Inappropriate defecation - territory issues
Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:55 am
Hi
To give a bit of background: up until January this year we had three cats - all three tolerated each other perfectly well and we had a peaceful household. Sadly our elderly cat, Ember, died in January, leaving us with Bobby & Pumpkin. Everything carried on as normal although obviously we missed Ember dearly.
Fast forward to early September - my friend had a kitten born in her barn to an elderly feral cat in May - he was the only one in the litter to her knowledge. He was very sociable and when mother went on her way carried on living in her barn although obviously craved human company. She tried and tried to find him a home but nobody wanted him, and as i couldn't bear the thought of him living outside we took him in.
The first couple of months were terribly difficult introduction-wise, even though I did everything the right way. Both Bobby and Pumpkin developed bad stomachs because they were so stressed. Pumpkin especially found this newcomer very difficult to deal with and was extremely upset for a long time. With a lot of hard work, feliway diffusers and zylkene (not sure if either of these work!) we progressed towards a much better environment, although it is still far from the peaceful environment we would like.
The problem I have now is two-fold. While Bobby (9) just gets on with his day with little or no regard for what else is going on, Pumpkin (4) & Sparky (the newcomer - 7/8 months) continue to have intermittent problems. Just as I think things are improving, things go backwards. The biggest issue I have now is Sparky inappropriately defecating in our spare bedroom (where there is a litter box). He poops on the bed mainly, although once he did poop on the rug in there when I had put the mattress up against the wall. This room was 'his' room when we bought him home, and is where he used to sleep at night for the first 7 or 8 weeks. And I think this is where the problem lies - he does not want anyone else going in that room, and if they do, he defecates outside the box. I am finding this increasingly difficult to deal with and just don't know what to do. Now I have the mattress up against the wall again, and all 'soft' furnishings taken out of there. This morning he pooped in the box.
I will add that I have two other litterboxes - one in another spare bedroom and one in our bathroom. I know theoretically speaking i should have 4, but as the other cats never use them, I don't feel this is necessary. The only reason they seem to go in his room is to have a bit of a nose around. Nobody sleeps in there and they never really have done. They all prefer our lounge.
So what do I do about this litter box guarding, inappropriate defecation and obvious territorial issue? There is obviously some tension between Pumpkin and Sparky still. Some days it seems better (the other day they were all happily installed in their own part of the lounge, fast asleep and very content). Other days none of them seem relaxed when the other is present. Its like six of one, half dozen of the other. Sometimes Pumpkin seems to bully him (outside she will chase him and on a couple of occasions they have had a fight which I have immediately broken up), and sometimes he seems to hassle her (especially in the house, where he tends to follow her around, and chase her - sometimes it seems like playful behaviour, but I just don't know anymore).
I really am at my wits end - I don't want either of them to be stressed, but I don't know what to do to help, or how to deal with the issues effectively. I don't want to reinforce their bad behaviours, but neither can I ignore them. I am trying to stay calm (as I know they pick up on my mood) but it is hard!
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the long post.
xx
To give a bit of background: up until January this year we had three cats - all three tolerated each other perfectly well and we had a peaceful household. Sadly our elderly cat, Ember, died in January, leaving us with Bobby & Pumpkin. Everything carried on as normal although obviously we missed Ember dearly.
Fast forward to early September - my friend had a kitten born in her barn to an elderly feral cat in May - he was the only one in the litter to her knowledge. He was very sociable and when mother went on her way carried on living in her barn although obviously craved human company. She tried and tried to find him a home but nobody wanted him, and as i couldn't bear the thought of him living outside we took him in.
The first couple of months were terribly difficult introduction-wise, even though I did everything the right way. Both Bobby and Pumpkin developed bad stomachs because they were so stressed. Pumpkin especially found this newcomer very difficult to deal with and was extremely upset for a long time. With a lot of hard work, feliway diffusers and zylkene (not sure if either of these work!) we progressed towards a much better environment, although it is still far from the peaceful environment we would like.
The problem I have now is two-fold. While Bobby (9) just gets on with his day with little or no regard for what else is going on, Pumpkin (4) & Sparky (the newcomer - 7/8 months) continue to have intermittent problems. Just as I think things are improving, things go backwards. The biggest issue I have now is Sparky inappropriately defecating in our spare bedroom (where there is a litter box). He poops on the bed mainly, although once he did poop on the rug in there when I had put the mattress up against the wall. This room was 'his' room when we bought him home, and is where he used to sleep at night for the first 7 or 8 weeks. And I think this is where the problem lies - he does not want anyone else going in that room, and if they do, he defecates outside the box. I am finding this increasingly difficult to deal with and just don't know what to do. Now I have the mattress up against the wall again, and all 'soft' furnishings taken out of there. This morning he pooped in the box.
I will add that I have two other litterboxes - one in another spare bedroom and one in our bathroom. I know theoretically speaking i should have 4, but as the other cats never use them, I don't feel this is necessary. The only reason they seem to go in his room is to have a bit of a nose around. Nobody sleeps in there and they never really have done. They all prefer our lounge.
So what do I do about this litter box guarding, inappropriate defecation and obvious territorial issue? There is obviously some tension between Pumpkin and Sparky still. Some days it seems better (the other day they were all happily installed in their own part of the lounge, fast asleep and very content). Other days none of them seem relaxed when the other is present. Its like six of one, half dozen of the other. Sometimes Pumpkin seems to bully him (outside she will chase him and on a couple of occasions they have had a fight which I have immediately broken up), and sometimes he seems to hassle her (especially in the house, where he tends to follow her around, and chase her - sometimes it seems like playful behaviour, but I just don't know anymore).
I really am at my wits end - I don't want either of them to be stressed, but I don't know what to do to help, or how to deal with the issues effectively. I don't want to reinforce their bad behaviours, but neither can I ignore them. I am trying to stay calm (as I know they pick up on my mood) but it is hard!
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the long post.
xx
