New Cat Peeing On Bed/fighting With Other Cats

kelseyd17

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Hi there,
I had 2 female (spayed) cats (4 years and 2 years) and recently adopted a 3rd cat, a male, 6 years old. The cats have not really adjusted yet and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

The “girls” do not like him, which I expected, but hoped they could get over it. They didn’t like each other at first but ended up being partners in crime.

They often get in hissing/growling fights just over being in the same area, etc. they don’t want to walk past each other. We have 2 litter boxes scooped daily one on each floor of the home. The male cat slept with us every night for the first week, and still does sometimes. He has now peed on our bed twice and is peeing and pooping in our closet. I do not want to return him to the shelter, as he was previously returned supposedly due to allergies in the home. He’s been through a lot and I want to work with him and make this work but I really have no idea where to start. I have witnessed urinary infections in my female cat and think this is not the same but behavioral.

How can I help improve this situation? Right now I’ve been leaving him in the spare bedroom with a litter box food and water so he can’t pee in our room, which isn’t a good solution and won’t work long term. Is there hope for these 3 getting along and my male peeing where he should? I am feeling so discouraged.

Also wanted to add that the male cat is neutered as well and was a stray prior to his initial failed adoption. He tries to escape out the front door regularly.
 

di and bob

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It is still VERY early in the introduction game, cats hate change and all involved have been through a lot. As long as there is hissing, growling and maybe a tussle or two without drawing blood or bites, everything will work out in time. females are not known to be lovey or to accept a stranger in their midst. As long as everyone has a high up place to get to for some get away time, everything will work out and a hierarchy will be established. The peeing is because he is trying to establish himself and is most likely getting banned from the litter boxes by the smell of the females, I would get another litter box if at all possible and make sure they are giving him access to the others. If he likes to go in private in the closet, then establish one nearby, even if temporarily until everyone settles down, and keep the closet door closed.
He may not act like it, but he is very afraid. He was abandoned, put in a terrifying, horrible place for a cat and will take months to show his true personality. My tribe took almost a year before they accepted each other, but eventually they will call a truce and accept each other as a family unit, complete with occasional squabbles and all the other dysfunctions. Try to feed all close by each other, food brings about good feelings, and make sure everyone can observe everyone else from a safe spot, my Chrissy spent many months in a bed on top of the fridge. My Burt peed everywhere after we moved and took months to stop, but once he became comfortable in his place in the home he did stop.I know it's hard, but eventually it will all straighten out, it just takes lots of time and the patience of Job. Don't give up on him, it WILL get better! And you have us to talk to!
 

Shane Kent

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Welcome to The Cat Site.

I have 6 large litters for 4 cats. It took me close to a month and a half to introduce the second set of cats to the first set of cats. I kept the second set of cats isolated in a spare bedroom. There are articles on this site for introducing cats and dealing with litter problems.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide

Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet

16 Experts Reveal The Most Common Litterbox Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)

The litter box articles, as well as other articles, have links in them to more articles.

There are also articles on dealing with stress as the cat is probably stressed out with all the changes in his life. He will be really stressed out if his original home was relatively quiet with little to no action because now he has lots of action not to mention the new surroundings.

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?

Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

You, Your Cat And Stress

You can go to the article part of the website and search for keywords like "stress", "introduction", "litter", etc.

You should read through the articles and post questions back to this thread. Be sure to keep people on here informed of your progress. Those articles are not the be all and end all. There are lots of people on here with plenty of experience and great advice. Try as hard as you can to not get stressed out by the situation. You being stressed out is likely to stress out the cat creating a loop of stress that builds up.

It is nerve racking at first I will admit. If you are calm and patient it gets easier and easier.

This is my four on Dec 26, 2017

Took me over two hours to get them all together like that. Time and patience, it was worth it, that is by far my favorite photo of them :)

Be sure to post back to this thread with your progress or problems. Post lots and lots of photos, people on The Cat Site love cat photos:) All the best to you and the kitties.
 
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tarasgirl06

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Hi there,
I had 2 female (spayed) cats (4 years and 2 years) and recently adopted a 3rd cat, a male, 6 years old. The cats have not really adjusted yet and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

The “girls” do not like him, which I expected, but hoped they could get over it. They didn’t like each other at first but ended up being partners in crime.

They often get in hissing/growling fights just over being in the same area, etc. they don’t want to walk past each other. We have 2 litter boxes scooped daily one on each floor of the home. The male cat slept with us every night for the first week, and still does sometimes. He has now peed on our bed twice and is peeing and pooping in our closet. I do not want to return him to the shelter, as he was previously returned supposedly due to allergies in the home. He’s been through a lot and I want to work with him and make this work but I really have no idea where to start. I have witnessed urinary infections in my female cat and think this is not the same but behavioral.

How can I help improve this situation? Right now I’ve been leaving him in the spare bedroom with a litter box food and water so he can’t pee in our room, which isn’t a good solution and won’t work long term. Is there hope for these 3 getting along and my male peeing where he should? I am feeling so discouraged.

Also wanted to add that the male cat is neutered as well and was a stray prior to his initial failed adoption. He tries to escape out the front door regularly.
Did you give him his own room for the first couple of weeks, introducing him gradually to the other members of the family? This is how cat behavior experts suggest doing when adopting a new cat. This is in effect what you are doing right now, which is a good decision. As for the closet, I believe the experts would suggest temporarily putting a box in there, and gradually moving it closer to the regular boxes on that floor of the house. I pray you will not return him to the shelter! Love and patience are key, along with consistency. Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist extraordinaire, host of Animal Planet's "MY CAT FROM HELL", author of several books including CAT DADDY, and host of many videos on YouTube, has lots of great advice on litterbox issues. You can seek him out on social media, as well. Good luck, and please do be patient with your new family member. The previous posters have some very good ideas. To them, I would add that a good enzymatic cleaner is essential for "accidents" -- we have used Nature's Miracle-Just For Cats, widely available wherever cat products are sold -- for years and think it is the best.
 
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kelseyd17

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Here’s a pic as requested :) Winifred, top left, is 2 years old, she was a young mama cat that I took in and spayed and fell in love with. Fluffy, top right, was the first one we had, is 5 years and adopted from the shelter. Bubba, 6 years is the male on the bottom who we recently adopted from the shelter— he is a BIG boy.
 

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tarasgirl06

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Here’s a pic as requested :) Winifred, top left, is 2 years old, she was a young mama cat that I took in and spayed and fell in love with. Fluffy, top right, was the first one we had, is 5 years and adopted from the shelter. Bubba, 6 years is the male on the bottom who we recently adopted from the shelter— he is a BIG boy.
What gorgeous cats, all three! Bubba looks like he has some Maine Coon genes, and of course Winifred definitely has Siamese genes. Calico beauty Fluffy is gorgeously colorful!
 

Shane Kent

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Here’s a pic as requested :) Winifred, top left, is 2 years old, she was a young mama cat that I took in and spayed and fell in love with. Fluffy, top right, was the first one we had, is 5 years and adopted from the shelter. Bubba, 6 years is the male on the bottom who we recently adopted from the shelter— he is a BIG boy.
Lol, maybe the problem is he doesn't like the name Bubba. He might be a little sensitive about his weight:) Beautiful cats.
 
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kelseyd17

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Thank you all, we went out tonight and got another big litter box, and are about to clean out the bedroom closet to put it in there for him at least for now. I will update on if this helps.

Thank you for the comments, I think they’re all quite pretty myself :) and I wondered if he had some Maine coon, since he is so tall and long not just chubby although he definitely is haha.
 

tarasgirl06

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Thank you all, we went out tonight and got another big litter box, and are about to clean out the bedroom closet to put it in there for him at least for now. I will update on if this helps.

Thank you for the comments, I think they’re all quite pretty myself :) and I wondered if he had some Maine coon, since he is so tall and long not just chubby although he definitely is haha.
Good on ya for doing that! (And yes, he definitely has that look about him.)
 

nunnc84

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Hi there,
I had 2 female (spayed) cats (4 years and 2 years) and recently adopted a 3rd cat, a male, 6 years old. The cats have not really adjusted yet and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

The “girls” do not like him, which I expected, but hoped they could get over it. They didn’t like each other at first but ended up being partners in crime.

They often get in hissing/growling fights just over being in the same area, etc. they don’t want to walk past each other. We have 2 litter boxes scooped daily one on each floor of the home. The male cat slept with us every night for the first week, and still does sometimes. He has now peed on our bed twice and is peeing and pooping in our closet. I do not want to return him to the shelter, as he was previously returned supposedly due to allergies in the home. He’s been through a lot and I want to work with him and make this work but I really have no idea where to start. I have witnessed urinary infections in my female cat and think this is not the same but behavioral.

How can I help improve this situation? Right now I’ve been leaving him in the spare bedroom with a litter box food and water so he can’t pee in our room, which isn’t a good solution and won’t work long term. Is there hope for these 3 getting along and my male peeing where he should? I am feeling so discouraged.

Also wanted to add that the male cat is neutered as well and was a stray prior to his initial failed adoption. He tries to escape out the front door regularly.
I had a failed introduction female to female cat. The cat was so scared, she pooped and peed out of the box. Then I got her, a box for herself; put her in her own room with food a water. The other cat didn't like anyone else in her territory. The new cat was hunted, and assaulted.
Everyone is right, it just takes time.
My story ended, I gave the aggressive cat back to the no kill cat shelter.
I have the shy cat, she took a while to warm up. She is still avoidant.
 

MeganLLB

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He most likely pooped and peed in your room because that is where he was sleeping with you and was marking that space. I would put a litterbox in your bedroom for awhile. You need at least 3 boxes minimum anyway for 3 cats. Then you should do some sight/smell swapping. Let him explore where the girls hang out and then let the girls explore where he is staying. Also try to feed them in the same area as close as they will allow it and every day try to feed them all closer and closer together. You want them to associate each other with something positive. I would play with him a lot then feed him treats after and play with him around the girls.
 

nunnc84

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He most likely pooped and peed in your room because that is where he was sleeping with you and was marking that space. I would put a litterbox in your bedroom for awhile. You need at least 3 boxes minimum anyway for 3 cats. Then you should do some sight/smell swapping. Let him explore where the girls hang out and then let the girls explore where he is staying. Also try to feed them in the same area as close as they will allow it and every day try to feed them all closer and closer together. You want them to associate each other with something positive. I would play with him a lot then feed him treats after and play with him around the girls.
A family that eats, plays, sleeps together stays together! LOL
 

maggie101

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A co worker of mine is having the same problem with her cat. I asked if there had been any changes. They got a new puppy. I told her eleven though they get along he has taken over her territory
 

maggie101

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After a year my cat Coco, rescued, will leave my bedroom on her own and sleep on my couch. Still afraid of my cat Maggie. Maggie tolerates her but still hisses. They will even sleep on my couch and eat together
 

tarasgirl06

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A co worker of mine is having the same problem with her cat. I asked if there had been any changes. They got a new puppy. I told her eleven though they get along he has taken over her territory
Oh, poor cat!!! *very BAD decision on their part!* Hope they do the right thing and prioritize their cat.
 
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kelseyd17

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The three not-yet-amigos are eating together for the first time tonight. Oddly enough, bubba does not use the 3rd litter box added to our closet where he was messing, but it did stop him from messing there... so I guess we’ll see what hppens. There has been nothing in that box from any of the 3 of them! They are slowly adjusting I think, my white one Winnie antagonizes him and will run up and attack him from behind. How do I handle it? I still have to get on them a couple times a day to leave each other alone, but I think we are taking baby steps in the right direction.
 

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tarasgirl06

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The three not-yet-amigos are eating together for the first time tonight. Oddly enough, bubba does not use the 3rd litter box added to our closet where he was messing, but it did stop him from messing there... so I guess we’ll see what hppens. There has been nothing in that box from any of the 3 of them! They are slowly adjusting I think, my white one Winnie antagonizes him and will run up and attack him from behind. How do I handle it? I still have to get on them a couple times a day to leave each other alone, but I think we are taking baby steps in the right direction.
If they actually seem as if they will do harm to one another, then definitely break up the fight, however you are able -- clapping your hands and saying "NO NO!" in a firm voice, or if you must, using a spray bottle or a broom handle if they're actually rolling around in a ball of fury. Otherwise, cats will need time to establish their hierarchy. This is something they naturally do, and they need to do it. If no harm is being done, let them sort out their order themselves. *And very good on ya for the litterbox work! This is what experts recommend, and it seems to be working!*
 
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