Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/31/2008

Question
I have an 18 month old male Cat who generally is fairly confident and likes to play outside. I got him about a year ago from a home where he lived with two other cats but wasn't looked after properly. He settled in to my home very quickly and after he urinated on each of the beds in the house once we never had any problems like this again. He was very happy playing outside and got along well with the neighbouring cats to the point where he would play with them and their owner in their house. About 3 months ago we moved house to a place where we now have a cat flap. After a week of living here we decided to let him outside as he was so desperate to go out, with no problems.
I have noticed a cat next door that actually looks very similar to my cat, although he is considerably bigger and my cat seems very scared of him. I know of one definite occasion where another cat very recently came through the cat flap and came across my cat and after a brief spat ran out again. Since then I have witnessed a couple of other altercations between the cats but no actual fights. There were incidents with other cats in our old house but this was normal and didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.
However, there has been a big change in the behaviour of my cat. He no longer goes outside unless he absolutely has to (we don't have a litter tray in the house) or if I'm in the garden with him. He has become very nervous and finds it hard to settle, he is constantly watching the doors to the rooms as if he is expecting something to come in and is very jumpy. I also suspect he has urinated on the mat by the front door (which he doesn't use, the cat flap is in the back door). He spends a lot of the time sleeping, including on a spare duvet under my bed whereas before always slept on the bed. He also isn’t as interested in playing with me as much as he used to or sitting on our laps preferring his own bed in the living room.
I don’t know if some of this behaviour can be attributed to him growing up and losing his kitten tendencies, however as it has happened so suddenly, almost overnight which I have never experienced before I am concerned. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to resolve this?

Many thanks.  

Answer
Louise,

It sounds like you have a depressed kitty. Everything has changed for him and he doesn't understand it. He lost his friends, has a new home with new smells and where nothing is familiar, neighbor cats who he expects to be friendly like the old neighbor cats aren't, etc.

First I would put a litterbox back in the house. You will start getting behavioral 'accidents' if he is nervous about having to go outside and go potty, or medical issues if tries to hold it because he doesn't want to go outside. A litterbox is part of owning a cat. Even though it's a pain in the neck to have one, your kittie's happiness and safety is worth it. Plus you don't want him going outside at night to go potty. That is the most dangerous time for a cat to be outside.

I would close up the cat flap so stray cats (or wildlife) can't inside and terrorize your cat. He should at least feel safe in his own home. Or you can get the kind of cat flap that the cat wears an infared remote that only lets the cat wearing it in.

Go outside with him so he feels safer and more secure. Gradually let him get used to the area. It's normal for neighborhoood cats to be territorial with a new cat in the area. Cats have no reasoning abilities so they do not know that this yard it ok for them to be and but that yard isn't. It's all part of "their" territory to them. You need to have a hose handy and spray any intruders so they get the idea that they are not welcome.

Something that may help your cat immensely is to get him a kitty friend. He's lonely now. He needs someone to play with, groom, snuggle with, give him comfort, and keep him company when he is by himself. He doesn't have the friends he used to have to play with and is probably grieving for them. A 2nd kitty may snap him out of his depression and get him interested in things again.