Ongoing Litterbox Issues (pleas Help!)

[justagimmick]

Hi,
haven't posted here in a while. I'm back again with the same issues; my male cat is pooing and peeing/spraying in the house. This has been an ongoing battle for most of his life; it seems to get better then resurfaces. We are currently going through the worst I have ever known it, with daily occurrences.

I know for a fact that part of it is down to a stray that has been visiting our home every day since January. This tom cat howls outside our front door twice a day. I have tried to shoo him off, but he keeps coming back. This is making Freddie increasingly anxious and so I know it is a territorial spraying. Conflict with my other cat has also increased (he seems to seek her out to fight?).

The problem is...I can't do anything more than I am doing. I'm trying to sort out getting this cat into a rescue/finding its owner, but what happens when the next stray comes around?
I have tried the suggestions from the vets; we have litter trays, they are cleaned daily - but he refuses to use them. He has safe spots to sleep (I cleared the top of our wardrobe and he likes it up there). Both cats are fed separately in different rooms.

I'm at my wits end. To top it off, we are expecting our first child in November. I cannot have a cat that soils on soft bedding/furniture with a newborn. Its not feasible

The vet has suggested a behaviourist, which tbh is just not something I can afford with a baby on the way and impending reduced income.

I feel defeated. I have had Freddie since he was 4 months old. He will be 5 in July. I cannot cope with his behaviour and no longer know what to do other than rehoming him (which upsets me more than I can say, I've been sobbing most of the evening over the thought of it).

I know this seems to be more about me and how I feel; please understand I don't want to be that owner who ditches their pet because it is no longer convenient but I don't know what to do. He isn't happy. The impending arrival of a screaming infant is probably going to make things a lot worse given his anxious nature and things are already getting to breaking point.

What more can I do? Please help!

 

[2rescuekitties]

Is he fixed by any chance? I know that especially for male cats getting them fixed helps quite a bit with taking their hormone levels down a notch.
And as far as that stray cat goes would you possibly be able to trap him and get him fixed as well? I'm not sure where you live but I know that some shelters or even rescue groups offer lowered rates and pricing for feral cats. So getting both males fixed might solve the problem because maybe the outdoor stray is also peeing near the house or the doors and your male cat thinks his territory is being threatened.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Do you have a private yard? If so, there are motion-activated, directional sprinklers that you can find that aren't hideously expensive. Place them at the perimeter of your yard. After a few good dousings, the local stray/feral/outdoor cats will NOT bother you again! As for your front door situation, a motion-activated air can might do the trick there. NO cat will willingly put up with air blasted at his face more than once or twice.

 

[justagimmick]

Hi, thanks for replying and sorry for the delayed response.

Yeah, he's fixed. We are in the UK, and I have reached out to the charity I adopted my cats from only to be told I need to get the stray checked for a microchip. I am not equipped to catch him - I attempted to paper collar him to try and find his owner and ended up with nasty scratches.
I've made use of a local lost pet group to post a 'found' ad with no joy so far. We don't seem to have TNR as much over here. Someone has indicated a local charity that rehabilitates strays, but they are currently full as they are very small.

We cleared our front garden this past weekend and I sprayed down the front door to clean it of any scenting from the stray. I have also been shoo'ing him off and spraying him with hose when I see him come around (this really upsets me!). I don't know if this is helping Freddie (my cat) as I am still finding new urine patches daily - however the pooping seems to have stopped as we have no new incidents this past week.

I am worried that trying those types of cat deterrents will just upset mine more? They are outdoor/indoor cats, have their own cat flap and come and go as they please (I will say this is fairly typical in the UK). I have considered trying to keep Freddie indoors, but this would probably only exacerbate everyone's misery!

And to top it off, the weather is now getting warmer... my whole house smells of cat pee.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

As for the "wanderers, you might consider spraying the perimeter of your garden daily with citrus oil. It's somewhat toxic to cats, but they avoid it. That might also keep yours IN the garden. You do have to do it daily, or more often, after a heavy rain.