Tommy Behavior

[malini]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask you for advice with our 15 month old kitten Tommy. Smokey, his brother, has always been the leader, he's very independent. They were adopted by us in May 2013. They were just a few weeks old . My 15 year old daughter and I became their mamas, cuddling them, giving them baby formula and lots of love. They have adjusted very well and are very happy kittens =^..^=

I have a problem with Tommy regarding his bathroom behavior. He has never covered his poo and also pees everywhere in the house or patio if we leave him alone. I don't know if Tommy is trying to mark his territory. My daughter and I feed 3 feral cats in the back of the patio and in the front of the house. I would really like for Tommy to be able to go in the patio with his brother Smokey and play, run and enjoy his life, but he prefers to stay indoors. Whenever we try to put him out, he runs inside immediately, as though he were scared. They're usually let out around 8:30 PM in the patio. I would really appreciate any advice you might have. Thank you very much!

~Malini

 

[siamese mommy]

Has Tommy been neutered?

 

[malini]

Yes, all three of our indoor cats are fixed.

 

[siamese mommy]

Okay... How many litter boxes do you have set up?

 

[malini]

I have one litter box close to where Tommy and his brother Smokey have two bedroom for their play area another in the patio for both of them too. Star has her own in the other side of the patio/pool area..

 

[siamese mommy]

Hmmm... Sounds like you're doing all the right stuff with the litter boxes.  I've had my boy do this a couple of random times.  Each time, I took the litter box he normally uses and completely changed it - threw out all the litter, scrubbed the box good, then started with a fresh liner and brand new litter.  You might want to try that.

Another thought...  Maybe it's time to have a check-up at the vet, to see if there is anything going on with him health-wise that would make him act differently?

 

[malini]

Hello everyone,

I would like to inform you that Tommy is doing much better. Our Vet found out he had Feline Idiopathic Cystitis. He is ok now after giving him some anti- inflammatory medication and  changing him to wet food.

He was having small puddle of pee all over while he was sick. Now, he continue with the bad habit of peeing in our sofas which I covered with training pads .. He has the litter box close to his room and clean all the time. I am very frustrated and don't know what else to do. He is around 28 moths and ever since he was growing up we have this situation, His brother Smokey is totally different and has never pee outside of their litter box.

I do thank you all for your support and help giving me some ideas in how to stop Tommy bad habit.

Malini

 

[mani]

malini, we have an excellent article on this.. have a read through it and see if you can find anything helpful: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-solve-litterbox-problems-in-cats-the-ultimate-guide

A very important part of it is the clean-up.. if there is even a tiny bit of urine on the sofa, he will use it as a toilet.. and it's not whether you can smell it or not as a cat's sense of smell is extraordinary!  So you need to get a good enzyme cleaner specifically for this job.

I'm so glad the cystitis is cleared up.. now you just need to clear up the old urine.