Cat developed behavioral issues after I left for holidays

[vpaon06]

TLDR: My 2yo cat's behavior has changed significantly after I left for holiday during Christmas. She is no longer playful, is obsessed with food and became aggressive with me.

Let me just preface this by saying that I'm not a cat person and I don't have any experience with cats except for fully outside barn cats. But 4 months ago I got kind of pushed into adopting a local stray (Blueberry, now 2 y.o. female). She was, at the time, extremely playful and demanding. So I decided to get her a kitten as a playmate (Ginger, now 5 month old female). After proper introductions, everything was great for about a month - the cats played together during the day, slept through the night and I was finally able to have a "normal" life again. The only "downside" was that since the kitten arrived, Blueberry lost all interest in toys, and only wanted to play with the kitten. The kitten was happy with it though, so I didn't pay it much mind.

However, I recently went away for Christmas holidays for 2 weeks. The cats stayed home and were babysat by one friend the first week, and another friend the second week. I think overall things went well, at least I didn't hear anything "bad" from my friends. When I got home, the cats were ecstatic and spent the first two days cuddling with me 24/7. But...once the excitement died down, I noticed that there are certain behavioral problems we never had before.

We had a rule of no going on the kitchen counters and no eating human food. Since I got back, Blueberry *consistently* goes on the kitchen counters, tries to eat my food and hisses/swats at me when I try to put her down and/or take the food away. It got to a point where she hit me in the face today, claws out. (I reflexively slapped her back - I know you're not supposed to punish cats, but I grew up around horses and my "stay out of my face" reflexes are really strong.) So, question 1: How do I stop her from going on the counters? Question 2: Why is she all of a sudden so aggressive with me? She's never done that before. Question 3: How do I repair my relationship with her after slapping her? (She's ignoring me, currently.) To make things worse, when I let her outside today, she climbed this wooden structure that would allow her to go onto my upstairs neighbors' balcony, so I had to get her down - she again hissed and swatted at me, so I had to make her get down using a broom. (I did not hit her or push her, I just stuck the broom in her face to make being on the structure annoying. As soon as she came back inside, she got food and treats.)

Context/other things that worry me:

• She is much less playful with the kitten than before. They still play, but only for short sessions 1-2x a day, where they used to play for hours and hours. She also sleeps quite a bit more than before. She received a new cat tree couple weeks before I left, and she is obsessed with the tree and spends her whole day on it. She doesn't even sleep with me anymore. I think she's quite territorial about it, e.g., she kicks the kitten out if it comes to sleep on the same tree (there are 3 beds on the tree, all with a window view.)
• The kitten and Blueberry seem to have divided the apartment into 2 separate territories, which I don't understand since they otherwise get along really well (they eat together, play together, never fight or hiss at each other). The kitten has the living room (with 1 cat tree in front of the window, the sofa, her favorite chair and one of the cat toilets.) Blueberry has the bedroom (1 giant cat tree in front of the window, my bed, 1 set of food and water bowls). The other set of food and water bowls is in the entryway, which connects all the other rooms of the house. The other two toilets are in the kitchen and in the bathroom.
• Blueberry gets very obsessive about other things too, e.g., she spent hours lying next to the sink after I turned it on once for her to play with. That's something that predates my departure, but it seems to have gotten worse since I left. She's either asleep or working harder than the devil to get into things she's not supposed to get into.
• The kitten pooped outside of the litter box, which hasn't happened since I first got her.

It has only been a couple of days, but I'm just really upset because after months of introductions and my life revolving around the cats, we had finally reached a state where everyone seemed happy. And now I have an annoying, aggressive cat who largely ignores the kitten that I got for her as a companion. I'm just not sure what could have caused the changes in behavior, and what can I do (if anything) to set things back to normal.

Picture of them peacefully sharing the big cat tree before I left on holidays.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Let me ask some pretty basic questions - were these cat sitters familiar with your cats beforehand and the environment you had set up for them? Did they stay in your home, or just visit 'X' numbers of hours a day?

Things like getting up on the counters, if the sitters weren't aware that is not something to worry about, they may have let Blueberry up there. All it takes is a time or two of someone leaving food on the counters and a cat will realize it is there and go after it. It's about the same with anything else you mentioned. Things were not likely handled the way you handled them. Maybe the sitters paid more attention to the kitten than they did Blueberry, leading to some distancing between the two cats.

More time may be needed to allow them to settle down after two weeks of disruption. Both seemed stressed - Blueberry reacting badly and the kitten pooping outside of the litter box. I'd give it some more time and see what happens, but keep calm in the meantime and don't act stressed yourself, as that is just feeding into their anxiety.

Stay the course in not letting Blueberry get away with stuff, but you have to do it without reactionary behavior on your part.

I am sure other members will come along soon and offer their input as well.

 

[iPappy]

Your cats are gorgeous!
Did the sitter stay in the house, or did they come in for visits a few times a day? Did you leave instructions that the cats are not to be on the counters or eat human food?
My immediate guess is that the rules were a little lax while you were away if the sitter stayed in the house. If the sitter did not stay in the house the entire time, the cats may have become bored or curious and decided to explore a bit. And now Blueberry has found out that counter cruising is fun.
For what it's worth, I have 3 cats. I have enforced the "no paws on the kitchen counter" rule since they came home as kittens. They are 15, 15, and 9. I still find cat hairs on the counters and occasionally catch one in the act. The best way to break this is to keep all food and interesting things out of sight so they continue to explore, find nothing, and get bored with it. This does take diligence, but it can be done.
As far as the two dividing their territories, Ginger is 5 months old and is going from kitten to young adult. I have two females. They get along fine but when the youngest was going from baby to adult, there was some tension from the older female. Everyone thinks males are the territorial ones, and IME it's the opposite. Are both cats spayed?

 

[di and bob]

I agree, females are VERY territorial. Your cats are stressed. Very stressed, as far as they knew, you went away and were never coming back. Strangers appeared and scared them more. That is very apparent by the lashing out at you and the behavorial problems. This will take at least a few weeks to straighten out. Cats are NOT like dogs that just blindly accept what the alpha tells them, does to them. You striking her just reinforced her insecurities. (don't worry, it will straighten out, not ONE of us is perfect) Just be consistent. Put her down from the counter, and away from your food EVERY time. They were obviously not fed enough while you were gone, or were too upset to eat. They most likely fought over what food they got and are distanced now. Their routines were disrupted and cats LIVE FOR ROUTINE and consistency. You could get some clear carpet runner with those little nubs on the back and put it on your counters and table, nub side up. It hurts their feet without actually causing damage and deterrs them from places you don't want them to be. It is temporary until they learn and can be easily moved. Maybe Walamrt has it, or a carpet store. I used it for years.
Please put down that your leaving caused them to truly stress out and it will take quite a while for them to get back to normal. IT WILL HAPPEN, in time! You could get some calming treats online, that may help too. You might look into some good quality, grain-free dry food to leave out and help with their food insecurities. it may help. Good luck, and PLEASE keep us informed! PS what you are going through has happened MANY times before!

 

[Kwik]

I agree with di and bob in that there's little to do with your absence being the problem.Actuslly it makes little difference to a cat or a dog if you are gone for several hours or several days- it's all an eternity to them simply for the fact that their routine has been interrupted,they stress over change,unfamiliaritirs in their environment and schedule

Unless you had cameras to view what was going on in your absence theirs really know way of knowing but they not only had to meet one stranger but two,I'm sure that was very stressful and highly likely they were on the counters noseying around the house while you were away probably lead the little 5 months old (Ginger)to do some unsupervised
exploring and Blueberry followed suit- I think your sitters had little to do with it as well

You are causing alot of stress and mistrust by slapping your cat back and shoving a broom in their face - I do not mean to sound harsh but those are harsh reactions and cats ( or any other animal) do not react well to that time of treatment.....you mentioned being around horses( my forte) and horses do not do well with getting hit either - fear is far from mutual respect and will eventually lead to people getting hurt by an animal that does not trust people and is fearful - every one of my Stallions stand at attention when I command " stand' and not because they fear me but because of authority and respect

I'm putting this time and energy in writing to you not to condemn your actions but to encourage you in assuring you there is a better way to resolve these issues - love ,patience and being firm and assertive vs aggressive--- the results will be a mutual respect from a confident,loyal companion

Now I see you mentioned letting Blueberry ' out:" so does that mean your cats are indoor/outdoor cats..... Unless your pets have a pretty good basic obedience foundation it's pretty difficult to control them,if you want to avoid that problem in the future perhaps you might consider keeping them strictly indoors or provide them with an enclosure of sorts or an outdoor catio? Is that a possibility?

 

[vpaon06]

Let me ask some pretty basic questions - were these cat sitters familiar with your cats beforehand and the environment you had set up for them? Did they stay in your home, or just visit 'X' numbers of hours a day?

Both cats met both of the sitters before. One of them was my friend who comes regularly and with whom they are very familiar. The other they met once before she came here. Both sitters stayed at my place with the cats. I was told that this would be the least stressful option for my cats who are used to having someone around 24/7 (I work from home). I don't know if maybe they would have been happier *not* having strangers live with them, but I would not feel comfortable leaving for 2 weeks and only have someone come check up on them twice a day... If something happened, I wouldn't know for hours, that seems very dangerous.

Things were not likely handled the way you handled them. Maybe the sitters paid more attention to the kitten than they did Blueberry, leading to some distancing between the two cats.

This is very likely, as Blueberry is not a particularly affectionate cat. She likes to cuddle at night, but during the day she minds her own business. The kitten is a kitten, she'll play with anything and anyone, so yes, I can see how people would be more inclined to pay attention to her, rather than Blueberry.

Question: Blueberry used to love playing with me before I got Ginger - however, since then she lost interest in toys (she does play with the kitten). Is that something that I should be more on top of? If so, how? She'll only play with me if I shut Ginger into a separate room. Otherwise, if I take out toys, Ginger will come running and take over whatever toy I'm holding, and Blueberry just walks away. (For context, Blueberry only likes to play fetch, not wand/stick toys. So I can't play with them both at the same time using two wands.)

About the pooping outside of the box: actually after thinking about it more, I think that this is the biggest cue to the cause of their stress.
I've noticed that they seem to not like the new litter they got. They have 3 litter boxes, and have always had a different type of litter in each so they can choose. 1 has Cat's Best Pellets, 2nd Cat's Best Original, and 3rd had the new litter (corn based - replacing a different brand of corn based litter that they had no issues with). The third box had gone unused for a several days. Then 3 days ago (which is exactly the time that all of this began), I put some of the new litter into the Cat's Best Original box as well (I ran out of Cat's Best). So since then, they have most likely been competing for the "only remaining" litter box, which would of course cause a lot of stress.

In addition, I used to replace all of the litter and wash the box once a week. But, during the introduction process of the 2 cats I was accompanied a cat behavioral therapist who advised me to never completely replace the litter (only scoop and top up) and to wash the litter boxes as little as possible (according to her, the scent of urine is comforting for cats). So I haven't replaced the litter/washed their boxes in over a month, only scooping and topping up with clean litter. Today, I saw Ginger come to the litter box, sniff it, and then poop next to it.

So, my conclusion is that since 2 out of the three litter boxes had litter the cats don't like, and the third was too dirty for their liking, Ginger simply chose to do her business elsewhere. And Blueberry may have felt the same way but is too clean to do her business on the floor, so it makes sense she'd be stressed/mad.

So, today I washed all of their litter boxes, put back in the litter that they like and "just in case" added a 4th litter box with mineral litter (which is their preferred, but I try not to use it because it's not good for the environment). I'll keep you posted if it worked for pooping, too.

 

[vpaon06]

Your cats are gorgeous!

Aww thank you so much! I did not pick either of them, they're strays that wandered into my life, but I'm incredibly lucky that they turned out so cute (and kind, under normal circumstances).

Did the sitter stay in the house, or did they come in for visits a few times a day? Did you leave instructions that the cats are not to be on the counters or eat human food?

They were here with the cats, and yes I did. But I can't be sure to what extent they actually followed the instructions. I thought about buying and setting up a pet camera, but the laws on that are pretty strict where I live - I'd need the sitter's consent, and my friend felt very uncomfortable about the idea. It would be different if they just came to feed the cats, but since they were staying here, it would be weird for them to be on camera while changing, or walking around in their PJs/underwear...

For what it's worth, I have 3 cats. I have enforced the "no paws on the kitchen counter" rule since they came home as kittens. They are 15, 15, and 9. I still find cat hairs on the counters and occasionally catch one in the act. The best way to break this is to keep all food and interesting things out of sight so they continue to explore, find nothing, and get bored with it. This does take diligence, but it can be done.

That's a really good piece of advice! I'm very guilty of leaving food out, I grew up in a household where there was always food on the stove, and I tend to do the same. I think you're right, if I become consistent with never leaving any food out, she'll eventually get bored of going on the counter.

As far as the two dividing their territories, Ginger is 5 months old and is going from kitten to young adult. I have two females. They get along fine but when the youngest was going from baby to adult, there was some tension from the older female. Everyone thinks males are the territorial ones, and IME it's the opposite. Are both cats spayed?

Yes, I heard that about females too. (Sadly) I didn't have any choice on the matter, I didn't pick either of them, they simply walked into my life and made themselves comfortable I didn't even know that Ginger was a girl when I found her, since she's orange I assumed she'd be a boy.
Blueberry is spayed, Ginger not yet. She had persistent diarrhea that was not responding to treatment, so we were running tests to figure out what's wrong - the vet did not want to operate on a young kitten that has an unidentified health problem. She's fine now, so she will be getting spayed later this month.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Question: Blueberry used to love playing with me before I got Ginger - however, since then she lost interest in toys (she does play with the kitten). Is that something that I should be more on top of? If so, how? She'll only play with me if I shut Ginger into a separate room. Otherwise, if I take out toys, Ginger will come running and take over whatever toy I'm holding, and Blueberry just walks away. (For context, Blueberry only likes to play fetch, not wand/stick toys. So I can't play with them both at the same time using two wands.)

Blueberry apparently likes to have some one-on-one time with you, so maybe it would be a good idea to set up some play time for just the two of you. Maybe try some interactive toys for Ginger in another room while playing with Blueberry so that Ginger doesn't feel left out.

a cat behavioral therapist who advised me to never completely replace the litter (only scoop and top up) and to wash the litter boxes as little as possible (according to her, the scent of urine is comforting for cats).

Not a fan of that behaviorist's theory about litter. There comes a point in time that the litter has been contaminated enough from previous pees/poops that it is fairly unhygienic, IMO, that thoroughly cleaning the boxes and using all new litter is necessary. It may not need to be done weekly, but it does need to be done periodically.

Btw, in reading another of your responses, I don't think it is an automatic rule of thumb that two (or more) females will have issues just because they are females. That certainly can apply to some females, but it isn't something that is definitively across the board for all female cats.

Also, the fact that Ginger is not yet spayed could in fact be playing a role in all of this. She is maturing, and hormones are flowing - another cat can pick up on these changes, if for no other reason than the scents that come along with hormone production.

 

[vpaon06]

I agree, females are VERY territorial. Your cats are stressed. Very stressed, as far as they knew, you went away and were never coming back. Strangers appeared and scared them more. That is very apparent by the lashing out at you and the behavorial problems. This will take at least a few weeks to straighten out.

I hear you. I was told that having someone stay over with them would be the least stressful option. The other options were: (1) a 16h car journey with me to my parents place for 2 weeks, then 16h car journey back; or (2) have someone just come in to feed them 2x a day (which I thought would stress them out even more, since they're used to me being home all day).
Question: I travel quite a lot for work (at least once a month), how am I supposed to do that if the cats are going to stress out this much each time? I thought if they had the sitter living with them (as opposed to being left alone and only fed 2x a day), they wouldn't mind. (And yes I thought of my work schedule before I adopted them. I found them both on the street, emaciated, full of worms & sick. I only wanted to get them healthy and then get them adopted. But nobody was interested. So it was either I keep them or I put them back on the street.)

You striking her just reinforced her insecurities.

I know, I feel terrible about it. She's come around and is asking for pets, but I can tell she's still a bit weary of me.

They were obviously not fed enough while you were gone, or were too upset to eat. They most likely fought over what food they got and are distanced now.

That's certainly not the case - they get 200g of wet food per day each, and on top of that they have unlimited dry food. (Neither of them is fat, they self regulate with the dry food and have it more as a snack.) I can track how much they ate based on how many cans of wet food & bags of dry food disappeared from the cupboard, and I know for a fact that they did not go hungry. They also did not lose any weight while I was away, the contrary if anything.

You could get some clear carpet runner with those little nubs on the back and put it on your counters and table, nub side up. It hurts their feet without actually causing damage and deterrs them from places you don't want them to be. It is temporary until they learn and can be easily moved. Maybe Walamrt has it, or a carpet store. I used it for years.
Please put down that your leaving caused them to truly stress out and it will take quite a while for them to get back to normal. IT WILL HAPPEN, in time! You could get some calming treats online, that may help too. You might look into some good quality, grain-free dry food to leave out and help with their food insecurities. it may help. Good luck, and PLEASE keep us informed! PS what you are going through has happened MANY times before!

Good idea about the carpets! I'll check it out. You also gave me an idea on how to prevent Blueberry from climbing the wooden structure - she climbs the wooden legs to get up there, so I'll cover them in some time of plexiglass or other slippery material, which should be a non-violent solution to stop her from going up on the structure.

In terms of calming things - they have Feliway Friends plugged in and I regularly spray a calming spray onto their stuff. I'll see if I can get them some more calming stuff (I was recommended Zylkène, if you know it?), because I'm traveling for work next week for another 5 days... I'll keep you all updated! I'm really trying my best here, I hope things will work out!

 

[vpaon06]

Blueberry apparently likes to have some one-on-one time with you, so maybe it would be a good idea to set up some play time for just the two of you. Maybe try some interactive toys for Ginger in another room while playing with Blueberry so that Ginger doesn't feel left out.

Thank you, I'll try that. Blueberry gets 1-1 with me every night for cuddles (Ginger sleeps in the living room - her choice), but it's true that I felt guilty about shutting Ginger out of the room, so I haven't 1-1 played with Blueberry in a while. I'll try to dedicate more time to her.

Not a fan of that behaviorist's theory about litter. There comes a point in time that the litter has been contaminated enough from previous pees/poops that it is fairly unhygienic, IMO, that thoroughly cleaning the boxes and using all new litter is necessary. It may not need to be done weekly, but it does need to be done periodically.

Thanks for the advice! As mentioned, I'm a first time cat owner and tbh there is so much contradicting information around, sometimes it's really hard to know what to do or not to do. So I thought I'd follow the advice of an expert. But I'm finding out that what's considered best practice in English speaking countries is discouraged where I live (France) and vice versa. In a way, I'm happy to get all of this information so I can try different approaches, but sometimes it's also hard to not feel like no matter what I do, I'm doing everything wrong according to *someone*.

the fact that Ginger is not yet spayed could in fact be playing a role in all of this.

It could be the case, and to be clear, the plan is absolutely to spay her as soon as possible.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm doing everything wrong according to *someone*.

We are all doing everything wrong according to 'someone'!!!! LOL! What isn't wrong is when something works for you and your cats!

 

[vpaon06]

You are causing alot of stress and mistrust by slapping your cat back and shoving a broom in their face - I do not mean to sound harsh but those are harsh reactions and cats ( or any other animal) do not react well to that time of treatment.....

Yes, I know that. The slap was a reflex, I didn't do it on purpose, and I feel terrible about it. The broom was the last resort. She climbed onto an 8ft tall wooden structure on my terrace (a sort of skeleton on which we put fabric as a roof during the summer to have some shade). She's never done that before, hence why the structure was not secured. From the structure, she was trying to jump onto my upstairs neighbor's balcony, to fight with his cat. I tried to get her down by climbing onto a ladder and taking her in my arms, but she hissed at me and ran away. I had to get her down, because it would cause me a lot of grief with my neighbor if my cat went onto *his* balcony to attack his cat... So it was a sort of emergency situation. Of course I'm thinking about how to secure the structure, now that I know she can climb it.

Now I see you mentioned letting Blueberry ' out:" so does that mean your cats are indoor/outdoor cats..... Unless your pets have a pretty good basic obedience foundation it's pretty difficult to control them,if you want to avoid that problem in the future perhaps you might consider keeping them strictly indoors or provide them with an enclosure of sorts or an outdoor catio? Is that a possibility?

I have a big terrace (around 430 sq.ft). Both cats go on the terrace. If Blueberry really wanted, she could leave by jumping over the wall and going to the nextdoor neighbor's house (she sometimes sits on the wall) but she just sits on the terrace and watches birds. I wouldn't mind if Blueberry wanted to go explore the neighborhood as she's spayed and vaccinated & I live in a calm area, what I do mind is her climbing this structure and trying to go onto the neighbor's balcony. Now that I know she can get on the structure, I will secure it so she can't climb it.

I can't keep Blueberry indoors. I adopted her as an adult cat who lived outside her whole life. I kept her strictly indoors for 6 weeks when I first got her (until spayed and vaccinated), and she almost went crazy, clawing at my windows and trying to escape every chance she got. Once I let her out, I thought she might leave and never come back, but she just walked to the edge of the terrace, and sat there watching birds, and then came home 10 mins later. And it's been that way ever since. She's never out for more than 15-20mins (by choice, and she's left the terrace (also by her own choice).

 

[IndyJones]

Blueberry apparently likes to have some one-on-one time with you, so maybe it would be a good idea to set up some play time for just the two of you. Maybe try some interactive toys for Ginger in another room while playing with Blueberry so that Ginger doesn't feel left out.

Not a fan of that behaviorist's theory about litter. There comes a point in time that the litter has been contaminated enough from previous pees/poops that it is fairly unhygienic, IMO, that thoroughly cleaning the boxes and using all new litter is necessary. It may not need to be done weekly, but it does need to be done periodically.

Btw, in reading another of your responses, I don't think it is an automatic rule of thumb that two (or more) females will have issues just because they are females. That certainly can apply to some females, but it isn't something that is definitively across the board for all female cats.

Also, the fact that Ginger is not yet spayed could in fact be playing a role in all of this. She is maturing, and hormones are flowing - another cat can pick up on these changes, if for no other reason than the scents that come along with hormone production.

Have to agree with this one, I use liners and even with doubling them up I still need to wash the boxes periodicaly or they get really reeky. It is not sanitary what this so called behaviourist told you.

Bacterias like e-coli and salmonella can build up and make you and the cats sick. E-coli is also responsable for many bladder infections which femal cats are prone to. Even if they dont show symptoms they can still get a mild bladder infection that is asymptomatic but still painful.

 

[vpaon06]

Have to agree with this one, I use liners and even with doubling them up I still need to wash the boxes periodicaly or they get really reeky. It is not sanitary what this so called behaviourist told you.

Bacterias like e-coli and salmonella can build up and make you and the cats sick. E-coli is also responsable for many bladder infections which femal cats are prone to. Even if they dont show symptoms they can still get a mild bladder infection that is asymptomatic but still painful.

Wow that's new information to me, thank you. I had no idea about the risks of bladder infections for female cats. I'll definitely go back to regular cleanings then, in any case it seems to work for my cats.

(Also just to not give a bad name to the behaviorist: the recommendation wasn't to never clean their boxes, but to do it less frequently, about once every 1-2 months, only with water or unscented mild soap; and after cleaning to never completely replace the litter, but to take the "old" litter and mix a few handfuls in with the new.)

 

[vpaon06]

By the way, after dinner the kitten pooped in one of the boxes (of course the one with the mineral litter, they love it), so at least that issue is hopefully resolved! And in general, after the cleaning (of the whole house and their litter boxes), the cats seemed much calmer.

(I don't know if I'm crazy, but they are always so calm the day when I deep clean my apartment. I always thought it's because they watch me clean and get tired from it. But, is it possible for cats to be upset over the apartment not being clean enough? And then they are happy/calm when it's cleaned?)

 

[FeebysOwner]

I had no idea about the risks of bladder infections for female cats. I'll definitely go back to regular cleanings then, in any case it seems to work for my cats.

The issue in many cases with bladder infections in female cats is the short distance between the anus and the urethra. E-coli, which lives, normally, in the colon can be easily transferred. That is why many cats who have bacteria found in their urine, have e-coli show up when a urine culture is done. While a cat can possibly get an e-coli infection from the litter, they are likely the ones who sit in the litter when peeing and/or groom those areas less than other cats. Otherwise, it is a common transference just from the proximity of the two bodily openings. Sometimes e-coli found in urine is not even treated if it isn't causing any other symptoms.

(I don't know if I'm crazy, but they are always so calm the day when I deep clean my apartment. I always thought it's because they watch me clean and get tired from it. But, is it possible for cats to be upset over the apartment not being clean enough? And then they are happy/calm when it's cleaned?)

This probably depends on the cat(s). Perhaps, dust and debris are unsettling to them - for whatever reason - so they are more settled in a clean environment where there is less dust and debris. I've never seen a difference in any of my cats, but I am sure others have experienced what you are.

 

[vpaon06]

The issue in many cases with bladder infections in female cats is the short distance between the anus and the urethra. E-coli, which lives, normally, in the colon can be easily transferred. That is why many cats who have bacteria found in their urine, have e-coli show up when a urine culture is done. While a cat can possibly get an e-coli infection from the litter, they are likely the ones who sit in the litter when peeing and/or groom those areas less than other cats. Otherwise, it is a common transference just from the proximity of the two bodily openings. Sometimes e-coli found in urine is not even treated if it isn't causing any other symptoms.

This probably depends on the cat(s). Perhaps, dust and debris are unsettling to them - for whatever reason - so they are more settled in a clean environment where there is less dust and debris. I've never seen a difference in any of my cats, but I am sure others have experienced what you are.

Thank you so much for all your time and explanations!! I really really appreciate it

 

[iPappy]

By the way, after dinner the kitten pooped in one of the boxes (of course the one with the mineral litter, they love it), so at least that issue is hopefully resolved! And in general, after the cleaning (of the whole house and their litter boxes), the cats seemed much calmer.

(I don't know if I'm crazy, but they are always so calm the day when I deep clean my apartment. I always thought it's because they watch me clean and get tired from it. But, is it possible for cats to be upset over the apartment not being clean enough? And then they are happy/calm when it's cleaned?)

JMO...I do feel much better, much more serene, happier, and more focused in a clean environment.
If you feel that way as well, the cats might be picking up on that sense of neat and order that you enjoy, and your relaxation from having a nice, organized space might be rubbing off on them. Plus, it's very rewarding to clean your place up, go somewhere, and then walk back into that nice and neat home.
On your reflexively smacking her, we are all human and we all make mistakes based on emotions or immediate reactions. She will be fine. If she acts weary, just talk to her in your normal tone of voice and go on about whatever you're doing. I'm quite sure she forgives you.