Hi there,
Hoping someone might be able to assist with some suggestions here.
About a month ago my husband and I adopted 2 female Ragdoll cats (sisters), Maisy and Lexi, who are 15 months old. Up until the time we adopted them, they were both really good at using their litter boxes.
After we rehomed them, we kept them in the sunroom in the back of the house to allow them to settle in. We have been gradually letting them out of the sunroom into the rest of the house.
The problem is that one of the cats (Maisy) has started defacating on the lounges. She has done it 3 times now in the main area of the house and tonight she actually did it again, but this time on the lounge in "their" sunroom (because we watch them so closely in the house now we were quite surprised to see her do it in her own living quarters). Thankfully Lexi has never done this.
I know the move has been quite stressful for them, especially Maisy. The home where they came from was significantly different to ours. Previously they lived in a very small apartment with a young, working couple (no kids) who pampered them a lot. They were very closely bonded to that couple. In contrast we have a large house AND a 6 month old baby and I am home a lot during the day because I am currently on maternity leave. I also spend as much time as I can with the cats however they are probably not "molly-coddled" to the same degree as they were with their last owners, because I have a young baby to care for first!
I am guessing that the reason why Maisy is doing this is stress? Should I just lock them back up in the sunroom again for another week or so if this happens (this stresses Lexi out a bit as she loves coming out into the house but I feel like I have to keep these 2 cats together as they have never been apart before).
Wondering if anyone could offer any thoughts on this and suggestions on how to deal with it to try and get her back on track with using her litter tray?
Thanks in advance!!
Hoping someone might be able to assist with some suggestions here.
About a month ago my husband and I adopted 2 female Ragdoll cats (sisters), Maisy and Lexi, who are 15 months old. Up until the time we adopted them, they were both really good at using their litter boxes.
After we rehomed them, we kept them in the sunroom in the back of the house to allow them to settle in. We have been gradually letting them out of the sunroom into the rest of the house.
The problem is that one of the cats (Maisy) has started defacating on the lounges. She has done it 3 times now in the main area of the house and tonight she actually did it again, but this time on the lounge in "their" sunroom (because we watch them so closely in the house now we were quite surprised to see her do it in her own living quarters). Thankfully Lexi has never done this.
I know the move has been quite stressful for them, especially Maisy. The home where they came from was significantly different to ours. Previously they lived in a very small apartment with a young, working couple (no kids) who pampered them a lot. They were very closely bonded to that couple. In contrast we have a large house AND a 6 month old baby and I am home a lot during the day because I am currently on maternity leave. I also spend as much time as I can with the cats however they are probably not "molly-coddled" to the same degree as they were with their last owners, because I have a young baby to care for first!
I am guessing that the reason why Maisy is doing this is stress? Should I just lock them back up in the sunroom again for another week or so if this happens (this stresses Lexi out a bit as she loves coming out into the house but I feel like I have to keep these 2 cats together as they have never been apart before).
Wondering if anyone could offer any thoughts on this and suggestions on how to deal with it to try and get her back on track with using her litter tray?
Thanks in advance!!