"Mary" wrote in message
m...

How attached would you be to a cat you had had for at least
a year?

Obviously I'd have some attachment to the cat. I'd also have attachent to
the others in my household. It would become a question of what is *really*
best for the one that just can't seem to find a way to fit in without
disruption.

What a stupid suggestion

Stupid is it? I've known of a few instances where such a situation was
resolved by placing the miscreant in a more suitable home environment. (
example - surviving feline of a deceased elderly owner taken in to a multi
cat household. He simply wouldn't have it any other way except to be the
sole creature in residence. A local vet helped find someone who took him in
and it worked out great for all concerned.) Just because the owner loves
the animal and has gone to great lengths to work things out does not by
default make his situation the only choice.

Better that he live separated
from the others than be out of a home again.

Read again Mary... I did not advocate throwing the cat out. Re-homing is
just that - doing your best to find a home where the animal fits well. In
this case, it is unlikely that this particular male will ever fit well in a
multi-cat household. A situation where he will be the only cat is probably
best. Is it really better to live separated, at times isolated than to move
into a setting that better fits his liking? Surely the owner is attached but
is that the only factor one must consider?
Sometimes we just have to rise above our own feelings and consider all
elements in a situation - i.e the stress of the other feline residents, the
frustration of the owner seeing his house divided, and knowing this dominant
animal has a lot of love to give under the proper circumstances. The owner
in this situation has no cause to feel failure - he's done more for the
stray than most would have.

Surely someone can offer a better solution than this. (I can't, as I have
never
had this problem. I have never had a male cat.)

It's not unique to males but far more prevalent. I had a female once who was
so dominantly alpha that any other cat was forever the enemy. Forget her
having a roomie - wasn't gonna happen. Individually, she was the sweetest
most attentive cat companion one could have. Show the slightest bit of
affection to an interloping stray and she was an insufferable bitch - to
the stray and myself for a day or so afterwards.