I got 99 problems and my cats are 2

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So_Much_Fab
So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
in Chit-Chat
DIsclaimer: I'm not a cab n00b but I am at my wit's end.

Cat 1 - Devin, 8. Have had him since he was a kitten.
Cat 2 - Abby, 3. Same as above.

Over the past 3-4 years, Dev's become a bit of a bully - generally not to me, but to my boyfriend (who he's know all of his life) and to Abby. Sometimes he'll chase her around the house, tackle her, etc. But then again, to be fair, Abby does it to him too, but overall, she's a much gentler cat.

Abby has had litter box issues from day 1, but over the past month or so, she won't use the box at all. I have 2 boxes. They're not covered. I've not changed up the litter. My guess is stress. So, she stayed with my boyfriend for a week, and used the box every. single. time.

He brought her back this past weekend, and she stared using the floor immediately.

I don't know what to do, I'm not of the 'give up on your animal(s) when things get tough' mindset but I can't live like I've been. I even got a pheromone wall plug in and pheromone collars for them, but it didn't seem to help.

Hoping someone that's gone through a similar situation can give me some advice. My fear is worst case, I rehome Dev only to bring Abby back home and find out that she's still not using the box.

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  • bluestarlight19
    bluestarlight19 Posts: 419 Member
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    Could you do the trial separation in reverse? Let Devin stay with your boyfriend and have Abby stay home? Maybe give it 2 weeks instead of one for her to adjust. Clean out the boxes with enzyme cleaner after he leaves so it doesn't smell like him, maybe even relocate the box to somewhere new so she doesn't associate it with the previous stresses. See how she does. Or you could re-home Abby and keep Devin? Or do you just prefer Abby?
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Yeah, I've thought about the reverse separation - but I'm not sure if my BF would be up for that as he doesn't particularly like Devin anymore. The whole situation has been quite stressful. But, I will try.

    It's tough - I love them both equally, yet for different reasons. Alternately, they both have distinctly different bad habits, lol!
  • Loss4TheWin
    Loss4TheWin Posts: 249
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    Check out Jackson Galaxy, the cat behaviorist!

    Do you play with Dev? Like really really play - until he's tired out/panting? That seems to fix a lot of cat behavior problems on Jackson's show - playing every day, at least once, but preferably twice, before feeding.
  • red66stang
    red66stang Posts: 38
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    Are you in an area where your cats can live outside either part or full time? That would take care of some of these issues pretty quickly.
  • Loss4TheWin
    Loss4TheWin Posts: 249
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    Jackson Galaxy is on Netflix - "My Cat from Hell". The last uploaded episode on "Bitey and Chompy" has some similarities to your situation, only much more serious - and they were able to work through it pretty easily.
  • ethompso0105
    ethompso0105 Posts: 418 Member
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    You may want to chat with either an animal behaviorist or a holistic vet. I work in the pet industry and have seen how many behavioral issues can be fixed with either one. The other thing is you may want to consider what you're feeding. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes feeding the "right" food can help with issues like this as well (especially Abby's).
  • TinaLauritsen
    TinaLauritsen Posts: 52 Member
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    That sounds like my two cats. I've had Kitty since she was a kitten, and got her sister Muffin from the same litter when she was about 9 months. Muffin can be a real ***** some times, she would pee in my bed, in the kitchen sink, scratch me and kitty out of the blue. I've solved the peeing problem with getting some fancy expensive litter sand which seems to be the only one she likes, and then just emptying it as often as possible. Her mood has improved a lot since I got my boyfriend, she pets her a lot, which seems to calm her down. So maybe try spending some extra time with both your cats, play with them, and do things they like. :smile:
  • blupanda12
    blupanda12 Posts: 54 Member
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    My female cat had similar issues when she was younger; she was not using the litter box consistently (though would use it) and would choose blankets or mattresses over the box every time. We fixed it with lots of time and some outside help.

    1) We took her to the vet, and found out she suffers from a disease (who's name I forget) that can create crystals in her urine. This would make it painful to pee. We helped this issue by:
    - getting a water fountain for them to encourage lots of water intake.
    - changing her food to a balanced food from the vet designed specifically to minimize crystal formation.
    - changing the litter to a more "natural" type litter. It is a sandy-type litter that also clumps, and is supposed to imitate dirt I guess
    - cleaning the litter boxes all the time. they get cleaned out twice a day of clumps and feces, and the litter was getting changed completely about once a month. The frequency of full changes has slowed down now that she's doing really well.

    2) We learned a ton from Jackson Galaxy and "My Cat From Hell". Learning from this show, we also enacted the following the beginning of this year:
    - Changed the food intake frequency to come after playtime in the evening. They get fed too early in the morning to enact this (~4:30 am), but if I could manage it, I would.
    - Changed the type of food they get during feedings. Their prescription food comes in dry and wet versions. We give dry at night, since they like to make it last, and wet in the morning. This helps them stay full and thus not wake us up 3 hours after bedtime.
    - Shifted the house around a little, and got a second cat tower. We recognized they were fighting over the single tower we had by the window, and my male was becoming a bully. A second tower opened up possibilities, allowed her to escape him when he was too agressive, and allowed them to watch the room from on high at their leisure.
    - Started playing with them almost every day. We still miss a few days sometimes. We also started using the mouse and feather wands that Jackson Galaxy recommended. This helped develop her confidence, and now she fights back when he trys to bully her.


    Step one solved most of the peeing issues, but not all of it. Step 2 has taken 6 months, but now our kitties can sleep with us most of the night without fear I'll be doing laundry in the morning. They still get kicked out after morning feedings, but that's because they like to play tag over the bed, not due to the previous issues.

    Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to share what worked for us. We really did learn quite a lot from Jackson Galaxy, and our Vet vouched for his methods too. Good luck with your issue, I hope you don't have to re-home anyone!
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Thanks for the input(s) thus far! My comments:

    I really don't think it's a medical issue with Abby since she uses the box at my boyfriends.

    I have seen Jackson Galaxy's show/website, but I think more research is in order.

    I do not give them as much playtime as I should. I need to work on that.

    I have no room for a second cat tower (my place is pretty small as it it). I do have one, but it's Dev that primarily uses it. Perhaps I could move it to make it seem more interesting.

    I use a small...grain? (but not as small as sand) clumping litter. I dump the boxes 2x daily and try to do a full cleaning once a week.

    They are 100% indoor cats though I will let them out on my patio, with supervision (because all they want to do is explore)!

    Food: They get Friskies (wet) and I try to get them a good name brand dry (I supplement the wet with the dry). I do wet in the mornings and as soon as I get home after work. Dev is like FAMISHED when I get home (or, at least he acts like he hasn't eaten in weeks) so maybe I'll try giving him a little bit of dry to hold him over, than feed him his regular food before I go to bed and after playtime.

    Thanks for all of the suggestions!
  • TAsunder
    TAsunder Posts: 423 Member
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    Where are the litterboxes? Also, when she goes other places, are they the same places? And if so, have you done a DEEP clean with enzymatic cleaning solutions, checked with a blacklight, etc.?

    If your more aggressive cat is defending the litterboxes, and they are not spaced apart adequately with proper protection while having good line of sight, defending the litterbox could be enough to cause this behavior, IMO.

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