[Rumor]

The SO wants to get rid of one of my cats. While she is sweet and loves to cuddle, she has some issues.

She constantly attacks my other cat whenever she sees her, and this has resulted in her staying outside all the time. This also causes her to stress out and pull out her fur.

She pisses and marks (she is spayed and does mark like a male) all over the house. Oddly, it isn't ever on my stuff and mostly either on the SO's things, the curtain next to the window where the cats come in, or a couple other places around the house (which have recently (few months) been marked by other cats that came in through the window).

We have tried the No-Marks spray, and various other things to stop this from happening.

I don't want to give her away. I have had her since she was a few weeks old. Hell, I was there when she was born and picked her out of the litter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, she is an indoor/outdoor cat. She doesn't seem to have anxiety problems except when I am gone.

[imitchellg5]

Just keep her outside then, like you're doing. How does she pull out her fur?

[Rumor]

Two cats. The pisser is the one she wants to give away.

[besson3c]

Why don't you just put the cat in a diaper so that it can't piss on things? Also, put one of those cones on her head so she can't pull out her fur.

Problem solved.

[Rumor]

Two cats. One pisses, the other pulls out her fur. The main issue is the former. That is the one that the SO wants to give away.

[imitchellg5]

Oh. Well maybe giving it away is a good idea.

[Andy8]

Are both cats neutered?

[Rumor]

Both are spayed.

Tugs is the pisser. She will be four next month.

Gremlyn is the one that stays outside. She will be five in September.

The issue is the pisser at the moment.

Both are females, but Gremlyn isn't the concern at the moment.

[smacintush]

I had a cat that used to do this. She sort of eased up and didn't do it as often for a while…until we got the dogs. Then she was just as bad as always. It was usually on vertical surfaces or sometimes we'd get lucky and she'd do it in the bathtub. I guess if an animal is going to piss in the house, that's the place to do it.

Anyway, all I did to fix it was to change litters and add a litter box.

I made two new litter boxes out of plastic storage totes from walmart by cutting a hole in the lid so they have to get in from the top. Then I threw the old one away. The so-called "experts" recommend one litter box for each cat plus one extra. I don't really have a convenient place for a third litter box so I decided to try two and see how it went.

The "experts" also say that there are some cats who just won't like some locations for their box. May be too noisy, too much foot traffic, smells they don't like etc., so I didn't put a box where the old was was and I put the second one in a different part of the house.

Then I switched to a clumping litter called Cat Attract. It's a little more expensive than the standard grocery store litter but I think it's worth it. It has no perfumy smell and virually NO DUST. Not even when pouring from the bag a foot-and-a-half down into the litter box.

The result was instant success. Both cats really took to the new stuff and all our problems went away.

I don't know how you handle your litter situation but I am convinced that there are a lot of cats that are abandoned or have to find new homes because their owners didn't understand them.

As far as how they get along, how long have they lived together? Sometimes it can take a while. My cats fought constantly for a long time. Then one day the fat hairy one was holding the little black one down and licking her and they have been friends ever since.

Also, it might help to have areas of the house where each of the cats can go where the other is never allowed. Safe zones not infiltrated by the other cat or her smells. I do this with my dogs. They can't enter my bedroom or the master bathroom. Those are the cats rooms. This has helped a lot.

[iMOTOR]

Put them both in a cardboard box together. Problem solved.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by iMOTOR 

Put them both in a cardboard box together. Problem solved.

You're talking about the SO and the cat, right?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

The SO wants to get rid of one of my cats. While she is sweet and loves to cuddle, she has some issues.

She constantly attacks my other cat whenever she sees her, and this has resulted in her staying outside all the time. This also causes her to stress out and pull out her fur.

She pisses and marks (she is spayed and does mark like a male) all over the house. Oddly, it isn't ever on my stuff and mostly either on the SO's things, the curtain next to the window where the cats come in, or a couple other places around the house (which have recently (few months) been marked by other cats that came in through the window).

We have tried the No-Marks spray, and various other things to stop this from happening.

I don't want to give her away. I have had her since she was a few weeks old. Hell, I was there when she was born and picked her out of the litter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, she is an indoor/outdoor cat. She doesn't seem to have anxiety problems except when I am gone.

This is a territorial issue - pissy cat is in love with you and doesn't want anyone else giving you hugs. The fact that your SO wants to give pissy cat away tells me that SO is not a cat person - and cats can sense this.

Best solution? Everyone (2 cats, 2 peeps) in the lounge every night and lots of hugs thrown around between everyone. Let pissy cat see you hugging SO and scared cat. Both you and SO hug pissy cat and scared cat in equal quantities. Basically, a big love-in for everyone.

This will eventually (couple of weeks maybe) modify pissy cat's behaviour. It's all about pecking order, which cats are very sensitive to. The only way to sort the problem is to let it happen and direct it in a way which you want it directing.

[subego]

1) Your cat may have a urinary tract infection. You need to take the cat to the vet, if you haven't already, and (ahem) eliminate that as a possibility.

2) Two litter boxes has already been mentioned. This is 100% correct.

3) For the spots that are marked, have you tried "Anti-Icky Poo" brand?

4) Judging by the fights, this is likely a dominance issue (but I'm serious, do the vet thing anyway), both with the other cat and the SO. You want to try this stuff called Feliway, which is neutral cat hormone. It makes the cat think he's already pissed everywhere. This supposedly works for 80% of cats. It's so far worked for ours. We were able to get an inkling it would work by spraying the inside of the cat carrier and shoving the cat in (it comes in a spray or a Glade plug-in type thing). While it didn't calm him down completely, he was an order of magnitude less bitchy.

[ort888]

You gotta put p*ssy before pussy...

(sorry, I had to do it...)

In all seriousness, I had this exact problem years ago and we ended up giving the cat to someone else. The bottom line is that it is your house and you should not have to deal with anyone or anything pissing in it. If it was your girlfriend was constantly pissing in your house you would probably kick her out as well.

[Rumor]

Took her to the vet today and they said since she sprays vertically (like a male), it is a behavioral issue. We talked to a Bengal breeder who has one that sprays vertically as well, and has never stopped. She suggested a "cat room". Sadly, I do not have the space to do that.

We don't have any litter boxes since the cats go in and out of the house as they please. A window next to the porch is always open for them to use.

Cat Attract and Feliway have been tried to no avail.

Doof, the older and younger are siblings from separate litters. I got the younger after she stopped weening and they have lived together since then. The territorial thing from the younger surfaced about a year and half ago.

[besson3c]

Rumor: I still think my cat diaper idea ought to be considered.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Doof, the older and younger are siblings from separate litters. I got the younger after she stopped weening and they have lived together since then. The territorial thing from the younger surfaced about a year and half ago.

The territorial thing can strike at any time, whether same litter siblings or years apart - it doesn't matter. The smallest of things can trigger it. It's just like kids, except (mostly) kids scream or listen to emo instead of piss everywhere. Just have to push through it with a big old love-in.

[mattyb]

What is a SO?

[Doofy]

Significant Other. As in, "she who plunders your wallet on a regular basis".

[mattyb]

Ahhh.

Significant is stretching things though.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

The SO wants to get rid of one of my cats. While she is sweet and loves to cuddle, she has some issues.

The cat or the SO?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Pinky the Cat

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

The cat or the SO?

And here I was thinking that the SO had a pissing problem.

Anyhoo - get the pisser to a vet, and separate the litter boxes.

[Oneota]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Anyhoo - get the pisser to a vet, and separate the litter boxes.

Rumor said earlier that the cat has been to the vet (nothing found), and no litter boxes are in use (they go outside).

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Oneota 

Rumor said earlier that the cat has been to the vet (nothing found), and no litter boxes are in use (they go outside).

Sorry, missed that part as I read it on the iphone...

I think I would go to another vet, or possibly a pet psychologist to determine what may be affecting Tugs.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Cat Attract and Feliway have been tried to no avail.

Just in case, I should ask if you used the spray or the plug in?

In our case, if you missed using the spray for a day it was all over, while the plug-in seems to have had more lasting effects.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by subego 

Just in case, I should ask if you used the spray or the plug in?

In our case, if you missed using the spray for a day it was all over, while the plug-in seems to have had more lasting effects.

The plug-in huh? Does it work well for you?

[olePigeon]

Are both cats female?

[Rumor]

Yes,

[olePigeon]

It's generally not a good idea to have two adult female cats, they will fight each other and claim territory. The one thing you can do is try to hold both the cats and keep them together. Get them to socialize; kitty toys, treats, catnip, etc. They will eventually find their places in the social hierarchy, but it could take months. If you're willing to wait it out, you shouldn't have to get rid of one of the cats.

You're doing the right thing. You also might have better luck asking the question on a Cat forum, they probably have good reviews on which products work best for the spraying cat.

[Rumor]

Odd thing is they used to get along great until about a year or so ago.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

It's generally not a good idea to have two adult female cats, they will fight each other and claim territory.

All cats will do this. Gender is irrelevant.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

All cats will do this. Gender is irrelevant.

There is increased aggressive behavior with two female cats than there are with two male cats or one of each.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

There is increased aggressive behavior with two female cats than there are with two male cats or one of each.

Not in my experience (two males, three females) - they jockey for top cat position whatever their gender.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Not in my experience (two males, three females) - they jockey for top cat position whatever their gender.

Also, I'm speaking from the viewpoint of professional animal handlers. I'm sure there are always exceptions, they're animals. Not to mention you have five cats. However, in general, having two female cats will exhibit increased aggressive behavior (which includes spraying).

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Also, I'm speaking from the viewpoint of professional animal handlers.

I'm speaking from the viewpoint of a long-time cat ownee.
The professional animal world doesn't translate into the family environment.

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Not to mention you have five cats. However, in general, having two female cats will exhibit increased aggressive behavior (which includes spraying).

Not in my experience. Currently, my lot are two tribes - 2 older females in one tribe, 2 lads and a girl in the other. Internally in each tribe, there's no major conflict. Put 'em together and one lad and the girl will always go full bore at one of the old queens (but not the other, since she's basically the Chuck Norris of the cat world and they know it). So, in my dynamic, one of the lads knows he's bottom of the ladder so doesn't bother; everyone knows one of the old queens is top of the pile so nobody bothers her, but the other three go at it full bore because there's no official pecking order once the three of them are together.
None of this is gender biased - it's all about establishing a pecking order.

[olePigeon]

Rumor, you should listen to Doofy because he knows more about cats anecdotally than an entire industry surrounding pet care.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

The plug-in huh? Does it work well for you?

I started out with the spray. I'd wait two days and then respray. The first time I waited three days, when I went to respray it was already too late.

The vet suggested to try the plug-in model instead, and I figured it couldn't hurt. So far it's worked.

One of the things that made me willing though was I knew it was having some effect. I wasn't convinced by my regular spraying, it's not like he marked every day anyways, so there was no way I could tell if it was the spray or random chance. What convinced me happened later on. Since I had plenty of spray left over, I hit the cat carrier next time he had to go to the vet. He'd always been a really vocal cat when he gets stuffed into the carrier, and all of the sudden, that got cut by an order of magnitude.

If I didn't have this direct evidence, I don't think I would have bothered.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Rumor, you should listen to Doofy because he knows more about cats anecdotally than an entire industry surrounding pet care.

Actually, no. Rumor, you should take ole's advice and listen to those who're trying to sell you something rather than those who aren't. You're Amerikan, after all, so if you ain't paying for the advice then it's obviously useless.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by osiris 

I think I would go to another vet, or possibly a pet psychologist to determine what may be affecting Tugs.

Pet psychologist? You just gave away your location

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by subego 

I started out with the spray. I'd wait two days and then respray. The first time I waited three days, when I went to respray it was already too late.

The vet suggested to try the plug-in model instead, and I figured it couldn't hurt. So far it's worked.

One of the things that made me willing though was I knew it was having some effect. I wasn't convinced by my regular spraying, it's not like he marked every day anyways, so there was no way I could tell if it was the spray or random chance. What convinced me happened later on. Since I had plenty of spray left over, I hit the cat carrier next time he had to go to the vet. He'd always been a really vocal cat when he gets stuffed into the carrier, and all of the sudden, that got cut by an order of magnitude.

If I didn't have this direct evidence, I don't think I would have bothered.

I think I am going to look into this. I'll deal with the outdoor cat after I deal with the pisser.

[Rumor]

I want to thank everyone for all the advice.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Actually, no. Rumor, you should take ole's advice and listen to those who're trying to sell you something rather than those who aren't. You're Amerikan, after all, so if you ain't paying for the advice then it's obviously useless.

What in hell are you talking about?