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Tabbytudes Cat Behavior Column - August 2003
Written by Amy Shojai
August 2003
Dear Readers,
We've a theme column this month, with much to discuss regarding improper elimination and marking behavior. Other questions concerned late night shenanigans, and unwelcome homecoming "urps." This month's Tabby Tip at the end of the column offers some suggestions about stovetop urination-Ewwwwwwww!!! - and suggests ways to address that. I'm also pleased that so many folks like my latest book "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat." For folks with more youthful furry friends, "Complete Kitten Care" is available to answer your questions.
Purrs,
Amy
My Cat Sprays Urine
QUESTION: Hi Amy, This has been ongoing for us for over a year now. Cody was left at the car dealer… We decided to take him since nobody there wanted him. We took him directly to the our Vet, got him checked over and vaccinated (he was already neutered), she checked him for a microchip, found none, so home he came. We had six kitties already with no problems; well that changed immediately!
Cody started marking right away. He also really wanted to go out and would scratch the door to let us know. I take part blame, because I just put him in with the other kitties without the slow introductions they say should be observed. I've always introduced my kitties this way and never had a problem-well not this time. None of the cats went after Cody, they were just curious about him.
He acted like he wanted to play and interact, but when one of the other cats tried to play with him, he saw it as an attack, and would go on the defensive. The other cats were getting confused because even when Cody would initiate play, when they took him up on it, he would suddenly get defensive.
After a few minor squabbles, and Cody marking two or three times a day we decided to try medication to try and build up Cody's confidence. It definitely helped and the marking was greatly reduced (now he was marking once every week or so, better but still not acceptable). He was on Buspar, the mildest of the medications on the body according to my Vet.
After him being on the meds for over six months, I wanted to try something else. I took him off first and for awhile things stayed the same (marking every couple of weeks or so), then the marking started getting more frequent. I noticed Cody and Fred (our 12-year-old, very mellow cat who gets along with everyone), started getting into slight squabbles, with Cody initiating. I figured Fred being mellow would give in and maybe this would help boost Cody's confidence. Well one day Fred got tired of Cody trying to assert himself and decided to fight back. Cody didn't know how to handle that and now Fred realizes Cody is afraid of him and goes after Cody. He doesn't hurt him, does get a paw full of Cody fur occasionally, but mainly just backs him into a corner and keeps him there until he's bored with it. He does this several times a day and Cody's marking has escalated accordingly.
I tried the animal communicator routine way back when Cody and Fred were just starting to have their problems. I used some flower remedies she mixed specifically for our problem. Nothing has changed except the marking has increased and now is going on in more than one room.
Now I'm thinking I'm going to have to medicate Fred and Cody. I don't want to but obviously I can't have Cody marking all over the house. He was staying in one area, but has extended his marking territory to several rooms (it was just the laundry room door before). I'm very disappointed about the communicator because I feel she didn't tune into Cody at all. She made it all about going out, but I'm positive it's because he is uncertain about how to interact with other cats.
They aren't constantly at it. They can eat side by side, but Cody is always wary. Giving him up is NOT an option, but I really would like the marking to stop, I just don't know what to do to achieve that goal. I would be willing to try another communicator but would need to really feel they knew what they were doing. The last one cost over $100.00 and was a waste of money in my opinion. Cody is a very loving cat, but he does give love bites, which leads me to believe he didn't have very good interaction with humans either. That is not a problem; he doesn't bite hard and stops when I tell him easy. I really need help. Do you have any suggestions? I don't want to medicate, but at this time I see no alternative.
We have since built an outdoor enclosure that is 21 by 22 feet and 8-1/2 feet high. It is covered on top with chicken wire and the cats get to come and go all day. This has not helped the situation, which verifies the communicator was wrong and there is definitely something else going on ... help!!
-- Belinda Sauro
Amy Shojai's Reply:
Hi Belinda, You certainly have your hands full with SEVEN cats! Hats off to you that there were no problems with the six-frankly, it's very common to have some sort of behavior issues when you have so many felines sharing the same space. Poor Cody seems to have been the final straw in the camel's (kitty's) back.
Sometimes it's the new cats that feel threatened. Proper introductions right from the start can really make a difference. For some it's love at first sight, and for others it takes days, weeks, even months for them to learn to tolerate each other. The same advice will apply whether the new cat is upsetting the resident cats, or vice versa.
First, know that you are doing a lot of things very right. I can tell how concerned you are about Cody's and the other cats' well being, and want to do the best for all concerned. Consulting with an Animal Communicator is testimony to your dedication. Unfortunately, there is no way to gage how accurate (or not) one particular communicator is compared to another. I also believe this can have a great deal to do with the individual cats/humans involved. It may well be that she "heard" Cody say he wanted outside. But the outdoor enclosure just duplicates the indoor stressors since the other cats are also allowed access, so I'm not surprised the marking continued. It's possible that free-ranging outdoor access might solve the problem since Cody could get far away from the other cats. Of course, Cody also likely would decide not to come inside again, or be injured, so that's not an equitable solution.
There are some things you can try that should help. First of all, consult with your veterinarian again and see about getting Cody back on the Buspar. It worked to relieve his stress before, so give him the help again so he's able to handle the situation. There's absolutely nothing wrong with allowing modern medicine to help our pets. If Cody had an ulcer from stress, I know you'd want to get him pain medication and treatment to help him heal-this is no different. Buspar (and similar drugs) take many days to a couple of weeks to reach effective blood saturation levels so it will take a while for this to show a positive effect. That's also why Cody didn't immediately increase his marking when you stopped the medication-his blood/medicine levels stayed high enough for a short time to keep him "level" and not act out from stress. Secondly, I'd suggest you also use some Feliway spray and/or diffusers. This product is an analogue of the cheek pheromones that cats use to cheek-rub/mark their territory. While urine pheromones/scent say, "come in here and I'll knock your block off!!!" the cheek pheromones tell cats to "calm down, chill, everything is safe and cool." Feliway was designed to help calm the stress that prompts cat urine marking. It also should help calm down Fred a bit. You can find Feliway at pet products stores. The plug-in product will "scent" an enclosed room effectively, while the spray can be used to sprits all the cats' favorite cheek-rub landmarks. After thoroughly cleaning the spray-markings, you can apply the Feliway to those targets to help keep Cody from re-baptizing the places.
Third, think about starting from scratch with Cody and treating him like a brand-new kitty-and segregating him from the rest of the crowd, and introducing him slowly to the house and other cats. Think about it: your other six cats know each other and have established relationships. Cody is the "odd-cat-out" and even if you don't see overt signs, he is very clearly feeling threatened by the six-against-one situation. Give him a break. You might even consider making the outside enclosure a Cody sanctuary and letting him spend time outside alone, without having to deal with other critters. You don't mention how your house or the enclosure is set up. If not already available, I'd urge you to add some "second story" real estate in the form of cat trees-a dozen or more multi-levels so that the cats don't have to argue over territory. If there's enough room to accommodate all the cats, there's much less reason for them to wrangle and get upset. Good luck with Cody-I applaud your dedication to this boy, and wish you all the best.
Amy
Other letters this month expressed concern over a cat's fixation on a red belt "snake," night time demands, and vomiting for attention. Quite a mix!
Cats do seem to sometimes mistake a harmless object for something scary or dangerous. They also do a wonderful imitation of being ferocious or terrified when they're simply playing. It can be difficult to tell the difference between play-fright, and a true phobia. But once the cat has thoroughly investigated an object that "spooked" him the chances are he really knows it's harmless-but enjoys the game of pretending to lambaste the red "snake" belt and has decided that's his favorite toy. Keeping the object around for supervised play (to be sure he's NOT frightened) could keep him from seeking out replacement objects to act out his "scared cat" imitation. Cats can see colors but red is not easily discerned (they don't have the necessary eye cells to see red clearly), so it's much more likely the shape and location of objects offers the desired configuration.
Cats are also masters at manipulation. They thrive on night games and are early risers, and if they figure out how to lever a beloved owner out of bed one time-they'll remember and use that same ploy again and again and again. The ploy may be meows, or dropping toys on your head, grooming (pulling!) your hair, clawing a forbidden object or making noise. Of course, we humans react promptly to stop the action and Kitty gets what she wants-your attention. That attention rewards the behavior so you have, indeed, taught her to do it. The only way to stop such night games is to totally ignore the cat and not react to what she's doing. Even yelling at her, rolling over in bed, or pushing her away rewards the behavior. So if you can't play "dead" and wait her out (and it can take weeks for her to "unlearn" the behavior!), shut the pestering cat in a room by herself for the night. For the first year or so, my cat Seren spent nights in "her" room (the laundry room) because my husband couldn't sleep with loud purrs in his ears. Consequently, she learned early on that pestering at night was pointless. Even today when she has the run of the house, she waits until a decent hour-7:30 am or so-to act like a furry alarm clock.
Stress-related upset tummies are much more common in dogs than in cats. Although this behavior may appears to be related to an owner being away from home, it's still always a good idea to get a veterinary check to be sure there's not something else going on. Perhaps when left alone, Kitty over-indulges and eats too much, too fast or not enough, and the excitement of a homecoming prompts the "urps." If this is stress- related, using Feliway and leaving soothing music on while gone might help take the edge off the problem. With dogs, it's very helpful to totally ignore Fido for the first 15-20 minutes after homecoming. That should also work with cats. It gives the pet time to calm down.
TabbyTip of the Month:
Cats who choose alternative places to eliminate require a bit of detective work to figure out the "why" before you can fix the problem. Offering at least one litter box for each cat, PLUS one additional box, often cures hit-or-miss behaviors because cats may want a different box for each function. At night, when felines are most active, one cat may "guard" the facilities and prevent the other from using the box so alternative locations may get baptized or fragrant "gifts" left for you to find in the morning. These locations-carpet, furniture, even the stove-must be completely cleaned to prevent a return to the scent of the crime. Enzyme-type products are recommended for cleaning and Pro-Klean ™ (www.iloveproklean.com/supercaturineremover.html) also gets good reviews. After cleaning, try placing the cat's food bowl on top of the spot- cats rarely want to use the bathroom where they eat. For deterring stove usage, get burner covers and cover the entire area with aluminum foil to protect the stovetop. Many cats dislike the feel of walking on foil, and the sound of urine hitting aluminum is also off-putting. Use this deterrent for several weeks until satisfied the cats have renounced the stovetop toilet.
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