Cats and babies - please help.

[CJ1603]

To cut a long story short I have two cats (sisters) who I've had since they were kittens, they are now 3years old, and one of them has taken the birth of my baby very badly. My son is currently 4.5 months old and the cats behaviour is getting worse and worse.

I know it's stress related so it isn't her fault but I just can't handle it anymore.

She is urinating everywhere - and I mean everywhere - in the house. Over furniture, floors, in the bath , over my stuff, my husband's stuff and worse of all, all over the baby's things, including his crib, his car seat and his pram. The cat is also shredding the carpets and ripping wallpaper of the walls. She has had stress induced cystitis 3 times since he was born.

We have tried everything we can think of to stop this behaviour and alleviate her stress but nothing has worked.

As a result we are looking at re-homing because this isn't fair to her or us.

The problem I'm having now is should I just re-home her or both of them?

The other cat is absolutely fine but the thought of splitting them up just breaks my heart. I can't bear to think of one of the cats being sent to a re-homing/fostering centre and wondering why not only why she has been taken away from her home but also why she has been taken away from her sister.

And how would their separation affect the cat who stays with us?

I just don't know what to do

[Jacks]

Just a thought, but could you put your distressed cat in a cattery for a week (not the one who is okay with baby) and then:
1) Observe how resident cat is without the companion (a week is not enough for them to forget each other)
2) Get the cattery to report on the toiletting behaviour of your other cat.

I'm assuming as you've done everything you're done the vet route checking that she doesn't have cystitis at the moment. It does sound like she simply can't tolerate the baby's smells - of course these will be highly urine and faeces related, and cats vary in their tolerance of invasions to their territory. She is definitely one unhappy cat, and the temporary separation would to some extend answer your question as to whether your happy cat is okay without sister and whether sister's behaviour is related to baby. Of course it's POSSIBLE that she's developed an intolerance of her sister's toiletting as well but I think this unlikely...

Better still, get friend or relative to take her for a week or so (indoor only, of course) but next best would be a cattery - preferably a 'cat hotel' where they have a nice room that's more like home than a tiny pen - if the latter it would help you answer 1) but not 2)...

[CJ1603]

Thanks Jack,

Ruby was at the Vets about 10 days ago for her cystitis and very recently finished her course of Metacam. About an hour ago she walked into the kitchen where my husband's cricket bag was on the floor with all his kit in it, and she walked over, got in the bag, had a massive wee and then just got out of it and left the kitchen.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

That's a really good suggestion about the temporary separation to see how the cats behave - I will discuss it with my husband.