Territorial Mayhem - Litterbox advice needed

[SachiAndSekha]

Hello all,

I am glad I found this forum. We are at our wits' end with our 2 year old Bengal, Sachi. She has had litterbox issues since she was a kitten, but lately she has refused to use it entirely. It's to the point that half of our furniture and carpet are destroyed. We clean stains obsessively with enzyme cleaner, keep the litterbox emaculate, tried feliway, calming collars and nothing seems to help. Sachi also went to the vet last week and everything checked out fine, they confirmed that it is a behavioral issue.

We have an 14 year old Bengal, Sekha, and they have never gotten along. They never hurt each other but I do worry sometimes because Sachi is nearly double Sekha's weight. Sachi constantly stalks Sekha and jumps on her. She is obsessed with smelling her butt and running to cut her off, all of which Sekha hates. Ever since Sekha first met Sachi as a Kitten, she has hissed at her. (Sekha never hissed before meeting Sachi, she has always been the sweetest laid back cat.) Although Sachi can come across as a dominant bully, she is extremely high anxiety. She is terrified of certain noses and will jump at a sound as simple as a glass being set down or someone opening a door. We don't have kids, our home environment is calm and quiet.

Our theory is that Sachi doesn't want to share a litterbox with Sekha, but it's impossible for us to separate them in a 900 sq foot house. We have 4 boxes for two cats. (One was recently introduced and it didn't seem to help the situation.) Sekha has always had good litterbox habits, she will use whatever box is in front of her. They both want to be near us constantly.

We absolutely love these girls and desperately want to make things work. Any advice you have is appeciated!

Thanks!

-Molly

 

[maggie101]

I would take her to a vet. Is she fixed?

 

[SachiAndSekha]

I would take her to a vet. Is she fixed?

She went to the vet last week and they recommended a behaviorist. (Which I am looking into.) Yes, she is spayed.

 

[maggie101]

My cat Maggie has never liked Coco. every time Coco sees her coming towards her,Coco jumps high then Maggie leaves her alone. Tables,, couch,bureau,etc. My couch is covered with baby blankets. Maggie is bigger in size. Probably why my 7pd cat does not like maggie chasing her for fun

 

[Beaubyrichmond]

We have a similar issue, we have an older cat (7) and we got a new kitten in December. Ever since we have had ongoing issues with the elder cat not using the litter, we never had issues before introducing the second cat.
Commenting in case there is any advice provided as outside of looking into behaviourists I’m out of ideas also!

 

[Alldara]

Four cats is a lot for an apartment!
I know you said there is 0 way to move the boxes, but it's likely to be the only way...that's a huge territorial issue for cats with territory issues that are further stressed by the addition of a new cat. Is there any way you could consider a cat door to another closet with an enclosed box inside?

There are functional furniture pieces like this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XT1KS7T/?tag=

there are plant holder ones and also cat trees with litter box space at the bottom on Wayfair.

Cat Tree With Litter Box | Wayfair.ca

 

[Furballsmom]

our home environment is calm and quiet.

I know what you meant, but actually it isn't, especially not for Sekha.

However, whatever the behaviorist says, IMO you simply don't have enough space for these two specific cats to coexist, and I would suggest to keep a close eye on Sekha. This level of constant stress is hard on cats.

In case this could help;
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Alldara]

Going to recommend some other things that you may already know but:

1. Feliway multicat. It can help.

2. Roll back the introductions between the cat peeing and the aggressor. Start fresh and go slow until it's right. See the page on introductions here, and/or Jackson Galaxy's video on it.

3. Territory assessment:
A. Pathways to/from resources: food, beds, water...you have multiple cats so there needs to be multiple pathways for each resource to reduce stress. Think upwards in small spaces. Can you use trees or even shelving to create paths?

B. Enough resources: are they constantly having to be in one another's space for all of their resources? Water, beds, scratchers? How can you fan out their resources and combine that with multiple pathways to and from? If they have to compete for all resources, litter might be the one that's got her at breaking point. Especially if there is only one access point to all four boxes (again, I don't know your set up).

4. Type of litter and type of boxes - what are you currently using? What have you tried? Sometimes a deeper box will help because they can hide their business better. Maybe high sides, or covered or uncovered or a corner box...easier to know when we know what you're using.
You could also post a photo of your litter area if you're comfortable and that could help show us what it looks like now. We can help make suggestions to the litter area for cat's comfort.

 

[Alldara]

Another question is: how much play and enrichment are the cats getting?
If one is spending time getting in another's face, boredom can also contribute. (Like two children bothering each other).
You may need to dedicate more playtime for each. If Nobel gets hissy, I know Calcifer needs more play time from me.

 

[SachiAndSekha]

Four cats is a lot for an apartment!
I know you said there is 0 way to move the boxes, but it's likely to be the only way...that's a huge territorial issue for cats with territory issues that are further stressed by the addition of a new cat. Is there any way you could consider a cat door to another closet with an enclosed box inside?

There are functional furniture pieces like this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XT1KS7T/?tag=

there are plant holder ones and also cat trees with litter box space at the bottom on Wayfair.

Cat Tree With Litter Box | Wayfair.ca

To clarify, we have 2 cats and 4 litter boxes. (I agree four cats would be too much!) We have a small two story house - one box is upstairs, two on the main floor, and one in the basement. We previously had two boxes upstairs and one in the basement. That set up was working for a while but Sachi gradually stopped using them entirely. The main floor boxes seem to be helping but she is still having accidents.

 

[SachiAndSekha]

Another question is: how much play and enrichment are the cats getting?
If one is spending time getting in another's face, boredom can also contribute. (Like two children bothering each other).
You may need to dedicate more playtime for each. If Nobel gets hissy, I know Calcifer needs more play time from me.

We make an effort to play, but I'm sure they would benefit from more. Especially Sachi, she is young and full of energy. There was much more playtime when I was working from home during the pandemic. I think the adjustment of me going back to the office has been difficult for Sachi because we adopted her during the pandemic and she was used to us always being home. My partner works from home but he is tied up for much of the day. Sekha is at an age she she has little attention span for play, but she loves sit with us on the couch.

 

[SachiAndSekha]

I know what you meant, but actually it isn't, especially not for Sekha.

However, whatever the behaviorist says, IMO you simply don't have enough space for these two specific cats to coexist, and I would suggest to keep a close eye on Sekha. This level of constant stress is hard on cats.

In case this could help;
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) – TheCatSite Articles

Thanks for the article. I think adding more cat furniture / climbing areas is the next thing for us to try. Sekha is annoyed by Sachi but she seems to be surprisingly content. She sleeps on our bed most of the day. (Sachi has learned not bother her on the bed.)

 

[SachiAndSekha]

Going to recommend some other things that you may already know but:

1. Feliway multicat. It can help.

2. Roll back the introductions between the cat peeing and the aggressor. Start fresh and go slow until it's right. See the page on introductions here, and/or Jackson Galaxy's video on it.

3. Territory assessment:
A. Pathways to/from resources: food, beds, water...you have multiple cats so there needs to be multiple pathways for each resource to reduce stress. Think upwards in small spaces. Can you use trees or even shelving to create paths?

B. Enough resources: are they constantly having to be in one another's space for all of their resources? Water, beds, scratchers? How can you fan out their resources and combine that with multiple pathways to and from? If they have to compete for all resources, litter might be the one that's got her at breaking point. Especially if there is only one access point to all four boxes (again, I don't know your set up).

4. Type of litter and type of boxes - what are you currently using? What have you tried? Sometimes a deeper box will help because they can hide their business better. Maybe high sides, or covered or uncovered or a corner box...easier to know when we know what you're using.
You could also post a photo of your litter area if you're comfortable and that could help show us what it looks like now. We can help make suggestions to the litter area for cat's comfort.

I watched the Jackson Galaxy episode with the cat who was afraid to use the litterbox because of a resident aggressor. We actually the opposite situation. (At least I think we do.) Sachi is the bully and she is the one not using the box. She has cornered Sekha by the box but Sekha holds her own and Sachi will eventually back down.

I think we can improve on multiple entries/exits to the boxes. Thanks for that suggestion. We also need more cat furniture and climbing areas. Right now we just have two full size scratching posts that are about waist height. Sachi loves to be up high.

We are using the Breeze Pellet system, 3 are covered and one is open. They are all in corner or tucked near other furniture. A covered Pellet box is all Sachi has ever known, the open box is only used by Sekha. I recently tried pine litter pellets and Sachi wouldn't go near it. After a thorough cleaning, I got her to use the box with breeze pellets and litter attractant sprinkled in. I have considered trying clay litter but I hate the mess. (That being said, it is less of mess than pee on the floor.)

We have two food stations, two water bowls, and a cat fountain that is pretty much only used by Sachi. Food stations are on the main floor and second floor. The only issue we are having with food is that Sachi is obsessed with stealing Sekha's kidney care food.

Thank you for your suggestions! This is helpful.

 

[Furballsmom]

stealing Sekha's kidney care food.

You could consider getting a feeder that's activated by the cat's microchip ( in this case Sekha's), that might help with this.

Sachi constantly stalks Sekha and jumps on her. She is obsessed with smelling her butt and running to cut her off, all of which Sekha hates. Ever since Sekha first met Sachi as a Kitten, she has hissed at her

As I mentioned, and particularly since she's a kidney kitty you'll want to keep a close eye on Sekha, and definitely keep up with semi-annual wellness checks for her.

 

[Alldara]

I watched the Jackson Galaxy episode with the cat who was afraid to use the litterbox because of a resident aggressor. We actually the opposite situation. (At least I think we do.) Sachi is the bully and she is the one not using the box. She has cornered Sekha by the box but Sekha holds her own and Sachi will eventually back down.

I think we can improve on multiple entries/exits to the boxes. Thanks for that suggestion. We also need more cat furniture and climbing areas. Right now we just have two full size scratching posts that are about waist height. Sachi loves to be up high.

We are using the Breeze Pellet system, 3 are covered and one is open. They are all in corner or tucked near other furniture. A covered Pellet box is all Sachi has ever known, the open box is only used by Sekha. I recently tried pine litter pellets and Sachi wouldn't go near it. After a thorough cleaning, I got her to use the box with breeze pellets and litter attractant sprinkled in. I have considered trying clay litter but I hate the mess. (That being said, it is less of mess than pee on the floor.)

We have two food stations, two water bowls, and a cat fountain that is pretty much only used by Sachi. Food stations are on the main floor and second floor. The only issue we are having with food is that Sachi is obsessed with stealing Sekha's kidney care food.

Thank you for your suggestions! This is helpful.

A closed door between them while eating might be helpful. Preventing further issues that we can is always the best route.

One side notes: sometimes we see the one as a bully, but the other is getting away with things when we aren't looking and instigating. Eventually, we discovered our late cat Lily was actually bullying Nobel and acting like the victim. If you're interested, an old phone as a camera might help.

I would never suggest clay for a cat with already litter issues. Swheet Scoop or similar might be more helpful or Arm and Hammer corn based litter. I used to sprinkle a little of that on top, to help cushion the paws. Unfortunately my local stores don't carry it anymore so we do a mix of pellets and soft step, both by Okocat.

Your litter set up sounds great with the four boxes (thanks for clarification! Hopefully the info helps the other person who was following with the same issue too).

It sounds like the lid makes her feel safe. Sometimes if my cat isn't making it for some reason I try taking the kids off for a few days. I don't think it would help from what you describe.

If she's in a room by herself for the day with food/water/litter will she use the box completely? How far away from the box are her most frequent accidents? Does she have arthritis at all?

You can certainly try some electronic toys for your younger cat. Any enrichment that keeps her busy while you work. Bird watching, hiding toys or a treat ball, cat tv/discovery channel/animal planet or catnip. We've also done toys in water, ping pong ball in the bathtub, dangling random toys around....We've really had to ensure that Calcifer gets 10 minutes of play before work (me before I leave and my wife before she starts), and my wife plays on lunch, then when I get home, and again before bed. Even 5 minutes is great.

If they eat any dry food you can toss them for her. Especially up the stairs is a great way to burn energy.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Have you tried training Sachi to walk on a harness and lead? Bengals usually take to this quite well. That way she could get outside time and it will help to tire her out. Bengals tend to have high energy. I see you've watched some of Jackson Galaxy's videos. When there is an issue like this, he often suggests harness and lead and also getting a toy the cat can jump for and chase. He's got loads of really helpful videos.

 

[Alldara]

Oh! Thinking outside the cat-box, have you tried puppy pee pads? Yous can start where her most frequent accidents are, slowly move towards the box. Backtrack as needed. It might save some cleaning for you. You can get reusable ones for environmental friendlyness.

 

[sunny578]

Lots of great advice here! Please keep us posted! I just skimmed through, but I would also rec trying more uncovered boxes, and a more sand like litter. Even if you have your covered boxes in ideal locations, the cover can make it so cats can feel trapped inside. I've got lots of personal experience with this, so let us know if you need more ideas!

 

[dli2509]

How are things going for you now? We’re in a similar situation and would love to hear if things worked out.

 

[Alldara]

How are things going for you now? We’re in a similar situation and would love to hear if things worked out.

Feel free to ask any further questions or provide any clarification for your situation as well! Many of us have had experience with the issue. Good luck!