Need advice from folks with multiple cats
06-11-2011, 05:49 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Chesterfield, Virginia
Posts: 725
Since I am in the middle of CHAOS right now with my three, I am reading along, hoping someone can come up with a solution that works for me, too!!
((( I have Gandolph (an older diabetic) Rory, AKA Mr. Crankypants) and Tatiana (AKA Her Royal Bitchiness.) have all been to the vet and declared healthy. Rory and Tati have both spent a few days at 'sleep-away camp' (boarding at the vet) and while one has been gone Gandolph and the other have been allowing peace and harmony to reign at the Greenhouse.
Now, all three are back together, and we KNOW that someone is peeing out of frustration or to prove a point, not from a medical issue.
Which of the two would you guys think is the most obvious choice to be medicated? And if you have had a cat on an anti-anxiety or chill out pill, what have you used? Rory is the younger, he is a clown and high energy. He is VERY interested in becoming friends with Tatiana. He STALKS her, he wants to be NEAR her. Tatiana is about 10, she is a hisser, she isn't as lovely-dovey kind of animal.
Also, it's not possible to separate them in different parts of the house. There are doors only on the bathroom and the bedrooms, and they are not allowed in two of the three bedrooms because of peeing issues. But. We need to end this peeing thing. It's got to stop. If both should be on something, so be it, but something must give. Tati was here first, Gandolph and Rory came together a year and a half ago, and this has been an issue for about 7 months...
I wouldn't care if they carried on, hissed and swatted and fought, I get that...its the peeing that is making me nuts!)
((( I have Gandolph (an older diabetic) Rory, AKA Mr. Crankypants) and Tatiana (AKA Her Royal Bitchiness.) have all been to the vet and declared healthy. Rory and Tati have both spent a few days at 'sleep-away camp' (boarding at the vet) and while one has been gone Gandolph and the other have been allowing peace and harmony to reign at the Greenhouse.
Now, all three are back together, and we KNOW that someone is peeing out of frustration or to prove a point, not from a medical issue.
Which of the two would you guys think is the most obvious choice to be medicated? And if you have had a cat on an anti-anxiety or chill out pill, what have you used? Rory is the younger, he is a clown and high energy. He is VERY interested in becoming friends with Tatiana. He STALKS her, he wants to be NEAR her. Tatiana is about 10, she is a hisser, she isn't as lovely-dovey kind of animal.
Also, it's not possible to separate them in different parts of the house. There are doors only on the bathroom and the bedrooms, and they are not allowed in two of the three bedrooms because of peeing issues. But. We need to end this peeing thing. It's got to stop. If both should be on something, so be it, but something must give. Tati was here first, Gandolph and Rory came together a year and a half ago, and this has been an issue for about 7 months...
I wouldn't care if they carried on, hissed and swatted and fought, I get that...its the peeing that is making me nuts!)
06-11-2011, 06:02 PM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
Posts: 3,884
I know that frustration! We had three female cats (all spayed) and then this male stray, Tom, comes along and, well, he had some tomcat war wounds and I felt sorry for him and you know where this is going... we took him to the vet, got him treated and neutered, brought him home and...
Midnight, the alpha cat at the time, HATED him. In truth, she hates all male cats, because once upon a time she got knocked up and nearly died trying to feed her five kittens. (Someone took her to the SPCA, the kittens went into foster care, and we adopted her.) But she's had it in for males ever since.
So, she and Tom - we think it was those two - got into the whole peeing thing. On rugs. On the couch. On an empty pedestal cake plate. (Why??) On the pillow on my bed. In our shoes. Geez!
We decided that we had to lock Tom in the cellar. They simply had to be separated. In the end, my Mom adopted Tom and he never once did anything inappropriate in her house. But, he's the only cat there...
As to figuring out who did the peeing... bring in the innocent and/or guilty parties, one at a time, and out of sight of the others. The innocent will sniff it out, because they want to know what happened. The guilty will show no interest, because they already know about it.
The best cleanup product we ever found was "Stink Free Stain and Odor Urine Remover".
Good luck! It's maddening, isn't it?
Midnight, the alpha cat at the time, HATED him. In truth, she hates all male cats, because once upon a time she got knocked up and nearly died trying to feed her five kittens. (Someone took her to the SPCA, the kittens went into foster care, and we adopted her.) But she's had it in for males ever since.
So, she and Tom - we think it was those two - got into the whole peeing thing. On rugs. On the couch. On an empty pedestal cake plate. (Why??) On the pillow on my bed. In our shoes. Geez!
We decided that we had to lock Tom in the cellar. They simply had to be separated. In the end, my Mom adopted Tom and he never once did anything inappropriate in her house. But, he's the only cat there...
As to figuring out who did the peeing... bring in the innocent and/or guilty parties, one at a time, and out of sight of the others. The innocent will sniff it out, because they want to know what happened. The guilty will show no interest, because they already know about it.
The best cleanup product we ever found was "Stink Free Stain and Odor Urine Remover".
Good luck! It's maddening, isn't it?
06-11-2011, 06:02 PM
#14
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17,068
Trish, have you tried those plug-in things that release synthetic pheromones?? They are expensive but really helped calm mine down when we got Katie. I used them for about a year, then gradually took them away. They really worked.
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
06-11-2011, 06:20 PM
#15
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,586
Originally Posted by sueisallaboutquilts
Trish, have you tried those plug-in things that release synthetic pheromones?? They are expensive but really helped calm mine down when we got Katie. I used them for about a year, then gradually took them away. They really worked.
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
06-11-2011, 06:26 PM
#16
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana
Posts: 171
Originally Posted by virtualbernie
Originally Posted by sueisallaboutquilts
Trish, have you tried those plug-in things that release synthetic pheromones?? They are expensive but really helped calm mine down when we got Katie. I used them for about a year, then gradually took them away. They really worked.
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
Here's one online store.
http://www.cheappetstore.com/search/...x=0&submit.y=0
06-11-2011, 06:44 PM
#17
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Outside St. Louis
Posts: 38,224
My four all get along. Oldest is a feral cat. about 15 Yo, Two are the same age, going on 11 YO. Youngest is going on 5 or 6 YO. all declawed and neutered. The 2 eleven year olds fought the 1st week they were together, that was it. Other than a spat now and then they all get along.
I hope you find an answer to your problem.
I hope you find an answer to your problem.
06-11-2011, 07:00 PM
#18
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17,068
Originally Posted by virtualbernie
Originally Posted by sueisallaboutquilts
Trish, have you tried those plug-in things that release synthetic pheromones?? They are expensive but really helped calm mine down when we got Katie. I used them for about a year, then gradually took them away. They really worked.
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
Also, my son got the spray and when he sprays the room his cat calms right down (he just got a new puppy and the cat got nervous)
06-11-2011, 07:53 PM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,299
We had the same thing happen. When our first cat came back home we couldn't leave the two of them in a room together. We just took to putting one of them in the basement at night, we alternated the two of them so neither would see on area as their domain. It took about six months before they were at least 'cordial', but they never became friends. The second cat was never as friendly even with us after that happened.
06-11-2011, 08:23 PM
#20
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 10,357
Originally Posted by deedee75
I vote to let them all roam free. They will eventually create their own heirarchy. There will occasionally be squabbles when they attempt to change positions.
Apparently the plug in pheremone things are really good (vets here recommend them) and investing in some enzyme based cleanser for the pee'ers should help, then after cleansing dab some lavender oil around (they hate the smell of lavender). They also do not do well sharing litter boxes so a few extras may be in order.
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