Expert: Dear Tabbi - 7/26/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi -

My husband and I have a 13 yr old male cat (Louie) and a 12 yr old female cat (Molly). My beloved father suddenly passed away this June, and my husband and I took in my dad's 16 yr old male cat (Doc). We followed all the rules about slowly introducing Doc to Louie and Molly, strategically using baby gates and letting them sniff each other's blankets, toys, etc. 6 weeks later, Louie and Molly still hate Doc, and pretty much won't allow him to exist anywhere in the house other than the upstairs portion of the house. To make matters worse, Louie (the 13 yr old male) has taken to peeing ALL OVER the house. I understand he is marking his territory, but Doc has been with us for 6 weeks now. This "marking" occurs nearly every day and has to stop. We just don't know how to stop it. We have Feliway diffusers plugged in all over the house and use Nature's Miracle for Cats to clean up the pee and spray Boundary spray to try to deter the behavior, but to no avail. We have very regular vet checkups for all 3 cats (Louie twice a year because he is older and overweight) and they are all in good health, so we know this is behavioral on Louie's part. This compounded with trying to deal with my grief over the sudden death of my father is just about putting me over the edge. Doc was my dad's best friend, and we would never dream of giving Doc away, just as we would never consider giving our own 2 kitties away. I'm just at my wit's end. I'm begging for help, so I will be forever grateful to anyone who has any magic trick to make Louie stop this spraying/peeing/marking behavior (Note: both Doc and Louie have been neutered since kittenhood and Molly has been spayed since kittenhood as well).

Thank you, anyone and everyone, for any suggestions!

ANSWER: Jennifer,

I'm sorry for the loss of your father.

Doc is also grieving and it may take up to 6 months for him to adjust to his loss. He is approximately 80 years old in human years. A cat at that age will not take the stress of losing his owners, having a new home with other cats, new routines, etc. as well as a younger cat can. One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target.

I would keep him separated from your cats for a while with his own litterbox until he adjusts to you and his new home. Introductions to new cats may be too much right now. I would ask the vet about putting him on 'kitty Prozac' for a short term to keep him calm. You need to give him lots of love and attention to reassure him. He is frightened and upset. Do not leave any doors open for awhile because he may try to 'go home'. Putting a collar on him with your address and/or phone number on it would be playing it safe in case it happened and he got lost.

I am including some good links to articles that will give you further information.
(Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar)

Here is a good article about cats grieving:
http://www.messybeast.com/cat-grief.htm

Introducing cats to older cats:
http://www.messybeast.com/Oldcat.htm#addition
http://www.understandinganimals.com/article/7

Here is some information about older cats that will be informational for your cats also:
http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=610

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And here is some helpful (I hope!) information on cleaning cat urine:

HOMEMADE CAT URINE REMOVER

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap

(3% hydrogen peroxide can be bought at most grocery and drug stores in pint and quart bottles).

Gently mix all ingredients in a non-metal container. Do not mix or shake vigorously!

The mixture is best used when fresh but can be stored. Do not keep mixture in an airtight container.  Have a VERY loose lid as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when mixed together will release oxygen and an airtight container will explode. You can mix and keep it in large spray bottle (Home Depot, etc.) but a plastic liter or 2-liter soda bottle works just a well.

Always test for color-fastness. Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent in stronger concentrations and can lighten materials that are not color-fast.

HOW TO REMOVE CAT URINE ODOR FROM CARPETS

FOR INDIVIDUAL URINE SPOTS ON CARPET:
If fresh, sop up as much cat urine as you can with a paper towel first. Use a spray bottle to saturate the spot completely with the recipe - do not blot. The recipe must penerate the padding and possibly the floor boards underneath, where the urine has penerated for it to work. Wait 24-48 hours until dry then vacuum. If the urine odor is still present - repeat the procedure. It usually takes 2-3 applications to completely neutralize the cat urine odor.

FOR LARGE AREAS OF CARPET:

You can use a carpet cleaning machine  using the recipe instead of the shampoo. You will need to make several gallons of the recipe depending on the size of the carpet. Don't use the vacuum part of the machine - you will want to let the solution soak and dry for 24-48 hours before vacuuming. Most carpet cleaning machines are not made for this use and baking soda can clog the nozzles of the machine.

A 1 gallon garden bug sprayer (Home Dept., etc.)  works great too.  Rinse the nozzle out frequently by filling the tank with hot water and spraying it in the  bathtub. If using the sprayer, saturate the entire carpet with the recipe, let dry for about 24-48 hours, and vacuum. You will have to probably repeat the procedure again. Areas heavily saturated with old urine may take 3 applications over a week.

If the cat urine is old and dried, the smell will probably be worse a day or two later. This is because you are rehydrating the uric acid crystals in the urine to neutralize them. The smell will get better with each application!

MATTRESSES:

You must saturate the spot throughly to get deep down into the padding and springs to neutralize the urine. If the cat has urinated alot in one spot, the mattress can be soiled all the way to the other side! Let the area dry for 24-48 hours without bedding then reapply if necessary.

SOFAS:

The same directions as above  but always check for color-fastness in a hidden area before using. Cotton is used in alot of upholstery fabrics and is easily bleached. If your sofa pillow cushion covers can be unzipped and taken off (must be color-fast and washable) you can put them in the washing machine using the instructions for clothing and bedding.

CLOTHING, COMFORTERS, AND BEDDING:

Put the items in the washing machine and pour in enough of the recipe to cover throughly. This might take a few gallons depending on the size of the load. Soak for at least 24 hours. Rinse and rewash using normal washing detergent. If any of the odor is still present, soak again for 24 hours, rinse and rewash.

A small area on a comforter can be spot treated by saturating the area throughly, letting it dry for 24 hours, then washing the comforter normally in the washer with detergent. Always check for color-fastness before using.

AREA RUGS:

They can be spot treated with a sprayer or put in the washer. Test for color-fastness before treatment.

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Be patient with him. His whole world is turned upside down and he doesn't know why. His peeing is a reaction and not really a behavioral problem. People sometimes don't realize that a cat's scent is important to him and smelling it is comforting. Keep him separated from the other cats. Getting along at this stage may not be an option.

I hope all this information will be helpful to you, and I hope that you and Doc can grieve together and heal together. Again, I'm sorry and, with time, patience, and love, I hope things will work out OK.

Tabbi


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tabbi -
Thank you for the information and for the sympathetic words regarding my dad; however, it is not Doc (my dad's cat) who is responsponsible for the inappropriate elimination. It is my cat, Louie, who is responsible. They all (Louie, Molly, and Doc) all have their own litterboxes - Doc has his upstairs, where he basically lives 90% of the time, and Louie and Molly have theirs in our basement (where we have always had them). Louie is trying to show Doc who's boss I guess, but I was hoping there may be some way to make Louie know he's still king of the castle without having to accept his marking and peeing everywhere...

Answer
Jennifer,

Louie is 68 years old in human years. Is sounds like it is a combination of the stress of Doc being there and his showing his dominance. He probably is also picking up your stress over your father's passing and is reacting to that too.

I'm afraid there isn't an 'instant fix' to the problem. The kitty Prozac may be a solution, lots of loving and kitty treats to show him that he is still your special kitty, that he is not being replaced...and time.

Tabbi