Question

I am thinking of adopting a senior (9 yrs) male siamese cat from a humane society. What are the chances he will urinate innappropriately?? I have only owned one other male cat ( another siamese) but I got him as a kitten. He never sprayed or urinated anywhere but his box. Has anyone had great experiences adopting older male cats?? He is nuetered but I rent and I am scared he will pee outside his litterbox. I have adopted many females over the years and not a single one has ever had litterbox avoidance issues.

Oliver's by no means a senior, but I didn't get him from the streets until he was almost 4 (got him in October - assumed birthday is January... will be 5) and I've NEVER had litterbox problems with him... if this kitty you speak of was owned before then I don't see why he wouldn't understand how the whole litter box situation works - as long as he knows where his litter is.... I used to work in a shelter and even in their little cages, cats of all ages didn't show signs of inappropriate litterbox usage (strays and no-longer-wanted kitties alike). You can feel free to ask his caretakers at the humane society if they've noticed any odd behavior of the sort from him - they should be very honest with you so you're not bringing the kit back to them after getting bad info... and props to you for wanting to adopt an older kitty!!!! When it comes to shelters, everyone wants the puppies and kittens and the older, lovable, usually already trained animals sit locked up forever! Older pets are great for people who don't have quite as much time to train the little ones and make sure they can expend all that baby energy!

Have you asked the humane society staff if he uses the litterbox there? Unless they have a history on him, that's the only clue you'll have. Also, any cat can start urinating inappropriately, young or old. Often it is a sign of a medical issue, so if you do find the kitty peeing outside the box, take him to a vet right away. My boyfriend's siamese was repeatedly squatting on the floor one day when I walked in. We took him to the emergency vet and found he had a blockage. If we had waited to get to a vet (it was Sunday night), it could have killed him.

With my cats, however, my older male (he's probably about 13) only goes outside the litterbox if I didn't scoop it enough. When he does that, he only goes on the floor right next to the litterbox. Since it's lineoleum, it's easy to clean up (I live in an apartment too).

Best of luck to you!

Well, I got him. He is a total lovebug but a bit of a chicken. He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. He is perfect with his litterbox and he doesn't mind my female cat at all. She doesn't seem too fazed by him either. I let him out of the bedroom after only one week and neither cat even hissed at one another.

He ADORES my husband:







IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/catslaveof3/000_0097.jpg[/IMG]]

What a handsome boy he is. I'm glad to hear everything has turned out fine. Its also good that that introducing him to your resident cat has gone so well.

What a beautiful boy! I'm so glad you got him and that your 2 cats are getting along so well. As a Siamese lover, I am thrilled you are getting the opportunity to get to know one of these amazing animals.

AWWW, I'm so HAPPY for you! All of you..he he..