New Cat Friends

Question
Hello Tabbi. I recently asked you a question about introducing a new and very very friendly 1 yr old male to our 4 yr old Maggie, a shy and cautious rescued feral cat. Following their first meeting outside during which we feared a fight was imminent, we followed your advice and played with them outside to provide a positive experience in each other's presence. The 2 are regularly outside prancing and chasing each other playfully. I don't think we could be any happier. In addition..we have more or less removed any divisions inside the house. The new cat Sam..has taken to sleeping at the foot of our bed. And Maggies favorite spot at the head has been open to her. THE PROBLEM....2x now in as many days...he has sprayed right where Maggie likes to sleep...and worse it is as close to MY OWN HEAD. Any opinions, both are fixed. Sam hasn't figured out the cat door for himself yet if that matters...AND we sprayed some cat scent stuff from the store that is supposed to help as well as a plug in gizmo with some chemicals to do the same. And he still sprayed the other evening.

Thanks

Answer
Barn,

I'm so glad they are getting along better!

Here are some suggestions for cat flap training:

If the cat door has a magnet, remove it if you can, to make the door easier to open at the beginning. Teach the cat to walk through the hole in the door by taping the flap open, or remove the flap altogether temporarily while the cat gets used to the idea of coming and going. Rig the flap so it's still open, but less  each day, so that he can see through the space but must push past the flap. Lower the flap a little  each day.

Do NOT frighten the cat. That is the number one mistake people tend to make. The most common way to scare the cat is to shove him through the pet door. Don't do it! He may associate his fright with the cat door avoid it in the future. Coax him through with a treat, then praise and reward him when he does. NEVER punish or reprimand  when training.

You might try rubbing the flap with catnip. The smell may make the cat want to 'head-butt' the flap which will help. Try putting his most favorite food on earth on the other side of the flap so if he wants it he has to come through the kitty door. Something with a strong smell like sardines (in oil) or tuna. You can also try a shoestring (or similar). Have the door open so you can be on both sides, Pull the string or whatever slowly out the bottom of the cat flap. As the cat is trying to catch the string he will be pushing on the flap as he tries to get it. Reverse the play, pull it from outside in so he realizes it goes both ways.

Training is slow and takes time and patience. It usually takes about two weeks (sometimes more) for a cat to get used to using the flap.

About the spraying:

When a cat pees in front of you, or near you, there is a possibility that it is a medical issue. The cat could have a urinary tract infection, which is common and is treated with antibiotics, or he could have urinary crystals. Both are painful when the cat pees so he associates the litter box with that pain and goes elsewhere. Urinary crystals can cause a complete blockage, and if that happens to a male cat it usually is fatal. You may want to rule out a medical issue causing his actions before treating it as a behavioral problem.

His behavior is not common so you may have to try a few different tactics to see if they help. Have you tried a litter box for Sam in the bedroom temporarily? That may help. It may be a territorial issue. Where he is spraying (where Maggie sleeps), can it be switched to his end of the bed? See what his reaction is to that.
Also have you considered a kitty condo with sleeping ledges or holes? Maybe one of those rubbed with catnip may induce, or be forced by you, to get one or both cats to sleep there. Or get them two comfy cat beds to put in the bedroom.

As I stated though, it may be a medical issue for him. Or if he was neutered fairly recently, he may still have testosterone in him causing him to act like a tomcat, even though the female is spayed. Or he may a strong male mentally and be smelling another female somewhere outside (they can smell them even when the cat is indoors) and reacting to it. A cat with a strong male mentality can't do anything, but in their mind they still can. OR he can be seeing stray cats out a window that is near the bed, and 'marking' his territory because he can't get outside to actually defend it.

Those are some possibilities for Sam's behavior. You may have to be a detective to figure out the exact why.

Let me know what happens. And good luck with the cat flap training. I hope it works out.

Tabbi