I have seven cats. All spayed/neutered.
I have 6 litter boxes, except 4 are actually those plastic kiddie pools. The kiddie pools are in the basement, in an open area, and the other litter boxes are on the main floor, without lids. I've seen them all use the litter box completely normally. The issue is spraying, not litter box usage.
For about two years, my F3 Savannah cat (who doesn't look like a Savannah at all except for her bone structure and personality) has become increasingly hostile towards my two white cats in particular. (Note: I believe my Savannah and my white cats have Siamese in their genes - which I know now is linked to territorial behavior .) She's aggressive with all the cats, really, but all except one white cat will stand their ground against her and the dispute usually ends quickly. I suspected this was part of the typical transition into adulthood I've seen often with "adolescent" cats who try to challenge the other cats for territory. (She's the youngest at about 3 years old). And maybe that was why it started, but this has gone on too long and become a spraying war that is destroying my house and causing a lot of stress.
I tried Feliway and I felt it actually made the situation worse. I tried playing with them consistently and it seemed to invoke more fighting and the ones who need it most won't participate even if I try to separate them from the other cats (moving them around seems to freak them out too much to think about playing).
Recently, my Savannah even started peeing blood when she sprayed and, after $500 in tests, the vet said it was from being stressed (except, she's causing most of the stress!) Her urine is back to normal after anti-inflammatory medication. But she's still spraying. Everywhere.
I'm pretty sure my two white cats are also spraying. And one of my males is too - even though he seems to get along with all the cats and doesn't fight with my Savannah. I should mention we have ferrets and a puppy that he hates... My Savannah also hates the puppy, but loves the ferrets. All the cats dislike the puppy. But, he is outside playing in the yard most of the day and sleeps in a crate at night, so the cats can easily keep their distance. Even when he is inside, he's kept in the kitchen (he still chews everything).
I know a big part of the problem is deferred aggression. The cats technically have enough space to avoid each other if they want to, but my kids are loud. My Savannah is sensitive to noise. She loves the kids and is extremely protective of them. I've caught her sitting in the window, growling at passing neighbors (she hates strangers) because the kids were playing loudly and she thought they were being hurt. She's even literally attacked me for raising my voice at my own kids - so I've been trying not to look like I'm a threat to them, lol. She acts like they're her kittens, which is sweet, but she's taking it too far with the spraying and attacking everyone any time she perceives the possibility of danger. I've tried reducing noise and keeping things calmer, but with three young kids, that's not likely to happen consistently any time soon.
The vet recommended possibly giving her anxiety medication, but I hate to resort to that and want to see if there are any other possibilities. She's still a relatively young cat. If I do need to put her on medication though, does anyone have any suggestions or precautions? I worry about possible side effects, especially with her being a hybrid. I would also hope if she needed meds, it would be temporary.
I won't give her away or have her euthanized. She loves us and we love her. The spraying is making me crazy though and I'm too embarrassed to have people over anymore because of the smell. Not to mention that my house is not longer a relaxing place to be.
These are my two white cats. They from the same litter. I've had them since birth. They're a bit skittish around people, but enjoy letting me pet them. They are about 7 years old.
This is Davy, my male cat with the blue scar on his eye. I got him from a city shelter when he was 3 months old. He was already neutered and had this on his eye.
This is Ginger, my oldest cat at 16 years old. I got her when she was 8 from someone who barely fed her, and only gave her dog food when she does eat. I believe her vision is impaired, but she is still active and friendly.
This is Onyx, my other male cat. He lost part of his rear foot due to a fast and severe infection from an injury. I'm not sure how he got injured though. He is otherwise healthy and about 3 years old.
These are Vannah (my three year old F3 Savannah with unusual coloring - the one doing most of the spraying and aggressive behavior) and Meeps (my 8 year old brown tabby who is friends with anyone as long as they don't start anything with her first, in which case she will make you stop, like she does with Vannah, who apparently respects that).
I have 6 litter boxes, except 4 are actually those plastic kiddie pools. The kiddie pools are in the basement, in an open area, and the other litter boxes are on the main floor, without lids. I've seen them all use the litter box completely normally. The issue is spraying, not litter box usage.
For about two years, my F3 Savannah cat (who doesn't look like a Savannah at all except for her bone structure and personality) has become increasingly hostile towards my two white cats in particular. (Note: I believe my Savannah and my white cats have Siamese in their genes - which I know now is linked to territorial behavior .) She's aggressive with all the cats, really, but all except one white cat will stand their ground against her and the dispute usually ends quickly. I suspected this was part of the typical transition into adulthood I've seen often with "adolescent" cats who try to challenge the other cats for territory. (She's the youngest at about 3 years old). And maybe that was why it started, but this has gone on too long and become a spraying war that is destroying my house and causing a lot of stress.
I tried Feliway and I felt it actually made the situation worse. I tried playing with them consistently and it seemed to invoke more fighting and the ones who need it most won't participate even if I try to separate them from the other cats (moving them around seems to freak them out too much to think about playing).
Recently, my Savannah even started peeing blood when she sprayed and, after $500 in tests, the vet said it was from being stressed (except, she's causing most of the stress!) Her urine is back to normal after anti-inflammatory medication. But she's still spraying. Everywhere.
I'm pretty sure my two white cats are also spraying. And one of my males is too - even though he seems to get along with all the cats and doesn't fight with my Savannah. I should mention we have ferrets and a puppy that he hates... My Savannah also hates the puppy, but loves the ferrets. All the cats dislike the puppy. But, he is outside playing in the yard most of the day and sleeps in a crate at night, so the cats can easily keep their distance. Even when he is inside, he's kept in the kitchen (he still chews everything).
I know a big part of the problem is deferred aggression. The cats technically have enough space to avoid each other if they want to, but my kids are loud. My Savannah is sensitive to noise. She loves the kids and is extremely protective of them. I've caught her sitting in the window, growling at passing neighbors (she hates strangers) because the kids were playing loudly and she thought they were being hurt. She's even literally attacked me for raising my voice at my own kids - so I've been trying not to look like I'm a threat to them, lol. She acts like they're her kittens, which is sweet, but she's taking it too far with the spraying and attacking everyone any time she perceives the possibility of danger. I've tried reducing noise and keeping things calmer, but with three young kids, that's not likely to happen consistently any time soon.
The vet recommended possibly giving her anxiety medication, but I hate to resort to that and want to see if there are any other possibilities. She's still a relatively young cat. If I do need to put her on medication though, does anyone have any suggestions or precautions? I worry about possible side effects, especially with her being a hybrid. I would also hope if she needed meds, it would be temporary.
I won't give her away or have her euthanized. She loves us and we love her. The spraying is making me crazy though and I'm too embarrassed to have people over anymore because of the smell. Not to mention that my house is not longer a relaxing place to be.
These are my two white cats. They from the same litter. I've had them since birth. They're a bit skittish around people, but enjoy letting me pet them. They are about 7 years old.
This is Davy, my male cat with the blue scar on his eye. I got him from a city shelter when he was 3 months old. He was already neutered and had this on his eye.
This is Ginger, my oldest cat at 16 years old. I got her when she was 8 from someone who barely fed her, and only gave her dog food when she does eat. I believe her vision is impaired, but she is still active and friendly.
This is Onyx, my other male cat. He lost part of his rear foot due to a fast and severe infection from an injury. I'm not sure how he got injured though. He is otherwise healthy and about 3 years old.
These are Vannah (my three year old F3 Savannah with unusual coloring - the one doing most of the spraying and aggressive behavior) and Meeps (my 8 year old brown tabby who is friends with anyone as long as they don't start anything with her first, in which case she will make you stop, like she does with Vannah, who apparently respects that).
