crapping behind the tv....

I am so furious!

My fiance's cats moved in in MAY. They should be used to the situation by now... Everyone was integrated, not liking it... but integrated. My dear sweet Budbud crossed to the Bridge 3 weeks ago. But he was not close to Eric's cats, they just all co-existed - he was easygoing and never caused any problems. Mia is a youngster and is constantly causing wanting to play. The ladies are both 12.

Mia thinks that stalking them is fun... and although I know the spray bottle isn't recommended, I do blast her on occasion when she's about to pounce on one of the ladies and scare them. Since Buddy died she has been especially lonely. (as have I). I'm trying to spend extra time playing with her and snuggling. And also trying to have her around Eric's ladies more without them hissing and spitting at her.

Well, one of them started crapping around the tv in the living room a couple months ago. Eric thought it was because on the way to the laundry room, where the pans are, they were afraid they'd get ambushed by the kitten. So then we spent months with a litter pan in the living room... His cats never had to leave the room- eat, potty and sleep in the same room. Well, Mia and Buddy both found this litter pan nice and convenient as well, then we had 4 cats using one small litter pan next to the TV... not exactly the ideal situation.

A couple days ago I got "the smell"... Eric scooped the pan and lit the cat candle. I could still smell it. Someone crapped behind the tv... we thought the pan was maybe too dirty.

Well, last night I was blasted by the smell again and sure enough someone had behind the tv again. (tv is in the corner). I could see it under the tv table. So I crawled under there to pick it up and the carpet is soaked through with pee. Joy. I laid under there for way too long trying to get cat p!ss out of the carpet. Then I put a small fan under there in an attempt to dry it, so I can clean it again.

Eric got mad and took their pan out of the living room, moved their food in the kitchen, and cleaned everything so there was a clear line of sight so nobody could sneak up on anyone. (He's moving in, so we have a clutter problem). We've been taking his cats on "trips" to the kitchen to eat, and to the potty. This seems to be working, for the most part. I put night lights everywhere. Everyone should really be comfortable walking around the house by now.

I saw Smudge go through the kitchen at least FOUR times this morning, to eat and whatever. I know she isn't scared. She tangles with Mia the most, but she asks for it much of the time, so I try not to worry. Patcho would rather stay out of the way in the window. I took Patch to the potty twice today. The second time she stopped to eat for a while in the kitchen. By the time we got to the potty Mia had found us, but I kept her away. Patch sat in the sun in the laundry room window, one of Buddy's spots. Mia explored the washer and dryer. All was well. I sat there for quite a while just talking to them both. Then I started scooping litter while I was in there, Patcho hopped on the counter above me and looked interested, so I set her in the box. She left a big healthy #2 behind, covered it nicely, and I held Mia by the scruff till Patch had made her exit, and gave her time to get through the kitchen and back to the living room.

I walked in and was just blasted by the smell again. Now I know who it is. Smudge crapped back there AGAIN! SHE CRAWLED BACK THERE BEHIND THE FAN! She had been going back and forth through the house all morning. She has used the laundry room potties already, it's not like she's lost. She did it on purpose. I can't tell if she peed or not because it's still wet from last night.

I have no idea what to do. There are Feliway diffusers in the room. She eats, she drinks, she deals with Mia, she makes the trip across the house. I took her alone to the potty this morning - no Mia interruptions - and she still did it. And me and Patch and Mia were all in the potty room! I can't cover the area back there with foil with it still being wet. I don't know how to stop her from doing this. I love this snuggly little lady, but.... grrrr.

What did you clean the mess with? You need a good enzymatic cleaner (like Nature's Miracle - had good luck with that one), or else they're still going to be able to smell it and think of it as a potty. If it's always the same spot, my guess is that's what's going on.

Also, have they seen the vet lately to make sure nobody's got a health problem? Cats are good at hiding it, and that may be someone's way of trying to let you know.

Peaches will poo in the bathtub if she is constipated or if there is already poo in the litter pan and I haven't scooped it yet. It usually happens when I've been lazy and not given her any wet food (the constipation). Could Smudge be constipated? Those are the only 2 things I can think of since the cats have been together for awhile. What about grief? Maybe?

Originally Posted by kaete

What did you clean the mess with? You need a good enzymatic cleaner (like Nature's Miracle - had good luck with that one), or else they're still going to be able to smell it and think of it as a potty. If it's always the same spot, my guess is that's what's going on.

Also, have they seen the vet lately to make sure nobody's got a health problem? Cats are good at hiding it, and that may be someone's way of trying to let you know.

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I'm much more settled down now

So far I just used Odo-Ban, it was soaked through the carpet pad and everything... I will need to get help moving the tv out from the wall to get behind there with a carpet cleaner. I have a small one that will suck out whatever cleaner or water after it washes. Will Oxy-Clean work?

She had pooped in front of the tv a few months ago prompting the Living Room Litter Pan, but she never peed. I still can't believe she crawled back there, behind the pan, onto the still-wet carpet, and took a dump. Oh the joys of having someone move in with you - lol.

Eric said he will take them to the vet soon. They were both doing some scooting over the summer, but that resolved itself. She could be protesting a food change, but I don't think so because she seems to like it, and it's still mixed with the old food.

I'll have Eric help move the tv and the speakers tonight so I can get back there with one of the suction machines and try to clean it and then barricade it off till it dries and I can put foil or something over it. ...

God I miss my little Budbud. He was so calming for me. It's been a heckuva afternoon.

Gina

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

Peaches will poo in the bathtub if she is constipated or if there is already poo in the litter pan and I haven't scooped it yet. It usually happens when I've been lazy and not given her any wet food (the constipation). Could Smudge be constipated? Those are the only 2 things I can think of since the cats have been together for awhile. What about grief? Maybe?

Click to expand...

Hmm. I don't think so, the poop was well formed, segmented but still in long pieces, and not hard nuggets or anything. She had wet food this morning, and went into the kitchen multiple times for dry.

I don't think she's having any grief. Mia is, and I am, but Smudgie never paid any attention to Buddy. Patch was the only one of the two of them that actually would hang out by him.

Now she's looking all snuggly and cute. but right after she was being pretty cocky by laying in the middle of the carpet grooming herself...

Gina

well, she peed on my sweater today. It was on the floor in the living room...

Smudge - that is sooo naughty
Two questions, though -
1. Is the litter scented? Scented litter can be torture to a cat's sensitive nose (these are creatures who can smell the footsteps of a spider)
2. Is the litter soft? Some cats don't like coarse litters, esp. the "wood pellet" type.
When my Cinders was behaving like that, I had a crew of 4 and it was a time of civil war - Cinders and Salem (both jet-black, short haired) were feuding with Icy & Joey & JC (the Js were kittens). Icy disappeared and thereafter, it was classic bullying by Cinders until JC hit 15lbs (Maine Coon) and the situation became all-out battles & skirmishes. Cinders began pottying on my clothes and any towels on the floor
Then Andrea entered the household:
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...light=roadkill
Joey & JC had a new kitten to play with & Cinders just decided that 3 young cats were beneath her contempt or something, because she ignored them and she also gave up the inappropriate pottying.
So maybe getting a kitten for Mia would help balance things out for you, too. Lord knows, there are plenty of applicants available for the job

I really think that Smudge needs to be brought to the vet. It's been said a million times --- cats are hard wired to not show that they are in pain. If they did so while in the wild they would be easily preyed upon.

Inappropriate elimination is a classic way for a cat to let its guardians know that something is wrong. It is the guardians' responsibility to find out what that "something" is. It's got to be either physical or emotional, and it can't be effectively treated until the root cause is determined. An exam by the vet would go a long way towards accomplishing that.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that you're assuming that it's a behavioral issue. I'm just saying that you shouldn't necessarily draw that conclusion without first ruling out a physical problem.

At first it seemed like maybe she was going to the same spot over and over again because her eliminations weren't cleaned properly. But that doesn't explain why she did it in the first place. And now that she urinated on your sweater in a different part of the living room....

I know that you said that your fiance would get Smudge to the vet soon, but please try to make it a high priority. If something is wrong physically, waiting too long might only make things worse. And if it's strictly an emotional issue, you and your finace can focus your attention on trying to solve matters. It seems obvious that this situation is not going to fix itself.

There's some good advice here--
#1 I would absolutely take the offender to the vet --she may be trying to tell you she's not feeling well--stress brought on by grief (even if she didn't care for the other kitty, something has changed) can cause UTIs, etc. The sweater incident really makes me think she's trying to get your attention.

#2 get a good enzyme cleanser (I use Nature's Miracle) let it soak in for a good 15-30 minutes. Then clean it again. The smell is probably drawing the renegade pooper back to the scene of the crime.

#3 maybe another young cat is in order. Your youngster needs a playmate and if you can't dedicate a good chunk of time to interactive play (and many of us can't with jobs, school, etc), then you have to think about providing a friend in the same age range. Two older cats just don't want to play the way a younger kitty does and it makes them all unhappy.

The last thing I would suggest is another cat. You may have a couple different situations here. One being the litter at one time in the living room and no longer with elder kitties in the home can confuse and stress them. Two someone is showing their stress/disapproval over the situation by peeing on your clothing!
First of all, it is essential to have atleast 2-3 litter boxes for 4 + cats. Second when it comes to older cats, it is much harder for them to except new roomies, homes, bathroom options........It also sounds like someone is a bit challenged and stressed to use the litter options.....You have a lot going on there, one has passed, so there is grieving by some, new intro to all, competition for hierarchy, as well as your attention!

I apologize for my language. It will not let me edit the thread title and I'm sorry for offending anyone. I was pretty angry when I wrote the first time.

I'm resigned now to the fact that, even thought I've never had to do it before, I am going to have to scrub my carpet of cat pee and try to not resent Eric's cat for doing it.

We will take Smudgie to the vet. I put a booda dome in the living room for now, at least it doesn't look as bad, although I still don't appreciate having to smell it each time they use it. Will obviously keep it clean. Of course, all three of them enjoy using the living room toilet now.

I went to petfinder and looked at kitties, I'm trying to tell myself I'm doing this for little Mia. She's only 1-1/2 years old and her big brother leaving left her very lonely. The Purrfect fence is great, but we've got snow accumulation which makes playing outside hard for her. And I can imagine it's not nearly as fun without Brother.

I'm still grieving terribly for my boy, it is 1 month today when he crossed over. I think I was still holding him right about now, waiting for him to go into surgery. He was so calm and brave. The light of my life. It's really hard to think about getting another kitty, but I know that Mia is really lonely. Her "acting out" by bothering Patch and Smudge is probably more of wanting to play or be near them.

It's just really hard right now for all of us. Seeing me crying and depressed so often probably isn't good for the cats either, but it's not exactly something I can shut off. Thank you all for your kind advice.

Gina