odd behaviour in oriental

Question
Hi,

We have a 4 year old oriental. 7 weeks ago our other 2 year old siamese cat that he was extrememly close to was knocked over and killed. At first there was no negative recation from our oriental other than a tendency to be a little more needy than normal. However we recently went away for the weekend and when we came back he has gone crazy. He is extrememly loud and vocal whether we are with him or not and has started spraying around the house. My partner is in all day to give him attention but this makes no difference. Do you think this could be a delayed reaction to the death of his friend? Any advice on stopping the calling & spraying would be greatly appreciated. We are considering a replacement kitten for the house but are not sure this is the right solution especially given that we are expecting our first child in Feb next year.

Help!

Anna

Answer
Hi
yes this does sound like your cat is anxious after losing his cat friend and then you also leaving him for a while. It has made him feel insecure and the spraying is his way of trying to make himself feel more secure again. he is not being bad.
See the two pages about cat urination problems at the bottom of this e-mail. if the problem persists you may want to follow the training routine to get them used to going in their tray rather than elsewhere in the house.
Regarding getting another kitten. This is not always the best solution especially so soon after the loss of the other cat. It may just serve to make him feel even more insecure. he needs time to adjust to the new situation now and to find his feet again, especially with a new baby on the way which will be another time of adjustment for him.
A little patience and time should be enough to cure the problem.
Kate
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