Cats so scared it pees itself

Question
Hi Kate,
My wife and I got our first cat (Zuul) in October 2006 as a kitten. She has been fixed and was an indoor cat through the cold New England winter. During the spring she started wandering outside very happily and would always come back for food and company.
Last month, we adopted a stray. It was checked by the vet and we nursed him (Vigo - 10 years old) back to health. He had an eye infection and has feline leukemia.
The two have never got along but have always managed to avoid each other. Zuul get very agitated when around Vigo (hissing and growling). Vigo looks disinterested but will throw out a paw every now and again. Generally they have been avoiding each other.
Zuul has been staying upstairs in our bedroom while Vigo stays downstairs voluntarily. It has come to the point that Zuul seems so scared that she can't bring herself to go downstairs to use her litter box in case she sees Vigo. Last night she urinated on our bed and when I brought her down stairs to the office she pooped while laying in the corner. Didn't even flinch. She has always been a great user of the litter box.

What is going on and how can we solve this problem?

Desperately yours

Lee

Answer
hi

oh dear you have a very upset pussy cat there. Her reactions are typical of a cat that has lost her confidence and is feeling very insecure. Urinating etc. in places other than the litter tray is a sure sign that she is trying to comfort herself by making her home smell of her, it is also a way to tell the other cat, hey this is my territory.
There is no quick fix for this I'm afraid but the only way forward is for you to try and reintroduce the two cats to each other again as if they had never met. This is a slow process and has to be handled confidently and calmly. Letting the cats find their confidence at their own pace. Please read my page re introducing cats (link at bottom), i will also include a link to my litter tray training page and cat aggression page for further info.

I hope all works out well in the end

Kate
/introducing-cats.html
/cat-litter-box.html
/aggressive-cat-behavior.html