Maggie (stray) behavior issues ...(long)

Question
QUESTION: Hi Ali ... A brief background ~ we are the 'staff' of (8) indoor only cats. (4) strays; 'Maxie' 7 year-old male Alpha cat, 'Barney' (5 year-old male mellow 'gets-along-with-everyone' cat, 'Loppy' (3 year-old female who came to us starving with (3) kittens in-tow (who now have good homes), 'Maggie' 2-3 year-old female ~ (1) feral; 'Spanky' 3 1/2 year-old female, and her (3) 2-year old kittens, Annie, Terry and Mikey.

After much patience, love and understanding, everyone gets along wonderfully EXCEPT 'Maggie'.  She showed up one evening in July (we think she was just 'dumped' off at our house because we live in the country).  She was in good physical condition, had been spayed and didn't appear to be on her own for very long.  She would rub up against us, but when trying to pet her, she just lashed out and either bit or clawed us. We set up her very comfortable 'living quarters' in our small barn/garage.  We could tell she had been abused/mistreated because of her behavior (raising our voice at her scared her - couldn't pet her, even tho' she acted like she wanted to be pet - she was very aggressive if we went beyond her 'safe' zone. Adding to that, after a few days, I noticed a big bloody gash across her tail. She was definitely in pain. Because she had a fever and was lathargic, she was easily put into a carrier to take to the vet for surgery. For her 2-week recovery period, we put her in a spare bathroom with her bed, some toys and her food/water. Bathroom is good size and had a window for her 'viewing' requirements!

Long story short, when it became to cold outside (we live in Southern Maine) we brought her inside and kept her separate from our other 'kids' in my office.  It's been about 5 months that she's been in the house - she terriorizes Spanky (the feral) and her three 2-year olds by chasing them and they are desparately afraid of her and hide under the bed and just won't come out of their room.  Maxie (our alpha cat) and Maggie growl/hiss/yowl at each other, and Maxie's answer to that 'other cat' intrusion is periodically peeing in the house.  Barney is the only cat that will 'play' with her - cautiously.  Loppy just stays away from her, and Maggie doesn't bother her much.

Maggie has come along way with us - she has begun to trust us more - she even jumped up in my lap the other day.  She'll let us pet her - but we are still very cautious because she will strike out.  She has a rule ... no one is to pet her in her bed - that is totally off-limits.

I think she would be very happy in an only cat environment, and only with very cat-savvy folks.  She's a jekyll/hyde personality.  Basically, her presence has totally upset our household - none of the cats like her - and she doesn't like them.  As I see it, her behavior is a mixture of fear aggression and play aggression.  How we presently handle it is we keep Maggie separate from Spanky and her 'kids'.  When Maggie's out, they stay safe in their room - and when they are out, Maggie's in her room (my office).  We have an in-home business that takes up much of our time. We are at out wit's end.  

We're in contact with two 'no-kill' shelters, but because of the many animals being abandoned in this economy they are over-whelmed.  We don't want to bring her to the local animal shelter because they would probably euthanize her - she's just not the happy, cuddly fuzz-ball that folks want to adopt! We've put flyers out with her picture at our Vets and some other places.

Basically, what else can we do?  Her chasing the older cats has become more frequent (probably because she see's all the birds and chipmunks running around our yard).  We refuse to let her out because she may get hit by a car, plus she'll kill the birds and chipmunks in our yard.

I know this is a rather lengthy e-mail, Ali ... and we certainly appreciate your extensive experience with cats. I just hope you can offer a workable solution for us ...

One other thing, I know you're not a Vet but perhaps you could find out for us.  Mikey (the male 2-year old) has started coughing periodically.  He's had x-rays and they do show a small irritation on his lungs.  He's had two injections of prednisone which stopped his cough both times for about 5 weeks.  Now, Vet wants to put him on low-dose (liquid) pred.  Two questions:  Could his cough (allergy/asthma/bronchitis) be stress-related?  Is there an alternative/holistic treatment available that you are aware of?

I look forward to your reply ... thank you!

Sincerely,

Lee


 


ANSWER: Lee,

Aggression between cats can happen for a number of reasons. Some of the most common causes are not having your cats spayed/neutered at an early age, some medical issues can cause behavioral changes including aggression, territorial disputes between the cats, re-directed aggression and petting/play aggression. Ultimately it sounds like your hunch about Maggie possibly having been abused is probably quite accurate. I don't know whether or not you've sought a vet's opinion to ensure that there aren't any other obvious medical issues that could be causing or contributing to Maggie's aggressive behavior towards the other cats. I'm sure that you're well aware that it's not a good idea to put any part of your body in between two cats that are fighting because that can result in serious injuries for you. There are many options for treating this issue from finding a holistic vet and having Maggie assessed and treated using non-pharmaceutical approach to having your family vet refer you to an animal behaviorist specializing in cat behavior, you could also consider having the vet prescribe anti-anxiety/depressant medication for Maggie. I normally suggest that pet parents consider the least risky and invasive treatments first, using psychotropic drugs on cats isn't without risks or side effects, so in my opinion this is truly a last resort.

I really think that Maggie could benefit from seeing an experienced holistic vet, these doctors are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies. Some of the behaviors that you describe might become less intense, happen less frequently or be completely stopped by using alternative therapies. My family vet is an amazing holistic practitioner and she has used homeopathic remedies sometimes in addition to conventional treatments for behavioral and medical issues that my cats have had over the years. Based on your description of Maggie's troubles I certainly agree with the assumption that she was badly abused and quite seriously traumatized by people at some point. I suspect that Maggie's complete trust is going to be difficult to earn. Sometimes physical abuse and different forms of neglect can have lasting effects on cats, over the years some of my foster cats have almost seemed to have post traumatic stress disorder. In some cases rescued cats took months in my care to recover from their traumatic pasts and begin to trust. It sounds to me like Maggie is showing signs of a feline version of post traumatic stress disorder as a result of abuse she suffered at the hands of one or more people.

I've found that a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure can be a helpful place to start when treating a case like Maggie's. Rescue Remedy is safe for all people and most pets, it's easy to administer, fairly inexpensive and often quite effective to help traumatized animals be more relaxed. You can usually find Rescue Remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies, some mainstream pharmacies stock this remedy in the aisle where you'd find vitamins and other nutritional supplements and I believe that Rescue Remedy can also be purchased online. I usually suggest adding 7-9 drops to each fresh bowl of water every morning, Rescue Remedy won't hurt the other cats in the household, in fact it might help reduce the tension and aggression overall. Provided that you use common sense you can't give the cats too much, a few extra drops or dropperfuls of Rescue Remedy won't hurt anyone. This remedy is preserved in a grape alcohol solution so I don't recommend administering it directly by mouth for cats except in case of an emergency, they really aren't fond of the smell or taste of the grape alcohol. Another way to administer Rescue Remedy is to gently rub a single drop onto the relatively fur free skin in front of the cats' ears, do be careful not to get any into the ears because it contains grape alcohol and that can sting.

Rescue Remedy is one of the few remedies that's considered okay to use before speaking to a holistic vet, at worst it won't work, it doesn't have any adverse effects if used properly. Be sure to let the holistic vet caring for your cats know about any treatments you've tried so that they know where to go next. I do think that Maggie might benefit from alternative therapies, they're becoming more widely accepted and there are many to choose from including acupuncture, massage, homeopathy and Reiki to name a few.

You mentioned that you're having an occasional issue with house soiling with Maxie. Since questions about litter box issues are quite common I've included a copy of my standard answer which covers most of the common issues surrounding inappropriate elimination in cats. Please don't take any gender pronouns that aren't correct personally, this is a standard answer put together over time and cutting and pasting this answer saves time allowing me to help more pet parents with their issues. In addition to this standard answer I'd like to add that if your cat isn't neutered that may be contributing to territorial marking, if he's not purebred and being used for breeding there are several good medical and behavioral reasons to spay/neuter him. I can certainly provide more information about the importance of spay/neutering cats if you'd like.

I would like to start off by saying that cats don't use the toilet outside of the litter box to wreak revenge on their caregivers or attempt to make their humans angry. There is a reason for what's going on, there may be a medical issue that has yet to be diagnosed or this could be behavioral. I understand that you believe that the house soiling is a behavioral issue in this case however it's important to completely rule out some common medical causes by having the cat seen by the vet to be completely assessed including blood work (pre-anesthetic profile provides a clear picture to the vet about how the cat's major organ systems are functioning) and a urine test (to check for the presence of crystals related to inappropriate diet and be cultured for the presence of bacteria). If the test results all come back in the normal range then you can treat the inappropriate litter box issue as a purely behavioral problem. If your cat has crystals present in her urinary tract it's not likely that she'll experience a blockage, however the crystals could be scraping against the surface of her urinary tract causing burning and irritation when she urinates. If the cause of this cat's inappropriate elimination is behavioral she's probably trying to tell you something, cats can't tell us what's happening, if they're sick, afraid, jealous or angry so as distasteful as it is house soiling is their only means of getting a point across.

It has been my experience that there are a few consistent reasons why cats begin urinating or defecating outside of the litter box. Cats are very fastidious animals and some are so picky that they won't urinate or defecate in their litter box once they have used it to go to the toilet that day. I usually recommend that cat guardians have a minimum of one litter box per cat plus one in their home to prevent issues related to litter boxes being the cause of inappropriate elimination. I can certainly say from experience that one can never have too many litter boxes in their home from a cat's point of view. In the case of cats that have been house soiling or larger homes it's a good idea to have one litter box per cat plus one per level of your home to rule out issues like the cat not being aware that s/he has to use the litter until it's too late.

Some cats prefer to use one litter box to urinate in and the other to defecate in, you may find that this kitty will use both litter pans if they are placed in the same room. Cats can be quite finicky about the litter that's used to fill their litter boxes. Some cats will begin soiling outside of the litter box if they don't like the texture of the litter. If your kitty litter has any fragrance or dyes added to it your cat may be trying to tell you that s/he is sensitive to the perfumes or dyes commonly found in certain brands of kitty litter. My oldest resident cat is extremely clean and doesn't generally go to the toilet outside of the litter box, however she will urinate on the floor if we accidentally purchase the wrong litter and it contains scents or dyes. If the kitty litter that you use is made from clay or silica it might be worth trying clumping kitty litters made from different materials such as wheat or corn. These kitty litters clump just as well or better than clay based litters and many of them have the added bonus of being flushable when broken up into small pieces, some are even safe to flush if you have a septic system. With litters made from wheat and corn there are sometimes natural enzymes added to the litter which minimize any odor that could potentially be offending your cat. There is a possibility that this kitty may be sensitive to dust or chemicals commonly found in standard clumping kitty litters, however since they don't tend to exhibit similar allergy/sensitivity symptoms to humans this possibility is often overlooked.

Some cats prefer specific types of litter boxes. There are many different designs and types of litter boxes available on the market. Sometimes the size of the litter box that you are using may be playing a role when it comes to a kitty peeing outside of the box. There could be a number of different things causing this kitty to urinate outside of the litter box. It's very important that your cats can easily get into and out of the litter box on their own and that they are able to do their duty in a clean, private and comfortable environment. If litter box hygiene is being left to children or not being performed often enough cats can opt out of using a dirty box and go off in search of a cleaner place to go to the toilet - after all, nobody likes to use a dirty public toilet, it's kind of the same idea for cats. If a cat must go to the toilet in an area where there is no privacy they may try to hold it until they have some privacy and the urine around the house may just be that they couldn't hold it any longer, although in your case it does sound as if the marking is more territorial, but it's important not to rule anything out. If the litter box area is colder or vastly different in comparison to the rest of the house it's possible that the cats are just not comfortable enough to use the toilet where their litter boxes are being kept. If you use a self cleaning litter box your kitty may be frightened by the motion and noise commonly associated with these high tech kitty toilets. If you use open litter boxes you could try using a covered litter pan to see if this makes a difference. Some cats need more room to dig, use the toilet and bury their waste than other cats. There should be plenty of room for your kitten to stand up, turn around, dig and squat to urinate or prop themselves up on their hindquarters to defecate without feeling squished or crowded. I have cared for a few cats that have been uncomfortable using the litter box if the area is dark. It may be worth installing a small battery operated light with a sensor or even a night light that automatically switches on once the room is dimly lit in the area where the litter pans are to see if having a light on helps with the house soiling issue.  

If family work/school/activity schedules aren't consistent, your kitties may be feeling lonely or anxious when you aren't at home. Cats are creatures of habit and they like to be able to anticipate the comings and goings of their human guardians and they prefer to lead a somewhat consistent and routine life. It's possible that one or more of your cats have separation anxiety, especially if they have recently been spending more time alone due to a change in work and recreational schedules that may be contributing to the toileting accidents. You may want to consider leaving the radio or television on for the cats to help them feel less anxious in your absence, you could even set up timers for the radio and television so that these kitties don't feel as anxious when their favorite human isn't at home.

Another solution that's well worth trying out is to try and provide your cats with comforting scents while they're home alone. My youngest resident cat (Kizmit) was a rescued stray and she developed a serious case of separation anxiety once she became accustomed to gentle, consistent handling and loads of attention. I found that placing my dirty laundry in an open laundry basket helped to ease her anxiety levels. I often came home from work to see Kizmit sleeping peacefully buried in the dirty clothes. Prior to making the dirty laundry accessible Kizmit would urinate in the middle of my bed and/or cry all day until I came home. Coming home after a long shift to find urine in my bed was less than pleasant and when the neighbors started to complain I realized that Kiz was experiencing anxiety and communicating it in the only way that she knew how to. Due to the fact that this behavioral change seems to be a fairly new issue with this kitty it's worth thinking back to when this issue started and looking at changes that happened around that time frame in terms of household routines, work schedules or daily activities. Some cats will develop high levels of anxiety when their humans are away from home. If these cats are used to being cuddled and pampered while you are at home it's possible that they become anxious when you leave home because they don't understand why they're being left alone, they may be fearful that you aren't coming back or they could just be worried about how long you will be gone, especially in the case of the rescued kitties because you just don't have much information about their history. Separation anxiety doesn't usually happen in cats whose caretakers pay little attention to them - it's a disorder typical of well loved pets.  

I know that it can be very frustrating to have one or more cats urinating outside of the litter box, but I think that it's worth mentioning that cats don't eliminate outside of the litter pan to upset their human caregivers, there's always a reason and once the reason is addressed the problem tends to disappear. Cats try their best to communicate with their human guardians, unfortunately human beings don't usually recognize inappropriate elimination as a means of communication because we no longer consciously communicate by scent marking and territorial displays. It's important to remember that cats haven't become accustomed to verbal communication as we have, they tend to be geared towards communicating by leaving behind and smelling scents and body language is also high up on the list of a cat's communication skills. In the interests of science it's worth noting that some scientists still believe that human beings are susceptible to pheromones and although we can't smell these chemicals they may play more of a role than we realize in terms of things like the way we socialize and even who we socialize with.

Some cats will house soil in response to the noise, activity, change in status/attention that major life changes like adding a dog or other new pets, a death in the family, loss of another pet or person in the household, marriage, divorce, having a baby or any number of other common occurrences can cause. The changes I've mentioned are some of the more common triggers that could cause sensitive cats to begin house soiling. If you live in a busy household your cats may be experiencing difficulty with all of the activity going on around them on a daily basis. Basic changes within a household like having less time off than usual, changes in a work or school schedule or different days off than you or another family member did previously can also affect cats. It's very important to think back to when this behavior started and what was happening at that point in time in your life.

Sometimes a lack of stimulation can result in destructive behaviors like house soiling. I have found providing different forms of stimulation helps to ease boredom. Cats and young kittens are quite intelligent. Contrary to popular belief cats just aren't designed to sleep all day and night. Cats are predators by nature, providing several different outlets to help house or apartment dwelling cats and kittens fulfill their natural instincts. The majority of cats enjoy having a range of toys designed for independent or interactive play. I generally suggest that people consider picking up interactive toys like a few kitty teases, a kitten mitten and other toys that encourage appropriate play with their human family members. It's also important for cats to have a variety of toys that they can bat around and play with on their own. I usually recommend that you consider what a toy will sound like at 3 am before giving it to your cat. Toys that make noises on their own, have bells inside of them or are made of hard plastic are usually best to avoid. I can tell you from personal experience that cats can be incredibly good at hiding toys that are making noises during the wee hours of the morning and after having a night of sleep interrupted you won't be overly impressed with your kitty's hunting prowess. In our household the cats have several large grocery bags worth of toys which we buy on sale and we simply rotate the toys so that our cats don't become bored with having the same toys for extended periods of time. I recommend small mice that can be held in their mouths, if they are made of softer materials that's usually best. I have also found that small ping pong ball shaped, soft foam balls are a hit both with cats that I have fostered and those which I have cared for on a permanent basis. There certainly isn't any shortage of cat toys out there and manufacturers are becoming more inventive every year. In my opinion a good quality, sturdy floor to ceiling cat tree with platforms and cubbies your cats can climb up to and hang out on to watch the world go by or sleep is a good investment. A decent floor to ceiling post with perches and cubbies can run $300+ CAN.

You could also try looking into the Cat Sitter DVD series. These dvds are movies geared towards cats. As far as I'm aware there are three videos in this series. The Cat Sitter DVDs all feature great video footage of small prey animals and different wildlife. In my experience these videos can occupy cats for quite awhile, they are designed to entertain cats when their human caregiver is away from home. The footage in these videos can be played on a loop so that once the entire movie has been viewed it will automatically restart. The first two volumes feature some great footage of birds, mice and other small animals. The second and third volumes of the series include scenes that the production company refers to as "digital catnip" which is essentially a computer generated bug that flits back and forth across the screen in an unpredictable fashion that appeals to most cats. The third DVD in the series focuses on aquariums and there are some phenomenal shots of fresh and saltwater fish. You can often find these videos in pet supply stores for around $14-25 CAN (depending on where you shop). If you are able to set your home entertainment center to play the videos at set intervals throughout the work/work day your cats may be less anxious. With the Cat Sitter DVDs she will have plenty of visual stimulation to occupy their time. If you do opt to purchase these videos I would strongly suggest that you make sure that the top of the television is kept clear and a chair or small sturdy scratch post with a platform is parked in front of it because most cats like to bat at the prey animals and fish and in some cases these animals disappear from the screen in one direction or another most cats will try to find out where the animal or computer generated bug has disappeared to.

If you own your own home or apartment it's possible that your cats spend a fair amount of time looking out the window and watching the world go by. If this is the case your cats may have heard or seen something that frightened or frustrated them. Since cats have sensitive hearing and they are territorial animals by nature there are a number of possible situations that may cause inappropriate behavior such as house soiling or aggression. If neighborhood cats spend a significant amount of time walking through your yard and marking their territory with urine or feces your cats may be responding to perceived threats in their territory in the only way that they can - by marking their territory indoors. Just because you only see one cat spraying doesn't mean that s/he is the only one responsible for the urine marking. The only way to be certain that only one cat is responsible for house soiling in a multiple cat household is to have the veterinarian provide you with a special dye that changes the colour of a cat's urine, essentially you give them the dye one at a time and that should tell you who is peeing outside of the box.

Sometimes cats can become upset if household renovations are happening or there are repair or tradespeople in your home or outside of it making noise and disrupting their regular routine. Some cats become anxious or fearful when loud sounds like a car backfiring or road crews using a jackhammer nearby. The bottom line is that cats are territorial animals and they really aren't fond of change so making necessary household renovations and repairs as easy as possible for your cats is important. You can do this by confining them to an easy to clean room in the home such as the bathroom with food, water, toys, litter, a comfy place to sleep and possibly even a small radio left on at a low volume.

In some cats loud noises provoke extreme reactions related to fear or anxiety, in cases like this it's well worth considering consulting a holistic veterinarian for help. Holistic vets are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include acupuncture, Reiki, homeopathy or massage to name a few. It has been my experience that cats respond very well to the holistic approach, my family vet is a holistic practitioner and she uses homeopathy in her practice. I've seen some pretty amazing results in my own cats when homeopathic remedies have been prescribed, so it's certainly worth a try. Cats can also benefit from acupuncture, massage and other alternative therapies if these tools are properly used by a knowledgeable and experienced holistic vet.

Your family vet could prescribe an anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drug that would reduce any anxiety that your cat may be experiencing which could potentially stop the accidents that s/he is having around the house. The reason that I typically recommend that a pharmaceutical approach be used as a last resort is because many of the drugs commonly prescribed by vets to control anxiety, inappropriate elimination and depression are small doses of human anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drugs. The use of powerful psychotropic drugs isn't without risk or side effects in cats, so it is extremely important to do your research and make an informed decision prior to agreeing to administer powerful mood altering drugs to your cat. Cats are very sensitive to these drugs so I highly suggest that you exercise caution if you opt to treat your cat with these medicines. Any drug that alters a cat's brain chemistry isn't something to be used lightly - some cats can have serious reactions to these and other medicines so I do believe that it's to your cat's benefit if you try exhaust all of the less invasive and risky options first.

In situations where a cat is very anxious I sometimes recommend that their caregivers try out a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which contains a blend of flower essences that help to calm and reassure. I would suggest that you try out the Rescue Remedy by adding 4-5 drops to each bowl of fresh water each morning. You may notice a difference in the cats' behavior and demeanor quite quickly. Rescue Remedy can usually be found in health food/natural health stores and naturopathic pharmacies, you can also purchase this remedy online. Some mainstream pharmacies have begun to carry Rescue Remedy, if your pharmacy has it you'll most likely find the remedy in the section where vitamins and other nutritional supplements are sold. Bach flower remedies are very safe and they are used by many people seeking a drug free approach to deal with issues like anxiety or fear, in fact these remedies are just as effective on human beings as they are on pets when they are used appropriately and the right remedy is being used to treat the condition. Many pet parents and veterinarians around the world use Bach remedies to treat different causes of anxiety or fear in pets. Rescue Remedy is particularly well known and in my experience it's well worth trying in a case where a cat is timid or anxious.

Sometimes repeated urination and defecation in the same place may mean that a cat is repeating the mistake based on scent alone. Most household cleaners and detergents appear to remove the scent and stain permanently, sometimes cats will still be able to smell urine or feces because their sense of smell is significantly more sensitive than a person's. The best way to deal with removing the odor of urine (or other organic substances like feces, blood, vomit) permanently from your sheets, bedding, etc is to use an enzymatic cleaner. Cleaners like Petzyme use beneficial bacteria (enzymes) to permanently break down and remove the organic components of substances such as urine, feces, blood and vomit that cause odor and stains. I have found that Petzyme works well to remove stains and odors and this product has so far proven to be safe on upholstery, and carpeting throughout my home. The manufacturer even provides instructions on the label that will allow you to use Petzyme in the washing machine along with regular laundry detergent. Petzyme is available at Petsmart - I recommend that you purchase it from the dog section because you can purchase a gallon for roughly $20 CAN (the spray bottle costs about $15 and only contains 750 ml). A good sized jug of enzymatic cleaner is a smart thing to have on hand if you have a resident pet, the gallon jug will last awhile and allow you to see whether the cat is simply having accidents throughout your house because he can smell previous mistakes. I simply fill a spray bottle (the type used for misting plants, from the dollar store) using the gallon sized jug of Petzyme so that it's ready to use when I need it. If your local pet supply store doesn't carry a good selection of enzymatic cleaners in the cat section it's worth checking out the dog section as these cleaners are often marketed for use during puppy potty training. In the event that you aren't able to find Petzyme in your area you can try checking with your local janitorial supply store because enzymatic cleaners are often used in institutions where body fluids must be cleaned. It's important to know that dried urine can leave an invisible stain so the use of a black light after you've cleaned up the usual spots that your cat urinates in you can check throughout the house to make sure that no urine stains remain. Urine will fluoresce under black light.

Cats are very clean animals and they don't usually eliminate where they eat. You could try placing a dish of regular cat food on the bed and/or on the rugs where the cat usually urinates. I have had people tell me that their cats have simply opted out of eating or urinated on the same surface at the furthest point from the food. If this happens with your cat you may find that using partially crumpled aluminum foil will work well. Most cats don't like the sharp feeling of partially crumpled tin foil on their sensitive pads. The trick is to loosely crumple the foil and then gently uncrumple it slightly so that it's about half of the size of the original piece of foil. The more sharp edges the better, if you simply place tin foil that hasn't been crumpled around your home there's always a chance that the cat will simply urinate on the flat foil. If your cat decides to remove the foil from the bed so that s/he can urinate below it you can try a couple of different things.

There is a great product called Sticky Paws available in most pet supply stores. This is a medical grade double sided tape that is safe for most fabrics and surfaces. Cats don't like to have anything stick to their paws so applying a layer of double sided tape will certainly mean that this kitty will most likely avoid urinating on in specific areas outside of the litter pan while the tape is there. If you want to deter your feline friend from going to specific areas to relieve him/herself you can use motion activated tools to get the message across. There are products such as Ssscat which is a motion activated behavioral modification tool which sends off a burst of compressed air from a can when the motion sensor is tripped. The majority of cats will find the hissing sound very offensive and you may only need to use these types of products for a short period of time to correct the issue. You can also try a product called Scat Mat which is a pressure sensitive mat that administers a mild static electric shock when stepped on - this will certainly convince your kitty that s/he doesn't want to urinate in a specific area outside of the litter box.

Although some behaviorists and veterinarians recommend the use of synthetic pheromone products like Feliway it's been my experience that these products are expensive and there's no guarantee that they'll work at all, in fact many pet parents have written to me on this site after trying these products expressing disappointment that these products didn't magically solve the elimination problems they were having with their cat. I've also heard mixed comments about using an indoor cat repellant, the general consensus is that the cat repellents typically repel more people than they do cats. You can however place dishes of dried hot peppers or citrus peels in areas where your cat has urinated - for many cats these natural substances will be offensive enough to keep them away from places that you don't want them to be. Hopefully this answer has given you an idea just how complex a medical or behavioral issue like inappropriate urination is and provides you with the basics so that you can ask your vet detailed questions that you've thought out before going to have your cat assessed since vet appointments are often time limited.

In terms of Mikey's ongoing health issues it might be best to have his health completely assessed. If possible a pre-anesthetic blood test, CBC and testing for feline leukemia & FIV should be done. The pre-anesthetic blood test essentially allows the vet a fairly clear picture of how Mikey's major organ systems are functioning. CBC is short for complete blood count, this will show whether there are any signs of infection like increased white cells as well as make sure Mikey's not anemic. Feline leukemia and FIV are viral infections similar to HIV/AIDS in people, they can't be passed on to people and some cats never have symptoms while others become sick enough to question how much quality of life they really have. FIV/feline leukemia can both cause health problems that keep recurring even though they seem minor. If Mikey's lung issues aren't related to infection, viral infections or problems with the way his vital organs are functioning I would encourage you to find out what else can be done to find out why Mikey's having this problem. There may be a treatable cause for his ongoing issues or it may be unexplained. I'm not sure what holistic medicine has to offer for treating Mikey's lungs, but it's certainly worth checking out. If Mikey tests positive for feline leukemia or FIV it's highly likely that his siblings and mom have the same infection. Contrary to popular belief these viral infections aren't always a death sentence, although many vets recommend immediate euthanasia, there are things you can to to help Mikey and the other cats stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible such as using alternative treatments to strengthen their immune systems and having the cats in your household eat a high quality holistic diet made with human grade ingredients.

You will likely want to check out catinfo.org, it's a website created by a veterinarian in an attempt to educate cat caregivers about proper nutrition for cats and the medical problems commonly associated with poor nutrition. Two commercially produced foods that I feel comfortable recommending are Wellness and Spot's Stew by Halo. Wellness is designed to be fed as a combination of canned and dry food which can be a bit pricey in a multiple cat household. I feed my own cats a combination of the diet described at catinfo.org and Spot's Stew Sensitive Cat by Halo. A 6 lb bag of Spot's Stew costs roughly $25 CAN and lasts my 3 resident cats about a month if that's the only thing they're eating. These viral infections do raise some ethical questions in terms of how much treatment is too much, and when it's time to give our loving feline companions their last gift, being allowed to die with dignity.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your answers! - I appreciate your clear and extensive explanations with your cat experiences.

All our cats are spayed/neutered.  Also, I forgot to mention that we are currently using Bach Rescue Remedy (learned that when I was 'socializing' our feral 'Spanky'), but I only use 4 drops.  So, I'll add more from now on.

Unfortunately, living in rural Maine we don't have access to a Holistic Vet.  I like and trust the Vet we have - she knows I will ask a TON of questions, and she is willing to listen to my concerns and is not against trying different resolutions. I personally don't like the 'take a pill' type philosophy from vets (or from human doctors).  But I do know about pred - we had a dog that was on it for years (IBD) and she lived a long and happy life.  My husband has been on 10 ml/day for years because of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  BUT, it still doesn't mean I trust it ... !

Maxie, (the alpha urinating cat) I know is peeing because he is not happy with 'Maggie's' presence.  About 4 years ago, Max had surgery to remove Oxalate stones.  After recovery he was re-checked and there were still a couple of stones remaining - he is on a high moisture soft food (no kibbles for him) Royal Canin SO Feline canned food.  We watch him very carefully for any recurring signs of urinary tract problems.   I will definitely take your advice and pick up the products you recommend. All the other cats eat Wellness canned - we only use Wellness Kibbles as a treat.  We have 6 litter boxes with tall sides (Mikey prefers to stand when he pees!)and we use Feline Pine which they really like (don't believe nor trust in the commercial clumping litters).  I like the Cedarific, but we stopped using it because it makes too much of a mess.

Mikey has had CBC, x-rays.  Just returned from the Vet and will be giving him 1 1/2 ml Prednisolone twice a day til cough stops, then once a day for a week, then every other day for maintenance.  I don't like having to do that to him, but right now that's our only alternative.

We are fortunate that we have a home business so are here all the time.  As you know, taking (good) care of 8 cats is a job in itself.  My husband takes the morning 'watch' (cleaning litter boxes, feeding, etc.) because he's an early riser.  We share the duties during the day.  I take the evening 'watch' - cleaning, feeding, tucking all the 'kids' in for the night ... heeheehee!

Ideally, we are going to keep looking for a good home for Maggie - like you say, she may always have these problems with other cats and I prefer not to put her on medication.  So keep your fingers crossed for Maggie ... she's a good girl and just needs folks to love and respect her and in the right home I really thing she'll turn out to be a great kitty.  She does like people ... more than cats!

Thank you, Ali - I'll keep you posted.  And if you have any other recommendations, please pass them along to us!

Happy Spring ...

Lee  

Answer
Lee,

It sounds like you and your husband have 8 very lucky indoor cats - and two full time jobs! Maggie is probably in the best possible place, after all, you're at least willing to work with her and take the time that she needs to recover from her traumatic past. It's smart not to get into over medicating cats, or anyone really - I usually opt for the more natural approaches whenever possible. Another homeopathic remedy that might help with the intercat aggression is belladonna, strength of 30C. You can add a pellet to the water at the same time as you're adding the Rescue Remedy each morning to see if that helps the kids settle and be less aggressive with each other. I'd certainly be interested in hearing how the kids are doing from time to time and I'll be sure to pass along anything I come up with or hear from reliable sources. Until then take good care of yourselves, Maggie, Mikey, Maxie, Barney, Loppy, Spanky, Annie and Terry as well as your outside cats.