I am about at my limit.....

I have had 2 just like your Smudge, right down to the pushing stuff off the counter and stealing. They drove me NUTS!!!!! I was even considering rehoming Pepper at one time. Both of them got much better after being spayed. Pepper wanted kittens so badly, that she became a different cat when we took in Scooter and she adopted him as her kitten. I know how it feels to love a cat dearly, but wish you could spank them and send them to their room without dinner. Scooter is 8 months old now and testing his limits. Fortunately he knows who is boss around here, and will calm down if I hold him and grab him by his scruff. Good luck on maintaining your sanity until Smudge calms down.

My Siamese is always on counter or looking in the sink. He even will try to eat cooking food. I've sprayed him a thousand times. Guess what? He still keeps jumping. I've given up. If I'm nearby I just pick him up and put him on the floor. Now my new cat does the same thing. It's pointless. It's not like a dog that can be trained.

If your showing that your uptight with Smudge shes going to sense it.

I don't yell, stomp my feet or anything that will make them jump with fright, and i'd never hold them down like was mentioned or even scruff them.

Sophie is still at the playful, mischevious age, and at the moment she's found a new toy which is to see if she can pull the tall twigs from out the vase i have in the corner!.

I must have been out my seat more that 7 times last night to go over to her and tell her "No" then throw one of her balls across the room to distract her from them, but she is beginning to know as soon as i go over whats going to happen?!

Rosie was the same with the twigs when she was young and she learnt in the end.

Theres a saying " Cats own us, we don't own them", and i believe that!

I am starting to get a little annoyed with my cat Samantha. I posted this issue before, and didnt really get a lot of response other than "take her to the vet".
Heres the story....I have three cats. I have an older one who is almost 16, (shes the problem cat), a rescue thats about a year and a half, Smudge and then Little Miss, my last rescue, who had kittens over the weekend.
Friday night, Little Miss was in labor, and getting ready to have her kittens. I am sitting in our living room, and in comes Samantha. She pee'd right on the carpet in front of the tv. I yelled "NO!" and grabbed her and put her in one litterbox, held her there, and then put her in the other box and held her there for a minute, no longer. I wanted her to understand that this is a no-no. She used to go right outside of the litterbox. That stopped once she discovered that there was another litterbox in another room she could use also.
Every night this week that I have come home, there has been poops in a corner in the living room. And I am almost certain shes peeing there too, but I have caught her since then. This started when Little Miss had her kittens, and it keeps happening. Last night, she was circling the living room and I told my husband to put her in the litterbox. He took her to the one in our bathroom, and she growled, but she used it. This morning I placed her in 3 times and she growled each time and ran out. She met Little Miss in the kitchen this morning and growled and hissed at her. (Little Miss's kittens are in my room, Samantha doesnt mess with them).
I dont know. It is not a health problem. We have eliminated that numerous times. Is she rebelling?? Is she just ornery??? What can I do??? I need help! I am at a loss. But I can not having her doing her business on the carpet. I do have 2 litterboxes, and I scoop them 3 or 4 times a day, and I add a little fresh litter on days that I dont change out the whole thing, so its clean. I dont expect them to use a dirty box. I dont know. It was suggested that I put her sleep, because shes almost 16. I dont want to, and I wont do that to her. Shes healthy, everything is in great shape given her age. The vet was impressed that she was as healthy as she was. I wont put her sleep because I am suffering. I love her way too much. And I show her the same amount of affection and attention like before.
I dont know. I read through the other threads, and have tried most of what has been suggested. I just dont want her to be a lost cause. I dont want to give up on her, either. I think she can learn, I just dont know whats going on. Shes acting like her normal self, and shes not acting funny.
Please HELP!!!!!

I can't give any advice apart from you have to understand that Samantha in human age is an elderly lady now.

Yelling at her, grabbing hold of her and holding her down in a litterbox is certainly not going to help her!

Maybe you need to take her for a second opinion?!.

she's probably a bit stressed. try a feliway plug and putting out an extra litter box.

make sure the pee is cleaned throughly as cats noses are 14 times stronger than our and one whiff of pee and she will keep using the same spot.

maybe you could contain her in one room for the time being?

I have to agree with Susan there!

My previous cat, Disco, as a young cat was very well behaved - but feisty - and when she aged, she became rather nonchalant about the rules. She would go to the toilet in the kitchen and sleep where she wasn't allowed. We accepted that and worked around her - just as you would with an elderly parent or relative that lived with you.

I also agree that a second opinion may be of some use!
(Disco was poorly, but she was acting like herself with only a more nonchalant manner)

I understand what your going thru. We had the same issue with our old lady Sara, may she rest in peace. She was 21 when we lost her. Around age 17 she started peeing on the floor. At first we didn't know which cat was doing it, we have 4, so we set up the cam and let it run all day. Upon watching it we discovered it was her. My partner was heartbroken as he had her since she was 8 weeks. Anyway, I pointed out something to him that was recorded. After peeing she scratched at the floor trying to cover it up, the same way they do in the litterbox. I pointed out to him that I believed that at age 17 perhaps she's a little senile and thinks she's in her litterbox. I also suspected that perhaps she was having trouble climbing into the litter box. We have covered ones. We purchased another one for her with low sides and kept her confined to a separate room for a few days, and that seemed to solve the problem. In your particular case she may also be a little perturbed about having the kittens in the house too. Have a good look at litter boxes and see if perhaps the sides are too high for her to get in?

Also, you could try putting a third litter pan - or a tray with litter in it - on the spot where she is leaving her business in the living room. She is an elderly cat, and she may just be stressed by having the kittens nearby. Cats seem to be atuned to each others and perhaps she is confused by the new smells and noises associated with Little Miss. Little Miss will definitely smell different right now because of the kittens and that is probably why Samantha is hissing at her. Poor old girl - cats don't do change well under the best of circumstances and when they become older, it becomes even more difficult. It may appear that little has changed since the arrival of the kittens, but that is a big change in her books. She is trying to 'reassure' herself by marking her territory. Don't yell at her when you put her into her litter box, but reassure her and talk to her gently. And introduce her to the litter box where she has chosen to go. It well also help to reassure her that her world is still safe and ok for her - even if it does have kittens in it now.

Kathryn

I just merged all these threads together, so as to let the members get a clearer picture of all your problems you are having.

Please stop trying to discipline you cats the way you are. All you are doing is scaring them and adding to the anxiety in the household. Their anxiety. You, getting so upset when they do not act like you want them to, just adds to the problem. They are cats, they do things for reasons, not to make us mad, not to make us want to punish them.

Right now with all the problems, the addition of kittens is going to add to the situation, not help it. As the kittens get older, you will find that some of your cats behavior will intensify as they deal with the new smells and the new arrivals.

I would suggest, if you have had Samatha to more than one vet, to see if she is healthy, that you consider bringing a cat behaviorist into your home and let her or him guide you.

Ok....let me clear up some things....I dont get upset when my cats dont behave the way I think they should behave. I know that they are independent animals, with a lot of spirit and personality. But I dont think that I should have to tolerate destructive behavior. I have had cats all of my life, and they have been well behaved cats. I know that having kittens is a big change for Samantha and for Smudge. That is not a misconception to me.
I am going to find it very hard to continue to post for advice on this website if I am going to have to deal with snarky replies. I do not know everything about cats. I dont even pretend to know everything about cats. I just think that certain replies lack tact.
Moving on....I have 2 litterboxes at this point in time. Obviously I need to get another, which is helpful advice that I have gotten from you guys off of here. The two I have, one is one of the boxes that comes with a lid, minus the lid. Neither cat wanted to go in it. I take the lid off, they use it. It does have higher sides. The other one, is a more narrow, longer box that has smaller sides, and Samantha doesnt really display difficulty getting in and out. But whoever suggested the tray, that might be worth trying just to see. Yes, she has been seen by more than one vet, and both ruled out any health issues. As I said before, they were surprised at how healthy she really was for her age. Which is kind of confusing given the fact that I know people who have cats that are much older.
I believe the smells of the kittens does kinda throw her off a little. Maybe Little Miss attacked her and they fought when I wasnt home. Maybe thats why theres also animosity. I dont want to put Samantha in her own room, because she hates that, and I dont want to do that to her. And at this point in time, I am steam cleaning my carpet every other day. I suppose I could have hardwood floors installed and just get a runner rug or something if this doesnt come to a conclusion once things settle down.
Thank you to all of those who offered some pretty good advice, and past issues. There are definitely some new things that I should try and just see if I can help Samantha figure it out.