cat problem

i have two cats...one is fairly new we just found him a few months ago and he was already litter trained. my other cat tho who we've had a couple of years now is an indoor outdoor cat. he's always been good since we found him. he goes to the door when he wants to go out and he always went outside instead of using a litterbox. now tho he seems to want to do it in a certain bedroom of the house its not just spraying either. he's even gone on my son's backpack. im really frustrated and dont know what to do. he's grown so its hard to get him to do something new. they're both getting neutered in a couple of days but i dont think this is gonna solve the problem. he's also been getting into alot of fights lately. his eye has been swollen for a over a week although its much better now. im really worried about him.

You will be surprised at how much good getting them neutered will do. Good Luck with your problem. Keep us posted on their progress.

Click here for suggestions on how to stop inappropriate urination.

Also PLEASE tell your vet about this problem before the surgery. Inappropriate peeing is often due to urinary tract problems. Your vet needs to know about this so he or she can see whether antibiotics will be needed.

And, as Krazy said, I think you will be amazed by how much of this problem behavior will be eliminated by neutering the cats. Keep in mind that it can take up to a month after the neutering before all of the testosterone clears their bodies.

thanks...i really hope it helps him. and ill be sure to tell the vet about the problems. and thank you both for being so nice and replying i'm happy to find friendly people.

A cat is never really too old to be taught something new... even an old dog can learn new tricks.

Yes, make sure you speak with a vet previous to the surgery, about his condition, I'm sure she/he will have a lot of questions.
If this cat is getting in so many fights, I have to ask, would he be able to be in indoors only cat, if you train him to use the box (which might not be as hard as you think.)
Was this cat always outdoors, is he a stray or feral that has just gotten used to you?

It is a stress reaction for him. I just recently learned this from a wonderful lady who is well-known cat behaviorist, Amy Shojai. If a cat is stressed (as yours seems to be because of the fighting) he will search out a loved ones scent (your son's backpack) and pee on it and the combined scents will calm him down.

If you subscribe to our newsletter the link is on the homepage of this website to the left- you will be able to read Amy's responses to this type of question that was sent in last month from one of our subscribers.

In the meantime, here is her website and I highly recommend all her books!

Amy's page

he was a stray that my son found. he was much younger not quite a small kitten but still a baby when we got him. but he loves being outside i can barely keep him in. im having to today as their surgery is tomorrow and he tends to run off for days at a time so i need him here tonight because of course they cant eat after a certain time. but he's a really sweet cat he never claws or gets aggressive unless the new cat who tends to be a bully sometimes. he's always cuddling and wants to snuggle in my hair and sleeps on my shoulder like a baby would. and he never used to have these problems until the past month or so. he always went outside for a litter box. we were quite amazed at how well he behaved in that area so this has us quite taken aback.

thank you hissy ill read that now. i just saw your post as i replied. thanks so much!

oops Icey, the column I speak of is brand new and will be out in Feb. that is when you can read the entire thing. Sorry for the error. But I still recommend her books!

Please also have the Vet check his eye if it still swollen - hope their surgery goes well

ohh his eye was already seen. and its fine now the swelling has gone down and its just a lil cut over his eye now. but they made it to the vet this morning and thru their surgery fine i'm waiting now to go pick them up

oh! and he finally used the litterbox last night. i was so very proud of him!!!!