Cat trouble

[Emz]

Hi all,

Never posted on this bit before, i use the fishie forum all the time (didnt realise this was here)

I have two cats, a male tabby, 6 years old called taz and a female tabby, 4 years old called yoda, and we all live together in my flat.

I love my cats more than anything in the whole world, but i have a problem with both of them.

Taz is just anti-social, he doesn't like anyone but me, he is the most caring, lovely cat to me, but when anyone else comes into the house he attacks them, i have a lodger moving in next month and he has come to visit a few times so taz can get to know him but everu time taz has attacked him. i dont know what to do.

My other cat yoda is the most placid cat in the world, she is quite timid but really nice, her problem is she wee's everywhere. In bags, on shoes, under my desk, in the corner of my bedroom. there is no reason, the litter tray is changed every day.

Im getting really upset, i feel like i cant invite people over because one cat will try to kill them and the other cat will pee on there shoes

Please help me
Emz

 

[BlueIce]

Problem one...cat pee

Call a vet..cats don't normally pee like that for behaviour problems,it is usually caused by a urninary tract infection.



problem two-

anti-social

remove yourself from all care of that cat.Have your new house mate do all feeding,water,changing litter....the cat needs to view this person as the one he now relies on for comfort.It will take time,but the cat should come around.

 

[The-Wolf]

IME both cats are reacting to unwanted people in "their" territory.

It could be a urinary tract problem as well so in any case speak to your vet
s/he will be very helpfull in any areas of diagnosis and behaviour problems.

 

[fraservet]

OK, let's start with the easy one.

Inappropriate urination
- may be due to cystitis (although not bacterial in a cat of this age)
- may be due to stress
- may be behavioural

first thing to do is to take her to your vet, taking a urine sample with you if possible (if she uses the litter tray at all, put some (washed) gravel in instead of what you normally use and tip it into a clean jar).

identify any possible stressors - does your male cat harass her? have their been any changes in your house? etc. you say she is a very timid cat - stress could certainly be the cause.

how long has she been doing this? if it is fairly recent the above problems are the most likely
if it's been going on for a while it may be behavioural.
originally she may have had cystitis or been stressed and urinated where she wasn't meant to. once the smell is in these places, even when the underlying problem is solved, she may continue the behaviour.
you need to thoroughly clean anywhere she urinates with strong smelling disinfectant (or a proprietary product from the pet shop) which should remove/mask the smell.

what do you feed her on?
is she neutered?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

as for the other one.

is he castrated? - if not this may help a lot.

otherwise it is a behavioural issue, which can be difficult to sort out.
having someone else feeding him etc. is a good start
also exposure to different people regularly

you will need to work very hard with your cat to improve things
your vet will be able to recommend a behaviourist if you think you need help.
they can work miracles with problem pets


hope this helps - if you have any questions I will try to answer them.

 

[Emz]

Thank you all so much, you have given me alot to think about.

I will deffiantly get my new lodger to feed the cats and hopefully taz will accept him.

As for yoda, i dont think its a water infection (my other cat did have one about a year ago) but ill take her to the vets anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Also not sure if this is relevent or not, yoda has a bit of a skin problem, every now and then she goes a bit bold under her belly and back legs, almost like its been shaved. it doesn't seem to bother her and the vet doesnt seem concerned. Could this be stress do you think?

There have been no changes at home and she has been peeing everywhere for a couple of months, but lately its got worse.

Emz

 

[fraservet]

if it is due to stress, she will be biting the hair out herself - have you seen her groom these areas excessively?

is the hair loss symmetrical?

is the skin in the bald areas normal or not?
e.g. red/spotty/scabby etc.

 

[Emz]

The hair loss is in almost a perfect shape, the whole of her belly, its not red or blotchy and i haven't seen her pulling hair (neither have i found any clumps of hair around the house) she does wash the area but i wouldn't say excessively.

 

[fraservet]

doesn't really sound like trichotillomania (excessive hair plucking due to stress)
if the skin is in good condition it may be nothing to worry about.

sorry, can't help any more with this without seeing the cat and taking samples etc.

 

[Emz]

Thank you all for your help, i will keep an eye on yoda and her pee problem and i will try getting my lodger to feed taz. i'll post back and let you all know how it goes. if i have no joy i will take them both to the vets and see if they can help me.

Thanks again.

Emz