Hello,
So this actually started up a few years ago, but my family has basically just been playing clean up in the hopes that they would eventually work something out. They haven't.
So about four years ago we adopted our first cat, Basil, as a kitten. She was fiesty and still is, but was otherwise well mannered. Used the litterbox every time, ate neatly, and the like. Got along well with my dog who has since sadly passed on.
The next year, we brought home another kitten, Kitkat. She was from the same mother and we didn't think twice. Kitkat is much more tolerant than Basil, but she's also a touch slower. In the head. But I mean that in the nicest way possible—we love her as is.
At first, they couldn't even be in the same room. We weren't fazed. We knew this was foreign and scary for them. We kept them apart until Kitkat wasn't so small and let them get used to eachothers' scents. Eventually, they came to tolerate each other. They're still not affectionate toward one another, though, and Basil will lash out at Kitkat sometimes unexpectedly.
Other than that, all was well. For a few months. Then, we started noticing them peeing outside the litterbox. We thought perhaps they didn't like having litter boxes in such close proximity. So we got a third, and spread them out. Still pee on our floors and curtains. Eventually, so many things had been ruined that we decided to start letting them outside during the day. We thought they were mad at us for keeping them strictly indoors. But when they were inside, they'd still pee on everything. Sometimes, they'd squat right in front of us.
So about two years ago we moved all their things onto the screened porch attached to our dining room, separated from the rest of the house by a set of French doors. They are allowed outside during the day, and they come back and are shut on the porch during the night.
But they still pee everywhere.
Where did we go wrong? We just want to be able to let our girls back inside without having to watch them like Hawks. They love being outdoors but we would love to be able to let them lounge in here, too.
Any advice?
Thank you for your time and please excuse the length.
So this actually started up a few years ago, but my family has basically just been playing clean up in the hopes that they would eventually work something out. They haven't.
So about four years ago we adopted our first cat, Basil, as a kitten. She was fiesty and still is, but was otherwise well mannered. Used the litterbox every time, ate neatly, and the like. Got along well with my dog who has since sadly passed on.
The next year, we brought home another kitten, Kitkat. She was from the same mother and we didn't think twice. Kitkat is much more tolerant than Basil, but she's also a touch slower. In the head. But I mean that in the nicest way possible—we love her as is.
At first, they couldn't even be in the same room. We weren't fazed. We knew this was foreign and scary for them. We kept them apart until Kitkat wasn't so small and let them get used to eachothers' scents. Eventually, they came to tolerate each other. They're still not affectionate toward one another, though, and Basil will lash out at Kitkat sometimes unexpectedly.
Other than that, all was well. For a few months. Then, we started noticing them peeing outside the litterbox. We thought perhaps they didn't like having litter boxes in such close proximity. So we got a third, and spread them out. Still pee on our floors and curtains. Eventually, so many things had been ruined that we decided to start letting them outside during the day. We thought they were mad at us for keeping them strictly indoors. But when they were inside, they'd still pee on everything. Sometimes, they'd squat right in front of us.
So about two years ago we moved all their things onto the screened porch attached to our dining room, separated from the rest of the house by a set of French doors. They are allowed outside during the day, and they come back and are shut on the porch during the night.
But they still pee everywhere.
Where did we go wrong? We just want to be able to let our girls back inside without having to watch them like Hawks. They love being outdoors but we would love to be able to let them lounge in here, too.
Any advice?
Thank you for your time and please excuse the length.
