining him. It might also be wise to avoid paying special attention to the new one in front of your old boy. (By the way, has he been neutered? That could make a difference, too.) Don't give up. They are bound to at least tolerate each other eventually. By the way, cats often establish a pecking order, which should be respected. Our present two cats, both of which were abandoned kittens that we took in, are great friends. I often come home to find them cuddled up in the same box or on the furniture. But if I am there, then they don't do that. The one we took in first, Siphon, obviously considers himself to be "first cat" and is jealous to protect his special rights. The other cat, Rosie, "knows her place," too, and immediately jumps down from my lap if "first cat" comes into the room and puts a paw on my knee. She can also not get into the bed with me if "first cat" is there and realizes it, so she sneaks around over the pillows to my other side and gets under the covers. If Siphon so much as utters a cry of annoyance, she is out of there like a flash. She has, however, established the small table in front of the toilet as her territory, where she can elicit all the petting from me that she wants (and, incidentally, prevent me from reading, lol). Siphon never tries to evict her from there. So I would treat your older cat as "first cat" and always give him precedence. For instance, if both cats are in the room, I never pet Rosie without also petting Siphon, usually doing him first, then petting her, then giving him the last pat, or else I pet them both at the same time. Maybe I am overdoing it, and if these were humans, I would never discriminate like that, but both cats seem quite happy this way.

Thanks guys, it was really fun and your encouragement was tremendously appreciated! I talked to my friend today, and he said that Aunt Jean was taken to the hospital at 6 this morning because she was having trouble breathing... they have her on steroids and antibiotics and are trying to prevent pneumonia... I better fly through the border tonight so it's ready tomorrow! There's going to be smoke coming from my sewing machine :o) I'm going to visit her tomorrow with my friend who is her nephew (they are keeping her overnight), but I don't really want to take this to the hospital because I don't want it to transmit germs or get lost, and I really want it to be a "just because" thing and not a "get well" thing, but I'm scared something might happen to her if I wait too long and she'll never get it...

Thanks, qwertyui (fun to type :)). I doubt this is a high-end Schlage :) but you turned out to be right about your second paragraph! My DH took the inside knob off and lo and behold there was a tiny screw lying inside the cylinder. It attached back up in the back on the middle-top area, holding something back under considerable pressure. When he screwed it in, the lock and handle began working again. Phew. An odd thing: when we took the screw out of the cylinder with our magnetic screwdriver, there were metal filings *all over* the screwdriver head. We're wondering if that could mean that something doesn't fit right and that's what caused the screw to pop out over time? He wants maybe to consider locktite to make the screw stay put but I'm afraid that would make the lock impossible to get out later when we can upgrade.

Yup, the cat is gonna be a present for a dear friend of mine...COZYCAT!!! I've been looking for a cat for months!!! So it already has a name, Romeo, after her cat! He is such a Lover!! lol! I wanna talk to Klinger and see about a silicone mold of him first. And about my commisions, I am bartering for tile supplies and (he doesn't know it yet)a display area to advertise my wares! Figured I'd make a real nice pair and they'll be so impressed they'll be "more receptive" to the idea! ha! Been very busy starting a new business with hubby and haven't done much with these. I'm gearing up for this weekend too, with my Garden Art "Project" I call it "Texas or Bust!" heh heh!!