Cat behavior is driving me NUTS!

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   UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years ago

   We are a rescue/foster home for cats and dogs. We have now 10 cats.
   Out of the 10 cats we have. We need four homes for them. Actually three
   homes. Because two of the cats are  brothers and wish they stay together.
   We just had them neutered.
   Our vet has been wonderful over these past two years spading
   and shots ect. I understand they spray when they go in heat.
   What would make a cat pea in sinks or on the floor? 
   I change the litter boxes every other day. We have fifteen
   litter boxes and it is around $350.00 a month just on Litter!
   
   With 10 cats in the home and 5 of the ten are family who
   are both indoor and outdoor cats. I don't understand why the
   new ones, Ben and Jerry do this?  I fogot to ask the vet the other
   day when we picked up Ben and Jerry. Their names before the
   trip to the vet was PIA (pain in the "assests") and trouble.
   
   It appears the first names they were given has stuck and they continue
   to drive me nuts!  Any suggestions will be so helpful.
   They both are eight months old.
   
   Thanks.

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   1. 87

      Stove And Homeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, sounds like a zoo! But I understand because we have three cats and they drive us up the wall too. One of them is extremely rebellious and climbs the living room curtains like she's Indiana Jones.
      
      The spraying must be due to marking territory. With so many cats around, some cats feel they have to make sure all the others know where his "space" is.
      
      I wonder if you can keep some of them in separate rooms? Would that help?

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         UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Almost like it sometimes!   Everyone gets along extremly
         and amazingly well!  I am forever cleaning.   My other half
         gives them names and before we know it they go from orphans
         to part of the family. We have a average home, so I will try your idea
         with seperate rooms. thanks!

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   2. 57

      lifegamerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Often felines are taken from their mothers before they learn the lesson "Never defile home space", or they are of a mother who was not able to grasp this concept...many canines have this same dilemma.
      
      It will take about 3 days of verrry diligent 'mothering' to catch them in their acts, reprimand by an authoritative scruff pinch (no words), followed by a loving scruff-carry that re-directs them to what is acceptable in their home space.
      
      Cats are verrry smart & looove a good treat...Carry a pouch of catnip in your pocket & smoosh a bit in front of them when you arrive at the proper destination (ie. litter box) while letting go of their scruff & adding a head scratch.
      
      It's much like potty training a toddler...be creative, authoritative, & loving.

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         UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you so much! I will let my spouse do the cat training. He takes care
         of them as I have my hands full with our dog! : )
         
         thank you and I appreciate you sharing.

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   3. 89

      mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi There,
      
      Okay, here goes, I used to work for a vets and have also got a great deal of personal experience of having pet cats and kittens. You truly have nothing to worry about if a cat pees in your sink (actually you should admire them for it). Basically the cat can smell the fresh air coming up through the pipes, and this is often the closest they can get to going outside, and it is easy for you to disinfect afterwards. Cats are incredibly clean creatures and they hate using a litter tray that has already been used more than once or twice, so really you need to be aiming to have lots of cat flaps so they can go outside when they need to, or pens where they are naturally outside. If they aren't happy with the level of cleanliness in their cat litter tray they will often use sinks or baths (the plugholes) to pee in. When this isn't possible they will go in the areas they can already smell pee, be it their own or another creatures (hence the carpet peeing). Make sure to clean the litter tray every time you are aware it has been used, even if only to urinate. At the very least scoop the worst of the wet litter out of the tray and top up with fresh try litter.
      
      They have both been 'neutered' (spayed if females, castrated if males), but assuming they are males and were prone to spraying, you must remember it can take several months after castration before the natural hormones in their systems reduce enough to stop them feeling a need to scent mark their territory. Don't be surprised if so soon after castration they are still doing this (females do not do this). Remember Males do NOT go into heat, but will spray any time they feel a need to mark territory. Females WILL go into heat, but won't spray.
      
      Check out the 'Feliway' plugins, spray or cat collars, which can drastically reduce anxiety in cats that suffer from these kinds of problems. Feliway is also great for cats scared of fireworks, thunder etc. Your vet will probably stock Feliway, but if not try Amazon to buy it online.
      
      I hope this has helped, but feel free to come back to me with any further questions you might have

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2. 0

   Motown2Chitownposted 11 years ago

   I'm not sure what might make a cat pee in a sink.  We've had cats that liked to sleep in sinks, but they never relieved themselves there.  Especially since cleaning the sink would remove their scent and would discourage re-soiling.  As to why they might pee on the floor...even if you have a sufficient number of litter boxes, cats mark their territory.  If other animals have claimed territory by urinating or spraying, cats will attempt to cover those scents with their own. 
   
   For example, we moved into an apartment that had once had a cat.  Our cat continually sprayed in one corner of a room.  We later found out that the person who had lived there before had a cat and that was where the litter box had been kept.  Also, the roommates we had had put their dog's training crate in that spot before we moved in. 
   
   We bought  an enzyme cleaner for that spot, and then moved the litter box, replacing it with the cat's food mat.  That resolved the problem.
   
   Most likely them spraying the floor (or urinating there) has to do with removing the scent of others.  The sink's got me stymied.
   
   

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      UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well the new ones who are from four to eight months old are the ones who have become the handful. The original five are four years now
      and the momma is my spouse's first. She had two litters and 6 of the 12 cats are thriving. We have lost some due to conditions beyond our control. They were either really sick when they arrived with some common
      health condition for being "ferrel", I think the word is?  I am bleaching everything! I use this when I clean every time. I wil try your suggestion to.
      thank you.

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3. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

   You think you got problems?
   
   This showed up on my porch last night...

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   1. 60

      UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      omg! how cute! Kind of scary! lol  nice!
      would you mind letting me use your photo so I can
      write a hub about it?  I would be sure to give you the
      credit for photo and the Byline on the article.
      
      thanks! oh, and good luck! yikes! lol

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         paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         The pic is public domain. Go for it. I've already done a couple hubs relating to it, so I'm not thrilled about the competition though.

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            UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Okay, never mind. If you are not comfortable with it. I will pass.
            I don't want to step on your creative energy. thank you anyway.
            
            I take the picture and write a satire humor out of it. What the cat would say if it could use words the way we do. I thought of the Cat who needed an exorcists!

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4. 89

   Theophanesposted 11 years ago

   Careful, oftentimes when a male cat starts peeing in odd places (especially slick surfaces like sinks and bathtubs) it can mean they have a UTI. You'll have to consult your vet about that.
   
   If it is not a UTI its very typical behavior. How did you introduce these cats to the old timers? If it wasn't very gradually then the new cats could just  be acting out their anxiety about being put into a home with already established cats. This might not  help you much now but it will in future cases. Please consider using a cage (temporarily) to introduce new individuals like I have gone over in my article Caging Cats: When and Why it's Sometimes Necessary.
   
   As for getting rid of the pee smell, you'll need to do that thoroughly or all the cats will start marking there. You can use vodka to clean the spots or this great home-made cleaner:
   1/2 cup water
   1/2 cup vinegar
   1 cup peroxide
   1/4 cup baking soda
   1 tablespoon palmolive.  Spray and let set. Then mop it up. You can spray multiple coats
   before mopping up. It may leave a powdery residue which can be swept or vacuumed.

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      UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      We use the Oxy Cleaner and Pet stain remover. good old fashion Colorox bleach. I don't mind having something to do with my time other than trying to make it in this world of writers. It breaks up the monotney or if I get stuck on what to write next. I have learned how to be more humble, paitent and more compassionite because of these animals. I have crochet each one their very own blanket. I have yet to get started on ben & jerry's. Maybe this will help too. Thanks so much for the tips. breaks over.

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         UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I will call our vet tomorrow and set up theappointment this week we have with the dog. I will take the two of them back in. She needs her nails trimmed. thank you. In the meantime, I heard it is okay to give them a little salt water?

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         Theophanesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Of course, as you can see by my Hubs I have been deeply involved with animals my whole life. They certainly have the ability to keep one on their toes! Happy Hubbing (and catting!) And best of luck with the little boogers!

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            UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you so much. They are very healing and comforting. The oldest group of cats hangs out on our bed when we are in the other rooms. The younger generation hangs out with us in whatever room we are in at the time. The dog has her own chair. And her bone. It's cute one of our cats. Ben and the dog are buddies!  They smell each other alot! good grief!

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   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Multiple cat households often break into zones where certain groups hang out.  Cats then avoid crossing each others territory.  The rule of thumb is on tray for every two cats, and a tray in every territory, not all in one place.

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      UnknownAuthor72posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hello
      Yes we have a total of 15 litter boxes. (12 are in use)  They are scattered throughout the house. This is why every day the first half is cleaning, the second half is writing and when I get lucky I  rest my eyes!  I hope no one gets me wrong. I really enjoy what I do. And the cat by the way has a vet appointment. to check for the URI, to see if this is a problem. Thank you everyone for all the great comments! You folks rock!

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