We Are Desperately Seeking Advice!

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drfunkenstein25

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My two cats and I moved in with my boyfriend approximately one month ago. I have a silver and gray 10 year old, domestic female and a four year old orange tabby, domestic male. Both are very large cats. My boyfriend has a 17 year old tortoise shell who is considerably smaller. We live in a very small apartment.

My cats HATE his cat and vice versa. We recognize now that we probably should have kept them separated for about a month so that they could get used to each others scents but since our apartment is so small, we did not do that in the beginning. The two larger cats (my cats) gang up on his cat until she is hemmed up in a corner. When she is being chased, she also urinates. The last two days we have found bowl movements on both the bed and a chair. This is starting to cause a strain on our relationship and we truly are at our wits end.

His cat stays well hidden but at night we have been putting all three in the bathroom with the litter box so that they will not poop or pee on our furniture and/or belongings...this has not been successful. Is there anything else we can do? Neither of us is willing to get rid of our kitties...we understand that they may not love each other...but can they ever just get along? and if so, what else can we do?

Thank you so much for any and all advice!
 
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purity

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Hi, welcome to TCS


The female cat is peeing and pooping because she is afraid. Two interlopers have come into her home, and are making her life hell. Can you imagine how she must feel hemmed up in a corner with two threatening new cats attcking her! She is anxious, and scared. Putting all three in one small room at night must be making her absolutely terrified, she has nowhere to run when they gang up on her, no where that feels safe to her. She's 17 years old, not a youngster anymore!

I would start the introductions properly. Seperate them for a month, swap scents etc. There are some great threads on here about introductions
 
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yosemite

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Originally Posted by drfunkenstein25

My two cats and I moved in with my boyfriend approximately one month ago. I have a silver and gray 10 year old, domestic female and a four year old orange tabby, domestic male. Both are very large cats. My boyfriend has a 17 year old tortoise shell who is considerably smaller. We live in a very small apartment.

My cats HATE his cat and vice versa. We recognize now that we probably should have kept them separated for about a month so that they could get used to each others scents but since our apartment is so small, we did not do that in the beginning. The two larger cats (my cats) gang up on his cat until she is hemmed up in a corner. When she is being chased, she also urinates. The last two days we have found bowl movements on both the bed and a chair. This is starting to cause a strain on our relationship and we truly are at our wits end.

His cat stays well hidden but at night we have been putting all three in the bathroom with the litter box so that they will not poop or pee on our furniture and/or belongings...this has not been successful. Is there anything else we can do? Neither of us is willing to get rid of our kitties...we understand that they may not love each other...but can they ever just get along? and if so, what else can we do?

Thank you so much for any and all advice!
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Firstly, you should have at least 3 litter boxes (one for each cat) and an extra equals 4. If that's not possible due to the size of your home, at least have 2 boxes - one for the older cat and one for the other two. Bijou's litter is in our small bedroom and by scooping a minimum of once per day we have no odour to speak of (unless he just finished going and then Phew!)

I would also put food, water and litter in the bedroom for the older female to give her a private, calm place. Keep them separated with only supervised visits in the evenings or when either or both of you are around to rescue her if necessary. This may take weeks or even a couple months but it is the best way to do it.

Good luck and give all your kitties lots of love.
 
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blackraven514

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I would have to agree with the above posts. His cat is feeling very threatened and probably a little confused. It is best to keep them separated and only together when one of you can supervise. I also live in a small apartment and just went through this with my 6 week old kitten and 14 month old cat. It was hard because one would have to be locked in the small bedroom while the other had the rest of the apartment. It seems unfair, but is better in the long run. It just might take a little longer since there are 2 of them up against one. Poor kitty!
 
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drfunkenstein25

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Thank you so much for all our your expert advice and insight. I am heading to the store to find a litter box today and will definitely keep them separated until things get under control. I feel like I actually have some ideas that I can work with and my level of whelm is dissipating as I type this. Thanks again fellow cat lovers!
 
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yosemite

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Another thought is to dab a bit of vanilla a couple times a day on each of their heads and their back at the base of the tail so they all smell similar.
 
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I would disagree and say the first thing you need to do is take the 17 year old to the vet to be sure she is healthy. With that much stress and the signs you posted about, my fear is she is ill. Stress causes illness in cats.

I know that you do not want to give up these cats, but sometimes, for the sake of one, it is necessary. If you have a small place, you need to create levels in your home where the cats can get away from each other. Cat condos, more than one, cat ramps, window perches. On one cat condo attach artificial leaves so the cat can hide from the others.

Please take the senior cat to the vet, tell the vet what is going on and be sure the cat is healthy. Then you will have to separate these cats for awhile. It is not permanent, but unless you want to possibly lose one to illness, it will be necessary.
 
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