Expert: Dear Tabbi - 8/3/2008

Question
I have a 7 year old 20 lbs male american short hair named Odin. He has always had a problem peeing on things but it was fine when it was only my things he peed on and it was every once and a while. Now I live with a wonderful women who is sick and tired of having her clothing soaked in cat pee. The peeing definitly stepped up when we moved in with her and my cat seems to be really frightened of her. He seems very stressed out. When she tries to pet him he puts his ears back and is clearly unhapppy. When either of us get emotionally excited--  very happy, or sad, or playful or angry (especially angry) he goes into psycho cat mode. Suddenly my sweet fat odin is hissing and scratching in defense! His tail gets wide and he becomes very agressive. He has even attacked me- something that has NEVER happened before.

I don't know what to do. I love my girl friend and I love living here but it isn't working. Odin is very unhappy, and its straining the relationship between my girlfriend and I. What can I do to make him happy with her and the apartment?

Note: My girlfriend has a loud mouth parrot. This is the first time he has had to deal with a bird. He has experience with other cats, small animals and even dogs. He hasn't tried to get the bird and he hasn't shown any real interest in it. Just thought this might have something to do with it.

Answer
Colleen,

What I would do is immediately make an appointment with your vet.

It is possible that he has a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. They are very painful. Because of that, cats will avoid the litterbox because they associate it with the pain and go elsewhere. Pain also makes a cat aggressive.

If it is not a medical issue then I would talk to the vet about putting the cat on "kitty Prozac". It is very commonly used for cats that are very stressed or have emotional issues. It helps to keep them calm.

Your cat may be very sensitive and all the new things in his life is enhancing his stress. One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target. And when a cat pees on the personal items of a person, such as clothing, then the cat is telling you the only way he knows how that you and/or the other person is making him upset and unhappy. If noises make the cat nervous, which happens with high strung cats, then the parrot is also adding to the stress.

Cats are like people, there can be personality clashes which is what may be happening with your girlfriend...plus a certain amount of jealousy.

Is there a family member or friend with a quiet household that you can leave the cat with for a short time and see if his erratic behavior changes? That will help you find out if the problem is due to your girlfriend and the parrot. If he quits peeing on things and stops being aggressive then you know he is happier in a quiet environment without stress.

But, as I said before, I would definitely take the cat to the vet and speak to the vet about treating either a medical issue or an emotional one.

Tabbi