Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hello

I'm in a bit of a pickle and just wanted to ask for a little advice. My partner and I are having to reconsider rehoming our cat, Dinky. She was homed with us as an indoor cat but doesn't seem to be coping well with the environment - she doesn't have as much space as she needs and the outdoor environment can be a little noisy. It's led to her having some behaviour issues. I'm struggling with the prospect of having to rehome her despite knowing it is probably best for her. We are looking to move in the new year, to somewhere she will have some more space and a safe outdoor space, and someone suggested that there may be a fostering scheme where by someone could take care of her until we are in a position to take her back. Is this an option?

Thank you in advance for any help!

If you think you'll be able to move in the new year to somewhere that she'll be happier, I'd try to hold on until then, maybe try some new toys/games. It's not easy to find a temporary foster home and there's no guarantee she'd be any happier somewhere else.

What kind of behaviour issues is she having?

She mainly toilets inappropriately - we've had to rip up/out and replace carpets and skirting boards because we really want to sell and move on somewhere bigger. I'm so worried that we don't really have a handle on her behaviour and it's going to continue. We've tried Feliway, giving her extra high places to hide, and giving her an area to call her own in terms of space. Just not sure what else to do, and feeling a little out of my depth!

Did you recently adopt her and she's been doing this from the beginning? Or was there a change (move, baby, etc) that coincided with the behaviour?

If it's a recent change, has she been checked out by a vet?

Does she wee or poo outside the tray? (Or both?)

Does she have a favourite place to do this, like beside the litter tray, or on the door mat inside the front door?

How many litter trays do you have?

Have you changed the brand/type of cat litter?

If a cat is having toileting issues, it's recommended that you have at least 2 litter trays. (More for multiple cats)

We used to have 2 female cats who shared one litter tray - no problems ever. We now have 2 male cats, one of which is so fussy about the trays. He was weeing outside the tray every couple of days. It was really upsetting.

Now we have 2 trays indoors and 1 covered one outside the back door. All are lined with a paper bag and Catsan Active Fresh clumping cat litter (cheapest at Zooplus). We scoop out wees as soon as possible. When there's a poo, we remove the liner and everything it in, bag it and take it out to the bin. I realise this is very wasteful and wish we didn't have to do it, but it's made a huge difference in his behaviour.

We've also learned to read him better. He sometimes paces the house as if he's looking for a place to wee. We put him in the litter tray and he does a really long one...

He prefers to poo in the outdoor tray and then immediately come inside for a wee. A very strange cat...

Because of these changes, he hasn't wee'd inappropriately for a couple of months now (knocking on wood...)

We like this for stains and odours:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Envii-Pet-Fres ... B01LY5QF6L

A lot of people use Simple Solution but I can't stand the smell of it.

We also bought a carpet washer.

Advice from Cat Chat:
https://www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-t ... ay-indoors

Cat Chat's qualified behavioural adviser may be able to offer advice. Email [email protected] (please give as much relevant information as possible).