Introduction problems- older cat peeing

[Trixie&Doja]

Trixie is 7 years old and has been with me since she was about two months old. She was found in an old warehouse, very underweight (only a pound at first vet visit who also estimated age). Another kitten was found near her deceased, plus one more that went to another home, no sign of mom. She has always been very sweet, but very shy and skittish- she hides first, then comes out if it’s me, anyone else around she stays hidden. She loosens up around the people she sees often (first my ex and then my now husband) and will act more like a “normal” cat around us, purring, sitting on or near us, playing. She’s had a few litter box issues over the years, but all were easily fixed (getting used to new box, new litter type, an obstruction that caused her to go outside box). Otherwise, she is just shy and skittish, no other behavior issues, and very small- just 5 pounds.

My husband’s parents took in a stray, let Pumpkin regularly go outside, no vet visit or spaying, and “surprise” she ended up having a litter of kittens on March 2nd (luckily they have not let Pumpkin go outside since, have now taken her to the vet, and she is getting spayed next month). My husband volunteered us as a home for one of the kittens, and we took Doja home on Mother’s Day so around 10 weeks old. I had not done any research about introducing cats which I now feel guilty about.

We set Doja up in the basement level of the house so she could start exploring. She was a little timid over the first hour or so but quickly started exploring. At some point during the evening, Trixie wandered downstairs and discovered Doja. There was definitely some confusion and a puffy tail, a couple hisses, but no major confrontation. Trixie then seemed to just be very curious, maybe a bit fearful, but that is typical for her about everything! I set Doja up with her own food and water and litter box, and over the next few days, Doja mostly kept to the basement, but started exploring more and started sleeping with us. Trixie would avoid being next to Doja or in the bed at the same time as her. Still no major confrontations, just not being best friends.

On Saturday, I noticed the first issue. I discovered that Trixie had at some point peed and pooped on a garbage bag in a corner of the room that is somewhat hidden behind one of my closet doors. She had also peed and pooped on a comforter that was on the floor while I was washing the duvet cover. I noticed her scratching at it which led to the discoveries. Not great, but I cleaned it all up, checked that there was no issues with her box, and went on with my day.

On Sunday, I was awakened suddenly by a hot wet feeling. After some initial confusion, I realized that Trixie had peed on me!!! She had been sitting on me while I slept which was typical, and just peed right on the blanket which soaked through to me and into the mattress cover a bit. Getting woken up at 6am by your cat peeing on you is not great, let me tell you!!!

At this point, I assumed that this behavior was about Doja as Trixie had also started to get a little more aggressive towards her. Noticed some batting at her and hissing. This is when I actually did some research and discovered this site. So I put Doja into our guest room with her box, scratching pole, toys, food bowl and water. Started with the sock, and food bowls by the door. All seemed to be going well. Trixie would try to see under the door, no issues reacting to the sock, she is eating from her bowl near the door. I slept in the guest room with Doja the past two nights as she would cry and meow if left alone.

Last night, I decided to try to do the space exploration. I put Doja into the office then put Trixie in the guest room. She started sniffing around, and then I left her to go make dinner. Went back up about twenty minutes later and put Doja back into the guest room. At bedtime, I realized that while Trixie had been in the guest room, she had peed on the bed!!

Tried to have Doja stay in the room alone since I couldn’t sleep in the bed, but she was crying and meowing and scratching on the door. So I put Trixie down in the basement as that is where her litter box is, closed that door, and am letting Doja have the run of the upstairs levels right now. Not sure where she is at tge

I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep so found myself back on this site and hoping for some advice!!! Trixie peeing all over is not great

 

[ArtNJ]

First, I was going to suggest thinking about a coincidence/UTI, but on second thought, with the pooping in the mix, it just seems too unlikely. Its a bit unusual to have litterbox problems without other signs of obvious high stress. Other than the litterbox, you didn't really report anything that seemed particularly bad. But cats can show stress in different ways, so lets assume your cat is in fact very stressed.

Second, make sure you are using an enzyme cleaner on the accident spots to get rid of the hidden smell (or its a "bullseye" for future accidents).

Third, lets take the stress down as low as possible while we get this behavior stopped. Put the new kitten in a safe room for a while, and dont do *any* formal introduction steps for now. The kittens smell will still be wafting throughout the house, this time isn't useless.

Fourth, once the litterbox issues are back under control, here is our guide. How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles. If the litterbox problems were not because of a UTI, you'll have to go slowly.

Fifth, take a few basic precautions while you are resetting the stress level. Namely, keep your resident cat off the bed (out of the bedroom if needed), and try and put away overly tempting targets. No clothing left on the floor, bathmats may need to be hung up, nothing soft that can be needed with the paws lying on the floor. A plastic garbage bag is apparently close enough -- I had that too. Basically, if its not hard/rigid, and its on the floor, its at elevated risk.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't offer much more than what has been discussed above, but I do want to say that Trixie should have her routine returned to 'normal' as much as possible, especially since it sounds like she might be a bit on anxious side in general. I also think this new addition to your home has Trixie feeling a bit insecure, so another reason for ensuring Trixie doesn't have to have her whole world disheveled all at once. Bringing back some normalcy for a while should go a long way to help with Trixie's inappropriate peeing.

Your problem is with what to do with Doja while she is in her 'designated' room to help calm her. She was really allowed to venture other parts of the house way too quickly and that is going to be very difficult to back track now. You might want to try calming diffusers (for both cats), heartbeat toys or a ticking clock, soothing music, and leaving some of your worn unwashed clothing with Doja - not to mention some toys she can play with on her own - when you spend time doting on Trixie.

I don't know how you and your husband are splitting new cat/old cat duties, but if you are taking on most of the responsibility, talk to him to discuss ways that he can help you juggle with giving quality time for both cats.

A couple more TCS articles that might be helpful.
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[sunny578]

Hello! I have been urinated on in my sleep too. It's pretty awful.

So, it sounds like the accidents have only been going on for a few days, right?

And, it sounds like you have a two level home? And two litter boxes--one for Doja and one for Trixie? And they were living together well for about a week before the first accident?

Accidents have been on the beds, and on a plastic bag on the floor?

I would start by adding more litter boxes to the main level of the home. In multi cat homes and in homes with cats prone to anxiety, it's important to make sure that the cats have lots of easy to access litter boxes. It might be too much for Trixie to go down into the basement to get to her box. It's like having a new annoying roommate that you might go to extra lengths to avoid. Trixie might feel nervous about running into Doja on the way to her box, or getting stuck in the basement if Trixie makes it down there and then doesn't want to run into Doja on the way back to her preferred spot. Easier to just go on this plastic bag, or to go on the bed that she's been sleeping on where she feel extra comfortable and safe.

Are your litter boxes hooded? If so, I would add in some uncovered options for now. Cats can fear being ambushed while using their box, and it's good to place boxes in spots where a cat can use it and can survey their territory while doing so. You also want boxes to have multiple points of exit and entry (ie not shoved in a corner or a closet.)

Where does Trixie spend most of her time during the day? Is she into cat trees or other high up spaces? Does she have lots of those to jump to? Providing lots of high of spaces for her will expand her territory and help reduce stress.

What about scratching posts? Another element to accidents in a multi cat household has to do with the cats trying to spread their own scent. Urinating/defecating is one way to do this; scratching is another.

What happens when everyone is together? What would happen if you started moving a fishing pole toy around? Might Trixie and Doja both start to play?

Did Trixie sleep on the bed before Doja came? You might put a fun new cat tree right by your bed for either Doja or Trixie to claim so then the other can sleep on the bed. Or you could get two cat beds to plop on top of your bedspread. Either way, it sounds like something needs to be done in the bedroom so that they both feel like they have a space that is theirs that's close to you, and it sounds like locking Doja out isn't really an option.

Since the beds have been an issue, you could consider getting a couple of tarps to throw on them when not in use, just during this introduction period. But, it sounds like it's only been a couple of accidents, so maybe you don't feel like this is necessary.

Finally, I'd make an effort to make Doja smell like Trixie. I'd brush Doja with a brush that you just used on Trixie, throw some of Trixie's discarded hair on her/her things, etc.

Please keep us posted! I have lots of experience with this issue, so hopefully I can help!

 

[Trixie&Doja]

Hello! I have been urinated on in my sleep too. It's pretty awful.

So, it sounds like the accidents have only been going on for a few days, right?

And, it sounds like you have a two level home? And two litter boxes--one for Doja and one for Trixie? And they were living together well for about a week before the first accident?

Accidents have been on the beds, and on a plastic bag on the floor?

I would start by adding more litter boxes to the main level of the home. In multi cat homes and in homes with cats prone to anxiety, it's important to make sure that the cats have lots of easy to access litter boxes. It might be too much for Trixie to go down into the basement to get to her box. It's like having a new annoying roommate that you might go to extra lengths to avoid. Trixie might feel nervous about running into Doja on the way to her box, or getting stuck in the basement if Trixie makes it down there and then doesn't want to run into Doja on the way back to her preferred spot. Easier to just go on this plastic bag, or to go on the bed that she's been sleeping on where she feel extra comfortable and safe.

Are your litter boxes hooded? If so, I would add in some uncovered options for now. Cats can fear being ambushed while using their box, and it's good to place boxes in spots where a cat can use it and can survey their territory while doing so. You also want boxes to have multiple points of exit and entry (ie not shoved in a corner or a closet.)

Where does Trixie spend most of her time during the day? Is she into cat trees or other high up spaces? Does she have lots of those to jump to? Providing lots of high of spaces for her will expand her territory and help reduce stress.

What about scratching posts? Another element to accidents in a multi cat household has to do with the cats trying to spread their own scent. Urinating/defecating is one way to do this; scratching is another.

What happens when everyone is together? What would happen if you started moving a fishing pole toy around? Might Trixie and Doja both start to play?

Did Trixie sleep on the bed before Doja came? You might put a fun new cat tree right by your bed for either Doja or Trixie to claim so then the other can sleep on the bed. Or you could get two cat beds to plop on top of your bedspread. Either way, it sounds like something needs to be done in the bedroom so that they both feel like they have a space that is theirs that's close to you, and it sounds like locking Doja out isn't really an option.

Since the beds have been an issue, you could consider getting a couple of tarps to throw on them when not in use, just during this introduction period. But, it sounds like it's only been a couple of accidents, so maybe you don't feel like this is necessary.

Finally, I'd make an effort to make Doja smell like Trixie. I'd brush Doja with a brush that you just used on Trixie, throw some of Trixie's discarded hair on her/her things, etc.

Please keep us posted! I have lots of experience with this issue, so hopefully I can help!

Thank you, sunny578, FeebysOwner and ArtNJ! The accidents started probably Friday, noticed the second Saturday, and then the third was the peeing on me- sorry that you can relate to that one, sunny! After that unpleasantness is when I put Doja into her Sanctuary Room. All seemed to be going back to normal, no accidents, until I let Trixie in there yesterday, and she peed on that bed.

3 level home with bedrooms and office upstairs, living room and kitchen on main level, and then a family room in basement level. The laundry room is also down there which is where Trixie's litterbox is located. There is a cat access door into the laundry room, and there is a pocket door I can slide closed to the entire basement. This is why I put Trixie down there as I could close it off while giving Doja more space than the small room. Doja's box is in her sanctuary room. Trixie has always done well with just the one litterbox, but it wouldn't hurt to set up another one as you suggest! Her box is in a large cabinet that my brother built specifically for this purpose with an entrance on just one end. She has always seen it as a safe space and has hidden in there in the past when she has felt threatened by child guests searching for her in our home...

Trixie typically spends most of her day sleeping in our bedroom. When it is cold, she is under the bed right next to the heater vent. When the heat is not on, she sleeps on top of the bed. She has also made the top of the guest bed her other main warm weather sleeping spot which now that Doja is in there and the heat is off, she can't access. This is also the exact spot where she peed when she had access to the room.

This all makes me think that the peeing is territorial, but I'm a newbie to the cat psychology! She marked our bedroom while Doja was likely in the bed, she marked specifically on top of me where she usually sleeps when she had claim to the bed, and then she marked the other spot she usually sleeps on the guest bed. She has not marked anywhere outside of the bedrooms (yet, and let's hope not at all!).

Doja pretty much stayed off the bed last night even though she had access to it. She didn't jump up until early morning at which point I put her back in her room and checked on Trixie. Trixie did well in the basement level as she had not marked anywhere and was just calmly perched on one of the couches. I took Trixie in to bed with me until it was actually time to get up and she seemed very happy.

I'm thinking it might be a good idea to keep Doja off of our bed or out of our bedroom all together but I'm not sure how. There isn't a cat tree in the room, but Trixie does sometimes climb up onto a shelf in my closet and sleep on my clothes. It would be hard to close off the bedroom totally as I can't put a litterbox in our bedroom. I tried this in the past and got zero sleep due to Trixie being an excessive waste coverer.

Eric has been showing love and affection to both cats, and today he had Doja in his office with the door closed when I woke up. We will try to get both of them in the same room playing separately tonight if that seems like a good idea? I will definitely try out the making Doja smell like Trixie suggestion prior to this!

 

[Trixie&Doja]

First, I was going to suggest thinking about a coincidence/UTI, but on second thought, with the pooping in the mix, it just seems too unlikely. Its a bit unusual to have litterbox problems without other signs of obvious high stress. Other than the litterbox, you didn't really report anything that seemed particularly bad. But cats can show stress in different ways, so lets assume your cat is in fact very stressed.

Second, make sure you are using an enzyme cleaner on the accident spots to get rid of the hidden smell (or its a "bullseye" for future accidents).

Third, lets take the stress down as low as possible while we get this behavior stopped. Put the new kitten in a safe room for a while, and dont do *any* formal introduction steps for now. The kittens smell will still be wafting throughout the house, this time isn't useless.

Fourth, once the litterbox issues are back under control, here is our guide. How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles. If the litterbox problems were not because of a UTI, you'll have to go slowly.

Fifth, take a few basic precautions while you are resetting the stress level. Namely, keep your resident cat off the bed (out of the bedroom if needed), and try and put away overly tempting targets. No clothing left on the floor, bathmats may need to be hung up, nothing soft that can be needed with the paws lying on the floor. A plastic garbage bag is apparently close enough -- I had that too. Basically, if its not hard/rigid, and its on the floor, its at elevated risk.

Thank you for the advice! I made sure to move anything on the floor that's a potential target before I left for work! I think you are right that she is stressed, but she is always anxious, so the extra stress isn't as noticeable. I used the enzyme pet cleaner on the spot today. Didn't have time to throw in the wash yet, but this was the blanket that she had previously peed and pooed on.

 

[Trixie&Doja]

I can't offer much more than what has been discussed above, but I do want to say that Trixie should have her routine returned to 'normal' as much as possible, especially since it sounds like she might be a bit on anxious side in general. I also think this new addition to your home has Trixie feeling a bit insecure, so another reason for ensuring Trixie doesn't have to have her whole world disheveled all at once. Bringing back some normalcy for a while should go a long way to help with Trixie's inappropriate peeing.

Your problem is with what to do with Doja while she is in her 'designated' room to help calm her. She was really allowed to venture other parts of the house way too quickly and that is going to be very difficult to back track now. You might want to try calming diffusers (for both cats), heartbeat toys or a ticking clock, soothing music, and leaving some of your worn unwashed clothing with Doja - not to mention some toys she can play with on her own - when you spend time doting on Trixie.

I don't know how you and your husband are splitting new cat/old cat duties, but if you are taking on most of the responsibility, talk to him to discuss ways that he can help you juggle with giving quality time for both cats.

A couple more TCS articles that might be helpful.
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do) – TheCatSite Articles

Thank you for the advice! Things seemed to be going back to normal with Trixie until I had her explore Doja's Sanctuary Room. You are right that Doja got a taste of freedom a bit too soon! Now she knows what is out there and keeps trying to escape or crying. She has lots of toys and the scratching post with a little ball on it, and I will try the clothes suggestion as hadn't thought of that! I could also try the soothing music pretty easily. I had been sleeping in the guest room with Doja and Eric in our bedroom with Trixie, but couldn't do that last night due to the pee. We have both been taking turns going into the guest room to hang out and play with Doja. Outside of the room, we are just letting Trixie do her normal thing. Which for her, normal is hiding under the bed, coming by us while we watch tv, or just staring out the front window.

 

[Trixie&Doja]

Also, I forgot to mention that I bought Trixie the Sentry calming collar on Sunday. Not sure if it is definitely making a difference or not...