Rescue Cat- Not Sure What To Do....

[Tillybug]

Apologies for this long post... I’m just at my wits end with this cat.

Last February I aquired a little black male, declawed cat. He was given to me by a family that found him with their deceased sister. They figure he was alone with her deceased for at least 5 days. From what I gather sister had a drug/hoarding/mental illness problem. They couldn’t keep him because they had an allergic child and their lab was tormenting the cat. They had contacted the HS to surrender the cat but they were full and posted an add on a rehome site and that’s how I got him. He was a bonded pair but his female buddy didn’t survive. My vet figures he is between 10-14.

He was very thin and broken looking when I got him. He pretty much slept in my basement for 2 days straight. Once he started coming upstairs I would find trails of blood. I couldn’t yet touch him. After about 4 days he came to me. I was petting him and found a huge wound under is ear. I managed to wrangle him to my vet that same day. After his exam my vet informed me his teeth were all rotting and several were abcessing and that was the wound under his ear. He also had a URI. We did blood work that day which all came back normal (my vet was shocked based on his condition). We put him on antibiotics. My vet said he needed all of his teeth extracted and would be at least $2500. Cost aside, he wasn’t healthy enough to survive the surgery. Once his antibiotics kicked in he was a happy cat but would only last a few weeks and he’d get the URI again. 2 months of this same cycle until he was healthy enough for the surgery.

My life- I have a very low stress home. Just me and my senior dog who ignores everyone/thing except me. I travel once a month for work.

The first time I went on a business trip I hired a pet sitter to come once a day to check on him etc... when I got home I swear he looked half dead again. He also completely destroyed the bed in the basement (peed all over it for a week). Pet sitter never indicated any issues to me and I of course stopped using him. Now I take him to a exceptional cat boarding place and he was happy there.

Once he was healthy enough for his surgery he had all his teeth removed (well he has 3 canines left). In addition to the bed destroying he also has pooped outside his box on occasions. I attributed it to his teeth.

Once he was healthy he was really good with his bodily functions and a very happy cat. My only issue was he was extremely aggressive towards my dog and my dog was terrified of him (yes, scared of toothless, clawless cat).

After a lot of reading etc I decided to adopt another cat. I did the room swapping etc and they seemed to be tolerating each other. My hope was his aggression would go from the dog to new cat that would stand up to him. The rescue helped me pick the right personality of new cat etc. Him and the new cat coexist but I wouldn’t say get along. Since the new cat has been here he has set up shop in my room. He has a litter box in there and I feed him in there too. At night he sleeps with me without exception. New cat came mid October. Since new cat came he has not attacked my dog once. Him and new cat yell and growl at each other but have had zero actual contact.

Since new cat has been here he’s started peeing and pooping on my bed. All times with ME IN IT. I’m writing this because tonight I was in bed reading, he jumped down and peed in his box, came back on the bed and pooped right beside my head. It happened so fast and I still can’t believe he just did that.

Another piece of the puzzle- the last 2 times I have taken the cats to the boarding place he has gotten sick. They each have their own space there. I am 1000% confident in the care my cats receive at this place. Over Christmas he got sick enough the boarding place felt he needed a trip to the emergency vet. More blood work and X-rays revealed nothing seriously wrong. He had elevated white so they gave him a shot of antibiotics. He was in for his 6 month checkups/ follow up about 3 weeks ago and got a clean bill of health and my vet (I go to a feline specialist) was thrilled with his blood work. I went on another business trip after that appointment and he got sick at the boarding place again.

I don’t know what to do with this cat. I think he may need to be the only pet in the house and have his person 24/7, he’s had a really tough life from what I gather but I have given him the best of everything. I have 4 litter boxes in my house. I scoop twice a day. I know it’s not a medical issue. I have a session with an animal communicator tomorrow night because it’s all I have left.

Thanks for reading and I welcome suggestions.

 

[margd]

I'm really impressed with how much love and care you've given this little guy. He really needed an angel in his life and you've managed the role admirably. It sounds to me like he has a severe case of separation anxiety and can't stand for you to leave him. Your suggestion that he needs to be the only pet in the house and have his person 24/7 may be right, at the very least it seems he wants those things.

When cats display the degree of anxiety that your boy does, it can help to treat them with medication. I would discuss this with your vet who sounds like he's been there all along and knows your cat very well. If you do go the medication route, there are quite a few to choose from including antidepressants (usually, but not always, an SSRI), anti-anxiety meds in the form of benzodiazepines (no longer used that often) and the anti-convulsant medication, gabapentin. Given how anxious your boy is, I don't know how well he'd take to an oral medication but Prozac is available as a transdermal patch so at least in this case, there is an alternative.

We usually recommend medication as the last resort, preferring to suggest calming aids such as Feliway. The active ingredient in Feliway is based on pheromones that cats emit when they are feeling happy and content. This is certainly worth trying with one benefit being that it would help your new cat as well. I'm just not sure that Feliway would be enough to counteract your guy's traumatic beginnings in life and the severity of his separation anxiety now.

Here are three articles that address some of these issues.

Separation Anxiety In Cats
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
You, Your Cat And Stress

This is such a tough situation for all three of you and I wish you the best of luck in resolving it. I would really be interested in hearing what the animal communicator has to say. In the meantime, hopefully some other members will chime in with some additional ideas.

BTW: It would be lovely to see photos of both of your kitties!

 

[calicosrspecial]

First off, thank you SO MUCH for giving this cat a great home!!! His background actually brought me to tears. But as I read on your support towards him is so great.

With that said, let's get down to business. There is a lot here.

So let's start with the new cat. Going outside of the litter box is caused by medical (infection, pain etc) or behavioral (stress, territorial insecurity, etc). I always like to rule out medical first so a vet visit to check the cat out is always best. It could be pain in the paws as well as internal. So an open and comprehensive exam is always good.

Now it sounds like it is more territorial. When a cat goes on something they bare letting everyone (the dog, the other cat, animals outside, etc) that this territory "IS MINE". So when this happens I do a couple of things. I immediately step up play in the area the cat is going. Really good play sessions. After play I feed treats or a meal. Also, I add a litter box near which it sounds like you have. Is the litter box in view of the other cat? I like to add a more private litter box so the cat can have more privacy (because we never know if the other cat is watching or even attacking the cat in the litter box). Also, I like to add a cat tree (so the cat can go high in the world as height gives confidence) and scratching posts (so the cat can get their scent on something by scratching and "own" more territory). Also, we want to feed treats in the area so they feel a positive association and ownership. Also, we want to make every encounter between the cats as positive as possible. So if we sense tension between them we want to distract using something positive like food or play or calling their names in a calm, confident and loving way. We want to build trust between the cats. We also want to make positive associations so feeding them near each other. Not only does it make a positive association (something good) but it also allows them to be near each other in a positive way. We want the cat that is going outside of the litter box to be more confident (through play, food, height and love) and to build more trust with the other animals.

Cats take on our emotions so we ant to stay as calm and confident and loving around them as possible. This will help in building their confidence. And making every encounter between the cats as positive as possible (no staring, no chasing, hissing etc) that will help.

I would also try to do these things for the older cat as well. Since a more confident cat is less likely to cause problems.

I am guessing that the introduction was a little rushed so we will basically work on doing things to make positive associations and to build trust between them while increasing their "ownership" of the territory.

I am sorry, I don't know about the illness. It could be stress driven and the above will help as we build confidence but I am not exactly sure.

Don't worry, I will be with you as long as needed and we will improve the situation. Please share any information and ask any questions any time. I hope I addressed the questions so if not please let me know and we will address them. Your problem sounds pretty normal so I am highly confident we can improve things.

 

[Brian007]

I reckon your cat is 'middening', which is territorial marking with poo, like spraying is with pee.

Cat Defecating vs Middening? Harvard Cat Whisperer®

I agree with margd that veterinary prescribed psychiatric medicine may be called for in such a severe case. Cats actually respond very well to anti-anixeity and anti-depressant medication.

Alongside Feliway, try valerian either as a dried herb root or in a specially prepared 'cat-calming' treatment. Also, try high dose L-Tryptophan, found in 'pet-calming' preparations, and Zylkene, which contains the protein casein found in mother's breast milk.

It might be an idea to discuss with your vet the possibility of removing his remaining three teeth, as they're ticking time bombs and cats do exceptionally well toothless.

What are the names of both of your cats? And what is the age and sex of your newer cat?

I wish you all the well in the world. You have a lot on your plate with this wee chap and I'm also very proud of you.

 

[Tillybug]

Thank you for the replies!

Feliway- have 3 diffusers going 24/7 in my house. I don’t think it helps, plus I live in Canada so it’s crazy expensive.

Was at vet 3 weeks ago for full checkup and had blood work done beginning of January. Clean bill of health and his 3 remaining teeth are doing well. He also looks fantastic. I’m ruling out health issues.

I have also moved a tree into my room for him. He prefers the boxspring. Every night I go to bed early and read and he is always beside my head. He purrs and head butts me and eats my hair (gross lol!). I snuggle him (even though he’s not snuggly) and make sure to play with him.

New cat is 5. Bengal. Social butterfly and sweet as can be. He’s lived with other dogs and cats before. She is honestly perfect (and also toothless lol!).

I’m taking the leopard cat to the vet Wednesday so I will speak to her about anti-anxiety meds for the old guy. My vet is wonderful and I’m sure would be open to trying it.

I’m going to attach some pictures of his set up in my room. He goes in and out of the boxspring from both sides of the bed.

 

[Brian007]

What are their names, it would make it easier to talk about them if we knew? And, we'd like to meet them properly too, cos we're nosy like that.

Nice set up. Maybe move his bed a wee bit further away from his litter. Where is his water? You've got the right idea about keeping all thing in separate areas.

 

[Tillybug]

He doesn’t sleep in that bed but it’s the one I bring to the inn when he goes there.
He doesn’t drink water out of a dish so he gets really soupy wet morning and night.

Panther is the old guy and Luna is the Bengal. I found out later Pan’s original name was Volcom. He’s never responded to it so I figured a new name to go with his new life.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Is the black cat the one going on the bed etc?

All the things we do are the same. I thought it was the new cat.

If it is the black cat going on the bed I think it is totally territorial insecurity and stress. He probably didn't get total ownership and given all he went through in the past he was "fragile". The bengal came in to "his" territory and things like this happen (even though the new cat probably doesn't mean any harm. Bengals are also high energy which can be disconcerting.

Ok, this now makes sense.

I think we need to really builds his confidence and I am wondering if we should keep the cats separated for now until we get the black cat in a better state of confidence etc. A reintroduction. Positive association with food and scent etc. Build confidence of the black cat during this time etc.

 

[Tillybug]

Yes. Black cat.

Again- he had issues before the Bengal came into the picture. Once he was healthy he completely took over my house. My dog was always terrified. My dog is my heart dog and nothing would ever trump him. Yes, I tried to redirect Panthers energy but he almost goes to another place if that makes sense?

I think the poor dude is just broken and mentally checked out. I don’t doubt bringing Luna in was his breaking point. But his behaviour towards my Papillon was unacceptable, unwarranted and unnecessary.

I will fill everyone in on what the communicator gets.

 

[Brian007]

Ooh, thankyou!

They are adorable.

Will Pan drink out of a dripping tap faucet? Have you thought about a water fountain? It won't help with the middening but he needs lots of water for good kidney health, which is a factor with senior cats.

 

[Tillybug]

He used to when he left my room. I also have a ceramic pet fountain.

I was worried about hydration with him as well. Vet said he looks good and kidney function was “textbook” according to blood work.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Ok, this makes sense.

Yes, Pan's history is a big reason for his insecurity etc. But it sounds like you have already have built a bond and trust. So I know it is possible to build on that. And to build his confidence which will improve his behavior with your dog and your other cat.

How does he act in your room? Is his tail high ever? Does he walk tall or low to the ground? Hide or up and out and about? I want to see where his confidence is right now.

I want to stabilize and build his confidence and then work from there. When we build his confidence we will solve these issues. SO really keep playing and feed after. Also, stay calm and confident and loving around him. I would love to encourage him to be up on the cat tree. Hanging out is great together but we want him up in the world a as well. At some point we will want to use that window to give him some cat TV (wildlife). But when he is more confident.

I do think we should keep them separate for now if at all possible just to help stabilize Pan.

The fact he has bonded with you is great and we will succeed in improving this situation. We'll build confidence then use positive association and then expand his ownership of the territory again.

Don't worry, this is very doable. We'll get there. You have the knowledge and the desire to succeed.

They are REALLY ADORABLE!!

 

[Tillybug]

Yes- he really does love me. It was almost an obsessive behaviour at the beginning.

He hides/sleeps in the boxspring all day. Only comes out for food and box. As soon I lay down he jumps on the bed. Tail high and squirrelled. He purrs and head butts and licks my face and hair. He will go under the covers and run around and runs out tail always high. I would say his tail is up more then down.

I’ve recently started feeding him on the tree to get him out. I bet I could get him on the windowsill if I tried (will do this week).

 

[calicosrspecial]

It is great you two have bonded so well so fast. It is understandable for a few reasons. Firstly and most importantly he can feel and see your love for him. Anytime a cat knows they are loved they feel close and secure and confident around the person. This is wonderful. Secondly, I have had ferals that have had a tougher life. When a cat has a tougher life they do seek safety and the one that feeds them and takes care of them they tend to get close to since they worry about their existence. So when we build confidence and trust they then tend to get less clingy. If you have sensed that Pan has gotten less clingy that is a great sign. If he hasn't that is fine too but it just suggests we need to work on his confidence.

When you say boxspring as you talking about a boxspring mattress? Being in a hideaway or under the covers is fine for a little amount of time but we typically want them to be put and up in the world. So up on the bed, up in the cat tree, etc. That is another sign of confidence which is where we want to get.

Now, it is FANTASTIC that he jumps on the bed when you get in bed. That is a great sign and something we will use to build confidence. Anytime he is out and up (on the bed) and he is enjoying himself, is safe, feels secure, that is great in building his confidence. Also, play is a big part of building confidence so keep trying to play as much as possible as well.

The fact his tail is up tells me he does have confidence so we are not starting from a low point but starting from a good point. We can absolutely improve this situation.

Keep feeding him on the tree, that is great. It will build a positive association and the height will give him confidence. Just go slowly on the window sill for now as the wildlife outside (especially other cats or dogs) could cause a little insecurity. We just want to build on positive and build his confidence.

Don't worry, we will succeed. He sounds like a great cat and there is no doubt because of you he will do great.

 

[Tillybug]

Yes- he in the boxspring so essentially under my bed. This has been his favourite spot since he came to live with me.

I’m so nervous now when he’s on the bed that he is going to pee or poop. The pooping has happened in other places in my house but last night was the first time on my bed. I thought it was extremely odd because it’s where he sleeps, and his safe spot. Luna and Mani (papillon) were in the other room. And of course let’s not forget he was 18” from my head. When I realized what he was doing I yelled at him and he hissed at me and ran back into the boxspring. Immediately after clean up when I went back to bed he jumped up and was purring and all lovey.

I agree he is marking with poop. When I got him he was pooping on the bed downstairs and on couches. Then when I brought Luna home he was pooping basically on anything that was his (his beds, his tree lol).

The family that I got him from said the sisters house was completely covered in cat feces and had overflowing litter boxes everywhere. Is it possible this is a learned behaviour I won’t be able to break?

I have never re-homes an animal and I take very good care of them with some simple expectations- in this case, he needs to use his litter box

 

[calicosrspecial]

Ok, at some point we will need to get him out and about rather than in the box spring. But we need to stabilize him first.

Were any other animals in the room before the incident or can they see him in the room? How was he acting before he went on the bed?

Going on the bed is screaming insecurity. He is trying to tell the dog and cat that "this is mine". SO going on spots he loves is understandable because he is screaming "stay away, this is mine". He is really insecure so I think we need to keep him separated so he can build more confidence. Try to play with him as much as possible. Also, make sure he is loved, feeling safe and secure. Getting him to purr in the bed is a great way to build confidence (just make sure you are not at risk of being hurt in any way).

Cats take on our emotions so try to be as calm and confident as possible with him. I know our instinct is to yell "don't do that" or try to move them but it will not work as it just adds stress to the cat. Just calmly clean up the mess and act like nothing happened. He doesn't want to go outside the litter box but he feels so territorially insecure that he has to tell the others that this is his and to stay away.

I will say that it is great that he jumped up with you after you cleaned it up. That tells me he trusts you and you give him security. We are going to use this bond to increase his confidence and ownership.

Also, make sure you clean the affected areas properly. So that the scent is removed. I am actually not sure how to properly clean feces sadly but I hope others can suggest ways. The proper cleaning solution.

No, I think he will use his litter box when he feels secure in his ownership of the territory. Cats instinct is to cover their scent so he will revert to his instincts.

I do think we need to keep him in the room without any sight exposure or physical exposure to the other animals if at all possible. We need to stabilize him then build his confidence so he can own this territory and then expand the territory and introduce him to the others.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Tillybug]

He was acting totally normal before he did it. He jumped down into the box and peed. Jumped back up on the bed and then pooped. He has been using his box since the incident.

As for clean up, I used the same solution I used for all of his other times he’s decided not to use his box. Plus it was literally right beside me to I grabbed it immediately so nothing was even stained or anything.

Communicator said she couldn’t get much from him except he’s angry and feels he doesn’t belong. She said he also wants to live somewhere else without other animals. I already know it’s going to be pretty much impossible to rehome a black, declawed, toothless senior cat with litter box issues. I take it with a grain of salt but I have used communicators before (not this one) that have helped me figure things out. This one got quite a few things wrong.

The leopard cat is going to the vet tomorrow so I’m going to speak to her about sending me home with meds for Panther and go from there. I’m sure my vet would be open to it.

It’s really hard to block him off from my room because my dog needs to go in and out of my room during the night for water and pee pads when necessary (he’s an old dude!). It’s very easy to do when I’m not home or when I’m not in there. I have tried doing this before and I felt he actually seemed more insecure.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Did you notice him straining or looking like he had any discomfort? How was the consistency? Was it harder than normal? Softer? When he goes outside the box is it after he has peed in the box? I am wondering if maybe he wants a totally "clean" box to go in. Is it possible to add another box?

Also, how close is his food from the litter box? We would like to keep the food a good distance away.

There isn't anything obvious as to why he did that. Was there anything that changed between the time he used the litter box and then the bed? Anything scare him, etc?

It is VERY good that he is now using the litter box.

When you say communicator is the person a behaviorist?

The fact he is bonded with you tells me that we can build his confidence and therefore improve his behavior. Actually, I think we are not that far away. I think the addition of another cat set him back a little (and that is normal for all cats). But there are a lot of positives and given his background I actually think he is doing much better than I would have thought and I think he is doing better than I thought because of you, the bond you have with him, the trust you are building with him. I am highly confident we will succeed.

I kind of figured it was hard to totally separate them. I think the main issue was the intro between him and the bengal was a bit rushed and he never got trust enough towards him. I am guessing the bengal is pretty energetic and that can cause some unease in resident cats (especially older more sedate cats). If we can make sure every encounter between them is as positive as possible I think that will help. And if we can try to keep the interactions as infrequent as possible. This is pretty much a normal issue when a new cat is introduced. The resident cat rebels if the intro isn't "eased". Since the resident cat views it as "his" territory and now it got "invaded" and they fear for their food source and their safety etc. Usually it is unwarranted. So that is why we try to go through the intro process using positive association (food and scent at first) and then slowly get them use to each other.

Please share anything about what is going on. What happens between them, how he is acting (tail position, hiding more or less, etc). I will do everything possible to help you through this. I actually am highly confident we will succeed. I know it is frustrating but try your best to stay calm and confident around him and make every encounter as positive as possible.

 

[Timmer]

I adopted a bengal cat after my one female passed away. I already had another cat in the house. They never got along. I had both of them on Prozac at one point and eventually built a door at the top of my second floor and kept them separated. I loved them both a lot but the bengal became the dominant cat in the house. He had my female terrified. The Feliway filters never worked for us, I hope they do for you.

 

[Tillybug]

No straining, everything totally normal. Luna and Mani were nowhere around. Food is on the other side of the room. The last incident when he peed on my bed (with me in it) was when his box was in the bathroom off my bedroom. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and moved it into my room after that (which I *really* don’t like and was hoping to be temporary). I literally scoop every time he goes so his box is spotless- I really don’t think it has anything to do with the box or location itself. I have 4 litterboxes in my house (2 on each floor). Luna does not use his box.

Luna is actually not high energy at all. She hangs out and is the most snuggly and social cat ever. Her and Mani are buddies. She has not been aggressive towards Panther at all. If she comes into the room etc he will immediately start growling and hissing and carrying on. They have never actually ever touched each other. Recently, Luna has started coming on the bed every morning (who needs an alarm clock?) and he does tolerate that and most of the time nobody hisses or carries on. I thought that was great progress.

I had Luna for a 2 week trial before I committed to her. I did the room swapping etc and it went really well. It seems as soon as I signed on the dotted line all hell broke loose.

I will catch Luna on occasion in my room sitting in the dog bed stalking him. I do correct her every time and she is super easy to redirect. I normally know this is going on because I can hear Panther hissing.