"your cat has to go!"

[Meg142!]

Hello all, I know the first thing to do when a cat starts peeing outside of the litter box is to rule out a health issue but I know for a fact this is a behavioral issue. There is an un-nutered male cat in the neighborhood and we haven't been able to catch him for the past few months. Right after we started seeing him hanging around, my female cat started peeing in very specific places, under windows, next to doors, all places we have seen or heard this male cat. Then on top of it, my sister got an un-nutered female kitten who my cat is pretty scared of. I asked them to wait until I got home to properly introduce them but as far as I know, they just stuck the kitten in my cats face and of course, my cat hissed and all of a sudden my cat is now the enemy because she hisses at the kitten. The kitten now gets up in her face and will eat out of her food bowl WHILE my cat is trying to eat. And when she hisses to tell the kitten to back off, she gets yelled at or scared away by my family because she's "being a spoiled brat".the litter boxes are also an issue. We have two for each cat, one in my room, one in my sister's, and then two in the "gathering" areas of the house.but the kitten will only use my cat boxes, and my cat will only go to the bathroom in The box in my room or when she knows the kitten is in my sister's room for the night. The peeing has gotten worse and more frequent since the kitten, and I've tried explaining to my parents and sister that the kitten using my cat litter box is not going to work and boundaries need to be made . I was basically told my cat needs to suck it up. And now we are to the point where it's " your cat has to go, or be locked in your room." Which is completely unfair to my cat and myself, as my parents know I would never give my cat up and also know I have no where else to go. I've tried collars, sprays, litter attracted, but the issue doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. I'm not really sure what else to do. My poor cat went from being really social to staying in my room almost all day long because she doesn't like the kitten. I've set up cat trees and shelves so my cat can be up off the ground but the kitten manages to get up there, either on her own or by a family member and makes my cat feel like she's being forced out of her safe space. I'm not really sure what else to do or try other than start looking for someplace else to live so my poor cat doesn't feel terrorized all the time. Any advice or help would really be appreciated, and I apologise for such a long post. Thank you all!

 

[Willowy]

For a little while at least, yes, shut her in your room. She already spends most of her time in there, and if the door is closed the kitten can't get in to annoy her.

Is your cat spayed? If not, the reason she's peeing near the doors/windows is to attract the male.

 

[Meg142!]

She is spayed, she was a retired breeding cat and was spayed just before I got her, she's 3 years old. I was reading that sometimes even after being spayed cats will still mark their territory or will try to attract a male so that's what I figured she was doing.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree with W Willowy about allowing your cat to feel safer by keeping her in your room with the door closed. Hopefully, your family members will respect your privacy and not go into your room while you are not there. Take whatever cat trees/toys that 'belong' to your cat into your room as well. This will give your cat a chance to calm down and recognize the kitten can't get to her in there. It might even help with the litter box issues, as your cat also won't be as exposed to the outdoor cat if she has less windows/doors to be near that this cat comes close to. You can place some chicken wire on the area outside your bedroom window or maybe even the window sill, which might help the outdoor cat from coming so close, as most cats do not like walk on the wire.

Is your sister old enough to make some decisions on her own? It might be possible to talk to her alone and discuss the chances of doing a proper introduction between your cat and the kitten down the road after your girl gets a chance to settle down.

 

[Meg142!]

She is 13 but the baby of the family. I've tried to talk to her and even called her while she was picking out a kitty to explain the proper introduction process if she didn't want to wait until I got home from work. My mom said something about sticking them together and letting them figure it because she's never had to introduce our past cats. but I know my cat she she's very cautious around new things. when I got home I found out that she did exactly what my mom had said: stuck them together to let them figure it out. She been in my room since yesterday with a calming cat collar that has worked for her in the past. I'm hoping that eventually we can catch the male cat and that will help with some of her issues and then we can really work on her getting use to the kitten