Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: EddceLLent on December 21, 2015, 22:07:57 PM
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Hey,
I have only ever come on here once before and it was when my mum's cat Monty got stuck up a tree. After a day and a half of crying he walked right in the back door and was just stood there having a wash - typical cat!
Well I'm coming back today because I've got another sort of crisis and just wanted to vent to people who probably understand why it's upsetting me so much.
I live in a shared house where my landlord also lives here and there's two cats, Edgar and Lucy. Last week I got home and noticed that the stopper thing was in the cat flap and could hear Lucy meowing outside so I opened the door and let them in. They both seemed so happy to get back inside - they're both 14/15 and not used to having to spend much time outside. Then my landlord comes in and tells me that he's teaching them to be more outside cats and throws Lucy out again. By this time Edgar had hidden under the table so when my landlord disappeared I took Edgar and hid him in my room where he went straight to sleep and looked super relaxed.
Later I speak to my landlord and he says he's going to have to get rid of the cats, because he's sick of Edgar weeing in the house and they just don't give him any joy anymore. He said Lucy has a home to go to but they're gonna take Edgar to a shelter or to be put down. Obviously this was horrifying for me to hear, Edgar in particular is my little boy and he's as excited to see me each evening as I am to see him. He's such a lovely cat and although he does wee in the house I wonder whether they've done everything they can to work out why.
I spoke to my mum and she said she's happy to give Edgar a home alongside her two cats, Monty and Pudding (who are 5). Obviously this was a relief for me to hear but I'm still worried what's going to happen. Tomorrow is the day of the big move and there's so much playing on my mind:
Will Edgar settle ok when we move him?
Will Monty and Pudding adjust to having him there? They are very settled in their routine
Will we be able to get Edgar's toilet habits under control? Obviously we will keep him indoors for at least a few weeks and so we need for him to be using a litter tray otherwise it's going to be a nightmare for us. He doesn't use a litter tray now but seems to avoid going outside to do his business a lot of the time. I wonder if there's something that's scaring him out there or whether he isn't able to hold it in for long enough to get there?
Has anyone had to train an adult cat to use a litter tray before when they haven't been doing previously? Any tips? Does it come naturally to them or do they need direction?
I really hope he doesn't pee on the bed or the carpet on his first night or anything, just the want the little fella to be happy.
It's causing me so much stress because I'm worried about him, I'd love to hear from anyone else who's been through a similar situation and had a positive outcome...
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I think there are too many issues here to be able to help except with time and my very first question is about Lucy.
If she and Edgar have been together for a long time and she is just being chucked outside what is going to happen to her?
Whose cats are these?
If they both belong to your landlord is he happy for Edgar to move to your mothers?
If Edgar does move then she will have to do the introcuctions carefully between the two existing cats and Edgar.
It could be that the dunamics of the current situation are not right for Edgar to use a tray but maybe at your mothers things will be better , She needs at least 4 trays for 3 cats to start with.
You are right he will need to be kept in for a few weeks.
Is he neutered?
Thats as far as I can go righ tnow.......such a huge subject.
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I think there are too many issues here to be able to help except with time and my very first question is about Lucy.
If she and Edgar have been together for a long time and she is just being chucked outside what is going to happen to her?
Whose cats are these?
If they both belong to your landlord is he happy for Edgar to move to your mothers?
If Edgar does move then she will have to do the introcuctions carefully between the two existing cats and Edgar.
It could be that the dunamics of the current situation are not right for Edgar to use a tray but maybe at your mothers things will be better , She needs at least 4 trays for 3 cats to start with.
You are right he will need to be kept in for a few weeks.
Is he neutered?
Thats as far as I can go righ tnow.......such a huge subject.
These are my landlord's cats. The plan is that Lucy will go back to live with his sister who she originally lived with. He's happy for my mum to take Edgar yeah. Tbh Edgar and Lucy sort of co-exist but they aren't exactly good friends. She is a bit mardy sometimes.
Edgar is neutered yeah. We're going to get him set up in his own room at my mum's house for the first few days so as to make the introduction easier for all the cats that are going to be living together. He will have his own food and litter tray in the room.
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Thats a very good start for Edgar ;D
Now I guess the first thing is the litter tray problem, try putting puppy pads underneath and all rouns and put it some where private as possible and see what happens
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Thats a very good start for Edgar ;D
Now I guess the first thing is the litter tray problem, try putting puppy pads underneath and all rouns and put it some where private as possible and see what happens
I'm going to put his litter tray in the corner furthest away from the door. I figure that way it's as far as he can get away from the cats on the other side of the door so hopefully he won't feel threatened to be there.
I don't live at the house where he's going to be staying but I do visit a lot, and will definitely do so more now that he's there. I was going to stay there for the first week just to make him feel more settled because he knows me and hopefully that will comfort him. Is it a good idea for me to stay in his safe room or does he need to get used to being there on his own? Also I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about going to sleep there and waking up to find he's done a wee on the bed! That happened to me yesterday and let me say getting up at 5.30am and foregoing the last hour and a half of sleep so you can clean then going to work is not the best!
I'm glad we're moving him today. I just want to do everything I can to give him a comfortable environment, even if I've only known him for two years you know how sometimes you just feel like you bond with one particular cat above all others? Well that's Edgar!
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Yes, I know what you mean ;D Alfie had been here for about 48 hours and I knew he was 'mine'! I hope the move goes well and Edgar settles into his new home with no more than the usual problems.
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I dontknow if he would enjoy company at night but he certainly needs compant as much as possible the rest of the time, not good for him to be on his own all the time.
Will have to leave it to your judgement I am afraid.
Please keep us updated and so hope everything goes well for Edgar.
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We just got him to the house about half an hour ago. It was only a short journey so hopefully not too traumatic for him. He came out of the box as soon as we got him into the room which has got to be a good sign. Went and gave everything a good sniff but didn't ignore us and was still letting us stroke him with his tail up.
He ate the food that we gave him straight away, must've been hungry!
He started wandering about a bit like he maybe wanted the loo, he stood in litter tray and squatted but then got back out again. We thought maybe it was because me and my mum were watching him so we have left the room and we're gonna give him half an hour on his own to hopefully use the litter box and sit down somewhere for a bit of a nap.
So far it's going pretty well, he certainly doesn't seem stressed by the situation. He's quite a sociable cat and not one to hide away.
I'll let you know later what happens.
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Sounds a promising start ;D ;D
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Its a big change for him but hopefully one for the better. Is he using the litter tray now? Cats weeing outside the litter tray is a huge area but if he persists then the first course of action should be to take him to a vet to exclude any health problems. I'm guessing your landlord may not have done that but probably just put him outside? where it's behavioural, it's usually a sign of insecurity and need to mark their territory. Hopefully as Edgar settles in and feels comfortable he won't feel the need to do that. Most cats get the hang of a litter tray - it's part instinctive (the desire to dig and cover up what they do) and part learned when they are a kitten. Do you know Edgar's background and whether he weed in the house when he lived with your landlord's sister?
I do hope he settles into his new home. People like your landlord make me mad - don't give him joy anymore?? poor cats. I think both he and Lucy are better off now that they have new homes.
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He went for a wee in the litter box soon after we'd got him here so that was a big relief for us as that was one of our main concerns alongside how he'll get on with the resident cats. He seems like he knows exactly what the litter box is for and has also had a poo in there now too so great news. Giving him lots of fuss and telling him what a good boy he is :)
Every time we've offered food he's eaten all the wet food straight away and most of the biscuits. He certainly hasn't lost his appetite, not that I thought he was the type to stop eating lol.
Last night I slept in his safe room with him and he seemed happy enough. He would lie down near me on the bed and seemed relaxed. He was being very sweet actually, he kept grabbing my hand with his claws and pulling it towards him lol. When I was asleep I'd wake up and he'd be under the bed but as soon as I called him he'd be back up to see me. Think he gets a bit nervous when he's in the room on his own.
We've put a chair by the window so he can look out of there. He seemed very intrigued by watching what was going on outside - he's on the first floor so plenty for him to see!
He's been at the door of the safe room sniffing and stuff so we figured he wanted to explore. When the resident cats were out we let Edgar explore the rest of the house. He was tentative at first but soon seemed comfortable with a bit of encouragement. Still happy to be fussed over and got his tail up.
When I got home from work today I went up to see him and the door was ajar - someone must not have shut it properly grr - so I went in and him and Pudding were both sat maybe 3ft from each other just staring. There was no hissing or growling or anything like that so I think that's pretty positive, although I definitely didn't want them meeting this early on!!
To explain the temperaments of the cats:
Edgar - new cat, 15yo, very sociable with all people even ones he doesn't know, never seen him be aggressive to another cat before. Is very confident and friendly. Edgar is quite large.
Pudding - resident cat - girl - 5yo, a very nervous sort of cat who jumps at loud noises or sudden movements. She is v loving and curious though and will follow you round the house. Pudding is about half the size of Edgar.
Monty - resident cat - from same litter as Pudding. He's a bit of a grumpy cat but he isn't as scared as Pudding tends to be. He likes fuss but only in the morning. The rest of the day he likes his space. He's chunkier than Pudding but he's still small compared to Edgar
So yeah, all in all its going very well. I didn't want them meeting this early but it seems not to have done any damage so shouldn't be an issue. Should get to leave work early tomorrow so I'll come home and do some more scent swapping then maybe if that's going ok then we can have some peeks through the door to see how they react. I'm keen not to rush this but if it's going well then seems silly not to push on - we can always take a step back if we need to but for now all cats seem perfectly content - I'd even say Edgar seems happier now than he was in the old house!
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It sounds like things are going really well ;D
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Good news so far, fingers crossed everything goes well.
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I am so pleased things are going well and he sounds so lovely ;D ;D
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Well done to Pudding, she must be a very brave girl, maybe Edgar will help her with her confidence. I'm glad it's going well.
We would love to see some photos if your up to it. ;)
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I tried to post photos but it said the file was too large, even when there was only one photo. I'll have to try and work out a way to reduce the quality. Alternatively you can find pics of my cats on my FB page: search EddceLLent cats and there's loads of photos of all of them there :)
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So glad you are trying to help this lad. Your landlord sounds like an :censored: What is wrong with people!? I'm not surprised Edgar wasn't using his tray he was probably stressed.
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Poor Edgar! It sounds as if his previous 'owner' was not the best. Hopefully he will have a much happier life now ;D
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If you email me the photoes I will add them for you
kat@tornadothematics.co.uk
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The cats all met today - probably again a bit sooner than I would like but it's my mum's house and she's in all day so guess it's for her to decide. There was mostly just staring and only a tiny bit of growling. Surprisingly it was Monty who seemed least bothered about the whole situation - none of the cats seemed particularly stressed afterwards - Pudding hid under the bed for a bit but she's such a scaredy cat about everything anyway that I wasn't surprised. They're all acting quite normally, fussing, eating, playing etc
Still trying to isolate Edgar for most of the time so the resident cats have their own space. Pretty good progress for only two days I think, we can always take a step back if we have problems but I don't think we will.
There was a bit of an "accident" on the bed in Edgar's room tonight. We looked at the litter tray afterwards and realised it was dirtier than it appeared at first glance so we're gonna change it every day for now. Since we changed it he used it again so that's positive. Hope he doesn't pee on the bed again tonight while I'm sleeping in it lol, that would be the worst kind of Christmas present!!
Glad I got that plastic mattress, so at least it's simple enough to wash and change the bed without having to worry that it all seeped into the mattress.
Edgar will be getting some tuna tomorrow on Christmas morning, and Monty and Pud will be getting some dreamies, so everyone gets a bit of their favourite :)
Gill - I sent you those pics by email so everyone can see what the cats I'm talking about look like
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I have an email and will post tomorrow.......................ummmm later today ;D ;D
Things really sound good and I change the used litter after nearly every use cos cats wont use it otherwise anf get hounded by mews and whines!
But also have 3 trays in various parts of house.
Happy Christmas and I think you have made Edgar very happy ;D ;D
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It sounds like everything is progressing nicely (fingers crossed!)
I always clean the tray after each use when I'm in. I look at it this way - I wouldn't like to use an unclean loo. ;)
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Lost post grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Here are the gorgeous 3 ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for posting the photos :)
Obviously it's Christmas Day today so me and my mum haven't been with the cats as we're spending the day with family. We'll be back home later though so hopefully they'll all be ok. Edgar is still in his safe room and I kind of feel sorry for him because I think he's bored. He seems to be trying to get out of the door when we open it.
It's hard at the moment trying to get a balance between keeping Edgar stimulated and giving the other cats enough space that they can feel like their routine isn't being interrupted. Edgar seems unaffected it but the others seem a bit nervous so I don't want them to be stressed.
I guess we're just gonna try and have supervised visitation for the next few days. Will keep giving treats when they're together to try and build up positive associations.
This week has been so stressful for me ha, I'm so worried about trying to make sure it all works out ok. But then it's only been three days so I know I'm stressing unnecessarily - you can't expect it to just work out overnight.
Also not the best having to do it at this time of year when you're visiting family and have people coming over!
I'll keep the updates coming just for now I'm not enjoying Christmas like I should be because I'm just thinking of the cats.
Does anyone else feel like they put cat welfare above their own? Ugh lol
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Yes I think most of us put then cats first :hug: :hug:
They are a seriously fantastic looking 3 and I think the time of year doesnt help but yes you are bit overstressed for nothing as it seems to be going unbelievabley well ;D ;D
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Gorgeous cats, their expressions really get my story telling mind going.
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Yes cats are our top priority. We all get stressed about them often unnecessary. I understand why you are worried because it is important that they get on so Edgar gets to stay. I had 2 cats that didn't get on and they lived together for about 6 years and they tried to fight everyday. So don't think you have much to worry about with yours. All sound very positive.
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Edgar will have been here for six days tonight. We've got all the doors open now so the cats aren't confined to particular rooms (although obviously we aren't letting Edgar go outside yet).
Edgar and Monty haven't had any problems yet - they just stand at a distance and stare at each other. They both walk really slowly around each other. No negative body language though - no flat ears or fluffy tails.
Edgar and Pudding is a bit more of a challenge - he is the same with her as he is with Monty but she's always been a super nervous cat and so has spent a lot of time hiding under my mum's bed. When they do see each other they just stare like Edgar and Monty do - sometimes if Edgar gets too close then she will hiss at him a bit. He doesn't seem phased by it though.
None of our cats are the dominant type so I think they're having trouble figuring out who is the most submissive one lol. No-one wants to be the boss!
Edgar seems happy exploring the house but will only go back to sleep or use the litter box in his safe room. We've had four cases of weeing on the bed so far but none in the last two days (luckily we have a plastic sheet and strip the bed each day so cleanup is minimal). It seems like he'll only use the litter box once - which creates a bit of a problem for us because he's quite a big cat and so it isn't really sustainable for us to be changing the whole litter box every time he uses it. Instead of the larger one we got originally we've got two smaller ones now so hopefully we can keep on top of it. Maybe in a couple of weeks if he is comfortable going outside then he can start doing his business there some of the time - not gonna push that though - I will be there the first time he goes outside and it won't be until he's been here for at least two weeks and has shown better signs of getting on with the other cats.
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What type of litter do you use? Cats can be quiet fussy about it. I use oko and it's really good as you just remove the clumps so you don't have to replace all the litter. It's quite expensive but lasts for ages.
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Been using the wood pellet litter. Tried some clumping the other day but he wouldn't use it. Maybe I'll see if there's other clumping ones we can try as there's no way we can keep using this much litter!
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I use wood pellets , try just taking out the used part and see if he still uses it.
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We use the wood pellets too. We remove the poo daily and Cleo will use it for a couple of days - then I often just sieve the sawdust into the bin and return the intact pellets to the litter tray. It really only needs a complete change about once a week here.
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With the wood pellets I find it kind of hard to see which bits have been used - obviously it's easy if he's had a poo but it seems when he's only had a wee it drips through to the paper at the bottom so I end up having to change the whole thing. Think I'm gonna try some of the other clumping stuff.
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I'd definitely try a few of the clumping litters. If he'll use them it will make life so much easier, and it's cheaper. Keep the tray full - a good really thick layer of litter - ours is about 3 inches thick. You only remove the clumps when the tray has been used, and no liquids will seep to the bottom of the tray so it remains cleaner much longer.
Sounds like Edgar is settling in well though, and the other cats arent too put out at his arrival.
Cats dont always have a "boss" as such - often the dynamics of a group will shift and alter according to situation and circumstance.
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Edgar and Pudding had a bit of a coming together earlier, he cornered her and took a swipe but then she got away by bouncing of a wall. Unexpected from those two!
Will get some of that Oko litter later.
Do you all line the bottom of your litter tray with something? We've always put a newspaper at the bottom but I'm starting to wonder whether we need to.
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Nope. Never used a liner - no need to if you keep the litter layer deep. :)
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No never use anything undr the litter.
All you have to do with the pellets is just see where they have risen and rake off the tope and bingo sawdust! Thats what you remove ;D
I think its best to stay with a litter he will use. mine hate clumping as I do.
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So we're still having problems with Edgar weeing on the bed. We can see that he sometimes has a wee in the litter box as well, and he does all of his poos in there so he obviously knows what it's for. He sleeps underneath the bed rather than on top of it so I don't think it's a case that he needs to wee and can't make it to the litter box, he's seeking out the bed to do it.
We took him to the vets yesterday and she said that she can't see anything physically wrong with him. We've got special litter to collect a urine sample so we'll sort that out tomorrow. She said either he has been neutered or he's got internal testicles.
Hope we can get the whole thing worked out soon because it's such a pain having to clean up urine every day and the smell isn't exactly the best.
He will have been at his new house two weeks in a couple of days so we're thinking of letting him explore the garden next weekend if the weather is ok. Maybe that will make a difference and he will start weeing outside sometimes.
Other than this he seems really happy - which is why I would find it hard to understand if it turns out that it's a behavioural issue rather than a medical one. I know he's in a new house with new cats and so it would make sense if he was trying to mark territory but this was something he was doing at the old house too and he'd been there for years.
Anyone got any more suggestions?
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For the cat urine, make sure you use proper pet cleaner, as other types have stuff in it that will make them want to mark even more. A tarpaulin over the bed will stop it going into any of the sheets, mattress etc. It might be worth putting some of the wee or cloth with wee on it in the litter box, or even give him another litter box on the bed just for now, plus one under the bed if it would fit.
Males will territorially mark so it might be that, but it does sound more like an anxious thing. It could be that when his on the bed and hears a noise he wees.
He may need to be made more secure with things like cat trees, shelving, his own bed and blanket etc.
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If you donthave already think you need two litter trays for him so he can do solids in one and urinate in the other if he wants.
I agree with PB that you need something waterproof that you can rub over as below, to cover the bed when its not in use and cleaning to get the smell gone, not just from you but also from him.............his sense of smell much better than ours...............is very important.
Try sending a PM to Rosella Moggy and asking her what she uses, cos I cant remember but she says its very good. Until then grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr can never remember but you clean with bio washing stuff...........you need to check with others that I have the right way round and then use PAH cat urine remover.
Its very important whether its bio or not because one leaves something that a cat can smell and brings them back to same place. Just forget which way round.
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I'd agree with putting extra trays in the room, and on the bed as well (with a waterproof cover over the bed.
Once a medical cause for the problem has been ruled out, you're looking at behavioural insecurity, which may well be of long standing. Extra trays in his allocated area, around the perimeter of the room and on the bed may well help.
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RX66 is very good for cleaning urine stains/smells. You can buy it from Amazon.
It doesn't matter how deep the litter is, Kito digs and digs until he has cleared a space and can poo on the bottom of the tray :innocent:
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:evillaugh: :evillaugh: Some cats will always view life as a challenge to be met
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RX 66 w as the stuff I was trying to remember the name of!
Sue is so right and the follow on is that some humans find this challenging!