Why is she suddenly spraying daily after 9 months???

[Madelief]

I adopted my Siamese cat 9 mos. ago after her demented owner died. She is abt. 7 yrs. old, very nervous, very fearful, had never been outside and was not treated well at all by the old lady.
It was a very slow and long haul to get her used to a house, me,my partner, my big friendly lab, friends, but every week it went just a little better. She is still fearful of the dog, as the dog is fearful of the cat. But they just go in large circles around each other. Her hiding days are over and things just seemed to be going pretty well. Never had an accident and used the litter box faithfully.
Last week spring arrived and while sitting outside with the dog, Houdini appeared and LOVED it. Cautious but quite adventurous she stayed fairly close to me, but explored and enjoyed the backyard, hopped up to my lap, then continued to explore.
As of the next morning she started spraying against a wall in the hallway and pooping abt. 1 m from her litterbox. Every day this goes on; she refuses to use the litter box. No health problem, no different anxiety and a clean litterbox, so I cannot understand why this has been happening now for a whole week. I have tried to put a screen up so she cannot move to that particular wall, but if I forget to put it back sometimes, within 3 minutes she sprays against the wall and it's a lot, as she only goes once every 24 or so hrs.
What on earth has happened here??? Was it the big outdoors adventure?? She seemed to like it so much.
If you have any similar things happening with your cat, I would welcome any advice, as this is becoming a big problem. Tried Feliway, but no change.

[booktigger]

You say no health problem, but you don't mention seeing a vet. Spraying and not using a litter tray can be a sign of a urinary infection so she needs a vet visit to rule it oit.

[Willowgill]

I have a cat who has a similar problem although not to do with outdoors - periodically she suddenly refuses to use the trays and will pee on the floor or one particular mat in the bathroom. I'm not sure why she does it. Did you notice if your cat used the soil outside to toilet in? It might be that she could smell your dog had been out there and has somehow associated this with her tray and the wall - does he brush up against the wall perhaps? It sounds like she's trying to mark her territory with the spraying but as has already been said it could also be a sign of a urinary infection so perhaps get her checked out. Also try changing her litter to a different make - she may have preferred the soil if she used it so that might be another reason. Cats are so complex - we have no idea why they suddenly change their habits! It's nice to know she's got a good home now after her poor life before!

[meriad]

I agree that as a first off I'd get her to the vet to make sure she's OK medically wise. But a few other question to get some more information.

Is your cat spayed? Does she have access to outside as and when she wants it (ie cat flap or open window or door) and what are you cleaning the area with where she's spraying?

[lilynmitz]

I agree, a vet visit is in order to rule out urinary infection.

However, my guess is that this is the first time she's been exposed to the scent of other animals who pass through your garden, which she thinks of as her territory. Given her difficult background, and the fact that she's such an anxious cat, this may have been too much for her and she's feeling very threatened by all these "intruders" in her safe place. I'd go back to keeping her indoors, clean up where she's soiled with bio detergent, and continue keeping her away from where she's spraying.

I had a blind cat Mitz. If anyone knocked on the door (rather than using the door bell), it would frighten the life out of him as he assumed a monster was trying to break down the door. So he would pee against the door, or on the hearth rug (in gallons!). I put a notice up on the window asking people not to bang on the door and use the bell instead (and why!), and it pretty much cured the problem. So if you can get the root of what's upsetting your puss and address that, then hopefully she will no longer feel the need to pee/scent mark.

He also started pooing in front of his box, which was harder to cure, but I think it started from him stepping in wet litter if I hadn't cleaned it out quickly enough. I suspect it was also a bit of a territory war with Lily, my other cat, as she could be a bit mean to him sometimes. I just made sure I cleaned his tray asap each time, which did help, but I never completely cured it. You may be luckier. It was a pain, but as it was a tiled floor, it was easy to clean. If your floor isn't tiled, put an old piece of vinyl down which is easier to clean up.

I think you need to look at your cat's world from her point of view, and bearing in mind her emotional baggage (and with siamese, if they haven't got any, they'll invent some!), and try to address the trigger issues. Once she's feeling safer, this should get better.

[lilynmitz]

Hi Madelief, just another thought, as she is having to contend with your dog indoors, where you say there is a mutual relationship of fear, and is generally nervous of people, it might help if you spend as much quiet one to one time with her as possible, to help build her confidence and to establish her place in the household. 9 months is a very short time, and it's not too late to help her settle in better. You certainly need to be doing this while she's confined to one room, and then once she's exploring the house again, do so in other rooms as well. It would be good if other family members could do the same - treat her like a trauma victim, and nurse her damaged psyche back to health. This will also help with her soiling behaviour, as a happy confident cat is much less likely to do this. Her tension may also be why she doesn't play - you wouldn't be in the mood for playing when you were feeling troubled or scared either. Once she's more relaxed and feeling more a part of the household, this might also change.