Young cat harassing older cat & peeing everywhere

Question
I have two cats, one older 14 and one 3 years old, both spayed females. The younger cat has taken to harassing my older cat. She sits right over her when she eats so we separated their food dishes and put my older cats in my bedroom. Then she would head her off at the pass so to speak when she was headed for the litter box. We had my older cat in my bedroom so she had her own space without being pounced on and chased. Now the younger cat is weaseling her way into my bedroom too. she will go in there and eat the food of the older cat and has started peeing on the floor in my room. she has peed in two other areas in the house and then just yesterday she peed in my toddler sons bed. My older cat had been in that room more and more since the younger cat is worming her way into my bedroom, aka older kittys safe space. She is very dominant and aggressive towards the older cat and now is peeing everywhere. What can I do?  

Answer
HI Jodi,

First I would take your younger cat in to the vet for a thorough exam. Tell your vet about the urination problem and make sure your ocat doesn't have urinary tract infection or other problem. Urinary tract problems are the #1 reason for urination outside the box.

Here is an article on inappropriate urination with all the problems to address:
http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/infosheet_litterbox.pdf

Next, you should always have at least one litterbox per cat - so if you have not already added a second litterbox you should do so. Three boxes would be best.

You can also try using the Feliway plug-in diffuser and/or spray. Feliway helps reduce territorial aggression in cats, it mimics relaxing pheromones that cats exude from their cheek glands. Spraying doorways and furniture where the cats encounter each other with Feliway can help ease territorial disputes. The plug-in diffuser creates a constant release of Feliway. It is not detectable by humans at all (the spray smells like rubbing alcohol when you first use it, but that quickly evaporates). It is sold in most pet stores and online.

Finally, ensure your younger cat is getting enough exercise and amusement. Play with her using an interactive toy such as feather wand or laser pointer at least 15 minutes a day, get her running around until she is tired. When you see her start "stalking" your older cat, distract her with a toy and get her playing and tired out. She may be doing this out of boredom and a desire to play. Avoid catnip toys however because catnip can make some cats aggressive.

For cleaning the urine spots I recommend Nature's Miracle, an enzyme cleaner that really works well. It's sold at most pet stores.

Good luck!