Trouble with younger cat toileting in house

redding

*WARNING A BIT GROSS*

As the name suggests, I am having trouble with my year old burmese mongrel. I have 2 cats, a 2 yr old female tortie and the year old burmese mix. Both female and they've lived together for a year now.

Me and OH recently moved house where there is an outside garden and the cats are really enjoying it.

However the little one has taken to going toilet in spare rooms in the house...when there's a clean litter tray downstairs.

It's also been a bit diarrhoa-esque the past wee while. I assumed it was due to eating bugs and grass but I'm going to have to get her seen to if it continues.

Can anyone suggest reasons for the change of toilet behaviour??

Me and OH have started argueing over it and it's not her fault she's barely out of kittenhood but should know better!

BitterAndTwisted

Cats most often toilet in the house from stress rather than any other reason. it's getting to the cause of the stress that's the challenge but it sounds to me like the move could be at the root of the problem, especially if your garden is another cat's territory. Are there other cats in the neighbourhood? Are the neighbourhood cats gaining entry to your home via a cat-flap?

One way of tackling this is to confine your cat in a cage perhaps in one of the bedrooms with only enough room for its bed, food and water dishes and the litter-tray. That way, although it might sound very harsh, the cat has no choice but to use the tray as they will not soil where they eat or sleep and in this way you are breaking the habit. Meanwhile you absolutely MUST get rid of any odours from previous soiling by treating every area with a solution of biological laundry-detergent and warm water (which has enzymes to break them down), blotting up and when dry treating it with alcohol. Vodka works and leaves no odour of its own behind.

redding

Hmm, I hadn't really thought of stress because I assumed after living in a cramped flat with no outside space they'd both love the new house and gardens.

There are quite a number of other cats, there hasn't been any fights but there's a big gangly cat who comes up to the door begging for food. he's quite friendly though I suppose the little 'un doesn't see him as being her new BFF :eek:

We don't have a cat flap installed, it's rented acoomodation and we're not allowed pets...but other cats wandering into the garden could be the problem. When I come home from work she's right at the back door meowing, wanting in. She wants affection and wants to be petted and talked to, have a feed, then she's happy to go outside again.

She's become a little clingy (not that I mind, she's adorable) but I guess this is a result of meeting new cats and feeling insecure in her own territory.

Parenting fail

BitterAndTwisted

If you're in rented accommodation and aren't allowed pets you must, must, must get to grips with cleaning the carpets and floors completely.

I'd suggest not locking your two cats outdoors during the day-time but leaving them in the kitchen with their food, beds and litter-tray in there. You could try using a Feliway diffuser and seeing if that has an effect.

When moving cats from one property to another it's suggested that you keep them inside for several weeks so they can become established in their new home and consider it as their new territory, so perhaps you could try this now. Of course, this won't discourage the neighbourhood cats from thinking that your garden is their territory but I would most certainly NOT give any stranger-cats a reason to think that they are welcome. I'd hiss at them and think about using a water-pistol to deter them from coming anywhere near the house.

madget_2

As others have already pointed out, this could well be due to the stress of the move and change in circumstance. If she's enjoying the garden, it doesn't sound as though she's afraid to go outside - but could other cats be putting her off from going to the loo outside, so she comes in instead, even bypassing her litter tray? Cats are odd creatures.

I do wonder about the diarrhoea. One of my cats has a very delicate digestion indeed and used to soil our kitchen floor, even though we have large, regularly cleaned out litter trays in a quiet, private area of the house. Although it became obvious that she tended to do this whenever she felt stressed (after a vet visit, if we were away for longer than a week - even though cat-loving neighbours who she likes visited at least twice a day in our absence), we saw a huge improvement once we'd got her stomach problems under control. In fact, I can't even remember the last time she did it now.

I'd definitely advise getting her checked out regarding the diarrhoea in any case (cats can dehydrate very quickly), but this may also help to solve your problem - if it is digestion-related.