Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/21/2008

Question
Hi,
Recently our cat Seibert passed away. (2 weeks ago) He was 16 years old. We had him for 6 years. We have three other cats: who are 7, 6 and 2. Since Seibert passed, I have had "someone" urinating on chairs where Seibert  recently slept. I do not know which cat is doing it, although i have my suspicions because I have "caught" the 7 yr old a couple other times. The previous times were after a visit to the vet for shots. He became very agitated that visit.
I have read a few of the previous answers, in particular I thought the answer to the one about the cat peeing on the bed of someones parents was similar. A stress behavior.
My questions are: How do I go about telling who it is, or do I even need to?
Should I try that Bach's rescue remedy, and the Feliway?
I have a fairly large house and the incidents are spread out over several rooms, how do I go about using the Feliway in numerous rooms.
Also, one more thing, one of them urinated on my daughters backpack one day. She had been at her friends house where there is a large dog. Could the smell of the dog been a reason?
Thank you for any response,

Answer
Sue,

I'm sorry about Seibert. He lived to a ripe old age (80 years old in human years), probably because of your love and good care.

The bladder is a cat's stress point, whether the stress is caused by grief or a dog.

You may also want to take the cats to the vet for a checkup. Urinary tract infections or urinary crystals are painful and cats associate that pain with the litterbox and go elsewhere.

For a large house you can get Feliway in plug-in form:

"Comfort Zone® Diffuser with Feliway®
Reduces or completely stops stress-related behavior including: urine marking, vertical scratching, loss of appetite, reduced desire to play or interact and other stress-related behaviors
Helps comfort cats in stressful situations such as: being alone in the house, visitors to the home, new pet or family member, moving to a new home, visits to the veterinarian, adjusting to a new environment, multiple cat households
Feliway mimics a natural comforting facial pheromone produced by cats
Odorless and non-toxic
Does not affect humans or other pets"

Here are instructions for Bach's Rescue Remedy:

The remedy can be given by mouth, which is the most effective method. Only a few drops (4-8) are necessary, and need not be swallowed, but only must contact the mucous membranes (gums, tongue, lips). Be careful not to contaminate the dropper by touching it to the animal (if this occurs, rinse the dropper in very hot water before returning it to the bottle). You can also add a dropper-full to the water dish, or a few drops on wet food (there is no effect of dilution). You can add a dropper-full to a spray bottle filled with spring water, and use it to spray a room, carrier, car, around litter boxes or plants, or other problem areas. You can even put a few drops in your hand and pat the animal on the head and around the ears with it--the head is very sensitive to energy and will absorb the flower essences in this way. In the case of chewing or excessive licking or hot spots, you might want to try applying the remedy directly to the problem spot (IF it isn't too raw, otherwise the remedy will sting); the animal will then consume it when it next licks that area.

DOSAGE AND TIMING

Just a few drops (about 4-8) at a time are sufficient. For serious or acute conditions the remedy can be given as often as needed, even every few minutes. For most behavioral problems, we recommend 3-4 times a day for 2-4 weeks. If the response to the remedy is adequate by that time, you can begin to wean off by decreasing the frequency of administration. You may need to add a dropper-full to drinking water or give once a day long-term for some problems.

MULTIPLE ANIMALS

It is fine to put the remedy in a common water dish. In some cases you may even want to treat multiple animals in this way. The Bach Flowers work through a principle of resonance; if the animal needs the remedy, the remedy will act. If the particular remedy is not correct, there will simply be no effect.

I hope this helps.