HELP!!!
HELP!!!
I recently moved in with my partner. I have two female kitties and my partner has a male kitty. I read everything I could get my hands on to make the proper introductions and thank goodness they tolerate each other. The problem is since we moved in the male refuses to urinate in the litter boxes. We don’t know what to do! Can someone please give me some advise????????
Re: HELP!!!
You might have to relocate the litterbox to a more accessible area or more private area, or, include another one. With a multi-cat environment, it's best to have one box per kitty.
Also consider stress, moving/relocating is a stressful event, so if you feel he is never using the box or is urinating in unusual places, it's time to get him seen by your vet to rule out possible urinary tract infection and/or obstruction, which can be caused by undue stress. Don't wait on that please.
Also consider stress, moving/relocating is a stressful event, so if you feel he is never using the box or is urinating in unusual places, it's time to get him seen by your vet to rule out possible urinary tract infection and/or obstruction, which can be caused by undue stress. Don't wait on that please.
..........Traci
Re: HELP!!!
Well, you certainly did the right thing by learning about cat introductions, your present problems may have been worse without that.
Unfortunately, the behavior you describe is somewhat common in situations such as yours, but the good news is that this is probably only temporary while everyone adjusts. Did you move your kitties to the residence of the male, or did the male get moved to the residence of your kitties, or is this a new home for all of the kitties?
How many litterboxes do you have? Some cats are reluctant to share, so the general rule of thumb is to have the number of available litterboxes equal to the number of cats plus one. Are the litterboxes all in one room? It may help to have litterboxes in different rooms if that is possible.
Until you get this problem resolved, I would recommend cleaning soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner to hide all odor. Most pet stores will have a product called Nature's Miracle that many people swear by. Whatever you do, don't scold your male cat. The resulting stress will likely make things worse.
For lots and lots of info and suggestions, I would recommend going to "Debbie's Feline Health Links", the link is under "Favorites" in the far left column of the board. From there go to "Feline Health Links" and then go to the L's in the alphabetical links and scroll down on that page to find lots of links under "Litterbox Problems."
Good luck to you and your kitties, I hope you get this under control very soon!
Unfortunately, the behavior you describe is somewhat common in situations such as yours, but the good news is that this is probably only temporary while everyone adjusts. Did you move your kitties to the residence of the male, or did the male get moved to the residence of your kitties, or is this a new home for all of the kitties?
How many litterboxes do you have? Some cats are reluctant to share, so the general rule of thumb is to have the number of available litterboxes equal to the number of cats plus one. Are the litterboxes all in one room? It may help to have litterboxes in different rooms if that is possible.
Until you get this problem resolved, I would recommend cleaning soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner to hide all odor. Most pet stores will have a product called Nature's Miracle that many people swear by. Whatever you do, don't scold your male cat. The resulting stress will likely make things worse.
For lots and lots of info and suggestions, I would recommend going to "Debbie's Feline Health Links", the link is under "Favorites" in the far left column of the board. From there go to "Feline Health Links" and then go to the L's in the alphabetical links and scroll down on that page to find lots of links under "Litterbox Problems."
Good luck to you and your kitties, I hope you get this under control very soon!
Re: HELP!!!
Thanks Traci and Ron for your advice.
Ron – I moved my kitties to the male’s residence about two months ago since then we have seen him urinate on the wall and rug a couple of times. Actually it looked like he sprayed which is unusual because he has been neutered?? We have two litter boxes in separate locations – the male never uses the females’ box but the females use his all the time. I will add another box and put it in the room the male likes to hang out in. The other thing is the male howls during the night – LOUDLY. He never did this before – is he stressed out because of the other kitties??
Thanks again for your help!
Ron – I moved my kitties to the male’s residence about two months ago since then we have seen him urinate on the wall and rug a couple of times. Actually it looked like he sprayed which is unusual because he has been neutered?? We have two litter boxes in separate locations – the male never uses the females’ box but the females use his all the time. I will add another box and put it in the room the male likes to hang out in. The other thing is the male howls during the night – LOUDLY. He never did this before – is he stressed out because of the other kitties??
Thanks again for your help!
-
Guest
Re: HELP!!!
Hi cmr319!
Well, I would say that the male definitely resents the new additions to the household. Some cats are very territorial by nature don't exactly welcome newcomers with open paws. The good news is that he will most likely adjust and his behavior should improve over time. He is going to need lots of extra lovin' and assurance that he is still #1. The howling is likely to be a result of the stress, just as you have suggested. And when a male feels "his" territory is being violated, it's not surprising that he might spray even though he has been neutered. It's good he is neutered, as the spaying would almost certainly be worse if he were an intact male.
Adding a new litterbox is a very good idea, I hope it helps. My guess is that he strongly resents anyone using his litterbox. He would quite possibly be better about using his box if he could have it all to himself again. I know it will be probably quite difficult to keep the other kitties away from his litterbox while still allowing him full access, but if you can think of any way that will work in your situation then it may be beneficial. One thing you might try is keeping the new kitties in a room (or rooms) by themselves for as long as you can with of course water, food and litterbox, thus limiting exposure between the male cat and the newcomers. Or, vice versa, keeping the male in a room by himself with his litterbox, food, etc. I would expect that over time you will have to keep the cats isolated from each other less and less, and hopefully all will fully accept each other and live together without any problems. Heck, there's even a good chance that they will all eventually become buddies.
Well, I certainly wish I could offer some more sure fire suggestions, I know problems like this can be very frustrating, but with love and patience there is an excellent chance that this will all turn out okay. Please post an update. Good luck!!!!
Well, I would say that the male definitely resents the new additions to the household. Some cats are very territorial by nature don't exactly welcome newcomers with open paws. The good news is that he will most likely adjust and his behavior should improve over time. He is going to need lots of extra lovin' and assurance that he is still #1. The howling is likely to be a result of the stress, just as you have suggested. And when a male feels "his" territory is being violated, it's not surprising that he might spray even though he has been neutered. It's good he is neutered, as the spaying would almost certainly be worse if he were an intact male.
Adding a new litterbox is a very good idea, I hope it helps. My guess is that he strongly resents anyone using his litterbox. He would quite possibly be better about using his box if he could have it all to himself again. I know it will be probably quite difficult to keep the other kitties away from his litterbox while still allowing him full access, but if you can think of any way that will work in your situation then it may be beneficial. One thing you might try is keeping the new kitties in a room (or rooms) by themselves for as long as you can with of course water, food and litterbox, thus limiting exposure between the male cat and the newcomers. Or, vice versa, keeping the male in a room by himself with his litterbox, food, etc. I would expect that over time you will have to keep the cats isolated from each other less and less, and hopefully all will fully accept each other and live together without any problems. Heck, there's even a good chance that they will all eventually become buddies.
Well, I certainly wish I could offer some more sure fire suggestions, I know problems like this can be very frustrating, but with love and patience there is an excellent chance that this will all turn out okay. Please post an update. Good luck!!!!