Every time something calls for a specific internal temperature (meat), I have to overcook it in order to reach that temperature.Both on the stove and in the ovenLid on or off, aluminum foil rapped or notIn order to reach the designated temp, the item becomes overcooked - as in, meat is too tough, chewy, over well-done and/or burnt to some degreeI must be missing somethingCould it really all have to do with living at a high elevation? That doesn't seem plausible.
The best thing you can do is have your cats fixedWhile they are at the vet, clean the house with a good enzymatic cleanerThis may be a territorial issueYou brought a new creature into THEIR territoryThey are letting the baby know that this is their houseMakse sure you have plenty of scratching posts, keep as much soft surface stuff out of their reach as possible (like laundry), and try to give them even more love and attention than you currently areYou'll be surprised at how much they will calm down just by having them fixed.
Ok, here's the deal with cooking meatA few simple tips and you'll be ok First off I recommend that you allow your meat (regardless if its been marinated or dry rubbed) to come to room temp or at least close to room tempBring the meat out the fridge at least 20 minbefore cookingThe reason is because it takes that much more time heat to bring the meat to room tempBEFORE it even starts to cook all the way throughSo, while the outside is cooking away, the internal temp is completely different (i.ecooler.trying to catchup with the rest of the cooking process)So, by the time the internal tempis achieved.the outside surface of the meat has technically been cooked longer so to speak thus becoming dry overcooked Another very important thing to remember is residual heatWhenever you remove any cooked food from it's heat source (oven, stove, boiling liquid) it still continues to cook long AFTER you've removed itExample: Take a baked potato.remove it from the oven, place a meat thermometer into it and see just how long it takes for the tempto dropYou'll be amazed at how much heat it retains even after you finished cooking itSo, my suggestion to you is to take the meat out just a bit earlier than the suggested cooking time.espif it's going to sit, covered in foil or on a steam table or even just resting on a cutting board waiting to be carvedIt will BECOME overcooked by the time you eat itMoreover, you might want to rest your meat a little bit before cutting it so the locked in juices are releasedGood luck.
give them time this is all new to them and they have to work it out by them self's (you just can't tell them )
AT THE PET STORE, THEY HAVE PRODUCTS TO HELP CALM CATSTHEY PLUG INTO THE WALL OUTLETSTHEY MAY JUST NEED TIME TO GET OVER THE FACT THAT THEIR PARENTS HAVE A HUMAN BABY NOW I KNOW YOU SAID YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY BUT, YOU MAY WANT TO SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT HAVING THE FUR BALLS DE-CLAWEDFOR THE BABY'S SAKETHERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE CATS WON'T EVER ADJUSTNOT ALL ANIMALS LIKE OR GET ALONG WITH KIDS.
Getting your cats fixed will significantly helpYou said there is no reason to but here's a reasonWhile they may not do a complete 180 it will help to level them outUnaltered pets are more likely to have adverse reactions to new arrivals (such as a baby)Since you indicated at least one cat is male, his spraying and erratic behavior is due to the fact he is raging with hormonesIt is about impossible to keep an intact male as an indoor petAnimal shelters usually spay or neuter at reduced ratesAnother thing you should do is purchase an artificial hormone agent such as feliway and spray where the cats usually spray after thoroughly cleaning the area.
