New here and need some advice please

Hi all

I desperately need some advice

I have 3 cats all 2 years old and recently 2 of my cats have started peeing in the house, they haven't done this since they were about 6 months old

Recently 2 new cats moved into our street, they are both un-neutered/spayed and quite aggressive towards other cats, they are constantly in my garden chasing and fighting with my cats, I'm beginning to wonder if my cats are just too scared to go outside, many a time they have come crashing through the cat flap in a blind panic and when I look outside, there they are, the new cats on the block

My third cat doesn't seem to be bothered by them but she usually gives as good as she gets and she hasn't started using the corners of my house as a toilet

Could it be these other cats causing the problem? if so, how can I go about stopping it?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Yes, the fact they are bully cats and unspayed/unneutered, your cats are marking their territory in other places.

Are these new cats owned by anyone? If so, you need to talk to them about getting them altered first and second, keeping them in their own yard.

In the US, we discourage cats being outside unsupervised because of problems like you are having or worse. You could build/buy a cat enclosure for your cats and put them in there so the other cats can't hurt them. Otherwise, I really have no clue as to how to keep the other cats out of your yard.

Thanks for your reply Kitty, it seems things are done differently here in the UK, cats are commonly left to go in and out and roam of their own accord so talking to the owners wouldn't help in my opinion, I like the idea of a cat enclosure, its worth thinking about, I wish people would be sensible and have their pets neutered/spayed if they haven't brought them for breeding purposes, its so frustrating, my 2 chicken cats need to toughen up a bit I think lol, anyway, thanks again, I'll definitely consider the enclosure although I'm not happy at having to shell out money because of someone elses inconsiderate nature, hey ho, thats life.

Debbi x

Seems weird to us that you all let them come and go. And I'm sure you think we are weird to keep them inside all the time

Anyway, at least talk to them about the risks of unaltered cats and the benefits of getting them done. That may help their attitude in beating up other cats. Unaltered males will fight a lot.

Well, I do let Butzie go outside. She has a screen cat door which she is capable of using but if one of us is around she meows until we open the regular screen door for her.

She never leaves our backyard, though, and she never goes that far in our acre lot. She has 2 favorite places and I know where they are. They are close enough to the door that if I call her she comes scampering inside. I also never let her out at night. The glass door is closed.

I think letting her to go out at times keeps her in the house. She loves it here (got her from a shelter)!

We no longer have cats in the neighborhood that roam around. One did bother my late cat Brownie in my yard. That cat, another one near here, and Brownie disappeared about the same time. I figured we had a female coyote with pups. And we live in suburbia!

do you have a litter box inside for them to use?

Feliway is a MUST here - the calming cat pheromones should help with this issue.

Hi all

Thanks for your replies, in regards to litter tray, no I don't, they stopped using a tray at about 7 months old and common practice for outdoor cats over here is to get rid when they don't need it and I'm not prepared to introduce them to it again at their ages ( I would only do that as a last resort) BUT I have a bit of news.

In the early hours of this morning my husband had to get up extra early for work, so there he was, pottering about and walked into the living room, who did he see curled up all nice and comfy in the arm chair? yep, you got it, one of the problem cats, brazen as you like.

We hadn't realised the magnet on the cat flap had worked its way loose so therefore any cat who felt like it could come in and make themselves at home, my cats were obviously marking their territory, needless to say I'm going out this afternoon to but a new cat flap and hopefully it will be a problem solved.

Thanks again for all your replies, its nice to know there are people out there who are willing to help others.

Debbi x

I agree that the un-neutered cats that have moved into your street are likely to be the problem. Cats feel vulnerable when they are toileting so even if yours are prepared to go outside at all, it's not surprising they're not willing to go to the toilet outside. You really do need to get a litter tray for indoors, even if it's only for the short term (although it's always a good idea to provide indoor/outdoor cats with a litter tray as well since they don't always want to go outside, eg bad weather). It's unlikely this behaviour is going to stop immediately, so unless you want then to continue peeing on your carpets, it would be a good idea to get a tray asap! Also make sure that you clean the areas they've used thoroughly, or they will be attracted back to those areas. Use either a cleaner specifically for this kind of thing (Simple solution is a good one) or a solution of biological washing powder and make sure you soak the area thoroughly. When it's dry, spritz it with some surgical spirit.

The new cat flap might not solve your problem as any cat with a magnet on will be able to get in. There is a new cat flap on the market that responds to microchips so only allows access to those cats who's chips have been programmed in. It's expensive, but seems to work well from what I've heard.

The feliway is a good suggestion too. I think the cheapest place to buy it is vetuk. Rescue remedy might help too.