Cat behaviour problem - nowhere else to put post!

Box_Of_Frogs

Box_Of_Frogs

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Sorry guys but I'm truly desperate and there isn't a cat section on the Forum. So many members have pix of cats in their siggies I thought I'd ask anyway. I have a rescued 4 yr old tabby moggie - Ive had him about 3 yrs now. Neutered male, named by the vets as Tarquin, affectionately called Squirt by us, coz he is just a little squirt. I took him in from the vet after my last moggie had to be pts following progressively dreadful bladder and kidney disease. Squirt was signed over to the vets after a RTA and a mangled leg - owners couldn't afford to pay so hadn't had it treated. Vets mended the mangled leg though he came to me with an external fixator still in place. Now, he had been placed with 1 family BEFORE I took him home and they had returned him, stating he "didn't get on with their other cats". Hmmmmm. We have 2 other cats, both rescued and all is friendly and peaceable. BUT none of my cats will wear collars and I have a cat flap that other bloody cats in the area use to come in and eat me out of house and home. About 2 years ago, Squirt took exception to this and started something called inappropriate elimination. Basically this means peeing and pooping in the middle of beds, chairs, clothing, carpets. It was a dreadful time and took ages to resolve. I have a suspicion that is why the previous people took him back. Anyway, he settled again and stopped this behaviour though I don't know why. Then last weekend, I finally got around to installing a new cat flap. The last one was shattered and flapping in the wind. It meant putting a new bottom piece in the door too. I took the magnets out so the flap swung fairly freely and "posted" all 3 cats back and forth a few times. Job done, I thought. 24 hours later, Squirt is peeing and pooping over everything again. He's ruined 2 mattresses, 2 sets of bedlinen, pillows, duvets, crapped on the carpet, crapped in the cat nest, peed on clothing - it's a nightmare. I can't shut him in say the loo as he would get 100 times MORE stressed. I can't shut him out of the whole house as I have 2 other cats. I am afraid the other 2 will start treating the whole house as one enormous litter tray. By the way, litter trays don't work. He ignores them. I've looked up "inappropriate elimination" on the internet and its stress related but the prognosis isn't good the longer it goes on. I'm the world's biggest animal lover but this little guy is trashing the house and isn't happy. The new cat flap seems to have triggered a complete nervous breakdown and he's off his food and retreating from contact. He's normally the most sociable little lad. I can't pass him back to the vet as he would just get passed and passed around in more and more distress. I am at my wits end. Anyone got any ideas??? Is there a feline Prozac? (Feliway not working) HELP. All I can see as the kindest thing to do is to have the vets out to my home and have him quietly pts in my arms but - for gods sake - because of a new cat flap!???!!! Please, anyone had to deal with this? Any ideas?
 
Hey. im doing an animal behaviour degree atm and we were told some cats feel insecure with cat flaps because it's like the home is open to intruders, like other cats coming in, and can lead to behaviours like spraying etc.
The plug in things are supposed to be really good too, our lecturer did say it helped a lot with her cats when they were doing that around the house, might be worth a try.
Also putting food down in the areas the cat is using as a toilet can work, as they dont generally like going near food, although this might be difficult if he is going on beds and furniture
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Second the Feliway! also might be worth seeing the vet is case they have any behavioral suggestions. Try to give him a very clear routine - cats hate change so try to keep everything as similar as possible. Also, and I know this is difficult, show no visible reaction at all to the accidents. Cats are sensitive and will pick up on your stress and this will make them more insecure...

Another good idea would be to post on a rescue forum in the cats section loads of experienced folks about - try dogpages cats and other animals section (they have been a god send for advice for my rescue cats)
 
Ive heard that too-they see the cat flap as the gateway to hell!! You call him squirt-do the other neighbourhood cats pick on him and so it intimidates him when they venture into what is supposed to be his safe zone?
 
Yep, remember hearing that cat flaps are a source of great stress for some cats due to the fact that they can let strange cats come in. It sounds like he's in a complete panic. Maybe there have been strangers coming in and he got a pasting and has bad cat flap memories. Do you have to have the cat flap?

Agree you can't live with him like this but the best I can suggest is that you lose the cat flap.
 
I'm sure he will settle. Meantime can you protect the areas where he's making a mess with plastic or foil (they hate the noise of foil so tend to avoid it). Also tricky if he's not eating but try to feed him in the areas he's messing in as cats generally won't mess near their food.
I know its a pain - we have a cat who goes through phases of peeing on everything for no particular reason - but I'm sure he will improve with time as he gets used to the new cat flap and surely worth a try before having him pts.
 
Do you need a cat flap...? I know they are much easier but would it be worth a try to take it away? Other cats may be coming into the house thru the flap seting him off?Also try feliway! I've used it for my nutty cat (separation anxiety and self mutilation..) and it has worked wonders!
 
We have a female rescue who is like this - it improved when we got a young male cat and she had some backup, very few accidents then but sadly we lost the male in an RTA in january and she has slipped back into her insecurity.

Ours will use a litter tray but as soon as she's been she leaps out and gallops out through the catflap or to the other end of the room - does this wherever she toilets. Vets think she was told off for making a mess by her previous owners (who did a moonlight flit and left her locked in an empty house for 6wks to starve
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We also don't want to block the cat flap as she does (very occasionally) use it and doesn't appear scared of it - our male cat used it all the time
 
You said your cats don't wear collars - is there a reason for this? Because it might be a solution to get them wearing collars with the magnets so they are the only ones who can use the flap.

My cat flap is a magnetic one, and when we first moved into our house (4 years ago) the fact that the other neighborhood cats couldn't get in was reassuring for my two mogs - some of them used to sit outside and stake out the flap, but mine could sit on the inside, safe in the knowledge that that the other cats couldn't get it. Territories are very very important to cats and they need a place where they feel safe.

as it happens, now I have taped the little catch on my cat flap open, as my youngest cat is a thug and would break through the flap if it was locked! and he kept losing magnets as well - but because the flap was locked to outsiders for such a long time, none of the other neighborhood cats know that it is open, so *touches wood* we don't get them coming in. If we do, I would go back to magnets again, cos I don't want other cats in my house and my oldest cat would get far too upset.

It might be worth a try, sticking some collars on and using the magnets - once he realises he is safe he might calm down again.
 
We have 3 cats and no cat flap, I know it's hard to change habits (yours and theirs) but I let them out for an hour first thing, then at teatime, then lastly before bed. They soon learnt that if they didn't come back in when I called then they'd be out all day, although we do have a shed they can go in for shelter. We leave a tray down for emergencies, but it only needs cleaning out 1-2 times a week. Apart from that, then I think if the cat is so distressed then maybe having him PTS is the kindest thing.
 
Thanks everyone. Beds already covered in plastic sheeting. Place looks like we're expecting the decorators. Cat's won't wear collars just because they are masters at pulling them straight off over their heads so a flap that only lets your own cat in wouldn't work. We do have other cats coming in through the flap and its a pain coz they come in to steal my boys' food. But all this isn't new - the only new thing is I had to change the flap as it was broken and sharp bits of pointy plastic and howling gales. Tried Feliway when my 2nd rescue cat arrived (he'd been hanging round the yard for months, starving and limping and crying) as 2nd rescue was terrified of everything to do with a house. Radio, TV, fish tank bubbles, chiming clock, phones ringing, door bell, OH, the works. He eventually settled with time and the Feliway but he still thinks my OH is the spawn of Satan. Hmmmm. I'm reluctant to permanently shut the flap as Spencer (the surviving half of Marks and Spencer) is now 13 and I think would struggle with a different system. Ditto the 2nd rescue cat. Squirt IS just a little squirt as pudpud suggested but as I say, NOTHING has changed except the new bl**dy cat flap. I've spoken to the vets today to see if they have medication that will calm him for a week or 2. The litter tray he just ignores. And he ONLY pees and poos on MY half of the bed or places I have been. Great. I know its rooted in severe anxiety and I feel dreadful that I can't help him with it but having 2 other cats makes everything difficult and equally, having one little cat slowly reduce your house to a giant, stinking litter tray isn't really a long term option. Having 2 other cats compounds it as I'm terrified that they will think peeing and pooping anywhere is clearly ok! The only thing worse than ONE cat who pees and poops everywhere is THREE that do. Re-homing him - to my mind - is just passing the problem on to someone else and is no different from people who sell their elderly or troubled or sick horses just to get rid of them without thinking what could happen to them. Cyberhorse - I didn't know about the no-reaction thing. You're right, he will have been picking up my stress waves - no wonder he's retreating from contact! Will address that straight away. Also gonna get a Feliway spray rather than a diffuser and cover the flap in it. Should I spray the areas where he's soiled??? Also will try Cats Protection website. All great ideas peeps and a huge thanks for your help. Will let people know how this pans out but keep your fingers crossed x
 
My boy cat is very'sensitive' - ie he's a total wuss. To stop him form using the house as a little tray we used three tricks suggested by the rescue centre. All bedding etc, rugs, cushions were well washed then a I sprayed them with strong scents (some with perfume and others with citrus as they generaly don't like lemon/lime/orange smell. I also left orange peel in the corners. In the other places I left little bowls of biscuits and food stuck on bits of card. the other thing we did was give him a place to feel safe which iwas basically a chair in the corner with a blanket over the top. He would go and sit under it when he felt scared (he had a little bowl of food and water under there) and would come out when happy. Four years down the line and we have no problems at all anymore and he's a fab little guy
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