Fighting & Urinating Everywhere.

Hi there,

So, I have six cats. All indoor, but we take them outside every day for a run around and some fresh air and to do their business if they don't want to do it in the litter box. None of my cats get along, they are always fighting; sometimes it's really serious and we have to get in between them to break it up. They all used to get along, but I noticed after they were all spayed, they all started to just suddenly hate each other. I'm assuming it's a fight for dominance, but I can't be sure. It's quite aggravating, if I'm honest, having all these cats fighting all the time; growling, hissing, swatting of paws. Sometimes they're so angry they even attack my Mum or I on their rampage. Add to that, and one sometimes two of my cats tend to urinate inside, far away from the litter box—it's usually in the laundry or kitchen sink, and now they are doing it all over the kitchen counter! We know this is behavioral, and so my Vet recommended Feliway. I spent $120 on a Feliway diffuser, have had it on every day, all day and night, for over a month, and it hasn't done a single thing—a waste of money! Cats started fighting even worse, and today one of them urinated RIGHT NEXT to the Feliway diffuser! Nothing seems to work. I have been told that each cat needs their own litter box, but that is just not possible—we have one large litter box for the lot of them, plus we take them outside once, usually twice, a day. I have no room in my small house for six litter trays; it's hard enough emptying and re-filling the large litter box, to have six would just not work. 

I was wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for my situation? I already know that having six cats was bound to bring some problems to the household, but getting rid of any of them is out of the question. I just need to find away for them to get along, or at least calm them down so they're not always so angry and alert for a fight. Also, I can't have them urinating all over my kitchen food counter for obvious reasons.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

Tiana.

How often do you scoop the litter box? You wrote "emptying and refilling the large litter box". Could you be more specific? Cats do not like using a "dirty" box and will find other places to do their business. Taking them out helps but unlike dogs, cats will "go" when they need to "go". Perhaps building an outdoor enclosure which the cats can access from your home will help. 

Every day the litter box is emptied and re-filled, we never let it get too "dirty", as we know cats are sensitive to strong smells and they prefer cleanliness. 

I don't have the money nor tools or knowledge to build an enclosure. It's definitely something I'd like to do one day, but can't do any time soon. 

You need more than one litter box. That's just the way it is. We have six cats and we have a litter box in every room now. You simply cannot have six cats in your house and expect them to use one box, regardless of how clean it is and how many times a day you scoop it out. It won't work.

Why? Because some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another. Some cats won't go into a box that another cat has just used. Some cats like to "dig to China" and some cats won't even cover their own poop. It's the way they are.

You definitely need more than one or even two litter boxes. I know you probably already know this....the rule of thumb is one box per cat and one box extra. If you can't go with six, at least try three boxes and see if that helps.

I only have two cats but 4 litter boxes. 1 for 6 will never work.

Also, if you're not doing this already, use a good enzyme-based cleaner to clean where they've already urinated or they will go back to the same spot, because they can smell the urine even if you can't.