Foster Kitty Moves In Resident Cat Pees On Couch

[Georgia on my Mind]

Hello,

I have two 9 month old female cats (due to be spayed in February.) I've always fostered kittens in my bedroom and while my cats didn't like them in the beginning, I would eventually be able to let them out and they would play.

I'm now fostering a very chill Persian who my cats HATE. It's been a month and they still hiss and swat at him. He primarily stays in my bedroom (I have a one bedroom apartment) but I do let him out when I come home from work. I did proper introductions - feeding on either side of the door, swapping smells, etc.)

Well, recently someone peed all over my couch cushion. I don't know who it is but suspect it's one of my girls since Foo is rarely out.

Could this be a territorial thing? Will it get better once they are spayed? Or maybe I can't foster anymore.

 

[duckpond]

I would say it is most likely a territorial thing. Some cats will also do that if sick, or stressed. hopefully the vet visit is soon? I imagine they will calm down quite a bit after being spayed. However i have 2 girls, and 2 boys, all are spayed and neutered, and i must say my 2 girls are more territorial than my boys. The boys are cool with another cat or dog being around, the girls... not so much. Good Luck, hopefully they will calm down and all will be well!

 

[calicosrspecial]

It does sounds territorial.

A vet visit is always good to make sure it is not a medical issue such as an infection etc.

I would do a couple of things. Step up play with the cats. After really good play sessions feed either treats or a meal.

I would also make sure that the resident cats have warm and comfy bedding, scratching posts and cat trees to "own".

Also, I would try to keep the cats more separated and try to make positive associations using food. And maybe do some scent swapping (supervised) and feed. Again to build a positive association and to let the cats know that the new foster cat is not a threat. If you sense any anxiety or change in behavior try to distract in a positive way.

Cats take on our emotions so be as calm and confident as possible. If we can act (and believe) that everything is fine then the cats can be more relaxed and accepting.

Our goal is to build confidence through Play, Food, Height (cat trees, scratching posts, etc) and Love. Let the cat's know that the other is not a threat and everything is fine. Makes positive associations. Build confidence and territorial security.

The more confident a cat is the more likely they will accept other cats.

I am happy to help so please ask anything anytime and update us on the situation.

 

[Georgia on my Mind]

Thanks so much for replying. I did try the scent swapping but didn't provide treats afterwards. Also, when the foster cat is out, he's been using their cat tree. Is that a no no? At least for now I guess it is. Is it bad that his scent is all over it? My girls (Georgia and Ripley) have still been using it.

Work has been busy so I've been slacking on the play. I'll step it up starting tonight.

Once again, thank you so much for your advice.

 

[calicosrspecial]

You are welcome.

When we do scent swapping we typically want to do something to associate the cent with something positive. Food is my #1 go to choice as cats love good food (treats, good wet food, chicken meat, etc). Then they smell the other cat and are enjoying themselves and a positive association starts developing.

I think for now if we can keep the foster cat away from the cat tree that might be best. We just want to have more of a positive association base to build upon. Sometimes when a cat smells another unknown (or not well known) cat in "their" territory it can cause some insecurity.

It is not bad that his scent is all over it. Just play with the resident cat's by the cat tree to build a positive association and confidence (territorial security). They like the cat tree so the fact they smell him there AND they love the tree and nothing bad happens is actually a positive.

Play and food are really important as is making every encounter (whether via scent, sight, or physical) as positive as possible (distracting with something positive as needed) and staying calm and confident and cool as possible around them to let them know that everything is ok.

Let me know how things go and if you have any questions. Don't worry this does happen but if we build confidence and territorial security it should end relatively soon. The instinct is to cover their scent so we have instinct on our side. We do still need to keep medical in the back of our minds as well.