How can I keep my older cat from soiling outside the litter box since the addition of my kitten?
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at
9:24 pm
I’ve brought home a baby male kitten to share with my older spayed female cat. She has never had a soiling accident until now. I already know it’s because of the kitten and she’s probably freaking out about it, but what can I do to make her quit soiling outside of the litter box?
Filed under: Cat Litter
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My two kittens are sisters so they dont mind sharing, but my aunty brought home a new kitten to her cat, and the same thing happened, we took her to the vet, and it was just she was very territorial and didnt like the kitten in there, just buy her a new litter tray, and give her ALOT of more attention, cats are like children, they play up for your attention, and say a new baby would be brought into the family, the other children often act out because of the divided attention.. Hope this helps.. xx
I would maybe try to get another litter so there are two litters.Also make sure you give her extra love.She is just Jealous right now.
The rule of thumb is to have 1 litter box per cat, plus one… so in reality you should have 2-3 litter boxes… cat’s are very finicky about where they do their business… and they don’t like sharing their spaces….
My Favorite website on cat health and wellness:
http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
Also see:
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/preventing_litter_box_problems.html
Some cats simply refuse to share a litterbox. Go get her a litterbox of her very own. Another thing that will probably help: as soon as your male kitten drops his testes, have them removed. She will be happier and he will live longer.
There will also be fewer unwanted kittens in the world.
Best wishes.
I would do the introduction slower. I would keep them separated until she stops soiling outside her box. Keep them in separate rooms and then move them back unforth until she goes in the box. once she goes in the box, I would introduce them again, but only for a little bit, than increase the time they are together. Also, I would get the male fixed when he is of age and add another litterbox. Hope this helps, and good luck!
Your older cat may be soiling because she doesn’t like sharing a litter box. or it may be that she’s marking her territory. Especially if she’s soiling next to doors, walkways between rooms or other open areas of your home. Marking is a deliberate act carried out to signal "keep out" to other cats.
I don’t know how you went about introducing your kitten, but as cats are so very territorial, you need to do this slowly so as not to upset your older cat. To reassure your cat that she is still in control of her territory, you need to confine the kitten to a separate room or area and let them meet by smell before any face to face introductions.
The web site below will give you a step by step guide on how to introduce them.
http://www.tulsa-animalshelter.org/tips/intro%20cat.htm
Whether a genuine accident or not, once the cat has urinated or defecated at a particular spot, the animal’s sensitive nose encourages the cat to use that place again. The best way to break the habit is to keep the cat away from the area for as long as possible and remove any residual smell the cat could detect. Wash the area with a solution of 10% biological (enzymatic washing liquid/powder) and warm water. Rinse thoroughly with cold water, then use a plant-mister to spray it with surgical spirit. Scrub this off too and leave it to dry. This cleaning method may not be colourfast on more delicate carpet or fabrics, so it’s wise to test a hidden area first. Placing some dry cat food in the area may help to prevent the cat using it again for this purpose.
Hope everything works out. Good luck.
You need to have at least 2 litter boxes, 3 if possible, for 2 cats.
Try putting another litter box in the area that your older cat is relieving itself.
If you catch her going outside the box put her into the box. Don’t rub her nose in it as this will actually work the opposite of what you’re trying to do. She’ll be attracted to the smell and then use that area as a permanent toilet.
Make sure you’re giving your older cat lots of attention too. She might still be jealous.