Adopted stray (indoor/outdoor) and he's started marking in the house

thorax

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We have a number of cats in the neighborhood that we feed and have had fixed. One of them formally adopted us, so we started letting him in. He has recently started marking things in the house, so we've had to put him back outside only. I feel terrible.

Things I've tried:
* Fully cleaning the area with specific cat stain cleaners including Natures Miracle. He didn't seem to care.
* Bought Feliway plugin. That seemed to reduce it, but not stop him. Today we caught him marking on the other side of the house. I'm not sure if he was doing it there because its far away from the plugin, or just because he felt like it.

Background:
* He has a pet door that allows him unlimited access to the outside
* He is not litter box trained
* We have two elderly, indoor-only male cats
* We have another female indoor/outdoor stray
* In total, we have probably 8 outdoor only cats that we feed, mostly feral, all have been fixed

I *really* want to fix this, but also really don't want to wait for experiments to work while he destroys things, walls, and floors in the house. Please help!
 

Mr. Meow

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Did you introduce your new indoor/outdoor cat slowly to your only indoor male cats?

Have you had him checked for any medical issues related to the marking?

Are there other outdoor cats he didn't get along with?

A possible solution could be to bring a bit of the outdoors, inside. Try filling a litter box with dirt, mulch, leaves etc. (what he would use outside as a litter box). It could be that he's not familiar with litter, or the wonderful "scents" they put in them for us humans.
Also try to find a log or a branch to put somewhere inside for him to scratch on. Sometimes cats can relieve anxiety by scratching something.
 

fionasmom

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Is he refusing to use a litter box or has no idea what to do with one? He does not always spray in the same place from what you are saying. I brought two calico sisters in 9 months ago...by then they were about a year and a half old. One went right to the litter boxes and one refused. She used a couple of "soft" spots in secret corners until I figured out that during her outdoor life she used cement and walked away from her elimination. I gave her a litter box which I put in one of the "chosen" spots with a dog pee pad in it and that solved everything.
 
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thorax

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Did you introduce your new indoor/outdoor cat slowly to your only indoor male cats?
Yes, they were slowly introduced. In fact, one of the indoors is his favorite playmate!
Have you had him checked for any medical issues related to the marking?
Yes, he was at the vet a couple of weeks ago and was fine. However, we have another vet appointment scheduled for Tuesday.
Are there other outdoor cats he didn't get along with?
I think so. There are occasional cat fights in the woods, but no idea who they are

A possible solution could be to bring a bit of the outdoors, inside. Try filling a litter box with dirt, mulch, leaves etc. (what he would use outside as a litter box). It could be that he's not familiar with litter, or the wonderful "scents" they put in them for us humans.
Also try to find a log or a branch to put somewhere inside for him to scratch on. Sometimes cats can relieve anxiety by scratching something.
He has full access to the outdoors. I'm fine with him not learning how to use the litter box. They also have access to a bunch of scratching pads, poles, and furniture - which they all use.
 
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thorax

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I don't seem to be able to edit my posts. Oops..
Are there other outdoor cats he didn't get along with?
I DONT think so. There are occasional cat fights in the woods, but no idea who they are
 
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thorax

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Is he refusing to use a litter box or has no idea what to do with one? He does not always spray in the same place from what you are saying. I brought two calico sisters in 9 months ago...by then they were about a year and a half old. One went right to the litter boxes and one refused. She used a couple of "soft" spots in secret corners until I figured out that during her outdoor life she used cement and walked away from her elimination. I gave her a litter box which I put in one of the "chosen" spots with a dog pee pad in it and that solved everything.
He has no idea what to do with one. I've put him in the litter boxes multiple times, but he doesn't care. He isn't actually peeing in the house. He backs up to something and marks it.
 

fionasmom

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I had a boy who did that several years ago...big time sprayer and actually sprayed my face once. He passed away at a young age from a kidney condition. Not saying that your cat is sick, but glad that you will see the vet.
 
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thorax

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Everything was good at the vet. He ended up prescribing some transdermal Prozac. I hope it works, because if it doesn't, he'll have to go back outside full time. :( Wish me luck!
 
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