cat issues

[tomig]

I have a cat that is about 3 years old and ill be moving soon. There are a few things that may be an issue with this. First off penelope has a tendency to pee in different places of the house. That started about 2 years ago when i brought a puppy into my bed. I lived with my mom then and it just kept happening. I figured she wasnt happy because my sister and her family lived with us. Also she obviously didnt like that puppy. Now ive lived on my own for about a year. Her urinating didnt happen often and it still doesnt now that im in my own place its only happened a few times but a few times is still a few times too many. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I had a feeling that she was doing it because I would leave and stay at my boyfriends house mostly after I got off of work because it was late. I'd come home to feed her and make sure everything was ok and she had what she needed then a lot of the time we would leave and go back to his house. I didn't like being away from her so long but it was a car situation. I don't have a license and my boyfriend and his brother share their car. Things don't happen this way anymore seeing as I am out of work but that's because I'm moving soon. Back to my cat issues though. I know her peeing anywhere other than her litter box is not because of a uti or anything I've recently brought her to the vet. The best they could do was make me spend more money and get the hormone deffuser feliway. Although being away from her seemed like the answer not being an expert I can't really say. Not too long ago my boyfriend was out of town for two and a half weeks leaving me completely alone with my kitty and she seemed to enjoy it a little bit. She really is not big on affection so it's hard to say. During this time I decided to make an appointment to bring her to the vet to rule out this being health related. And it so was but on the day I brought her to the vet I had let her out on the porch because she likes to sit outside. Its screened in so I know she's fine out there. I walked outside at one point to check on her and found her in the act of peeing on the bench. I was not happy. So I'm still confused On why she's doing this, but I still believe that me not being home all the time is part of it. I try my hardest to keep her happy and everything I do what I can to spoil her but she doesn't seem to care about anything. As I said she is not affectionate and hasn't been her whole life. She was rescued by my cousin when she was a tiny kitten. He found her in the middle of a railroad crossing. And being an animal lover I Couldn't let her live with my aunt or she'd turn into a neighborhood street kitty...
My second issue is that when I move I will be moving into a house with 5 other animals. 2 cats one of which will be outside and 3 dogs. All inside and 2 of them are larger dogs. One being a weimaraner who would probably give her a heart attack thinking she could play with Penelope. My cat hasn't really been ok with other animals since she was a kitten looking for someone to play with. Now she sees a dog and she is in instant defense mode as most cats are.
So these are my cat issues and I'd really love it if I could get some help. I don't want to have to leave my cat with my mom while I'm living two hours away but if I can't get her to live with these other animals and stop urinating anywhere but her box then I won't have much of a choice. I've posted on a different site but nobody would help me they just seemed to think the best thing was to tell me that I'm a horrible person and I should just give her up. So if anyone could help me without their criticism then that would be great. I'm just here looking for help with something I don't even know how to begin to find answers to without having to call an expert and spend money I do not have. Please and thank you

 

[kittytech27]

Hi @tomig  I actually thought alot about your kitty issues and I hope I can give you some suggestions to help you and your cat. I applaud you for not wanting to just give up on her. That would be the easy thing to do, and I'm happy that you truly want find a solution. So let's go through your kitty issues one by one

1. Inappropriate urination-This can be a tricky one. There are several things you can try. She seems to like to dig and urinate on soft stuff like cloth so you could use puppy pads in the litter box. Or try another type of litter. You may have to go through several types to find one she likes. But let's start with the pads since we know she likes the soft texture. Once she is using the box with the pads in it try sprinkling some litter on top of it, adding a little more litter every few days. If she goes outside the box, take a step back. If adding litter makes her stop you may have to continue using pads. You could also try using pine shavings or shredded paper, as they are softer than litter.And be a litter box cleaning fool! Some cats just abhor going in the box if it's dirty. Can't blame them, I like my bathroom clean too. If she absolutely will not use the box there is a "tough love" training that my vet recommended and I have used with success and that is to crate her. Get a large dog crate and set her up to live in there. Give her a litterbox, food, water, bed and toys. If she pees on the bed replace it with newspapers. She can come out while you are able to supervise her. Make absolutely sure she does not pee anywhere! Be diligent about the supervision. Keep her in the crate for 21 days. After that try her in one room with the litterbox. If she successfully uses the litterbox 100% of the time, you can expand her territory slowly.

Another thing you will have to do is thoroughly clean all the pee places. And not just soap and water. There are several enzymatic cleaners that are available, my favorite is Anti Icky Poo. It was designed to clean up the aftermath of murders and such so, it's pretty good stuff. Follow the manufacturers instructions.

2.Introducing her to other animals-This is almost never as easy as simply putting all the critters under the same roof and hoping for the best! Ideally the dog in this situation should be trained too. I understand that it's not your dog, but I highly suggest asking your friend to train the dog, at minimum, the command "leave it." Most dogs can learn this command fairly easily and it will potentially be life saving should the introductions not go well. I'm sure there are sites that can explain how to do this.  Back to the cat. When you bring your cat in give her her own space, like your room, and don't be in a hurry to bring her out in the main area. Several reasons, the other animals, and her litter box issues.  If she is stressed out she will probably start going outside the box again and we want to avoid that. Rub all the animals with rags and pass them out so they all can learn each other's scent. Give her treats while she is smelling the scented rags so she makes a positive association with the other animal's scent. Start feeding the animals on opposite sides of the closed door. Again, we're building positive associations. With the dog outside, let your cat have her first foray out in the main area. Put her back in her room and let the dog in to smell around. Plenty of treats to all of them. Take as long as you need. If the process is rushed there will be problems, and it's much harder to erase a bad memory than to slowly create good ones. If everyone seems calm with the feeding on opposite sides of the door, crack it open. If you get a bad reaction, close it. A good reaction leave it open for a lil bit and then close it. Build up the time the door can be open.When you think everyone is ready to actually be introduced do some preparations. Make a high spot for the cat to be on, so she can look down on the dog and see it and still feel safe. For the dog, take it out and play until it's exhausted. I mean really wear it out so it won't be in super-hyper-play mode. Bring the dog in on a leash once it is calm and feed it. Have kitty on her safe spot and give treats. Keep the dog leashed so if the cat bolts back to the bedroom the dog can't chase her. With patience I think they will eventually learn to be ok with each other, even if they're not best friends. 

3. Better relationship with your cat- You don't actually list this as a problem, but you refer back to it often enough that I think it should be addressed. She is not super affectionate and that is ok and pretty normal for a female cat. My experience is that queens are more independent than toms. There are other ways to connect with your cat than just petting. Simply blinking slowly at your cat is greeting her affectionately in a way she understands. Try it! And don't be surprised if she blinks back at you. Play is a great way to spend time with her. Not just toss some jingly balls on the ground, but interactive play. Get a cat wand and play with her several times a day. Da Bird is a fantastic toy and I have yet to meet the cat that doesn't love it. Play with her by flinging the toy around and then at the end of the play session let her catch it and give her some treats. After she has her treats she will probably groom and then take a nap.This is the natural rhythm of a cat's hunt-eat-groom-sleep cycle and it will make her feel good to follow that rhythm. Another wonderful way to bond with her is by training her. Yes, cats can be trained. All of my cats are trained to sit, spin, sit up, give a paw and follow a target. I have had quicker results training cats than training dogs. Look up cat clicker training. There is all kinds of information out there on how to train your cat. Try it, you might be very surprised at how intelligent and willing she is. 

I hope that my super long answer helps you and your cat. I wish you all the best with her. Don't give up your cat, she hasn't given up on you

 

[tomig]

Well first off thank you
I do have a few questions though. The litter box, I use the arm and hammer because its a fine grain and I've heard that fine grain is usually more comfortable on declawed paws. So your saying it's possible that even the fine grain is bothering her. I assume that she is doing this while I'm not home since I've only caught her once. Usually she's stays in the same room as me. If I leave one for more than about 3min she will come looking for me. I won't rule out the box I ideas you've given me I have a hammie so I have the shaving bedding
Introducing the animals, what you've given me sounds great and I believe it will work. The only places I'll be having problems with this getting someone to help me. I dint know how dedicated anyone else would be with this, the dogs are completely ok with cats so they will not be too much if a problem and being dogs you know they will practically be willing do this. I really do hope that Penelope will come to terms with everything and realize that it's not the end of her spoiled kitty world. She is such a diva sometimes too, getting all twitchy tail at me when I pet her sometimes. She's not aggressive. And won't actually bite me she might get her teeth on me but she won't do it with intent to harm more of a hey leave me be. I've heard about the whole slow blinking thing with your kitty and I've always loved it when she would do this even before I knew it meant something good I have a feathers and and I probably need to go get a new one because she's pulled out most of the feather! I will make will start making a thing of it to play with her more often. I had order some shoes and she just loves the box and the shipping bag that they came in she's a chubby fluffy thing so she likes how big they are. The only toys she really likes is tin foil balls and I'm always fishing them out of places when she comes to me crying about them. I've always wondered about cat training and its great to know it's possible and easier than a dog. Which I know takes a little work. Thank you so much for every thing you've told me your words are very helpful

 

[kittytech27]

Yes, even the fine grain litter may not be too comfortable for her being a declaw. I would probably start with the puppy pads in this case. Or you can get several litter boxes and fill them with different substrates to see what she prefers. Other options would be sand or even soil. I have also seen declawed cats that preferred a larger material like wood pellets. Experiment and see what she likes. I would still ask your friend about training the dog, or ask if you can train the dog. Teaching the dog "leave it" would be great even in other situations, like if the dog is chasing wild life or has something in it's mouth that it shouldn't. It would definitely be beneficial for your friend, the dog, you, and your cat. I hope this helps, any more questions you have I will try to answer. Best of luck to you and Penelope