Oops - forgot to mention that sometimes they're picky about the location of the litter box. Out of 4 cats, the one cat will ONLY use the box in the laundry room whereas the other 3 cats use all of the boxes. A couple of months ago, the laundry room box was washed & airing dry - I forgot to fill it up and put it back down and the cat pooped in the kitchen (blech!). I was confused until I remembered that "her" box wasn't in "her" spot.
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Posted 8 months ago #
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Definitely recommend a second litter box, and daily scooping (I've switched to "natural" litter that's flushable, which keeps the house smelling a lot better). Since it's not medical, and the cat's peeing where your wife sleeps, it does sound personal. The move/change of sleeping arrangements seem to have stressed the cat- maybe he or she could use a natural/herbal calming collar. When people travel a lot, cats have been known to pee on their beds...I guess that's how they show they're upset with you. If I stopped letting my cat sleep on the bed after so many years, I wouldn't be too surprised if he did the same thing to me.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I'll try the 2nd litter box and see what happens. We've at least moved up to scooping every day. For those who asked, I let the cat sleep wherever it pleases, but sometimes it gets shut in or out of its preferred space and that's when it seems to do the marking - although we've only actually caught it once or twice.
Posted 8 months ago # -
The second litter box is a great idea if you can find room for it. The n+1 rule is pretty common, but if they've been OK sharing a box up until now, maybe just one more will help.
You could try something like the Feliway synthetic pheromone spray to see if it calms the kitties down/keeps them from marking. It's quite pricy though, and from what I understand it works great for some cats--and not at all for others. You can find it on Amazon or even through your vet, but Amazon will probably be the cheapest. I'm currently trying it (just started) to see if it can keep my kitty more calm during her daily sub-q fluid injections.
Also, although you said you wouldn't consider "uncluttering" the cat, it's possible that you are just not in a position to provide a good home for two aging cats where you are now. Of course, I'm not suggesting putting an otherwise healthy cat to sleep. It sounds like the issue is behavioral though and may simply go away if the cat went to a larger space or a single-cat household. I'm sorry if the suggestion sounds kind of heartless (I can't imagine having to give my kitty away to anyone, no matter how much trouble she causes), but you may want to consider it even if it'll just be to say "No, we can't do that," because it might make you work harder at the other options.
Posted 8 months ago # -
One other thing to consider is that cats can get a bit peculiar with old age (like some humans can too I guess). My last cat died at the age of 18 and the last few years of his life he was deaf so he would cry for no apparent reason other then that he might have felt alone because he couldn't hear us. We didn't realize for a long time that his hearing wasn't good anymore until the vet check it someday.
Posted 8 months ago # -
@Scarlet - we actually have tried the pheremone spray. Unfortunately, DW said it gave her migraines, and I could smell it myself although it didn't really bother me. The cats are probably just getting older and not cohabiting well in a tiny space. I would definitely consider giving them to a home that can take better care of them. I would even happily give a younger relative $50 a month for food, supplies and their trouble... but DW would never, ever give up the cats, so it doesn't matter.
P.S. I know the older cat is hard of hearing because she has started spinning around and snapping at people who walk up behind her. Other than that, she is gentle. She's probably a bit nearsighted as well since she hissed at a chair for no good reason while we were traveling, when the other cat was all the way across the room :P
Posted 8 months ago #
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