Cat trouble.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Somehow while I was upstairs today, one of my cats managed to get the door to the basement open, went down in there and got himself stuck in the basement.

Way in the back there is this wall by the heating units (furnaces - it's a big old farmhouse). A small part of the wall, towards the ceiling, is open space, presumably to allow for the passage of vent ducts and the like. It's basically a crawlspace. Kitty is up in there, way in the back (where he can't be reached, of course), and I can't get him to come out of there.

He got himself in there and could get himself back out, but he shows no inclination to do so. I've even put food (wet and dry) up on the ledge to entice him out so that I could (hopefully) grab him.

The main concern is that this crawlspace does have tiny, partially-open spots that lead outside, underneath the house (under the porch area). I can't really see in there (too small for a person to go in it) so I can't tell if they're big enough for a kitty to sneak through. That worries me.

--

The other cat giving me fits is my eldest, who's taken to peeing everywhere he can if he thinks it warrants it. He's already left a nasty stain in my room (anybody know how to get dark stains out of old hardwood floors?) and one downstairs, and we've had to throw out some stuff that he's nailed because none of it was even remotely salvagable (nothing too important, but still).

I'm reasonably sure that it isn't a physical problem, because Elder's been eating, drinking and using his litterbox like normal. This appears to be more of a territorial thing, because he and Mama Cat don't like each other and at best he tolerates Baby Cat (who likes to roughhouse with him, which Eldest dislikes - Baby is actually *bigger* than he is now).


Halp?

[Jay 2K Winger]

Cat trouble.

Isn't that redundant? (runs)

[Draper Mel]

We're having territorial peeing issues here too. My parents' cat Mabel is asserting her dominance, and unfortunately at the moment I don't have enough money to really jump on it. She's peed in several places in my room (my cd case was the latest casualty, thank goodness cds aren't absorbent) and the living room. I really need a UV flashlight, but I can't even spare the money for that right now. More Feliway would be helpful too.

I've done some cleaning with Nature's Miracle. Here's their website: http://www.ilovenaturesmiracle.com/home/index.php I seem to remember seeing something about hardwood floors there, though you may have to do some sanding.

Good luck!

[Amethyst Hunter]

Aaaaand baby cat is back where he belongs upstairs! Finally, after who knows how many hours, he got close enough to the hole in the wall so that I could coax him closer and grab him by the scruff and pull him out.

Now, if I could just get Elder Cat to stop peeing where he's not supposed to...

[Marmalady]

It sounds very much like a jealousy / dominance thing to me... Does he have particular places that he likes to 'mark' ? I once got a cat out of doing that by covering his chosen marking area with aluminium foil (after cleaning with a non-ammonia based cleaner), making sure I got his preferred cat litter brand and praising and petting him lavishly whenever he used his litter box. Of course, all cats are different (the same one can be different from day to day) but that's what worked for Big 'Un.

[Sapphire Silk]

Nature's Miracle is good stuff. I use it to clean around Taz's litter box, and will spray the air if she has an accident or misses the box.

I don't know what to do about the territorial peeing. There are sprays you can use to keep cats away from an area you want them out of. I use it to keep Taz off the furniture (test a spot first before putting directly on furniture or on carpet).

But a problem as severe as you describe often ends in one cat finding a new home. That's what happened with one of my cats; the fighting and inappropriate peeing got so bad I finally to make a choice and rehome one of my cats.

Sorry

Glad to hear Baby Cat is safe, though.

[Andara Bledin]

We got a Feliway diffuser recently, but it doesn't seem to stop our one cat from peeing where men sit.

His spots are the boyfriend's chair, the floating chair most oft used by a friend, and the couch. >_< He never does it in my chair or anywhere on my side of the room. We have yet to figure out why he's doing it, however, although we suspect it might be territorial, as it only started after my brother's cat joined the household, despite the fact that neither of them are intact, nor do either of them spray at all.

^-.-^

[Amethyst Hunter]

a problem as severe as you describe often ends in one cat finding a new home.

Getting rid of any of my cats is NOT an option. That's what my parents initially tried to do to me, and you better believe I raised hell over it. They stabbed me in the back once when Elder's beloved brother died in early 2010; I REFUSE to put up with it a second time.

Edit to add: Here is the story that explains it.

[crazyofficeclerk]

I had that problem with one of my cats. I too to carrying a spray bottle of water around the house and just sqirting him when I saw him try to mark a spot. It didn't take but once or twice with thus water for him to stop. I would clean up after him with several products, but found Febreeze for pets worked the best out of everything I tried.

[auntiem]

It sounds very much like a jealousy / dominance thing to me... Does he have particular places that he likes to 'mark' ? I once got a cat out of doing that by covering his chosen marking area with aluminium foil (after cleaning with a non-ammonia based cleaner), making sure I got his preferred cat litter brand and praising and petting him lavishly whenever he used his litter box. Of course, all cats are different (the same one can be different from day to day) but that's what worked for Big 'Un.

I second the aluminum foil trick - works great! If he is re-marking places after you clean them - did you use a cleaner with ammonia? If so, then he is just replacing his mark over what he percieves is another cat's mark.
If it helps to not get frustrated with him - if he is marking mostly your stuff and entrances that you use - then he is just trying to "claim" you as his human.
I don't recommend spray bottles for this kind of kitty problem, because it is an older cat and does know better (as opposed to training a young cat) and often marking is a display of stress / uncertainty and spray bottle training will just make it worse.
Does Elder cat have a little box of his own?

[Sapphire Silk]

Getting rid of any of my cats is NOT an option. That's what my parents initially tried to do to me, and you better believe I raised hell over it. They stabbed me in the back once when Elder's beloved brother died in early 2010; I REFUSE to put up with it a second time.

Edit to add: Here is the story that explains it.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch a nerve.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch a nerve.

It's cool, don't worry.

If he is re-marking places after you clean them - did you use a cleaner with ammonia?

Let's see...I hit it (the rug, that is) with bleach and vinegar, maybe something in those irked him. Those are pretty strong-smellers.

I did have to pour bleach on the black stain on the hardwood floor, both to clean it and get rid of some of the stain. It looks a little better than it did, but that stain is always going to be there no matter what. But at least Elder Cat hasn't shown any sign of wanting to mark again, thankfully.

I'm contemplating throwing out the rug entirely, which disappoints me because I liked that rug, but I don't want this repeated. So for now, the rug is sitting outside. I may end up cleaning it the best that I can and using it for filler when my family has to move (again) - my dad has decreed that Baby and Mama Cats are not allowed inside New House (and, if he continues to act up, Elder may join them - not my choice, but alas, I don't make the rules), so they will have to live inside the garage on the property. This is quite displeasing to me, but since there's nothing I can do about it, all I can do is make said garage as inhabitable for kitties as I can.

(That said, anyone want a roommate with 3 goofy cats? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) (Just half-kidding. I wouldn't even dream of inflicting my insanity on other people.)

If it helps to not get frustrated with him - if he is marking mostly your stuff and entrances that you use - then he is just trying to "claim" you as his human.

Wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. Elder Cat has always been something of a neurotic type! But I love him anyway.

Does Elder cat have a little box of his own?

Yes he does, and he's always used it faithfully - even now. The other two cats have their litterbox downstairs in the foyer. Baby Cat however isn't picky about whose box he uses: the one he shares with Mama Cat, or, if he happens to come upstairs, Elder's box.

What I may do is find a smaller litterbox and put that in my room, and keep Elder inside my room when I'm not there (for now, he's been put in the bathroom, where his current box is, when I'm not around). He seems to like my room the best (as opposed to the bathroom, which he hates).

[fireheart]

If your backyard is fenced in and your cats know how to go to the toilet outside, are you able to let them out occasionally? We've done that with our two, especially because younger fuzzbutt kept peeing all over the house.

[Dasota]

There was an older lady who lived up the street from me when I was growing up. When she was gardening, she would put her cat in a harness and attach the leash to a dog stake in the lawn and "picket" the cat and the cat absolutely loved it.

[Amethyst Hunter]

If your backyard is fenced in and your cats know how to go to the toilet outside, are you able to let them out occasionally?

Nope. Mine are strictly indoors due to the risk of picking up bugs, and we live right next to a busy street.