Why can't we all just get along?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi and welcome to PT. I would first take Meg to the vet to make sure that she doesn't have a UTI or something else wrong with her that might be causing her to pee inappropriately.

If everything checks out fine then I'd make sure that you have plenty of litterboxes. The rule of thumb is to have at least 1 for each cat plus an extra one so that would make 4 in your case. If you live in a house that has 3 floors then you also need litterboxes on every floor. You must also make sure to clean them out at least once every day or more often if needed.

If you have covered litterboxes, then I would take the hoods off because some cats don't like to use covered litterboxes. I had this problem with one of my cats even though he had used the covered litterboxes for quite a while. Meg may also not like the litter. Many cats don't like scented litters because it's too strong for their sensitive noses.

When I was having some peeing issues my vet recommended that I buy Cat Attract Litter By Dr. Elsey. You can buy it online or at Petsmart. Here's a link about it: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...767033.2845025. When I bought it I just put some of it on top of my cats old litter and they used it right away. I'm now using Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Scoopable Litter which is an unscented litter and my cats really seem to like it.

I would also try using some Feliway Plugins and I'd also buy some Feliway spray to spray in the areas where Meg has already peed. You also need to buy some kind of enzyme cleaner so that your cats won't smell the pee areas and continue to pee there. I use Simple Solution which I buy at a pet store and it seems to do the trick.

If nothing seems to work then you may want to consider putting Meg on prozac or another type of tranquilizer to help keep her calm. I like using holistic things so I'm currently using Calm Spirit Teapills on a few of my cats. My holisitic vet recommeded this and it takes at least 2 weeks to see any affect. You can buy these pills online but I'd talk to a vet first. I hope that something will work. Good luck.

[Medusa]

If, after having Meg checked out to be sure she's free of physical problems that could be causing the inappropriate behavior, she still continues in this way, talk to your vet about a medication called Clomicalm. It's usually prescribed for dogs but can be safely administered to cats. I've had 4 of mine on it for several years now w/no side effects whatsoever. It's a mild antidepressant that has taken care of aggressive behavior and inappropriate urination and defecation. It usually comes in 20 mg. pills which are cut into quarters, so that each cat gets 5 mg. at night before bed. It's said to take a while to work but, fortunately, it started working immediately for me. It saved my household and my sanity. See what your vet has to say about it.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Poor Meg - maybe she knows that she wasn't wanted in her old home any more and is taking it out on Zorro as she senses he is the easier target.

I hope she checks out okay with the vet and that they all get along soon

[mamaducky]

You've all made such great suggestions, and have made me feel a lot less panicky about the whole situation.

Meg, despite her present issues, is SUCH a sweet girl, and I'm just determined to make it work for her. I'm taking her to the vet on Monday (would go sooner, but my 2-legged baby is graduating high school TOMORROW!), and will see what he has to say.

Meanwhile, I'm off to try the Cat Attract litter and get hold of some enzyme spray to get rid of the smelly spots!

Thanks again!
Diana

[cristy]

You said that your husband was starting to get aggrevated with Meg. Make sure that he isn't treating her any different. When I moved in with my husband my cat started peeing an pooping everywhere....I was SHOCKED because Jasper had NEVER had a single issue before. It wasn't until he disappeared for three days (he crawled into a hole in the wall under the sink!!!) and had me frantically casing the neighborhood that steve told me how evil he was being to my poor baby. He didn't hurt him or anything, but I always left a heating pad on in his cat bed and when I went to work, steve would turn it off...just to be mean! I was soooo angry!! Once steve realized that if he wanted me around he was going to have to be nice to Jasper too they became the best of buds. Now, he spoils Jazzy more than I do and Jaz hasn't had an issue since. I'm not suggesting that your husband is abusing Meg, just that maybe she senses his displeasure and is acting out. Sounds like she has had quite a bit of upheavel lately!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

You said that your husband was starting to get aggrevated with Meg. Make sure that he isn't treating her any different.

That is a very valid point Cristy. It certainly won't be making Meg feel any more secure

[mamaducky]

Yes, those are all certainly good points.

The funny part, however, is that Megan adores both my husband and my 18-year-old daughter -- I'm only sought out when it's feeding time! (Go figure...) In the 5+ months we've had her, her relationship with her "Dad" has been very good.

Though Stephen is distinctly unhappy about the littering accident situation (which has cleared up entirely with the placement of boxes on each floor -- though he doesn't like that either), he's very fond of Meg. He blames Zorro for being mean to her -- but Zorro is such a dyed-in-the-wool mama's boy that it doesn't bother him much if someone else is ticked off at him.

Come to think of it, since Meg is not nuts about Zorro, that might be why she's not so crazy about me either! Lordy, this whole cat psychology thing is more than I can handle on a Friday morning! For now, I'm just stepping forward in faith that I'll be able to find answers to make the situation work out.

Thanks again, all of you, for your help and advice!