Cat Peed In Other Cat’s Litter

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

My roommate recently brought her 6 year old cat to our apartment where I have a 1 year old cat. The two cats aren’t fighting but are still pretty distant. Today the older cat went in my cat’s litter box and peed in it. Will this cause my cat to not want to use his box now? Should I scoop the pee out immediately or do I need to repoace all the litter? Will this affect his use of his box?

 

[Norachan]

No, you don't need to do that. Sharing litter boxes is a good sign, it means the cats are starting to accept one another.

How have you introduced the two cats? There are some steps you can take to make sure they get along well.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

 

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

Sorry for posting yet another question under cat behavior so soon after my last, I just have a lot of questions as I’ve never had two male cats living together before. I noticed tonight that my cat Jasper (1yo male) was doing something weird(?) when looking at our new addition, Kitty (6yo male.) It was as if whenever Jasper looked at Kitty, Jasper would immediately close his eyes. He would open them a little as if to peak and see if Kitty was still looking, then quickly close them. Jasper looks away and opens his eyes like normal, but closes them when looking at Kitty. Is this Jasper showing submissiveness? I don’t understand male-male cat interaction. Jasper gets along great with female cats but this is his first time living with a male since he lived in the shelter. Kitty was previously an indoor-outdoor cat. They aren’t fighting but they aren’t friends (they’ve only been together for 1 week.) Any advice or insight?

 

[danteshuman]

Cats closing their eyes (the slow blink) is a sign of trust. It is how kitties hug! They must be getting along great!

 

[5starcathotel]

As others have indicated, both behaviors are things you want to encourage!

Scent swapping (using each other's litter boxes, laying in each-other's beds) is the goal that many cat owners struggle to achieve when introducing strangers.

And slow blinking translates as "hello....I'm not threatened by you...can we be friends?" Jasper is hoping that Kitty will become a friend / playmate. You can encourage this relationship by playing with Kitty with interactive cat toys, that of course Jasper will love as well.

So I'd say introductions are going along great!! Just to make sure things still proceed smoothly - I'm guessing both cats still have separate feeding areas? Start to move those closer together, by about 1 foot per day, even if they end up eating the hallway. And have defined feeding times, 2x per day, one from you, and one from your roomate. That will help both cats accept each other, and the other human, as part of their colony.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Good signs.
It all just most probably mean that you will have a peaceful household.

 

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I feel much better about it now. They do have separate feeding areas, though both cats have gone into each other’s rooms and eaten from each other’s bowls. I do feel like they’ve made progress having only known each other for a week. Kitty is more stand-offish, usually hiding in his room, and last night was the most interaction they’ve had yet. Kitty took a liking to Jasper’s catnip mouse and needless to say was he flying high, which is what prompted all of this social activity.

Low-quality picture of Kitty (high on catnip) in an unusually playful mood while Jasper watches incredulously:

 

[Maria Bayote]

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I feel much better about it now. They do have separate feeding areas, though both cats have gone into each other’s rooms and eaten from each other’s bowls. I do feel like they’ve made progress having only known each other for a week. Kitty is more stand-offish, usually hiding in his room, and last night was the most interaction they’ve had yet. Kitty took a liking to Jasper’s catnip mouse and needless to say was he flying high, which is what prompted all of this social activity.

Low-quality picture of Kitty (high on catnip) in an unusually playful mood while Jasper watches incredulously:
View attachment 298449

Awws, seems like Kitty is already trusting Jasper. Such cuties.

 

[Norachan]

That looks very promising.



It takes a lot for cats to trust each other enough to play that way.

 

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

Kitty used Jasper’s litter box again this morning and looked Jasper right in the eyes as he did it. Is this still a good sign? It felt like he was giving Jasper the finger.

 

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

 

[5starcathotel]

Kitty used Jasper’s litter box again this morning and looked Jasper right in the eyes as he did it. Is this still a good sign? It felt like he was giving Jasper the finger.

There is one other thing to consider: where is Kitty's feeding area? Cats (like most animals) instinctively don't like to defecate where they eat, so Kitty's preference for Jasper's box could simply be the same reason we don't put toilets in our kitchens!

Another reason why combining their feedings in a common area of the house, and letting them share meals together, is a goal to work to.

 

[Norachan]

Is Kitty using the other litter box too? Which one is Jasper using? You could try putting Kitty's box where Jasper's is and Jasper's box where Kitty's is.

Some locations are more popular than others, for reasons that mere humans can't figure out. I have two litter boxes in my bedroom. The one on the right gets used several times a day, the one on the left only a few times a week. They're identical boxes with the same kind of litter, but for some reason they all prefer the one on the right.