How do you stop a feral you've befriended and taken in from peeing on furniture. He knows where the litter is. He spends most of his time in the basement where the litter is. He uses the litter but at night he comes up stairs and has peed on couches, beds, blankets. This can't continue or he's gotta go back outside. Any advice?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Stopping "taken In Feral" From Peeing
- Thread starter Merlincat
- Start Date
Is he neutered? He might be marking his territory. If he is not neutered many tom cats will spray. Other times it is done out of stress. Do you have a litter box upstairs too? Also have you had him to the vet to check for a UTI?
Here is a great article to help with litter box issues.
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Here is a great article to help with litter box issues.
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I should also mention it's not a tiny amount of pee. He creates a definite wet spot. It soaks through blankets, cushions etc. He gets along with our three resident cats pretty well. He's a bit stressed about us though after we had to catch him for the vet visit. Still working on gaining his trust back from that.
So you have 4 cats total. How many litter boxes do you have? The golden rule is one per cat plus one extra. That means you may need 5 boxes. Is there any chance one of the resident cats is intimidating him near the litter box(es) at night? It does sound like he is territory marking. Have you tried using Feliway plug ins? I have also found Composure liquid max to be helpful with stressed out cats.
Yeah, I'll second the importance of having the correct # of litter boxes. We have 12 cats (but one is alone and using her own box)..and we have at least 12 litter boxes in the house. We scoop twice a day.
Have you tried Dr. Elsey's (unscented) Cat Attract litter? are the litter boxes uncovered (or at least a couple of them)? Also unscented litter is preferred by many cats.
We've had recurrent "inappropriate urination" issues with a spayed female. She's been checked out and nothing is wrong--it's more of a territory/insecurity thing with her. Has your new boy had enough time to himself, or have places he can hide out if he's feeling stressed about being the new kid in town?
Good luck with this. It can be really frustrating but try to be patient with him.
Have you tried Dr. Elsey's (unscented) Cat Attract litter? are the litter boxes uncovered (or at least a couple of them)? Also unscented litter is preferred by many cats.
We've had recurrent "inappropriate urination" issues with a spayed female. She's been checked out and nothing is wrong--it's more of a territory/insecurity thing with her. Has your new boy had enough time to himself, or have places he can hide out if he's feeling stressed about being the new kid in town?
Good luck with this. It can be really frustrating but try to be patient with him.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
OK, So... I have Many questions, in fact I probably should just start another thread all together but maybe I'll do that and just for now continue following the urination one here.
So, I have 3 resident cats, 1 female age 2 1/2 named Puzzles, 1 female age 1 named TigerLilly and her brother age 1 named Magick (Both bottle babies). The 2 Outside cats are approximately 8 months now, Two black cat brothers named Vlad and Renfield. So All together 5 cats. The Litter Box situation is this: I keep 1 litter box on top of my rabbit hutch in the basement (off the staircase about 5ft off he ground, accessible from the stairs), One Litter box in the bottom half of the rabbit hutch (rabbit lives in the top so the litter box is in an enclosed area but not a "covered litter box", Then, what were two other litter boxes before the new cats came in I have now switched to two plastic concrete mixing trays (like giant litter boxes approximately each the size equivalent of 2 maybe 2 1/2 litter boxes.) They are side by side under the basement stair case sitting on a wooden pallet. So All together the equivalent of 6+ litters. I clean the litter boxes daily or every other day. I use Tidycat unscented litter (I think its tidy cat, I'd have to go look to check for sure).
Now, all 5 cats get along pretty well, with the exception that puzzles, who used to be a stray herself, is a grump who is approached will hiss or growl. She tolerates Tigerlilly and Magick a bit more because they were still kittens when we brought her in, so she mothered them a bit but she can be very grumpy to them as well. And yes, even more of the previously mentioned behavior is directed at Vlad and Renny. Having said that though, she does tolerate them pretty well as long as they don't bother her.
I Know for a fact that Vlad and Renny were using the litter boxes because A) I saw them and B) They are now back outside and There is CONSIDERABLY less waste in the litter pans. ( HAd to put them back outside for now because we couldn't have them (Vlad) continue to ruin furniture by peeing on it (at night time we think, when we weren't around).
I Don't have litter boxes on the first floor because we run a daycare here and so we can't have them around the kids. I don't have a room to dedicate solely to the outdoor cats. However, they were pretty much find places to hide out during the daytime to sleep and hide out and they tend to come out in the evening when they wake up. Mostly they confine themselves to the basement during the day (sometimes upstairs under my bed).
Everyone I talk to and you guys too, seem to be leaning toward territorial urination. If this is the case, is there any way to solve this? I'd really love for them to be able to be inside but at this point I just can't have them peeing on our stuff and ruining antique furniture.
In addition, the other questions I have I'll just make mention here in case someone has some insight. As I mentioned the other thread, Vlad and Renny were Barn cats, deemed by the shelter as unadoptable so they release them to people who have and outbuilding they can live in as a last ditch alternative to euthanasia. They were 3 months old when they were caught, neutered and I adopted them. That was Mid July. So they are now about 9 months old. At first they wanted nothing to do with us, but As I went out and fed them and talked to them everyday, they began to trust me and come closer to me until we come to the current situation where we wanted to bring them in because Vlad was being so friendly. A) When I had them in the house as I stated in another thread, they wanted almost nothing to do with us. Vlad was a Love bug eveyday coming to the door and coming inside for Love. Renny never did but is inseperable from his brother Vlad So we brought them both in. Interestingly enough once inside, Renny seemd to like to be 'around' us or in the same room as us just not if we were paying attention to him. But Vlad stopped wanting or letting us touch him once he came is (I think after we had to catch him and bring him to the vet). Now That hes outside again, hes right back to coming to the door constantly for love and attention! Is Vlad only being friendly so he can enter the house? what gives????
B) Are They just Not adoptable? Too Old to change? Too wild to take in?
Sorry for the long Post.
So, I have 3 resident cats, 1 female age 2 1/2 named Puzzles, 1 female age 1 named TigerLilly and her brother age 1 named Magick (Both bottle babies). The 2 Outside cats are approximately 8 months now, Two black cat brothers named Vlad and Renfield. So All together 5 cats. The Litter Box situation is this: I keep 1 litter box on top of my rabbit hutch in the basement (off the staircase about 5ft off he ground, accessible from the stairs), One Litter box in the bottom half of the rabbit hutch (rabbit lives in the top so the litter box is in an enclosed area but not a "covered litter box", Then, what were two other litter boxes before the new cats came in I have now switched to two plastic concrete mixing trays (like giant litter boxes approximately each the size equivalent of 2 maybe 2 1/2 litter boxes.) They are side by side under the basement stair case sitting on a wooden pallet. So All together the equivalent of 6+ litters. I clean the litter boxes daily or every other day. I use Tidycat unscented litter (I think its tidy cat, I'd have to go look to check for sure).
Now, all 5 cats get along pretty well, with the exception that puzzles, who used to be a stray herself, is a grump who is approached will hiss or growl. She tolerates Tigerlilly and Magick a bit more because they were still kittens when we brought her in, so she mothered them a bit but she can be very grumpy to them as well. And yes, even more of the previously mentioned behavior is directed at Vlad and Renny. Having said that though, she does tolerate them pretty well as long as they don't bother her.
I Know for a fact that Vlad and Renny were using the litter boxes because A) I saw them and B) They are now back outside and There is CONSIDERABLY less waste in the litter pans. ( HAd to put them back outside for now because we couldn't have them (Vlad) continue to ruin furniture by peeing on it (at night time we think, when we weren't around).
I Don't have litter boxes on the first floor because we run a daycare here and so we can't have them around the kids. I don't have a room to dedicate solely to the outdoor cats. However, they were pretty much find places to hide out during the daytime to sleep and hide out and they tend to come out in the evening when they wake up. Mostly they confine themselves to the basement during the day (sometimes upstairs under my bed).
Everyone I talk to and you guys too, seem to be leaning toward territorial urination. If this is the case, is there any way to solve this? I'd really love for them to be able to be inside but at this point I just can't have them peeing on our stuff and ruining antique furniture.
In addition, the other questions I have I'll just make mention here in case someone has some insight. As I mentioned the other thread, Vlad and Renny were Barn cats, deemed by the shelter as unadoptable so they release them to people who have and outbuilding they can live in as a last ditch alternative to euthanasia. They were 3 months old when they were caught, neutered and I adopted them. That was Mid July. So they are now about 9 months old. At first they wanted nothing to do with us, but As I went out and fed them and talked to them everyday, they began to trust me and come closer to me until we come to the current situation where we wanted to bring them in because Vlad was being so friendly. A) When I had them in the house as I stated in another thread, they wanted almost nothing to do with us. Vlad was a Love bug eveyday coming to the door and coming inside for Love. Renny never did but is inseperable from his brother Vlad So we brought them both in. Interestingly enough once inside, Renny seemd to like to be 'around' us or in the same room as us just not if we were paying attention to him. But Vlad stopped wanting or letting us touch him once he came is (I think after we had to catch him and bring him to the vet). Now That hes outside again, hes right back to coming to the door constantly for love and attention! Is Vlad only being friendly so he can enter the house? what gives????
B) Are They just Not adoptable? Too Old to change? Too wild to take in?
Sorry for the long Post.
