Naughty Cat - help!

[Monnyjay]

Anyone can offer some advice would be very appreciative. We have 3 cats - 2 female and 1 male. One female with have had for 6 years and she is 7 years old now. The second 2.5 female (rescue cat) and lastly, the naughty one (2 year old male Siamese X) - a rescue who was going to be euthanised so we drove 15 hrs to the Vet to pick him up interstate.

He constantly has to mark his territory in and outside the house. I have done everything from 3 separate litter trays to the Feliway Spray. It's driving me nuts as I have to constantly watch him when he is inside. At night, they are all locked in the laundry to sleep. I never had any trouble at all with the girls until this one came on the scene. He is gorgeous and very very intelligent but I'm wondering if he would be better off as a one house cat! Help........

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Its really lovelly you recused him
is he fixed ?
Our old cat Tinky (who was fixed) lived nexr door before he came to live with us but he occasional sprayed if his brother Chub had been in the house
it sounds territorial
I keep a spray bottle of white vinegar at the ready to neutralize any spraying

Good luck
id keep persevering

 

[Monnyjay]

Its really lovelly you recused him
is he fixed ?
Our old cat Tinky (who was fixed) lived nexr door before he came to live with us but he occasional sprayed if his brother Chub had been in the house
it sounds territorial
I keep a spray bottle of white vinegar at the ready to neutralize any spraying

Good luck
id keep persevering

Yes @Daisys and Diamonds I have the vinegar ready to go. They are all fixed as well, so its a mystery. Maybe it is a territorial thing and he thinks he is the boss.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Yes @Daisys and Diamonds I have the vinegar ready to go. They are all fixed as well, so its a mystery. Maybe it is a territorial thing and he thinks he is the boss.

I feel sorry for him
Who knows what his past life was like that you had to rescue him from death row
maybe he just needs time to settle in and feel at home with the girls
I wouldn't give up on him

 

[Monnyjay]

I feel sorry for him
Who knows what his past life was like that you had to rescue him from death row
maybe he just needs time to settle in and feel at home with the girls
I wouldn't give up on him

@Daisys and Diamonds that's just it. All the Vet told me was he given up by previous owner because their child had allergies. Not wanting to judge, but I could never do that knowing what he was headed for.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds that's just it. All the Vet told me was he given up by previous owner because their child had allergies. Not wanting to judge, but I could never do that knowing what he was headed for.

I had terrible allergies as a kid including cat

do you know who cured it ?

Tinky !

Poor cat, its so not his fault

Its good he has you now

you know it could be worse....at least he's no pooping under the dinning room table

 

[inne]

My male cat started marking when we moved to a very small house. Nothing helped and I love him so much it felt like 'whatever, I'll just buy Nature's Miracle for the rest of my life and deal with it.' But then we moved to a bigger house and it completely stopped. I think he just needed more space and privacy.

 

[missy]

@Daisys and Diamonds that's just it. All the Vet told me was he given up by previous owner because their child had allergies. Not wanting to judge, but I could never do that knowing what he was headed for.

Yeah some people are disgusting. Horrific. Thank you for rescuing this sweet baby. I am so sorry you are dealing with this issue. It's a challenging issue.

I agree with Inne that perhaps he needs a bit more space and time and will adjust. Time helps. In the meantime continue cleaning the areas thoroughly so it doesn't smell of his urine and continue with the Feliway plug ins throughout the house. Make sure you have more than enough plugged in throughout the house. They make a spray too so perhaps you can spray that as well and see if it helps. It cannot hurt.

Worse comes to worse you can try anti anxiety meds but I would make that a last step option.

Good luck! Sending you many good luck vibes. And thank you again for saving him!

 

[Yelena]

Could be that he doesn’t have enough territory of his own or it could be anxiety. Our previous boy used to spray as well. He was stressed by cats outside the house. He loved his litter mate so no problems there. Do you have a cat enclosure that can be accessed freely from inside the house (eg kind of like an aviary that the cats can access on their own from inside the house)? Sometimes that helps inside cats who want to go outside, but if he has outside time already then that won’t be the problem. We used Feliway with our boy but the best fix for him was Clomicalm (anxiety medication). He was just a naturally anxious cat. He was very intelligent and he always needed to see my SO no matter where he was. That got better with medication. Better to use anxiety medication than to find another home or to be euthanised. Good luck. He’s very lucky to have you. Thank you for caring about him.

 

[Monnyjay]

My male cat started marking when we moved to a very small house. Nothing helped and I love him so much it felt like 'whatever, I'll just buy Nature's Miracle for the rest of my life and deal with it.' But then we moved to a bigger house and it completely stopped. I think he just needed more space and privacy.

Glad he is happy now @ inne

 

[Monnyjay]

Yeah some people are disgusting. Horrific. Thank you for rescuing this sweet baby. I am so sorry you are dealing with this issue. It's a challenging issue.

I agree with Inne that perhaps he needs a bit more space and time and will adjust. Time helps. In the meantime continue cleaning the areas thoroughly so it doesn't smell of his urine and continue with the Feliway plug ins throughout the house. Make sure you have more than enough plugged in throughout the house. They make a spray too so perhaps you can spray that as well and see if it helps. It cannot hurt.

Worse comes to worse you can try anti anxiety meds but I would make that a last step option.

Good luck! Sending you many good luck vibes. And thank you again for saving him!

I know Missy I can’t understand some people. Animals are not toys to be thrown away when you get sick of them. Some many irresponsible pet owners out there. He has a big house to roam around. He just needs to fit in with the girls and behave.

 

[Monnyjay]

Could be that he doesn’t have enough territory of his own or it could be anxiety. Our previous boy used to spray as well. He was stressed by cats outside the house. He loved his litter mate so no problems there. Do you have a cat enclosure that can be accessed freely from inside the house (eg kind of like an aviary that the cats can access on their own from inside the house)? Sometimes that helps inside cats who want to go outside, but if he has outside time already then that won’t be the problem. We used Feliway with our boy but the best fix for him was Clomicalm (anxiety medication). He was just a naturally anxious cat. He was very intelligent and he always needed to see my SO no matter where he was. That got better with medication. Better to use anxiety medication than to find another home or to be euthanised. Good luck. He’s very lucky to have you. Thank you for caring about him.

Thank you Yelena, I’ve found the Feliway to be useless and not helping at all. Maybe the last straw might be some anti anxiety medication. I will persevere for a bit longer and hopefully he will settle down. He is my responsibility now and such an intelligent little guy.

 

[Monnyjay]

 

[inne]

Look at that tiny face! Look at those giant ears! What a beautiful boy.

 

[Monnyjay]

Look at that tiny face! Look at those giant ears! What a beautiful boy.

@inne he is a stunning boy

 

[stracci2000]

Animals are not toys to be thrown away when you get sick of them.

I couldn't agree more. When you take an animal, he/she is your responsibility.
Forever.
I have a cat that bites. We got him from the shelter. He had two different names on his microchip, so he'd been adopted and returned more than once. The tip of his tail is kinked, and one fang is chipped almost in half. He obviously had a rough start.
After we took him in , we discovered that he doesn't know how to play nice. He goes from sweet to evil in two seconds. And I'm sure that's why he was in the shelter. Because the last people didn't want to deal with him.
But he's ours now. He's gotten so much better in the 5 years we've had him.
We didn't give up on him.

 

[Monnyjay]

I couldn't agree more. When you take an animal, he/she is your responsibility.
Forever.
I have a cat that bites. We got him from the shelter. He had two different names on his microchip, so he'd been adopted and returned more than once. The tip of his tail is kinked, and one fang is chipped almost in half. He obviously had a rough start.
After we took him in , we discovered that he doesn't know how to play nice. He goes from sweet to evil in two seconds. And I'm sure that's why he was in the shelter. Because the last people didn't want to deal with him.
But he's ours now. He's gotten so much better in the 5 years we've had him.
We didn't give up on him.

@stracci2000 sounds like like he had a tough time with previous owners, very sad. How lucky is he to have you now to love and care for him. The biting might stop eventually, most likely a defence mechanism from how he was treated in the past. I could never give up on this boy either after his terrible start in life.

 

[Yelena]

He is gorgeous. What a beautiful boy

 

[monarch64]

Mm mmm mmmmm. This sucks. But there are ways around your Siamese bullshit. Lot of good suggestions so far.

 

[missy]

I couldn't agree more. When you take an animal, he/she is your responsibility.
Forever.
I have a cat that bites. We got him from the shelter. He had two different names on his microchip, so he'd been adopted and returned more than once. The tip of his tail is kinked, and one fang is chipped almost in half. He obviously had a rough start.
After we took him in , we discovered that he doesn't know how to play nice. He goes from sweet to evil in two seconds. And I'm sure that's why he was in the shelter. Because the last people didn't want to deal with him.
But he's ours now. He's gotten so much better in the 5 years we've had him.
We didn't give up on him.

Completely agree. We have been tested with our cats and it has been trying but giving up was never an option. I would be lying if I said I hadn't entertained the thought momentarily when we were at the worst of it but it was for just a moment. Then I realized I could never give up on them. If we gave up on our furbabies who would give them a good life? They are our responsibility. The buck does stop here. Yes, we have challenges with them but they are living beings and they deserve a warm and loving home and ultimately we will make it work. They are not disposable things. They are of flesh and blood with a heart and soul. They are our family now and for better or worse. We love them.

So will you @Monnyjay. You will make it work. You are making it work every day you persevere with him. And if that means anti anxiety meds so be it. Better he has a warm loving home with you and your furry babies on the meds then in a shelter or worse med free. And the meds might not have to be forever either. At 2 years old he is still relatively young and just out of kittenhood. As he gets older he might calm down.

The biting might stop eventually, most likely a defence mechanism from how he was treated in the past. I could never give up on this boy either after his terrible start in life.

Just wanted to add one thing. Oliver was a biter. He has outgrown it (almost) and rarely bites now. But yes he was a biter and nothing we did seemed to help. But I guess our repetitive gently saying no no no and stopping play time when he kept biting eventually helped. WHe has other behavioral issues but overall he has come a very long way. He keeps chasing Tommy and Gracie joins in with him but we continue working on that. Everything we try deters them only for that moment (spraying water, time out in his playpen, saying no) etc. but we aren't giving up and we know eventually the behavior will calm down. With enough love and patience. I have seen cats with far worse behaviors outgrow them or at least calm that behavior down to the point it is very manageable. So yes this will happen with you as well. I know it.

It takes time and patience and perseverance but it will get better. Hang in there and you are an angel for saving this cat. You really are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If the world had more people like you it would be a different and much better place.

Continued good luck dust and vibes being sent your and all your kitties way.
(((Hugs))) to all of you.

 

[HollyJane]

He sounds insecure. I hope time, with some scheduled 1:1 play and space if his own - and the problem will lessen.