I'm coming here about my cats because...

[dexterbirdie]

I am on another pet forum and they are all about forever homes for cats NO MATTER WHAT.

So, heres my problem. I have three cats. Katie, an old snowshoe mix, Allie, a 4 year old Dlh, and Ponyo, a 3 year old dsh.

Ive had katie since she was 2, she is now 9. Allie since she was 6 months and Ponyo since she was less than a week old. She is a foster failure from hell. Katie used to be an indoor outdoor cat and sometimes pees inappropriately. Allie and ponyo have been in a pissing war to see who can pee the most on the couch and in the hallway/all corners of the house).

We rent and they have ruined the carpet. They have destroyed our new couch. Allie is super sweet, but Ponyo is a psycho.. They have had all kinds of labs done at the vet and the vet has determined their peeing to be behavioral.

I don't want to get rid of them, I really don't. But I cant take this anymore. I have to clean various parts of the couch everyday, but nothing gets the stink out anymore. I've tried different deterrents, but nothing phases them. I have to constanly attempt to keep the carpets clean. They pick on my old lady cat so she just hides out in the bathroom cupboard all day now. They have 4 LITTERBOXES which stay frightening clean.

I think I need to rehome the two trouble makers.

 

[suileeka]

I think I need to rehome the two trouble makers.

Given litterbox issues are one of the top reasons cats are surrendered to shelters and almost invariably put down... Well. Good luck.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Have you tried feliway? Honestly, if you give these cats away and the issues keep happening in the new home they will inevitably be put down. I have heard feliway works wonders and would give it a shot if you can. You could also watch that cat guy on Animal Planet... forgot his name but he is pretty cool and helps implement changes for the better. I know there are some episodes with peeing cats.

 

[Parront]

Sounds to me like you are in quite a quandry!
You might want to try using ODO Ban for cleaning up the couch/carpet.

As for the "forever" Home issues. In a "Perfect World" that would happen, but we do not live in a perfect world.
Sounds to me like these scoundrels might do better living in an outside environment. Or with someone who has experience in changing such a bad behavior. Are they "fixed"? Sometimes that is an issue as well in that they mark their territory.

I wish you luck.

 

[Sharon]

All I can say is that I would not be able to take that, either. I can't imagine that it's very healthy for the people in the house. I do know that some issues like this have been solved by behavioral experts, but I don't know how feasible that is for you. I doubt that anyone is going to adopt though, unless the behavior is addressed.

 

[SandraK]

Has this behaviour just started or has changed?

 

[Mizzely]

Lydia started peeing in the house after Koopa got here, and did so again after Gizmo came. So for her, it is behavioral, too. Each time, the way we solved it was to either introduce a new type of litter box, or move it to a new spot entirely, and switch litter brands. We also spray the areas she eliminated at with lemon juice after cleaning it up. This is a bird safe deterant that has helped us. We also have to be sure to clean her box twice a day, and completely empty it of old litter and wash it out with bleach or similar (nothing citrus scented!) once a week. It's annoying, but you just have to keep trying different things to see what works. Lydia is very sensitive, and yes rehoming her would be easier in some ways, but I couldn’t do that to her

 

[SandraK]

Has this behaviour just started? Has something changed in your family? I'd hoped to PM you but since I can't, I'm going to tell you a story and if you have questions, just ask or draw your own conclusions.

Coworker shared a flat with boyfriend and her teen daughter (who split her time between dad's place and mom - coworker). Coworker & BF had "Stormin' Noman", male cat, had his quirks but was well behaved. Unbeknownst to coworker & BF, teen daughter got pregnant. All coworker & BF knew was that "Stormin' Norman" turned into a peeing fiend for, as far as they knew, no reason whatsoever. After attempts to prevent/stop/restrain him to no avail, he was put to sleep. Some time after that, teen daughter fessed up and coworker figured that the change in her daughter's hormones had caused Norman's peeing (and vet, when consulted, agreed that he'd seen it happen before).

Just a thought ...

 

[dexterbirdie]

I've tried feliway in different forms, they are all spayed. I have tried almost all of the odor/stain/pee removers on the market but its so embedded at this point nothing works.

I don't want to rehome them. I know the almost inevitable outcome. I've been in rescue since I was 14. Because of our strange weather here this year, it's still kitten season... Ponyo almost went to my bosses barn, but they went on vacation and that fell through and now they changed their mind

.

 

[suileeka]

All I can say is that I would not be able to take that, either. I can't imagine that it's very healthy for the people in the house.

It's hellish to live with. I've dealt with it with several cats. But.. it's basically one of those situations where you suck it up, do your best to solve it and live with it, or resign yourself to the fact that your cats are either going to be put down or relegated to living a short, unpleasant life outdoors. Because that's what will happen if you try to 'rehome' them.

 

[suileeka]

I don't want to rehome them. I know the almost inevitable outcome. I've been in rescue since I was 14. Because of our strange weather here this year, it's still kitten season... Ponyo almost went to my bosses barn, but they went on vacation and that fell through and now they changed their mind
.

I know you're renting, but could you tear up the carpet anyway and replace it with something easier to clean? Chances are pretty high that it's going to have to be replaced when you move out anyway.

 

[ThatDarnBird]

Gosh it sounds like you are having a really hard time of it.Inappropriate urination is one of the most frustrating and complicated problems a cat slave can have. Are they all spayed? Is it possible to keep them (or at least one of the troublemakers) in a seperate area and rotate them around? Can you consult with cat specialist veterinarian or a vet that at least limits their practice to cats? A cat vet is the one that is most equipped to help, though it could well be through a lot of trial and error. You need to find out what is wrong with the dynamics in your household. Behavior problems can be adressed but how successfully depends on a lot of variables and a lot of dedication on part of the vet and owner.

I do not not think a person should keep a pet at all costs. Certainly a pet owner should do everything they reasonably can to resolve a problem but if the situation has become intolerable for all involved then rehoming might be the best thing. However, you should be aware that rehoming cats that pee outside of the litterbox will be very difficult. For the safety of the cats NEVER lie about the problem or gloss it over with a potential adopter. Someone who adopts a cat and then discovers the unpleasant problem could take it to animal control or abandon it somewhere or pass it on to someone else. Cats that have these problems will be at high risk of losing the adopted home. There is no way around that, nobody wants a pet that is going to pee on their stuff. You cannot be sure that removing the cat from your home will cure it's problem. If you are to the point that rehoming is your next step you might want to see if you can find someone to foster a cat for a short period of time to see how the step will affect your household and what the behavior of the cat is once it's removed from your household.

 

[Yoshi]

Feliway can help, so can cat attract litter. Its expensive but I know some swear it works to end inappropriate behavioral peeing.

But sometimes there are just too many cats for the space - especially if there are any territorial issues between them and nothing but rehoming will work. Cat are more inclined to be loners and while they can make bonds with other cats its not like dogs who thrive on a pack type environment and a lot of people forget that.

Personally I would try the cat attract litter (I never did have much luck with feliway) and make sure you clean everything well with an enzyme cleaner. If this does not get the issue resolved I would rehome one of the cats and see how 2 together do. You might be surprized that just reducing the number by one will solve the issue. If not then place the other. Good luck trying to find good homes. That will be the hardest part and probably why the cat forums are about keeping them forever. There are so many cats out there in need od homes that finding good ones can be hard.

 

[dexterbirdie]

Nothing has changed. Theyve been doing it since they were young. My husband is about to put them both outside. We have tried EVERYTHING per vets/behaviorists/rescues/friends. I have never been one to get a pet, get bored and ditch it. This breaks my heart, but I Just. Can't. Do it.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

You definitely have a big problem and I understand it completely. The two young ones are in a territorial war and the urinary marking and fighting are the symptoms. Did Katie and Allie get along OK before Ponyo arrived? If so, I would look into placing Ponyo in a new home and that should eliminate the urinary war. It sounds like Ponyo would do much better as an only cat. As an immediate intervention, I would isolate Ponyo and Allie in their own rooms, if possible. The best room is to place them with a litter box, food and water in a bathroom where they cannot ruin carpet. It also forces them to retrain themselves to use the litter pan and that can only help. Also, removing them from the war and the couch, breaks the ever escalating fight over territory. Let me guess, you sit on the couch or close by and pet them, right? Sounds like those two are fighting over you and your attention to me. Very usual. I would isolate them in cages in separate parts of the house out of sight from one another if I could not put them in separate rooms. You have to break the behavior and that also means they cannot be out of the cages unless they are being supervised. Can you close off the room with the couch in it? Deny them their marking platform? This would help as well.

Three cats is the most difficult number of cats to manage, in my opinion. It is so easy for two cats to gang up on the third and that is what is happening with Katie. They are taking out their individual frustration with one another on poor Katie so she gets attacked by both. Poor baby. Perhaps a retraining with the litter pan would help Katie as well. Does she urinate on furniture or just the corners of the floor, etc? If just the floor, she is marking her territory and this may be difficult to train her against. You can put mothballs sewn inside cloth pouches to discourage her from marking, but this is an ingrained behavior by now.

I understand your problem intimately. If you think I can help, pm me.

 

[Mizzely]

Nothing has changed. Theyve been doing it since they were young. My husband is about to put them both outside. We have tried EVERYTHING per vets/behaviorists/rescues/friends. I have never been one to get a pet, get bored and ditch it. This breaks my heart, but I Just. Can't. Do it.

So if you are already resigned to getting rid of them, why are you posting about it here? People will continue to offer advice because we don’t know what you’ve tried. Are you just looking for permission? You are an adult, and can make your own decisions without the internet’s good tidings.

 

[suileeka]

Someone who adopts a cat and then discovers the unpleasant problem could take it to animal control or abandon it somewhere or pass it on to someone else.

Or worse.

I have been able to resolve the issue with one of my cats, whose problem peeing stemmed both from being spayed too late and from being terrorized by more dominant female cats.. But it required a lot of time and micro-managing of the household cat dynamics. In Spook's case, she was given the more 'desired' portion of the house - which was the living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. - and Storm (her terrorizer at that time) was given a less-desirable part of the house (a back bedroom) and only allowed out with strict supervision. I would say it took about 6 months to a year of this for Spook to gain enough confidence that she wasn't peeing nervously and trying to mark out territory for herself all the time, and for Storm to stop trying to intimidate her all the time.

I was never able to solve the issue with my boyfriend's late female, whose problem went unaddressed for a decade before we moved in together. We just put up with it and managed the issue as well as we could until she passed away last year. Feliway has never done a bit of good for any of my cats.

 

[suileeka]

Feliway can help, so can cat attract litter. Its expensive but I know some swear it works to end inappropriate behavioral peeing.

Yes! Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter really is good. I think it's one of the best products out there.

 

[dexterbirdie]

So if you are already resigned to getting rid of them, why are you posting about it here? People will continue to offer advice because we don’t know what you’ve tried. Are you just looking for permission? You are an adult, and can make your own decisions without the internet’s good tidings.

i guess I was really hoping to hear some unusual tricks that maybe I haven't heard before.

 

[ThatDarnBird]

Nothing has changed. Theyve been doing it since they were young. My husband is about to put them both outside. We have tried EVERYTHING per vets/behaviorists/rescues/friends. I have never been one to get a pet, get bored and ditch it. This breaks my heart, but I Just. Can't. Do it.

You saw a cat behaviorist? Someone who has a degree in animal behavior with a specialty in cats? Many people think a veterinarian is a behaviorist but that is not necessarily true. Some vets are very good with behavior problems and some are not. Rescues are probably not equipped to advise you on serious behavior problems either. If you have not found someone that has helped the keep searching. You need someone with a specialty in feline behavior.

Lois also has some very good advice.