need advice--stressed cats? more?

We have two cats. Beazy is 14. Mia is 8. 

We have lived in many different homes in different countries. Long time readers may remember when we were in Russia, without Western vet care, and Beazy developed fatty liver syndrome. It was SO SCARY. It is only through the advice and support of this board that she is still alive today. I'm still so grateful!

Beazy and Mia do not get along. Mia is a bully. Beazy is old and, well, fat. And cranky. (She loves only me in this world…)

Upon our return from Russia, Beazy was depressed.Really. She just moped in a closet. Then, we moved into a house and she perked up. But, she started licking her fur off in big patches. We treated her for pests and put her on an exclusion diet. Things improved. But…now she's licking again. 

Mia is has been vomiting. Actually…that hasn't happened in a while. YAY! 

And SOMECAT is litterbox averse right now. It's a new-ish litterbox, but just like the old one. The new cat food makes their poop SMELL like it never has. Could they be hating the smell?

We're in a new neighborhood with lots of cats. Could they be marking?

It started with the bathroom floor. Anything left there--bathmat, laundry, a slipper--got marked. We could deal with that by just keeping things off the floor. But, it's gotten worse. Now there is often poop by the back door. There has been urine beside the litterbox. And, there has been urine in the living room. (I think a box that arrived may have been sent from someone with cats. But, now that it's been marked, I can't get them to stop. A pair of boots got ruined today.)

The floors are wood, tile and laminate that are being marked. I've cleaned and applied Nature's Miracle, but it doesn't stop them.

And, I don't know who the culprit is! I haven't caught either one in the act. 

Help? Advice? How can I get them to stop? I've got a diffuser, but it doesn't seem to help at all. Maybe it's old? Maybe it's a bad brand? There were CRAZY about it when we first had it. 

A vet visit is HUGELY traumatic for Beazy after her microchip insertion by a horrible vet here in the US and the treatment she received in Russia. It's not worth it. 

Soo….what do I do?

With thanks!

Kate

Welcome to TCS!

Sounds like you're very aware of your cats' stress levels which is great. Some cats are more sensitive to stress to others and moving to a new place is a huge stressor (for the humans too!) We have a few articles about stress in cats which may help but before I go there, I don't think there's a way around a medical check at this point. I wonder if maybe your vet will take a urine sample that you'll get at home and work with that? Avoiding the trip to the clinic but still giving you some indication about any urinary issues.

Stress is the prime suspect here, but when it's litterbox avoidance issues, getting the all-clear from a vet is really important. It's the first action item in the our article:  [article="0"]Litterbox Problems In Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  .

As for the stress, it never hurts dealing with that as well. Even if one of the cats has medical issues, working on reducing stress can only help that as well.

 [article="30274"]Potential Stressors In Cats The Ultimate Checklist​[/article]  

 [article="30316"]Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats​[/article]  

I hope these help!

Thanks. (My earlier thanks disappeared when my old username got reactivated.)

We're still working on it, but things are better.

The biggest help so far? Removing the lid to the covered litterbox. (!!) I think the new food really makes their poop stink. The lid was likely trapping that smell...

Once the bags I have of this food are gone we won't buy it again. 

Are you still in Russia or back in the States?  If you're back in the States, I'd get some Feliway diffusers and start running them.  You could also try Rescue Remedy or some of the Spirit Essences from Jackson Galaxy.