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XP: Retraining an old cat?

afox007afox007 member
1000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary First Answer
in Chit Chat
Posted this in the pets section of the nest, but thought there may be more help over here since this board is way busier.

FI and I recently rescued a cat from his insane ex wife who was homeless and hoarding cats. Since she moved in she has peed all over the house, scratches the furniture, and has made a new habit of waking me up by scratching me across the face ( I currently have a lovely scratch from my mouth to the bottom of my chin). 

I don't know what to do with her. Apparently FI said she always had these problems, but he hoped  that her going from being around 7 other cats to just one would help. I have made sure that she has her own liter box and keep it clean (easy since so far I think she has used it twice my laundry is a better alternative apparently), there are toys, scratching posts, I've tried the spray bottle when I catch her and she just stares me down and continues. So far the only thing she has responded to was me accidentally smacking her when I woke up freaking out to the face scratching, but obviously I'm not go to beat the cat. 
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Re: XP: Retraining an old cat?

  • pinkcow13pinkcow13 member
    2500 Comments Fifth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    Oh no, this is horrible. Have you watched My Cat from Hell on animal planet? I believe the host, his name is Jackson, has a website in which he offers some tips and advice. I would also suggest bringing the cat to the vet. Being around other cats with a hoarder and homeless to boot, sounds like an unsanitary situation. Maybe the cat has some sort of condition - this causes them to act aggressively and behave in certain ways. Good luck, I hope things get better!
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  • afox007afox007 member
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    Given the previous living conditions I should probably bring her to the vet, but I doubt that is the cause of the issue. FI and his ex had the cat their last few years together (which was why he was so adamant about saving it) and apparently it was always a problem. 
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  • JCbride2015JCbride2015 member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary First Answer
    Yeah bring her to the vet.  I really recommend My Cat from Hell, he does a fantastic job of explaining cat behavior.  Kitty needs a set schedule for feeding, sleep, and playtime.  Try exhausting her with playtime right before bed and she might not wake you up so much.  My cat has been really annoying and loud in the middle of the night, but I've found when we play with her a lot right before bed, she's tired and doesn't wake us up.
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  • pumpkinsandturkeyspumpkinsandturkeys member
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    Ugh, I totally feel your pain. For the first 3 years of our relationship, FI had a female cat who would do a lot of the same things. She was originally a stray he adopted from a shelter, and there weren't a lot of boundaries established by him afterwards, which made things really difficult for me once I moved in (on top of the fact that I'm allergic). She would randomly attack me, hiss at me if I sprayed her with water because she was sitting on the stove/kitchen table etc., and destroy pretty much everything in the house with her claws. She also hated me so much that she started peeing on the carpet outside the bedroom door every morning after FI left for work and before I got up (she was no longer allowed upstairs after a few days of that). My breaking point was about a year and a half ago when we discovered that she had been crapping behind the wall in the basement (it was half finished with drywall), and once she got caught doing that, she took to peeing on the concrete behind the furnace and the smell permeated through the house. After that, I knew that nothing we did was going to change her behaviour, because we had tried it all. We ended up having to pay to give her to a no-kill shelter because we didn't have any friends or family that would take her. I really hope things work out better for you, but based on my own experience, I'm not holding my breath.


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  • JCbride2015JCbride2015 member
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    pumpkinsandturkeys said:
    Ugh, I totally feel your pain. For the first 3 years of our relationship, FI had a female cat who would do a lot of the same things. She was originally a stray he adopted from a shelter, and there weren't a lot of boundaries established by him afterwards, which made things really difficult for me once I moved in (on top of the fact that I'm allergic). She would randomly attack me, hiss at me if I sprayed her with water because she was sitting on the stove/kitchen table etc., and destroy pretty much everything in the house with her claws. She also hated me so much that she started peeing on the carpet outside the bedroom door every morning after FI left for work and before I got up (she was no longer allowed upstairs after a few days of that). My breaking point was about a year and a half ago when we discovered that she had been crapping behind the wall in the basement (it was half finished with drywall), and once she got caught doing that, she took to peeing on the concrete behind the furnace and the smell permeated through the house. After that, I knew that nothing we did was going to change her behaviour, because we had tried it all. We ended up having to pay to give her to a no-kill shelter because we didn't have any friends or family that would take her. I really hope things work out better for you, but based on my own experience, I'm not holding my breath.
    This makes me sad.  Where's Jackson Galaxy when you need him?
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  • pumpkinsandturkeyspumpkinsandturkeys member
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    JCBride2014 said:
    pumpkinsandturkeys said:
    Ugh, I totally feel your pain. For the first 3 years of our relationship, FI had a female cat who would do a lot of the same things. She was originally a stray he adopted from a shelter, and there weren't a lot of boundaries established by him afterwards, which made things really difficult for me once I moved in (on top of the fact that I'm allergic). She would randomly attack me, hiss at me if I sprayed her with water because she was sitting on the stove/kitchen table etc., and destroy pretty much everything in the house with her claws. She also hated me so much that she started peeing on the carpet outside the bedroom door every morning after FI left for work and before I got up (she was no longer allowed upstairs after a few days of that). My breaking point was about a year and a half ago when we discovered that she had been crapping behind the wall in the basement (it was half finished with drywall), and once she got caught doing that, she took to peeing on the concrete behind the furnace and the smell permeated through the house. After that, I knew that nothing we did was going to change her behaviour, because we had tried it all. We ended up having to pay to give her to a no-kill shelter because we didn't have any friends or family that would take her. I really hope things work out better for you, but based on my own experience, I'm not holding my breath.
    This makes me sad.  Where's Jackson Galaxy when you need him?

    As much as I disliked her, it made me sad when we did it, and FI was pretty upset. The only saving grace was knowing that we had tried everything we could to modify her behaviour, and then spent months trying to find her a new home ourselves. The no-kill shelter was a last resort because my allergies and nerves couldn't take it anymore, and FI was tired of everything being destroyed and having to always clean up after her.


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  • seshat303seshat303 member
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    If you're against declawing I would try Soft Paws (?) claw covers or similar.  Honestly though, I am not against declawing if the cat is so destructive that the alternative could be putting the cat down.  I've never tried the claw covers, but they're probably worth a shot.

    I would totally talk to your vet about the cat's issue with the litter box.  This could be stress (how long have you had her? It sounds like she came from a super stressful environment) or there could be a medical issue. If it's stress, I know there are pheromones you can get for dogs to help with separation anxiety (although we tried them for my BSC puggle and I don't think they helped).  The vet may have suggestions for that as well.  Also, did you change the type of litter she's used to? Some cats will freak the hell out about that sort of thing.

    Good luck!  One of my cats growing up was downright psychotic, but she at least used the litter box and you could anticipate her mood swings.  You're not letting me outside when I want? I will claw you damn leg off. Dinner's late? Oh look, a glass vase on this table.  Not anymore bitch.
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  • jdluvr06jdluvr06 member
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    One of my cats has recently started pooping on the bed every once in a while. We don't think it is a little box thing. We took her to the vet and she doesn't have any health problems so it is psychological. We're trying to do some of he behavioral corrective stuff but it isn't sticking yet. Idk what we'll do if we can't get her to stop because getting rid of her isn't an option.
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  • JCbride2015JCbride2015 member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary First Answer
    My cat went through a phase where she pooped in the tub, like, every night.  We got a second litter box (we have two cats) and she stopped.  We've since moved and changed to an automatic litter box, so it's perfectly clean pretty much all the time.  Now just that one auto box is enough for both cats.  Even if you clean your litter box a lot, I think some cats are picky and won't go if there's even just one or two lumps.  An extra box might be a good start.
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  • ranzzoranzzo member
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    Just a tip on the potty issues.  There is an amazing product called cat attract that helps with the behavioral issues.  It's an additive you put in their litter that compels them to use the litter box. You can buy it at most pet stores.  Also, the general rule of thumbs for the amount of litter boxes is one per cat plus one.  However, I understand space issues.  We have two cats and only two litter boxes.  As long as we are vigilant about scooping, we don't have any issues.  
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  • bmydesignerbmydesigner member
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    If you have enough space, try to get a second litter box. Also make sure to clean them at least every other day, cats are very particular about their clean space. She may be having anxiety / stress issues so seeing the vet would be a good option. Also, sometimes switching owners and houses is stressful on a cat, since it is out of their normal routine. Sometimes when a cat is switched out of her normal routine, she acts out. As to the scratching problem, definitely try to play with her a lot before bed so it wears her out and she may not need to wake you up. Otherwise you could try just shutting your bedroom door, and although she will probably scratch it to wake you up in the morning, if you continue to ignore it she will eventually stop. Good luck!
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  • afox007afox007 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary First Answer
    We have two boxes and two cats although demon kitty is really the only one who uses either. The kitty FI and I got hates being inside and only wants to come in at night so she does all her bathroom stuff outside. I will try getting the cat attract because for now FI's only solution the past few days has been putting her outside all day too and letting her in at night. 
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  • afox007afox007 member
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    bmydesigner said:
    If you have enough space, try to get a second litter box. Also make sure to clean them at least every other day, cats are very particular about their clean space. She may be having anxiety / stress issues so seeing the vet would be a good option. Also, sometimes switching owners and houses is stressful on a cat, since it is out of their normal routine. Sometimes when a cat is switched out of her normal routine, she acts out. As to the scratching problem, definitely try to play with her a lot before bed so it wears her out and she may not need to wake you up. Otherwise you could try just shutting your bedroom door, and although she will probably scratch it to wake you up in the morning, if you continue to ignore it she will eventually stop. Good luck!
    Not to sound like a bitch but FI and his son can play with the demon kitty. I can't get within 5 feet without being hissed at or scratched. And sadly shutting the door won't work both my good cat and my dog sleep with us, but both usually get up in the middle of the night to go play with each other so it wouldn't be fair to lock them in the room to keep demon kitty out. 
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  • afox007afox007 member
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    scribe95 said:
    I would make sure she doesn't have a urinary tract infection. They are pretty horrid for cats and regularly result in them peeing outside the box.
    We have a vet appointment set for Friday, but I cant imagine that she's had a several year UTI since apparently she has always done this.
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