On the subject of birdies... and kitty purgatory

Ironically.... although it was my oldest kitty's mortality that hit me that night, it was my parakeet who was dead the next morning.  *sniff, sniff*  I woke up to poor Gracie cold and stiff at the bottom of the cage.  No real explanation... she was her regular, fun self the night before, turning somersaults on the perch and everything.  We buried her out front and I wondered what to do with George.  He was so dependent on her, followed her lead in everything, I just didn't think he would do well on his own.  I spent weeks watching various birds on KSL.  Finally I found one I liked... a five-year-old all white female.  The ad said she could be bossy and I figured that would be perfect for George!  I called, but she was already spoken for.  The lady took my info, so I could be next in line, but I figured no one would walk away from such a beautiful (and cheap) bird, even with the behavior problems the ad alluded to.  But two days later I got a call saying she was still available.  I ran right over and picked her up.  She spent a day in a separate cage and then I moved them in together.  I named her Lady... her previous owner worked for years at Petsmart and picked her up there as soon as she came in - because her coloring (a "clear" - white with black eyes) is so rare.  She lived with a pair of white Cockatiels her whole life (a brief stint living in her own cage resulted in feather pulling) and she bullied them and was a perch hog.  But Lady and George have loved each other from the beginning... no bullying or fighting, just lots of kisses and preening each other.  I wish I'd kept her previous owner's contact info, so I could let her know how happy Lady is here - finally having a man in her life.  A few weeks later I found a big (non-bird) cage at DI for $5 and decided I could make it into the best flight cage ever.  It fits perfectly in the corner of my room and gives them lots of room to exercise.

And opposite the flight cage... is kitty purgatory... (duh, duh, duhhhhh).

Yes, I now have a cat in a cage.  Arwen has struggled for years (ever since we moved here) with periodic, unexplained potty problems.  We've had her into the vet, to rule out medical causes... so it seems to be psychological.  At first, the vet's advice to "re-potty-train" seemed to work.  She'd spend a week in solitary confinement (with her own, private litter box) and come out a potty champion and not have problems for months - a year - long enough we'd think she was cured.  Then it would happen again and we'd repeat the process.  Well, for whatever reason, potty-training is no longer working.  She do fine for a day or two... and then pee on my bed again and be locked back up in the bathroom again for another week, with all the stress of risking kids letting her out accidentally, only to have another accident and go back in again... It was clear we had to do something else.  I tried natural "calming" supplements during all those weeks, but they didn't help.  Getting rid of my favorite kitty wasn't an option... so I came up with kitty purgatory.  We bought another Trigger-sized crate (on sale) and made her a private apartment, rather than get our bedding dry-cleaned weekly.  She actually loves it... she comes out for snuggle time and for daily cleaning... but jumps right back in voluntarily.  And yes, we've tried "graduating" her from this long-term training... but it didn't work.  Last week I started letting her out at nights to sleep with me... but after a couple days I wasn't as prompt in getting her back in, and yup... peed on my bed.  So, for now kitty purgatory it is... maybe I'll eventually be able to afford to try medications... kitty prozac and the like... and find something that keeps her from claiming my bed as her space.  I love to have her out and about again.  I miss her sitting on my shoulders...