Strange cat question (in case there are any cat people in the lounge :-) )

No, not strange cat, strange question.

Two years ago I (living in my apartment) took my girlfriend's cat when she was returning it to the SPCA because it was peeing a lot in her house. The cat (Tigger) has been fine in my apartment, with no "mistakes" in the 2 years.

There were a few possible reasons I can think of (and probably some others I can't think of) why Tigger had peed in her house.

1) There were two other cats and a dog in the house (now there is one cat and a dog).
2) She had not kept the litter box very clean.
3) Smell in the house from previous owner's pets' "mistakes".

Well, now I'm moving in with her into her house, and bringing Tigger.

Does anyone have any advice as to how to re-integrate the cat into the house without problems from any of the animals> (BTW, the dog has peed in the house on occasion).

Obviously I will be fastidious with the litter box.

BTW, if Tigger begins peeing again in the house again and we can not control it, I have made it clear Tigger will not go back to the SPCA. She'll either have to accept the situation or the cat and I will go.



Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm owned by several, it's probably a psychological reaction marking territory of ther are other cats present. There's a couple of ways to deal with it, have a dedicated litter box for tigger, and there is an enzyme based solution you can buy at a pet supply house or petco, it's called feliway and will stop cats from spraying where it's applied.
Other than that grin and bear it and keep large bottles of febreeze like we do when the toms get into a spray contest, even after their equipment is gone they still mark just not as much.

Well, you could say that!!
:rofl:

I'm on of them, btw. Oh, and, Tigger needs his own litter box...pronto!! :hi:

He's not there yet.

We used to have a tortoiseshell who developed that habit. We had three other cats at the time, all males. I think she didn't like being around all that testosterone (although they were all fixed). She would have been best as an only cat.

I agree with the above recommendation of Feliway. I would encourage putting litter boxes in several different locations, and if Tigger does start peeing inappropriately, put a litter box there immediately after cleaning the spot.

Good luck to you - I know how frustrating that situation can be for all involved.

The dog and other cat in the house (same ones as when he left the house 2 years ago) are both females.

whole males' lives pretty much revolve around marking their territory! I've always had females, and have never had issues with marking behavior, so no real experience in dealing with a situation with yours.

I've watched them do time and again, we have two neutered males havinbg a spray contest right now, we've just about got it under control now though, but no more toms.

Feliway is like a plug-in air freshener, but it puts cat pheromones into the air, and these pheromones have rendered our three cats into an incredible state of calm. I must add some context - we just last week had a complete household move from a house to a condo, and one of our cats has a history of anxiety and peeing issues. She's had no problems, all the cats are using the boxes (we also changed litter types - Swheat Scoop, they like it, it doesn't stink), and there have been none of the the usual new-territory issues - growling, hissing, sparring.

I swear. This stuff is spectacular. Worth every penny. I wish I had tried it sooner.

http://www.petco.com/product/10533/Comfort-Zone-Diffuser-with-Feliway-for-Cats.aspx

Good luck.

Personal Interests. I think you will find lots of help there.

I needed help for 2 or 3 months, but NOTHING helped. My kitten was pooping right OUTSIDE her litter box. I even took her to the vet Twice and was told to try putting dirt in the litter box (because she was an outside stray for the first 12 weeks of her life). I never took the time to use dirt, cuz I didn't know what kind, how much, blabbity on and on...
Plus there are 2 cats. 2 cats, one is 13 one is 1 year. Kitty boxes in 2 separate bedrooms.

However, to make a LONG story short, I left on a trip for 6 days leaving my husband. I figured by the time I got home that my husband would have taken the kitty for a ridein the country, LOL. (He would disappear himself).

My husband moved one of the litter boxes....out of the room into the hallway. And this cat has turned into an unbelievable trained cat. I was so impressed.

I tried using DIFFERENT type litter, clunking, and gravel like. I guess now the sand is working best, I scoop out the stuff (and replace with fresh) then change completely once a week. I'M AMAZED.

Also when he Moved the litter box from the bedroom, he shut the door because that is where the kitty was using the carpet and floor. it's almost as if the kitten couldn't adjust to that room with the box.

I hope I have given you some help. I LOVE KITTIES...and If I didn't have a husband, I would take every single stray and rescue every single one that I could.

I hope you kitty does good.

(hope this isn't too confusing)

From my experiences with my various cats, and my aunts experience with all of hers, that kind of a problem is often solved by adding an additional litter box and keeping them all a bit cleaner. Cats will often claim different litter boxes, or claim one for pissing and another for pooping, and then the problem usually goes away.