Cat owners please help!

[stbfyffe]

I have a 7 month old kitten, Trix and yesterday brought home his brother Lucky who is 2 months old. When they were both at my SIL they got along fine however when I brought them both home Trix started fighting with him. Sometimes I think they are just fighting because Trix will pounce on Lucky and then Lucky will pounce on Trix and both their tales will be wagging. However sometimes I hear Lucky yell out an am not sure if he is being hurt by Trix. I have checked for scratch/bite marks on Lucky but there has been none and no blood. They will take naps side by side but once they are up they get back at it.

Also when I first got Trix he pooped on the stairs until I caught him and placed him in the litter box. Now today Lucky pooped behind my couch. My SIL told me that he was using the litter box at her house. What can I do about this because I am not here all the time and do not want to come home everyday to a poop surprise nor do I want Trix to start thinking its ok to not use the litter box.

Thanks, Stbfyffe

 

[Elmorton]

First question: are the kitties spayed/neutered?

Second: Where is the box? Is it on the same floor that they "live" on?

Third: Did you physically show them the box?

First, if they've just moved and they're kittens, they could just be stressed out. I might wait a day or two before figuring out a solution. Also - I'd make the living space a little smaller - confine to a room when you're gone or something. If your litter box is in the basement and you have a house that is more than one level, try to find a spot on the main floor for the box. We've always had the box in the basement since we moved out of apartments, but every cat book I've ever read has said that some cats have a problem with this, and that the box should be on the level where they do most of their living or on a middle floor. If an accident is occurring in the same place, then put a box as close to that place as possible, and each day, scoot the box toward where their real box location is.

Second, play fighting is normal. Our cats have been together for about two years, and they cuddle together like crazy - but they also get revved up at night and chase each other through the house. Every now and then we hear a yowl, but it's more of a signal to the other that one guy got too rough. If they're getting too rowdy, we just squirt 'em with water to let them know that's enough. If no one is getting hurt or repeatedly hissing or has their hair on end, you're fine (and our cats sometimes will hiss or get "fat tail" from their hair on end - this is when we squirt both kitties, which is really more of something to distract them than to punish). Kittens are meant to play, and this is how they play. Ours sound like a herd of buffalo sometimes when they're bolting through the house - ahhh, the joy of siblings

Last - my third and first questions are kinda the essential ones. First, make sure that they know where the box is and that they can easily get to it. Remind them of the box by taking them to it. I'm a dork - I'll even take their paws and put the paws in the litter - I don't know if that's scientific, but the idea is that they'll smell their own scent there. The only time Elmo had an accident was when he was scared of the litter box at my MIL's - she has this awesome set-up with a cat door into her garage, and then the boxes are in the garage inside of a huge dog crate (the crate is up against the house, so the cats are enclosed). Elmo was scared of the door and too small to make the jump, so he went on the only surface that seemed natural - a bathmat. Second, usually cats mark with urine, but neutering is the humane thing to do and can alter temper in a positive way.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Did you seperate the two kitties and allow them to gradually meet each other?

What you are describing above sounds like playfulness to me and not fighting. My two go at it all the time and they are not close in age: my oldest is 6 years and my youngest is a year. We witness several wrestling matches a day and have had no injuries as a result. My male cat will screech and yowl but he is just a more talkative little guy (having some siamese in him). There were times where he fooled me into thinking that he was being hurt but he has never had any bites or scratches on him and my oldest has never had a mark on her either. Keeping their claws well trimmed will help to avoid any unintentional scratches as well as keep your furniture in tact.

If you only have one litter box, I would suggest getting a second. Some cats are very particular and only want to use their own box. Also, some litter boxes are more difficult for a cat to use - some do not like to use enclosed litter boxes, some do not like the texture of a certain mat - they can be very picky.

Any accidents need to have the area cleaned completely and it''s best to use a cleaner specifically meant to remove animal odor. Even if we can''t smell it, animals can and unless you are able to remove the "marking" an animal may continue to use the same area repetedly because it is "theirs".

 

[Elmorton]

Ohhhh...good idea about the two boxes. I''m a firm believer in one box per cat. Ours don''t use it that way - they pee in one and poo in the other, but otherwise we''d have to clean the litter box practically twice a day.

We also have one covered and one uncovered. Business #1 occurs in the uncovered and #2 in the covered. Cats are private creatures - they don''t like going to the bathroom with anyone around.

 

[stbfyffe]

Thanks for you respones, as I type they are going at it after an 1 hr of blissful silence. I have shown the new kitten the litter box, i have put him in there and rubbed his paws and he just proceeds to give me that cute kitten look. I do have the box covered to avoid the mess but I might take it off. The box is in the basement, I guess I will have to move it up to the ground floor before I go to work tomorrow.

I initially bought Trix over to my SIL house where Lucky was and they were fine. I think Trix may be feeling a little territorial and wants to show him who is the boss of the house.

I guess I will have to get Lucky''s litter box from my SIL.

I just want Lucky to hurry up and grow so the fights will be a little more even lol!