Cat people, please help!

[Katieinwonderland]

I am at the end of my rope with my cat, I need any advice on what to do. This will be looooooooong...

We have three cats, two boys and a girl. The girl (Magic) has always been sort of unsociable and never really wanted much to do with the rest of us, but she's always seemed healthy and happy.

Well, for six months now, she's been peeing and pooping outside the litter box. Sometimes it's right outside the box, sometimes it's nowehere near the box in another room.

We've tried everything. We took her to the vet and she says there's nothing medically wrong with her. We've added litter trays and moved them to different places; we've changed litter; we've tried different food incase she was responding to that; we tried scrubbing the litter trays so they were all clean and sparkly (they're self cleaning so that should be uneccesary but we wanted to rule out dirty litter trays.) We're out of ideas.

We tried shutting the doors to the rooms with carpet so at least it would be an easy clean up if she continued to do it. Well, yesterday she peed on our $2500 sofa We walked in on her doing it, she looked at us and carried on! The other cats were nowhere near, the litter trays were all totally clean so I have no theories as to why she was doing it. Incidently, ideas for getting cat pee out of durplush would be appreciated

It has been stressful for a few months; we were away a lot over the summer for various family events, but we had a cat sitter come in to feed them and make sure the litter trays were clean. Then we moved house, which was stressful for them, but we've been here for two months now.

The vet's latest suggestion was that Magic just wasn't happy in a multi-cat household. She said that maybe as she was getting older she was feeling bullied by the male cats (they love to 'play', which she hates). She said maybe there were separate areas of the house we could keep the boys in but our house is pretty open plan apart from the bedrooms, and it seems so cruel to keep cats shut up there all day.

I'm sorry this is so long, I just don't know what to do. The vet's final suggestion was that maybe Magic would be happy in a new home That makes me so sad. She was our first cat, and the litter mate of one of our other cats, Hershey. They've never been apart, how am I supposed to give her away? Does anyone know what I can do? Any ideas for how I could encourage her to use the litter tray?

The thought of taking her to a shelter and leaving her breaks my heart. I can't give her away but if the vet thinks she'd be happier being an only-cat, am I being cruel keeping her?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How many cats do you have? It sounds like 3? Does she have her own litter box? I recommend having more than one litter box. I would have 3 boxes if I had 3 cats and see if that helps the situation.

I would also scoop the litter daily.

Did you try to retrain her by restricting her area with her own litter box?

If you want to layout some cash you can get a wire dog crate and confine her in there and see if you can retrain her to use the litter. It is much simplier than locking her in a bathroom or bedroom.

 

[PatriciaH]

We had this issue off and on for months with our girls. They are 2 now. We addopted them from a shelter and they are sisters. At least 1/2 Siamese and very smart. They went in their boxes fine until they reached about a year of age and then would sometimes poop outside the box or upstairs. It was so annoying and random. Nothing had changed-same litter, same food, they were healthy, etc. I finally got rid of the hooded box and cut out their wet food. I hated to do it b/c I know it is supposed to be better for them but they were reacting badly to it (good quailty $$$ Wellness, Merrick and Innova.) Now they just get Innova Evo dry-no carb high quality food. Pumkin and people food every now and then. Anyway, it was VERY stressful there for a while. Several times they even peed upstairs when something scared them or who knows WTH! That is the WORST! We had to use Natures Miracle and vinegar to get out the smell. I was livid. Now they are fine again and hopefully it never happens again. Friends have the same issues off and on with dogs and cats. I love them but they can be trying at times!

 

[safetymom]

I have a cat that quit using the litter box several years ago. He was abused by his first owner, and not sure what happened with the second owner. He would use the litter box to pee when we first got him.

I have taken him to the doctor and he is ok. He would not take the pill the doctor prescribed. I tried the attractant that you can put in the litter or the kitty litter with it in. It worked for awhile but then even that didn't work. I have 3 cats and 5 litter boxes.

We have a house wih tile floors. He does manage to go in the same area most of the time and I have aluminum pans he will pee on but never poop on.

I just feel it is something we have to live with. Stitch had a tough beginning and I could never give him away. I hope you find something that works.

 

[jspahn]

At least you know the culprit! We have 5 cats (2 boys, 3 girls) and 3 litterboxes. When some one goes outside the box it's always a guessing game for us!
me: "how big is the poop?"
DH "kinda small"
me: "like it belongs to Bat Cat, or like Mishka?"



Our problem stopped as soon as we moved the litterboxes to another room and closed off the first one to the cats. So apparently it was the litterbox location our cats didnt like!

Our boys do tend to bully too, so if you think Magic may be getting bullied then its important you stay on top of the boys. We keep a spray bottle with water on every floor of our house. If one of our boys starts bullying anyone they get squirted with water (which they hate).

Dont know if that helps you at all.... I am sorry you seem to be having so much trouble with Magic! I hope you find a solution, giving her up would be just awful!

 

[Wall-E1]

I have two cats and have experienced this. I adopted the second cat thinking the first one would enjoy having a friend. Well, of course that didn't happen. The first cat became insanely jealous and began marking her territory all over the house. I tried all of the things you have mentioned. Here is what I do now to keep the situation under control.

1. Valium - Have your vet prescribe you a valium for the cat. I give her half a pill each morning and this seems to calm her nerves a little bit.

2. Extra litter box. If you have three cats, then you need four litter boxes. Have one more litter box than cats. This will help if the cat prefers to pee and poop in different boxes and also gives the neurotic cat more options. I have three litter boxes for the two cats.

3. Obstructions - If cat is doing business in various areas of the home, put obstacles up, so your cat can't ruin that same area (I know this doesn't help what happened to your sofa). I did this and eventually was able to lead the cat away from areas where I did not want this type of behavior.

4. Training pads - We have gotten to the point where the cat doesn't pee all over the house. She does still pee on the closet floor. This is where one of the litter boxes is located, and she prefers to pee all around it. Rather than yell at her (which makes cats become more stressful and adds to unwanted behavior), I simply line the floors with puppy training pads. It's much easier to clean up that way.

5. Separation - If possible, can you separate the problem cat from the other? If you can keep the one cat confined to a portion of the house where the other cats are not allowed, this can reduce stress and help the cat's behavior.

So try some, or all of these steps. Good luck. I know how frustrating this problem is. I once reached the point where I was going to turn my cat over to a shelter. Of course, I wimped out at the last minute.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

Thank you so much for the kind replies...I was so worried I would get flamed for even using the phrase "give her away"...

To the PP who mentioned how many litter trays, we have three self cleaning. Our house has two floors; we have one in the upstairs bathroom since that's where we sit most of the time (in the upstairs loft, LOL, not the bathroom!); one in the downstairs utility room with the washer and dryer and one that WAS in the (carpeted) study and is now in the (tiled) downstairs bathroom. They're all low traffic areas so I presume the location is OK. The one place we moved them where it seemed to work was our master bathroom. Maybe I'll move one back there today.

The crate isn't a bad idea, although I'm sure she'll hate it. Today Hershey was 'playing' with her (patting her repeatedly on her head whilst sitting on a shelf above her ) so I put her in our bedroom with a litter tray. She did use it but she's crying and crying to come out.

I do feel bad with her being bullied by the males. They don't hurt her, they just annoy her. This was originally why the vet suggested putting her in a different room, but she hates being shut in a room. When we're at home, they leave her alone, and if we see them bullying her we actually do use water spray bottles. But we both work during the day so for nine hours they're on their own.

I just can't imagine giving her away...maybe if I had someone who I knew would give her a good home and I thought she'd be happier there but she's part of the family. I don't think I'd ever forgive myself. We're considering letting a friend have her for a few days to see if she'll use a litter tray at their place, and see if she's happier being an only cat. But that might be super stressful on her and I feel like she's stressed enough.

Thanks again for the replies...DH said it's all good training for when we have kids and spend years cleaning up pee and poop!

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I have two cats and have experienced this. I adopted the second cat thinking the first one would enjoy having a friend. Well, of course that didn't happen. The first cat became insanely jealous and began marking her territory all over the house. I tried all of the things you have mentioned. Here is what I do now to keep the situation under control.

1. Valium - Have your vet prescribe you a valium for the cat. I give her half a pill each morning and this seems to calm her nerves a little bit.

2. Extra litter box. If you have three cats, then you need four litter boxes. Have one more litter box than cats. This will help if the cat prefers to pee and poop in different boxes and also gives the neurotic cat more options. I have three litter boxes for the two cats.

3. Obstructions - If cat is doing business in various areas of the home, put obstacles up, so your cat can't ruin that same area (I know this doesn't help what happened to your sofa). I did this and eventually was able to lead the cat away from areas where I did not want this type of behavior.

4. Training pads - We have gotten to the point where the cat doesn't pee all over the house. She does still pee on the closet floor. This is where one of the litter boxes is located, and she prefers to pee all around it. Rather than yell at her (which makes cats become more stressful and adds to unwanted behavior), I simply line the floors with puppy training pads. It's much easier to clean up that way.

5. Separation - If possible, can you separate the problem cat from the other? If you can keep the one cat confined to a portion of the house where the other cats are not allowed, this can reduce stress and help the cat's behavior.

So try some, or all of these steps. Good luck. I know how frustrating this problem is. I once reached the point where I was going to turn my cat over to a shelter. Of course, I wimped out at the last minute.

Thank you! I'm so glad I'm not the only person dealing with this. I think kitty valium might be next on the list...she definitely has stress issues. I might pick up a regular litter box, not a self cleaning one incase for some reason she's developed a fear of those.

 

[jspahn]

Thank you! I'm so glad I'm not the only person dealing with this. I think kitty valium might be next on the list...she definitely has stress issues. I might pick up a regular litter box, not a self cleaning one incase for some reason she's developed a fear of those.

The regular litter box is a good idea. My vet strongly recommends AGAINST those automatic ones because many cats are afraid.

I hope that works for you!

 

[bicker]

We are going through the same thing, with one of our older cats. I suspect the main source of stress is infirmity due to age, so I'm not sure what we can do to address this.

 

[Tina]

The regular litter box is a good idea. My vet strongly recommends AGAINST those automatic ones because many cats are afraid.

I hope that works for you!

I agree! This could very well be the problem. You may also want to get some Feli-way to see if it helps to calm your kitty. When I moved 2 years ago, I bought two plug-ins and I really do think it helped with the stress of the new home.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I'm going to go to Petsmart today...I'm actually off work sick right now so I wasn't exactly planning on leaving the house, but I might make a quick trip. I'll pick up a regular litter tray and that Feli-way stuff...

Magic is in our master bedroom right now, with the litter tray in the master bath. She has food and water but is whining like crazy. I just don't want her anywhere near my sofa! Her brother, Hershey (from the same litter) is laying right next to the bedroom door, everytime she meows he meows back. I hope he's telling her to use the litter box...

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

We also have 3 cats- 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl is also anti-social, while the 2 boys like to play together.

We have 6 total litter boxes. One of the litter boxes is the enclosed kind.
The litter boxes are down in the basement in nice quiet areas where they can do their business in peace and quiet.

Maybe you could buy BRAND NEW litter boxes and put her in them as soon as you buy it so it only has HER scent to it at first. She would probably appreciate first dibs.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

How did you all get so lucky? My 3 boy kitties hate each other and would never be seen playing with one of the other boy kitties... we call them the grumpy old men now since the youngest is 10.

 

[asta]

I don't know if I can offer much help but I can definitely empathize. I have an eight year old female cat that began to mark everything with urine when she was about 2 years old. At one point she marked by every door and by most windows in our house. We had two years to become attached before this behavior started so there was no way that I could have given her away. I am convinced that she developed this behavior by watching a litter of strays that my next door neighbor began feeding at that time. This mother cat and her five little ones roamed through our yard and made our cat very protective of her turf. She is nervous anyway and I think that her response was to start marking.

We tried valium but it just seemed to make her more nervous. Almost like a loss of control type thing. My vets only other advice was to make her an outside cat but I couldn't do that. The only thing that works for her is to deprive her of the stimulus by not letting her see other cats. Sometimes this is a lot of effort but it seems to work. When we can't watch her we have to confine her in our laundry room which doesn't have any windows. She feels safe in there and this seems to control her behavior. It has taken several years but she hasn't marked anything inside in over a year.

 

[clarabelle]

I saw this on TV -I have no idea if it works.

Take a damp rag and wipe it all over the cat. Then take the same rag and wipe where she is peeing. The idea being she will smell herself and not be threatened.

 

[JESW]

If you think it may be stress then try this:

http://www.feliway.com/us

We bought the spray at Petsmart and it saved us from having to do something with one of our 4 cats who was peeing and pooping all over the house. It is like prozac for cats!

Hope it helps!

Jill

 

[Katieinwonderland]

Now with the Feliway, where do I put it? Where she's peeing now? Or where I'm going to put the new litter box? (once I muster the energy to go out...bronchitis is not fun )

 

[stashbin]

My in-laws have WAYYYY too many cats in the house and one of theirs kept peeing on the kitchen counter tops and stove in the middle of the night!

My FIL (the cat lover) would deal with this by placing newspaper all over the counter tops so every time MIL would want to cook, she'd have to clean up paper and disinfect. Everyone knew who the culprit was....and my MIL felt like a prisoner in her own home.

One day the cat disappeared. We still don't know what happened to it. But I have my theories.

PS...I am NOT suggesting you haul your cat off. I was just sharing what happened with the in-laws...

 

[AlleyKat]

It has been stressful for a few months; we were away a lot over the summer for various family events, but we had a cat sitter come in to feed them and make sure the litter trays were clean. Then we moved house, which was stressful for them, but we've been here for two months now.

Animals deal with stress differently. If she is "delicate", your above information could be a huge contributing factor to why Magic is peeing in places other than litter boxes!

Don't keep her confined as that may worsen her stress.