Whole House Smells Like Cat Pee

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
To make a long story short, we ended up temporarily adopting two extra cats and now we have four of them. The owner of both Dora and Odette is currently away in Virginia, planning on coming back to live with us, and the cats are with myself and my fiance in Canada with Fawkes and Atari who are our cats. The cats are as follows:

Atari

4 year old, short haired, female spayed brown tabby (My first ever cat)

Fawkes

2 year old, long haired, female spayed orange tabby (My fiance's cat)

Dora

4 year old, short haired, female spayed torti (belongs to friend)

Odette

2 year old, long haired, female spayed grey & white (belongs to friend)

Atari has been with me since she was 4-6 months old, Fawkes has been with us since she was found as a stray and adopted at around 5 months old. Dora and Odette moved in with us at the same time and had been living together for about a year previous to the move here. They have been with us since July and Odette and Dora's owner has been missing for the last week which has been around the time her cats have been acting out.

The pee offender is Odette, we know this because we've caught her countless times peeing on things around the house. The litter boxes are all clean, they are cleaned every two days, and there is about two-three inches of litter in each box. There are four litter boxes around the house, two upstairs and two downstairs. The two downstairs are in the living room/dining room area, the ones upstairs are in my fiance and I's room and the other in our friend's room. I don't believe the litter boxes are the problem, the other three cats seem to have no issue using them and we've seen no guarding behavior from any of the cats regarding the litter boxes. 

All of the cats have had a vet check in the last year and all are up to date on their shots. We have two 6 foot tall cat trees for them and another smaller one, they're all in different places in the house. They do seem to have their disagreements with one another but no blood has ever been drawn from one cat to another. It seems to mostly be that one cat wants to play and the other does not. 

Can anyone tell me why Odette is be peeing all over everything and how to make her stop? I'm at my wits end with her and it is incredibly frustrating.
 
Last edited:

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
AmI correct in thinking that the urinating outside the box began within the last week since your friend moved out?

If this is the case, I highly suspect that stress is the problem. I suggest investing in some Feliway diffusers to put throughout the house. You could also try using Composure chews, Composure Liquid Max or Rescue Remedy with Odette.

Also, since this appears to be a new behavior, a vet visit is certainly a good idea. Stress can trigger a UTI or cystitis. Both require the use of an antibiotic.

The areas where she has had accidents also need to be cleaned with a good enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle.
 
Last edited:

keyes

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
445
Purraise
59
You have 4 cats and 4 boxes with two to three inches of cat litter and they are "only" cleaned every two days?  That's unreal.  I'm thinking Odette doesn't care for the smell of pee either and she's doing her business where her nose isn't being assaulted by the smell in the litter box.  I empty my litter boxes almost as soon as they use them and I generally use 4 to five inches of cat litter and sometimes six and I have 5 indoor cats.   Talk to your friend and see if Odette had this problem when your friend had her.  Maybe she's stressed by all of the strange cats around her.  You didn't mention what the dynamics are as far as if all the cats are okay with each other or not. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
CatPack: Yeah, I had said that Odette and Dora's owner has been missing for the last week which has been around the time her cat have been acting out. The thing that puzzles me is that it is 'only' Odette who's having this problem. Dora came in at the same time and seems fine. She'll use the litter boxes with out a second thought. 

keyes: My understanding of an inch must differ from yours because if I used 5 inches the cat box would over flow. The litter is sitting two centimeters from the lip of the boxes. I could easily bury my hand half way to my elbow in it, there's enough litter. I could invest in more boxes, though I heard the ideal number was one per cat?

Regarding the cats and their general behavior; Dora was extremely skittish before we got her and has come out of her shell bit by bit. In her old house she would not leave the bed room, and now she'll go across the house although she still hides a lot more than we'd like. We've put up shelves to try to help her out but she doesn't seem to be using them at all. 

Atari's overall demeanor hasn't changed at all with the new cats. She still seems to act like she owns the place, is still very vocal which I don't mind, and still is a huge suck up. She avoids all of the other cats, but has done this with Fawkes before the two new ones as well.

Fawkes has changed in one area. She guards one of the cat trees possessively now which she didn't used to. Aside from that she still seems to be her happy playful 2 year old self. We're looking in to ways to coax her in to sharing the tree with the other cats.

Odette hasn't changed behavior wise aside from the peeing issue, which happened once before when my friend went on holidays for two weeks. It seems every time Brenna(my friend) is missing her cat pees everywhere. That aside Odette is still cuddly and attention seeking and seems confident as she walks all over the house with her tail held up, purring and meowing for attention.

Their interactions with one another are interesting to say the least. Fawkes seems to want to play with the new cats but always plays too rough. She gets along well with Odette and Atari but Dora doesn't seem to like Fawkes much. Atari seems to avoid all the other cats. She's not afraid of them as she'll walk right by them but she tends to stay away from them and follows me around instead. Odette and Dora are basically sisters and sleep cuddled together in my friends room on their cat tree at night. 
 
Last edited:

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
I missed the part about litter boxes being scooped every 2 days or so. The boxes should be cleaned daily, at the very least.

I still think Odette's issues are due to stress and it seems like the other cats are experiencing stress from the current living arrangement as well. I think the Feliway diffusers, as well as either the Composure treats or the like would be of benefit to all the cats.

Also, just because Odette gets super stressed from your friend being gone doesn't mean Dora will exhibit the same issue. This doesn't mean Dora's bond with your friend is any less, she just isn't affected the same way by her absence.
 

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
1) if you are able to get your hands on these items, i suggest you get them for Odette: calming cat treats & calming cat collar. I have personally used both of these and they work very well for my girl Jet who is skittish and easily stressed. Calming collars are also known to help with stress related urination of outside the box. You mention odette gets like this everytime your friend is away....if there are no health/medical reasons she is urination outside of the boxes, then it probably is due to stress. The calming treats and collars should help with her being stress about the fact that her owner is away

2) ideally in a home with one cat, it is recommended that there are 2 litter boxes. So in your case, there should 8 litter boxes in the house. If 8 boxes is not possible, try to add atleast another 2. I would suggest getting high sided boxes, or u can use storage bins, as they are cheaper, and have them filled with at least 4 inches of litter. Then you would not have the issue of having litter kicked about. Just like we humans do not want to use a stinky and dirty bathroom, cats dont enjoy using one that is dirty and stinky either. The litter boxes should be cleaned at least once a day, if not twice.

3) this is just a suggestion, but i would add more scratching post or perche. Atleast 1 more, so that u have 1 peice of cat furniture per cat. Cats can be very territorial, and often times in ways we cant see ....and this can stress out the other cats, mainly Odette.

Of course, please clean any spots in the home where odette has peed with a proper enzymatic urine cleaner to properly remove any scent of cat waste. If the cat can smell her urine she will most likely urinate in that same spot again.

I hope this helps. Good luck and please keep us posted on Odette's status/progress.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
I plan on getting the feliway diffuses as soon as I can but currently I'm broke, so that fix will have to wait for a week or so. I've never heard of the treats of collar but I'll see if I can get'em on Amazon or Ebay. Getting other boxes I can do, but again it's gonna have to wait till payday. Most of what she's peed on was laundry which has been re-laundered, so hopefully that fixes it? She was peeing on dirty laundry.

I've also done some looking around and found that Odette peeing all over the place could be what's setting Fawkes off and making her possessive, due to the whole house smelling like Odette, sound about right? Fawkes has started attacking Dora and Odette as of this morning, but she will only do it before I can put them in their separate rooms when she knows food is coming. To clarify, Odette and Dora are fed in Brenna's room and Fawkes and Atari are fed right outside of my room. They eat just fine next to their own respective 'sisters', but they will fight if we try to have all four eat in the same place. Fawkes can be a bit of a bully for food from being stray for close to three months(as far as the vet can tell). 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
I would like some help locating this comfort cat collar and treats if possible. I can't seem to find them. I found the Feliway Difusers with out a problem and am just waiting till Pay day. I live in Canada so finding some in my Country would be best. Most of the time Amazon.com won't ship to Canada ;m;
 
Last edited:

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
Check with area vets and see if they carry the Composure treats or the calming collars. Rescue Remedy can sometimes be found in health food stores that have a pet section.
 

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
 
I would like some help locating this comfort cat collar and treats if possible. I can't seem to find them. I found the Feliway Difusers with out a problem and am just waiting till Pay day. I live in Canada so finding some in my Country would be best. Most of the time Amazon.com won't ship to Canada ;m;
calming treats


composure treats


calming collar


i found these on Amazon.ca, so I hope they are able to ship to you.

The first link, i've tried these calming treats with my kitties, and They gave good results. The second link, I haven't personally tried them, but they have great reviews here in the states, and the 3rd link is the calming collars. It's a 3 pack, so a 3 month supply. I've personally had great results with these calming collars, well...my girl Jet has lol

The calming collars I've also seen them in pet smart and petco, Not sure if CA has many locations of those chain stores, but i think most pet stores would carry them. 

If CHEWY.COM ships to canada, see if they also have these items. They offer a lot of discounts and these same items can be found on www.chewy.com for cheaper. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
I'll have to take a good look around CatPack, I don't recall seeing them but I've never really been looking for them. I'll let you know.

Lamiatron: We do have Petsmart here so I'll give that a shot. That website chewy.com only ships inside the USA but I have a buddy who would be willing to pay the postage to send me this stuff. It looks like that might be my best option. Thanks for the links as well. Amazon.ca will ship inside Canada so that's a good place to start.

Right now I'm looking at getting:

Two more litter boxes

Feliway Difuser (not sure how many)

Calming cat collars

Calming cat treats

At least one extra 6 foot Cat Tree

Possibly a smaller tree as well

I have some questions though:

If Odette receives a calming collar should the other cats also receive these collars? I was always told that if you change something for one you should change it for the rest.

Can these treats be fed to the other cats as well?

How many Difusers should I be looking at? One per room? One per level? How do they work best?
 
Last edited:

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
I have some questions though:

If Odette receives a calming collar should the other cats also receive these collars? I was always told that if you change something for one you should change it for the rest.

Can these treats be fed to the other cats as well?

How many Difusers should I be looking at? One per room? One per level? How do they work best?
1) you don't have to get a calming collar for the rest of the cats, only for Odette is fine. I have 3 cats, and use the calming collar only for my skittish girl Jet, and her interactions with the other cats have improved since being on them. I did not have to get my other two cats calming collars

2) you can give the calming treats to all of the cats. but you should give each cat one treat and see how each cat reacts to it. I gave calming treats to all 3 of my cats, however my oldest cat Charlie reacted negatively towards it. He would be calm for a couple hours, but once the calming treat would start to wear off, he would become super aggressive and violent. Since learning this pattern I have stopped giving him the calming treats. You want to not only watch your cats when you give them the calming treats but also watch their behavior when it starts to ween off (usually 2-3 hours later).

3) I have never personally used feliway diffusers, but have read and heard amazing things about them. One thing to keep in mind, is that feliway plug ins do not work similar to glade plug ins, in the sense that when using glade plug ins as an air freshener you can smell it, there for you know its working, immediately. Feliway plug ins may take upto one month to see or feel (or for your cats to feel) any results. when introducing my third (and hopefully final) cat Gunther, to Charlie my oldest and then Jet my skittish girl, I was considering getting feliway plug ins as the whole cat intro process was hard on Jet, but I had read that you get more immediate results with the calming collar. I told myself that I will try the calming collars first (as it was a cheaper option and less time to wait for results), and if they did not work I will get the feliway. But the calming collars worked great for me, and have thus eliminated the need for me to get the feliway. If the feliway plug ins are easily available to you, i would suggest holding off on them until you've tried the calming collars. The calming collars release pheromones that calm the cat down. Since it is a collar, the pheromones follow the cat where ever he or she goes. The diffusers release pheromones in whatever room you have it  plugged into. If the cat leaves that room, or area, she no longer has the pheromones with her to calm her down. Just a thought. You may need to use 1 diffuser per room, if Odette has access to the whole house.
 

catpack

TCS Veteran
Kitten
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
3,271
Purraise
646
Location
Southeastern USA
You don't have to get calming collars for everyone, though it wouldn't necessarily hurt in your case. I personally have seen better results with Feliway and either Composure chews or Rescue Remedy (I've never used the Composure Liquid Max, but have heard good things about it. It's something I would be willing to try if needed.)

As for the diffusers...one per room, two if it is a larger den/living area. If using two in a room, put them at opposite sides/corners so that you get good coverage.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
Thanks a lot for all your help guys. My pays coming in tonight so I should be able to look at ordering what I need tomorrow. I'll keep everybody posted.

As a side note I noticed Fawkes was becoming slightly more aggressive towards the other cats and after watching a show called 'My Cat From Hell' I figured out that what I was seeing was likely more play aggression. I started playing with 'all' of the cats twice a day instead of once and that seems to have curbed the fighting. I also clipped their front claws back slightly to get rid of risk of injury from claws. Odette is also getting a lot more attention than she did before and this seems to have comforted her a little as she's not peeing 'everywhere' now, just selected spots. 
 
Last edited:

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
 
Thanks a lot for all your help guys. My pays coming in tonight so I should be able to look at ordering what I need tomorrow. I'll keep everybody posted.

As a side note I noticed Fawkes was becoming slightly more aggressive towards the other cats and after watching a show called 'My Cat From Hell' I figured out that what I was seeing was likely more play aggression. I started playing with 'all' of the cats twice a day instead of once and that seems to have curbed the fighting. I also clipped their front claws back slightly to get rid of risk of injury from claws. Odette is also getting a lot more attention than she did before and this seems to have comforted her a little as she's not peeing 'everywhere' now, just selected spots. 
Glad to hear that the cats are doing better!! that show is AMAZING and teaches so much!!!

I made my BF watch a few episodes when we got our first cat Charlie, and he has learned a lot from it. 

Just a tip, if you want to clip the claws so your cats don't injure each other during play, best to clip the rear paws as well, as during play or fighting, cats use their rear paws and claws to bunny kick and scratch other cats!

Please keep us posted on you progress!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
SO!

I've recently went out and got a Calming Cat Collar in a pack of three. Odette and Fawkes are both wearing one, Fawkes because I feel she might be insecure about her territory now because of Brenna being gone and the humans needing to pay attention to more cats. She was still growling at Odette for coming on the cat tree earlier but she didn't flat out attack her this time.

I've been cleaning the litter boxes every day and we're still having pee outside the liter boxes but I observed Atarti peeing today and noticed it was because her butt is higher than the liter box lip. Due to my paycheck not being quite as big as I had hoped I bought one 'very' big Natures Miracle litter box in a triangle shape with walls as high as the cats are tall. I'm going to slowly replace all of the 'pan' litter boxes with these taller ones to eliminate the accidental peeing outside the box issue. We've also bought Natures Miracle cleaner specifically made for cleaning cat pee.

The litter box is this one here:


The cat calming treats, feliway difusers, extra cat tree, and other liter boxes are going to have to wait however, because the above cost me a little over $120 in total. My pay wasn't as big as I was hoping, and this is also my Rent Pay. We'll see what's left after rent and keep going from there.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
Hey again,

I've replaced two of the four pan litter boxes and with any luck will have some extra money to get the others by the end of the week. Odette has stopped peeing outside the box beside the occasional incident(and we'll get to that in a second) so it's getting better, but now there are new problems.

Fawkes is becoming more and more territory aggressive and I can't find anything on it online that seems reliable. She will viciously guard my bedroom from both of Brenna's cats, and due to the fact that the humans spend a lot of time in this room that's just not going to cut it. The other cats need to be able to come and see us for pets too. 

Dora, the more skittish of Brenna's two cats has started sneaking downstairs and opening every plastic bag of food she can find and eating everything she can reach(she has an affinity for bread products), then coming upstairs and vomiting everywhere. I've been made to believe Dora may be a special needs cat as she really displays extremely odd behavior such as exaggerated head bobbing while walking, what seems like extreme paranoia, and a complete fear of all things human that are not Brenna. She will only approach people if they're sitting on the floor and even then she's extremely hesitant and does a lot of that odd bobbing of her head. I've tried laying on the floor and offering her food, I've tried the blinking technique which works with my other cats, she just will not come to me. 

I need to find a way to connect with Dora and stop her from eating everything in her path. I'm going to try adding dry food to her wet to see if maybe she's just not getting enough food. The other cats are getting 6oz wet food a day but perhaps Dora needs more than that? I'm also going to try to get all food off the counters and in to cupboards but I live with two people who don't like to clean up after themselves so this may be hard to convince 'them' to do as they seem to like to blame Dora for her behavior and not fix their own. I know she's not eating my food and destroying my kitchen out of spite, but it's really getting hard to convince myself of this. 

The other smaller problem is Odette is still having litter box issues but only under certain conditions. when I feed these cats I have to shut Dora and Odette in Brenna's room because Dora is a bully and will chase my cats away from their food bowls. She won't do this to Odette however, so I let them eat together in their room. Occasionally I will forget that they're in there and won't let them out for an hour or so and Odette will 'always' pee on Brenna's bed when this happens. 

The last new problem is sleep. Dora and Odette have taken to tearing around the house all night and keep my fiance and I awake. Odette even pounced on my fiance's face last night. As you can imagine this is becoming very frustrating. It's been suggested that I play with both of them before bed so I'm going to try this. Fawkes and Atari sleep through the night in our room and we can seem them, they always sleep in the same spots, so we know it can't be them. 

TL;DR: These cats are driving me nuts! D:
 
Last edited:

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
 
Hey again,

I've replaced two of the four pan litter boxes and with any luck will have some extra money to get the others by the end of the week. Odette has stopped peeing outside the box beside the occasional incident(and we'll get to that in a second) so it's getting better, but now there are new problems.

Fawkes is becoming more and more territory aggressive and I can't find anything on it online that seems reliable. She will viciously guard my bedroom from both of Brenna's cats, and due to the fact that the humans spend a lot of time in this room that's just not going to cut it. The other cats need to be able to come and see us for pets too. 

1) Fawkes' behavior is similar to what my cat Charlie used to do for attention. Fawkes definitely seems like she's the alpha cat. Clearly she's territorial of her room, which is normal behavior for her. It's not so normal, or its causing problems for you guys obviously. try to have some one on one time with Fawkes..either you or your fiance, whomever she likes the most. Play with her with her fave wand toy, without the other cats involved. Praise her and give her treats afterwards. She's craving the attention she needs from you guys, she's craving reassurance that she's still top cat from you two. So try to give her some one on one time if possible. Have you been giving fawkes any calming treats? how have the cats reacted to the treats?

Dora, the more skittish of Brenna's two cats has started sneaking downstairs and opening every plastic bag of food she can find and eating everything she can reach(she has an affinity for bread products), then coming upstairs and vomiting everywhere. I've been made to believe Dora may be a special needs cat as she really displays extremely odd behavior such as exaggerated head bobbing while walking, what seems like extreme paranoia, and a complete fear of all things human that are not Brenna. She will only approach people if they're sitting on the floor and even then she's extremely hesitant and does a lot of that odd bobbing of her head. I've tried laying on the floor and offering her food, I've tried the blinking technique which works with my other cats, she just will not come to me. 

1) you could definitely try adding some dry to her food. maybe the difference in texture is something she might like. I give all my cats wet with some dry sprinkled on top. i have 3 cats, and 2 out of my 3 can't go on with their lives without dry. I suggest you feed dora alone away from the other cats if possible. 

2) when was the last time Dora has been to the vet? Over eating, bullying the other cats for food...this could be a "stray cat" syndrome, but since you mention this is something new, I'm worried she may have a health issue...such as diabetes, or a thyroid issue...when IS your room mate coming back?? She should really take BOTH of her cats to the vet if she hasn't done so in a long time. 

3) the behavior you described about Dora is my girl Jet down to a T. With strangers she will hide and NEVER come out. she's never seen. With my live in boyfriend she will rarely approach him..whenever she does she is SUPER cautious, and she will sniff and bob her head in his direction but will never actually come to him. He will slow blink her to gain her trust, but she never reciprocates with him. I don't think Dora is special needs, i think she is just really skittish, and feels comfortable only with Brenna. My girl Jet is like any normal loving cuddling adorably cute little kitty with me..but only with me. Since you are not her human, she will exhibit skittish behavior with you for sure. 

I need to find a way to connect with Dora and stop her from eating everything in her path. I'm going to try adding dry food to her wet to see if maybe she's just not getting enough food. The other cats are getting 6oz wet food a day but perhaps Dora needs more than that? I'm also going to try to get all food off the counters and in to cupboards but I live with two people who don't like to clean up after themselves so this may be hard to convince 'them' to do as they seem to like to blame Dora for her behavior and not fix their own. I know she's not eating my food and destroying my kitchen out of spite, but it's really getting hard to convince myself of this.

1) it's tidious and annoying to have to put EVERYTHING away after every use, but you just have to do these things if you have animals in the home, and not just cats. I don't keep anything in the counters at all. I even have small closeable garbage bins that i keep in lower cabinets so my cats can't get into the garbage. But Dora's over eating concerns me, and I feel like she possibly may have to go to the vet. If she does have an illness, trust me the other cats sense it already, and this could be the reason why Fawkes is being overly aggressive. Cats, or animals in general...don't like being around sick animals.  

The other smaller problem is Odette is still having litter box issues but only under certain conditions. when I feed these cats I have to shut Dora and Odette in Brenna's room because Dora is a bully and will chase my cats away from their food bowls. She won't do this to Odette however, so I let them eat together in their room. Occasionally I will forget that they're in there and won't let them out for an hour or so and Odette will 'always' pee on Brenna's bed when this happens. 

1) it is clear that both of your roommate's cats are stressed because she's not here. Odette is peeing on Brenna's bed because she realizes that Brenna is still gone..and she wants to comingle her scent with hers (clearly her bed has the most of Brenna's scent.)

The last new problem is sleep. Dora and Odette have taken to tearing around the house all night and keep my fiance and I awake. Odette even pounced on my fiance's face last night. As you can imagine this is becoming very frustrating. It's been suggested that I play with both of them before bed so I'm going to try this. Fawkes and Atari sleep through the night in our room and we can seem them, they always sleep in the same spots, so we know it can't be them.

1) playing with them before bed will definitely help. feeding them LATER or RIGHT before bed will help a lot too. Tire out Dora and Odette (in one enclosed room without the other cats) and then feed them right after. Try to do this right before your bed time. After playing and eating, they will naturally groom and just fall into a lazy state. If possible, keep them in Brenna's room overnight...both Dora and Odette seem like they're missing Brenna. and when is she returning??  

TL;DR: These cats are driving me nuts! D:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

varsettie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
161
Purraise
22
Location
Ottawa
Alright, the truth about Brenna; Brenna is a friend my finance and I met Online when she lived in Virginia with her family. She suffered a family issue and can no longer live with her family, she had to leave immediately and bring her animals with her. She has no other friends in the US due to being a rather socially awkward reclusive person. We had been talking to her via Skype for more than five years before she came to live with us, and she decided she wanted to try to get a Student Visa to study in Canada which we were thrilled about!

The problem was the Canadian Border Services did not want her in our country apparently and they kicked her out along with her dog. She’s currently living with a friend of mine in the US and has been since October 18th. We’re trying to help her apply for International Student Loans so she can come back under a Permanent Student Visa to circumnavigate the Border Services. She’ll have implied status if we can swing it. So we’re not sure when she’s going to be able to come back…

I spoke to her about Dora and apparently this scavenging behavior isn't new. Dora was adopted from Hampton Virginia’s Animal Control and she was found stray eating from garbage. Dora and Odette had to be fully Vet checked before they came across the Border to avoid 30 day quarantine. This was back in June of this year.

Our cats are fed on a schedule to give them routine, so I’m wondering if suddenly changing it on them will make their behaviors worse. We feed them at 9: 30 am and 6 pm, around when I usually eat. My Fiance and I don’t usually go to bed until 11 pm. I’m worried making them wait another 5 hours will make them riot. They already get pretty scratchy when made to wait 30 minutes. Any ideas?

We currently have four new litter boxes and the calming cat collars on Fawkes and Odette. We haven’t gotten the treats yet as we’re running pretty low on funds at the moment. I’m going to be getting my Fiance to spend more time with Fawkes, the cat likes her best. If you still think its best Dora see a vet I’ll see what I can scrounge up to take her. I’m on my way to get some dry cat food right after I’m finished writing this post.  

The only thing I can’t do is lock them in Brenna’s room overnight. Odette seems to get very upset when she’s locked in there even if it's only for an hour or so after being fed and she starts peeing again. 
 

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
 
Alright, the truth about Brenna; Brenna is a friend my finance and I met Online when she lived in Virginia with her family. She suffered a family issue and can no longer live with her family, she had to leave immediately and bring her animals with her. She has no other friends in the US due to being a rather socially awkward reclusive person. We had been talking to her via Skype for more than five years before she came to live with us, and she decided she wanted to try to get a Student Visa to study in Canada which we were thrilled about!

The problem was the Canadian Border Services did not want her in our country apparently and they kicked her out along with her dog. She’s currently living with a friend of mine in the US and has been since October 18th. We’re trying to help her apply for International Student Loans so she can come back under a Permanent Student Visa to circumnavigate the Border Services. She’ll have implied status if we can swing it. So we’re not sure when she’s going to be able to come back…

1) wow this is quite the situation...so basically...you and your fiance are now in charge of taking care of 2 more cats in addition to your already 2 cats, and it seems that the 2 new cats that might possibly become permanently yours...as no one knows when Brenna is coming back --have some serious issues. Thank you for taking care of these kitties. Taking into consideration all this new info, its really no surprise that these two kitties are have such issues. You've come to the right place. we will try to help you out as much as we can :)

I spoke to her about Dora and apparently this scavenging behavior isn't new. Dora was adopted from Hampton Virginia’s Animal Control and she was found stray eating from garbage. Dora and Odette had to be fully Vet checked before they came across the Border to avoid 30 day quarantine. This was back in June of this year.

1)  June of this year. and now November. so about 6 months since Dora and Odette's last vet visit. That would seem fairly recent, under normal circumstances...but lets take into consideration a what kind of circumstances these two have gone through:

--since their last vet visit, both kitties have been uprooted from a home they both knew and possibly loved..to be moved OUT OF THE COUNTRY. This is no small feat! Not sure if the cats were moved via car, or plane, but either way, any move is stressful for cats, let alone a big one like this. We all know that stress in cats lead to illness. So here is your first instant of a huge stressor....the big move.

--upon moving to their new home, new environment, Dora and Odette soon learned they will be living with two other cats. Two cats that have staked out their territory in this new home, and now they will have to find their own niche in a territory that already belongs to two other cats. Not sure if you guys went through a routine cat-to-cat intro, however, even if the intro's went well, this is a huge stressor for the cats...so...2nd huge stressor: new cats. Lets take a moment to think about how long a cat to cat intro takes. Some can take days, some can take weeks, and some even months...but even after it seems all cats get along, understand that there is always an underlying battle for hierachy in a multi-pet household. this happens between my cats too, even tho they all get along very well with each other...and that is a silent 3rd stressor: the constant battle to figure out who's the boss. 

--soon after getting to their new home, and getting used to their new friends, seems like their human, the only thing they could trust and they possibly love is now gone. 4th and another huge stressor: abandonment. None of the above are usual circumstances. And all of the above can be very stressful on any animal, or human. I think it's time Dora and Odette see a vet. That's truly my opinion. If and when you are able you should take them to the vet.

2) the fact that all 4 cats have been together for only about 6 months, this, to me...explains a lot of the behavior of Odette, of Dora, and Fawkes. Understand that even with a successful cat to cat intros, it could take quite a few months, upto an year even, for the dust to settle and for all 4 cats to settle and comingle without issues, and sometimes that just might not happen. I've have my 2 cats Charlie and Jet for over a year. They love each other very much, and they can con exist, they cuddle and groom each other, but to this day they have days when they are not friends, when Charlie or jet is aggressive and they fight with each other, but comparing these two to even just 6 months ago, they are doing a lot better now then they have before... Then there was a 3rd cat added to the mix. Which changed the dynamics of EVERYTHING all over again. I'm not saying that all of your 4 cats will never get along, but it takes time..a lot of time and patience. This is why, Fawkes is still aggressive and very territorial, could be why Odette is peeing and trying to mix her scent with Brenna's, could be why Dora is acting more skittish. All 4 cats are slowly learning to live with each other, establishing their boundaries, etc.

Our cats are fed on a schedule to give them routine, so I’m wondering if suddenly changing it on them will make their behaviors worse. We feed them at 9: 30 am and 6 pm, around when I usually eat. My Fiance and I don’t usually go to bed until 11 pm. I’m worried making them wait another 5 hours will make them riot. They already get pretty scratchy when made to wait 30 minutes. Any ideas?

1) i feed my cats about 3 times a day, but only 2 meals. In the morning, i give them their wet with dry sprinkled on top (around 7:30am). around 5:30pm when the bf come home, he gives them some dry, and by some dry, i literally mean about 10-15 pieces, a VERY small amount..we give it to them in their bowl, so they feel like they're eating a full meal. That usually keeps them at bay and not crazy for a couple hours...before my bedtime, i play with them and RIGHT before bed, (sometimes 10pm sometimes 11pm) I give them a full meal of wet with bits of dry sprinkled on top. I recently moved, and have been doing this with my kitties for the past one month. Ever since moving they have been going CRAZY at night, since they now have full reign of an apartment as opposed to just one room (I was living with room mates before moving into my own apartment, although they did not oppose of me having pets, they did not want my kitties to run around the whole house so they stayed in my room about 80% of their time). Feeding them like this has helped me a lot. They sleep through most of the night..and if they awake, they don't bother us (me and the BF) till after we've woken up (around 6am)

We currently have four new litter boxes and the calming cat collars on Fawkes and Odette. We haven’t gotten the treats yet as we’re running pretty low on funds at the moment. I’m going to be getting my Fiance to spend more time with Fawkes, the cat likes her best. If you still think its best Dora see a vet I’ll see what I can scrounge up to take her. I’m on my way to get some dry cat food right after I’m finished writing this post.  

1) cater to Fawkes' needs to feel important and to feel like she's #1. You can do this by giving her exclusive attention, give her play sessions with her fave human and no other cats involved. when it's feeding time, always put her bowl down first, and let the other kitties see this. when feeding them pet and praise her. Actually you should take time and do this with all the cats, pet and praise them while they eat, so that they associate you with good things and with food (Dora and Odette). When entering a room where all the cats are, acknowledge Fawkes first, etc.

2) from what you posted earlier, Fawkes definitely has a fave scratching post. When you are able, buy a couple more, so the other cats can also stake out their territory. If Fawkes is on a scratching post or tower, and she is growling or hissing at the other cats, let them be. She's asserting her dominance over them and letting them know, she's the top cat. IF there are scuffles, don't get involved unless it gets serious, but leave the cats be for the most part, as they need to figure out among themselves who's the alpha, who's the beta, etc. 

The only thing I can’t do is lock them in Brenna’s room overnight. Odette seems to get very upset when she’s locked in there even if it's only for an hour or so after being fed and she starts peeing again. 

 all 4 cats seem like they're in a stressful situation...and poor Dora and Odette seem to have it the worst. I hope that slowly, and over time, things will get better. Obviously this is creating havoc on you guys as well. I hope Brenna is able to come back soon. Am i correct in assuming..that if she can never come back, Dora and Odette will belong to you guys?
 
Top