newbie needs help in hong kong

Just acquired Ping and Pong, 2 3yr old Brit shorthairs.
I have put them as instructed In the small "sanctuary room". our downstairs bathroom 8x3 feet with loo and sink. The door is left open and light on.

Problem:
Pong the male pees in the sink and Pong is fine using the litter, only pee'd at this stage.

Pong on the otherhand then tries to crash out in the litter....the food and water is 4 feet away they both have their own water and food .
Is this essential and please help whats going on?
Also as I live in a duplex- actually 3 levels do I need more than one litter tray and also how long before Ping and Pong start to come out ??
(5 hrs ago they were into'd to the room)
Cheers Richard

It is quite possible that the litter box is too close to the food and water for Pong's liking. You could also very well need separate litter boxes for them. Many cats do not like to share. Pong may also not care for the type of litter that you are using, if it is a change from what he is used to.

It may take them a bit of time to venture out of the bathroom. This is a new situation for them, and they are no doubt nervous.

BTW, I have moved your thread to the Behavior forum. Welcome to the site!

Hi Richard. Firstly, welcome to TCS.

I think it would be fine to let both Ping and Pong out of their bathroom to begin to explore the rest of the house. I'd put one litter-box on each level of the house so that the cats don't have to go a long way to get to a box. As Deb said, you may want to try a different litter in the other 2 boxes and see which one Pong likes. You may have to cover the sink with a towel to discourage him peeing in it. Make sure you clean the sink well with a good cleaning product (not bleach, as cats are attracted to bleach) so Pong cannot smell the urine in the sink, or he'll continue to go there.

As for sleeping in the litter, Pong may not like the bedding you've provided in the bathroom. As they get to know the rest of the house, he'll probably find a nice sleeping spot. Make sure you provide a comfy basket or box for each cat as they may not like sleeping in the same basket all the time.

Yes, is is essential that each cat has his own food and water dishes to begin with as you don't want any fighting or one cat not getting enough to eat because of the dominance of the other. Are they both neutered? If not, you should get them neutered ASAP.

Congrats on your new cats. We'd love to see pictures of them. You can post their pictures in our Fur Pictures Only forum here.

Thanks Deb -will give it a try

One more thing, Richard, you really want to get at this peeing thing with Pong ASAP. The very last thing you want is for this behavior to become habit. Makes it much tougher to eliminate. I hope things settle down for all of you soon. It does make sense that perhaps they are apprehensive. A move on older cats often is. They will start to feel less stressed soon.

Best of luck and enjoy them.

Thanks allot
Its now 11pm and Ping and Pong have been out of the bathroom and ventured into the lounge I have moved the litter tray and cleaned the sink with a citrus ginger spray witha cloth on top, let's see. They seem really cool now and unstressed.
Thanks for the advice, the good thing is they used the scratching post !
I will get some new litter trays too for other locations.
Thanks allot for the tips.

Oh BTW they are both neutered

Welcome to TCS

Has Pong had a health check up by a Vet ? If cats have a urinary infection they sometimes pee in differend places . If the sink has a cover for him on and cant pee in there any more he may look some place else to pee on and sometimes it is your rug . So if you did not go to the vet lately I would take both cats and give them a health check up , both cats so you will be on the save side and know both cats are ok .

Hey Richard...welcome to TCS....the general rule of thumb is at least 1 litterbox per cat...so you should have at least 2. I have 2 cats and 3 litterboxes which seems to work. Looks like you got some very good advice from others.

Katie

Good idea to get them both checked out -will take them to the vet tomorrow..
i will try and figure out how to post scans of Ping and Pong
cheers

Richard