Here's a brief history of the problem.
We have 5 cats: Angel & Demon (littermates) are 4.5 years old, Gidget is 4 years old, and Casper & Abby (littermates) and 2.5 years old. All are former ferals from our backyard whom we rescued as kittens while TNRing all the neighborhood cats. Yes, all at spayed/neutered.
The problem is two-fold. First, Gidget doesn't always like Casper and Abby. It's almost as if she's scared of them because sometimes when she sees them or they come near her, she hisses (sometimes low growls) and runs away - moreso withAbby than with Casper. She's fine with Angel and Demon.
Second, she is still marking - especially along the outside walls of the dining room. This has gone on for 1.5 years. It got a little better with diet changes, increased play time, and home modifications (Feliway, more litter boxes that we scoop every day, blocking windows so she can't see the feral cats, moving the feral feeding station to the back of the yard, etc.). Putting Gidget on Clomipramine helped a lot, but I don't want to drug her like that for the rest of her life.
I know that the more cats in the house, the more likely there is to be behavior issues, but I cannot live in a home that smells like cats urine! I don't feel comfortable inviting others to our home - it just smells "dirty". Not to mention all the furniture and curtains that have been ruined by being soaked with urine. And, we're not 100% sure that only Gidget is responsible for the smell/peeing/marking.
We will be putting Gidget back on medication and isolating her for a month or two, until the medication can reach its therapeutic range and do its job. We will also be doing a deep, thorough cleaning of the dining room, where she does most of her marking.
I think two other things need to happen while Gidget is isolated: 1) keep the ferals out of the backyard completely, and 2) rehome one or more of the cats. But whom do we rehome? Angel and Demon are not an option because they've been here the longest. Gidget is an option, but only if I could be sure she would go to a home with no other animals or kids (we don't know anyone like that). I would hate to see her go since she's my favorite, but I just want her to be happy. Casper and Abby are options, but I've grown seriously attached to Casper - almost as much as Gidget. Abby was supposed to be rehomed after we socialized her, but she had bowel issues when she was a kitten (that are now cleared up) and I didn't feel right rehoming a sickly kitten. My husband doesn't want to rehome any of the cats and doesn't think that there is problem.
Ideas? Suggestions?
We have 5 cats: Angel & Demon (littermates) are 4.5 years old, Gidget is 4 years old, and Casper & Abby (littermates) and 2.5 years old. All are former ferals from our backyard whom we rescued as kittens while TNRing all the neighborhood cats. Yes, all at spayed/neutered.
The problem is two-fold. First, Gidget doesn't always like Casper and Abby. It's almost as if she's scared of them because sometimes when she sees them or they come near her, she hisses (sometimes low growls) and runs away - moreso withAbby than with Casper. She's fine with Angel and Demon.
Second, she is still marking - especially along the outside walls of the dining room. This has gone on for 1.5 years. It got a little better with diet changes, increased play time, and home modifications (Feliway, more litter boxes that we scoop every day, blocking windows so she can't see the feral cats, moving the feral feeding station to the back of the yard, etc.). Putting Gidget on Clomipramine helped a lot, but I don't want to drug her like that for the rest of her life.
I know that the more cats in the house, the more likely there is to be behavior issues, but I cannot live in a home that smells like cats urine! I don't feel comfortable inviting others to our home - it just smells "dirty". Not to mention all the furniture and curtains that have been ruined by being soaked with urine. And, we're not 100% sure that only Gidget is responsible for the smell/peeing/marking.
We will be putting Gidget back on medication and isolating her for a month or two, until the medication can reach its therapeutic range and do its job. We will also be doing a deep, thorough cleaning of the dining room, where she does most of her marking.
I think two other things need to happen while Gidget is isolated: 1) keep the ferals out of the backyard completely, and 2) rehome one or more of the cats. But whom do we rehome? Angel and Demon are not an option because they've been here the longest. Gidget is an option, but only if I could be sure she would go to a home with no other animals or kids (we don't know anyone like that). I would hate to see her go since she's my favorite, but I just want her to be happy. Casper and Abby are options, but I've grown seriously attached to Casper - almost as much as Gidget. Abby was supposed to be rehomed after we socialized her, but she had bowel issues when she was a kitten (that are now cleared up) and I didn't feel right rehoming a sickly kitten. My husband doesn't want to rehome any of the cats and doesn't think that there is problem.
Ideas? Suggestions?
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