We have an I believe a 3 year old, female Bengal (perhaps a bit older) we absolutely love everything about her except her urinating. She didn't get such a great start- her first owner had her for a little over 2 years and kept her locked in a bedroom by herself the entire time, the second owner had her for about 6 month and pretty much just plopped her into a house with 7 other cats, a dog, and small children. She did great with the children but not with the dog or other cats, I'm sure in large part due to not having a proper introduction period, so she went to our friends for a few months and she tried to eat their fish (who would have thought a cat would try to eat a fish...right?) and so they wanted to get rid of her. To our knowledge she has not had a marking issue previously but it may have been a big part of the reason they previous owners who we don't know got rid of her. We have a Great Dane and another male cat (not Bengal) it took a long time for us to get through the initial introduction with her and our male cat but we made it through and they get along great and play- the dog doesn't bother either cat outside of the occasional rear end sniff which doesn't seem to bother either cat. We have tried everything we have found online/ that we can think of. We put foil down where she had marked, we clean everything she has marked thoroughly with natures own urine destroyer, we got a black light to make sure we got all the places she has went, sprayed the entire perimeter of the house with essential oils to discourage her from spraying, we have the pheromone diffusers, litter attractant, scoop the litter boxes EVERY day, we have 3 litter boxes. And to no avail, I am at a loss of how to fix the issue. She only seems to urinate where there is carpet, we have steam cleaned all of the carpets after using a shampooer filled with the urine destroyer and she still pees on it. She is healthy, no uti, drinks plenty of water. We are currently trying a "retraining" method we found online but feel like the worst person in the world for having her shut into a little bitty bathroom for the next week until her want/need to spray is supposed to magically disappear. I feel like if anything this method is going to stress her out more and cause her to mark more than she already is. Please help! My husband is ready to throw in the towel with her and I don't want her to go to yet another home ☹️. Side note-she is spayed.

Hi

Welcome to the forum. Sorry for the issues you are having with your girl. I don't have first hand experience with this, but how long has she been with you, what type of litter boxes are you using and what type of litter? Are they the same as what she was using before? Many cats don't like closed litter boxes as they are effectively trapped at a vulnerable time. And a sudden change in litter can be confusing to them.

Having said that, it sounds like she is still trying to establish territory and her place in your home, and/or may be feeling a bit stressed following all the upheavals she's been through etc. Are there specific places she is marking? Do you have plenty of beds, high places she can call her own? With multicat households it can take a while for things to settle whilst the hierarchy is established and who 'owns' specific places in the home. I'm currently going through a few hierarchy issues myself as my two recently reached the age of two (which apparently is when they socially mature) and one has become way more confident than the other and it's causing all sorts of grief.

I hope someone with first hand experience of this issue comes along soon. Don't give up, you will get there!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Hi there, to add to what Clare said. How long have you had your girl? It sounds like a few months if they are settled after introductions. Are you UK or USA? Is she indoor or outdoor cat? If US and she is an indoor cat then a good idea is to harness train her and get her walking outside. Let her mark appropriately in your garden and round the outside of the house. I have so many ideas in my head so forgive the garbled order my thoughts come in. Loads and loads of litter boxes, covered and uncovered with different types of litter, the bigger the box the better and see what she prefers. Make sure litter trays are not in dead ends which make her feel vulnerable. It sounds like she is marking and peeing. I have a 7yr old bengal rescue who marked and peed. It took a good few months of hell and my husband was at the stage yours is. Hang in there, it can be fixed. I would put a litter tray over every spot she has peed (I had 7 at one time for 1 cat) Is she definitely marking or does she finish peeing standing up like my boy? If you have two cats then the bare minimum is 3 litter trays. Keep on with the feliway and spray feliway after cleaning on areas of marking. If you cannot put a litter tray over every area she has peed then put a little bowl of cat biscuits on it (they don't pee where they eat) I used to have soooo many bowls of biscuits with just a few in each, kept topped up at all times! My bengal used to spray either side of huge glass doors we had as he felt it was a vulnerable gap in his territory. I put two scratch posts in front of the areas sprayed with feliway to try and make him think it a happy area, not a vulnerable area. Are there any other cats in your garden that are stressing her out and making her territorially insecure? Big windows and full length ones that give her a view of other animals? Again as Clare said with multicat households, lots of trees, shelves and spaces they can call their own to make them territorially secure. Lots of play and lots of love as it sounds like the poor darling has had a rubbish start in life with owners who just do not understand the breed. My cat Oscar has not peed inappropriately for over a year now touch wood. I would even tempt him to the litter tray with treats, pop him in it and if he peed they I would praise him and give him a treat then start playing! Kind of like potty training! I sounds like you are totally understanding of the breed and have tried most of the things to sort it out. A couple of tweaks might just do it! The most important thing is for you to stay calm and have a chilled house. Your mood can be detected by your cat and may be stressing her too. Easier said than done,believe me..... I know! Thank you for rescuing her and don't give up. You mentioned that you are going to put her in a small room to try and sort it out. I read about this idea with taking territory away then introducing slowly back to restart the cats security. Think that is probably a last resort. What I did was close all bedroom doors and only had bathroom door open upstairs with the litter tray in. Don't deny her the social area of your house as that could make her so confused. I wish you all the luck in the world and just post on how it's going. Even if you just need to vent your frustration, this is a great forum with so many incredible people all wanting to help. Try and look for the positives if she pees less that is amazing, as it's going in the right direction. It won't stop overnight so don't set goals too high. Happy pee free new year to you!!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

That poor little baby! She's been through a lot in her short life. Bless you for finally giving her a proper home. That being said, cats mark for territory! I'm guessing she feels quite insecure in her new environment. It's hard enough for a kitty to come to a home with just humans, but put a dog in the mix and other cats, it can become a nightmare. Way too much going on and it's way too stressful for the new kitty! Some cats need to be the only pet in the family.

Once a cat begins to mark, it's extremely hard to get them to stop! There are a lot of "scents" going on in your home. Your girl needs her own little territory and spot away from all the other action. Does she have her own cat tree? Does she have an area of the home where she can rest and have peace and quiet? The indoor marking seems to be a trait in multi-pet households.

Locking her away in a smaller space is not going to help! Really ... your cat is doing what comes naturally and appears to be her only defense in protecting a territory/space! Sometimes people think a cat gets along with a dog or another cat when in reality there is an issue! I'm guessing this is completely stress related to the activity going on in the home. I can tell you that my bengal loves peace and quiet. Any time the TV volume goes up or we have company and the voice levels increase, he is not happy and wants to get away (he hides under the bed). Try listening and see what is going on in your home. Watch your girl interact with the other cats. Is her tail high up in the air when she walks (not just when she marks). Or does it drag closer to the ground, which indicates no confidence in the cat.

Jackson Galaxy sells some Spirit Essences that are holistic remedies for various situations. I've never used them but some owners swear by them. The website is http://www.spiritessences.com. Good luck and keep us informed.