Hello,

I have a 2.5 yo neutered Bengal boy. He is sweet and affectionate, playful, intelligent and cuddly. However, he has some litter box issues that have not resolved over the years I've had him (as a kitten). He uses his litter box to poo but prefers to do his wees outside in the bath tub, on carpets, bath mat, bedding, the couch and most recently on some slippers. There has been some improvement over the years, but I think this is also due to me learning how to deal and mitigate any incidents, e.g. by putting the mattress against the wall every morning, shutting off access to the spare room and bathroom (where the bath mat is), wrapping a couch in plastic and foil, rolling up most of the carpets and never leaving any clothing on the floor. We have had to replace the couch and the mattress once because they were soiled beyond repair. He does also use the litter box for wees sometimes on his own accord. The worst is when he pees in the bed when we are asleep in it! This is a horrible way to start your day. This tends to happen in clusters (won't happen for months, then 2-3 times in a week).

I am extremely frustrated by this situation and sad to say, have seriously considered re-homing him because it seems as if he doesn't get the stimulation he needs to be happy being an indoor cat, and that a house with a garden may provide a better quality of life. However, I haven't been able to go through with the re-homing as I simply adore him. And instead am considering getting another cat in the hopes this will alleviate his loneliness and boredom (which I think contribute to this issue).

I am a student and my bf works from home so we are around a lot more than your average household. Our boy has plenty of toys, scratch posts, cardboard boxes and we even installed cat shelves. We try to play interactively with him at least an hour a day, but this can be tough as he quickly tires of toys and games. He loves being around us and seems to get upset if we are away even slightly longer than normal, which is when the bad behaviour sets in. It is probably at its worst when we go on holiday (even if just for the weekend) and when we first come back. He has never been to a cattery and we either hire a cat/house-sitter or get our neighbours/friends to come in and feed him and play with him in his comfort zone. I already limit travelling as much as possible, but it seems a bit extreme to never go on holiday! Moreover, I will be finishing my Master's degree soon and will get a full-time job. I am very concerned how he will cope with these changes.

My hope is that a companion cat will give him the company he needs as a very needy, lonely cat as well as be able to play with him on his level. Additionally, we have the space and money to afford giving a good home to another cat. However, I have spoken to the vet and read some articles about this online and am aware this might not be a solution, but may actually worsen the problem. I was hoping to get some feedback or opinions from some others with experience in these issues so I can make an informed decision.

I should mention that I have taken him to the vet and ruled out any medical issues. He has two litter boxes (on each level) with Oko Plus litter. It is regularly scooped and changed. The vet put him on Zylkene briefly but I have to say there was no effect whatsoever (tried it for about 2 months). We have also tried Feliway diffuser, also very little effect if any. He is very dear to me and very loved, so I would like to do what is in his best interest. Any advice welcome.

Welcome to our forum! I'm going to give you my advice and you can take it or leave it. Since you've ruled out anything medically wrong with your kitty, then stress is probably the cause of the litter box issues. Know that cats truly prefer using a litter box as they are fasctitious creatures. I don't know how large your home is, but you might need to add a litter box -- one on each level may not be enough. Have you thought about the type of litter box or litter? He poos in the boxes but won't pee in them. Many cats prefer a box for pee and a box for poo, so please consider adding an additional box on the level he uses the most.

I would not even consider adding another cat to the mix until you get this situation resolved. You do not want to have TWO cats with this problem. My bengal was left alone for 9 hours a day while I worked full time and he was fine. There are many interactive toys you can get and the cat can occupy itself with them, but I don't know that this is the issue.

I would block off access to any area that he regularly uses. Close the doors to the room. Observe his behavior and if you think he is about to go, pick him up and put him in the litter box. If you have the time and patience, you can teach your cat to use your toilet.

It appears this has been an issue since the very beginning and once this habit starts, it becomes very difficult to change it. Since this happens more often after you are gone for periods of time, it could be separation anxiety. Bengals bond very closely with their owners. And it is not uncommon for a bengal to act out upon the owner's return.

Although medications may not be working, you might want to see if Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences has a formula for your situation. http://www.spiritessences.com.

Most of all, do not yell or punish your kitty. He will not understand. He's doing something that comes naturally for him. It is not right that you need to cover furniture, close off rooms, and spend your time cleaning up the mess.

They do make diapers for cats. I think that would be a last resort, but they could help. Know, too, that there are portable enclosures available that will allow your kitty to enjoy the outside world. It's easy to train a bengal to walk on a harness and leash. However ... once a cat tastes the outside life, that's the life they want to have. My bengal has a huge outdoor enclosure on our deck and gets two walks a day. He has never had an accident outside his litter box.

Re-homing is always a last resort. You don't mention how the cat interacts with your boyfriend. Is he a cat lover or does he ignore the cat? There obviously IS a problem somewhere because this is not normal behavior for a cat. However, since it has been happening for so long, it may be impossible to stop it.

Getting cat pee all over is horrible, I've been there. Here's what I'd suggest as a game plan.

1. Get another box (A really big one, uncovered) and put cat attract litter in it, and place it right next to the spot where he pees most frequently. Cats often don't like to poo and pee in the same litter box strangely, plus there could be numerous other reasons why he isn't using the boxes he has now.

2. Get some professional cleaning help to get rid of the pee. It can kind of feed on itself in that he smells his own pee and knows that it is a "pee spot"

3. Make sure you don't let your frustrations about this don't transfer over to him. If you get frustrated with him and he get fearful and stressed that only exacerbates the problem.

4. Watch some episodes of "my cat from hell". Many of the episodes deal with this issue.

5. If none of the above is helping, see a cat behaviorist. They are used to dealing with this problem ( they undoubtedly build a big portion of their practice on it)

I agree with Sherry, getting a second cat is a terrible idea. Not only are you questioning your ability and commitment to keeping your current kitty but can you imagine what it would be like for a new kitty coming into a house full of another cats pee? Talk about a hostile environment!

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The little monsters 3

Hey,

Thanks for all the advice! I have recently contacted a cat behaviourist and am waiting for the vet to fill in a referral form so that I can get a consultation soon. Our house is spacious (by London standards) but not really that big that he couldn't find his litter boxes or run from one litter box to the other in less than 30seconds. Our upstairs (which is the living area/kitchen/dining) is all open plan as well so I hesitate to put another box up there as it would have to go closer to the kitchen/dining and I feel this might be a bit unhygienic and off-putting? Would it be worth putting an uncovered box right next to the upstairs box as his second pee box? He pees in the bath a lot, but he already has his other litter box right next to the bath. I am quite opposed to putting a litter box in the bedroom as I have quite a sensitive nose.

Re: blocking off access - he is only allowed access to the second bedroom and first bathroom when we are directly supervising. Sometimes accidents do happen when we are distracted, we try to be as vigilant as possible but we are only human! However, as I mentioned, the upstairs is open plan so there isn't really a way to limit his access up there. it's all or nothing, basically. His litter box and food are in the second bathroom which is off our bedroom, so he needs to be allowed in there or he would just be confined to the bathroom! We put the mattress against the wall when we wake up every morning so he the risk has been removed during the day time. His main rogue pees are in the bath tub, which I think is okay and quite easy to clean.

I tried to harness train him when he was younger but he didn't take to it at all. I read up about it and did it slowly, getting him "used" to the harness over the course of a week, before finally taking him out. He never seemed to get comfortable in it though and slunk his body low to the ground always. We made it outside onto the courtyard area but he got spooked every time the wind blew or someone walked by and managed to slip his harness! I was too scared to try it after that in case something happened and retired the harness idea. I would love to be able to let him outside but it really isn't possible where we live. We are quite high up (7 stories) so if he is in the courtyard area (which has no plants anyway and is just concrete basically) he could try to jump up to the railing, miss and fall over to his death.

My boyfriend loves the cat, but he is not as close to him as I am. Cosmo and I have a special bond (I am convinced). My bf moved in just over a year ago. Cat was not too keen at first but I think he is used to it now. As I said, my bf works from home so spends more time with him than I do. However, his job is quite intense so he cannot drop everything to play whenever Cosmo starts meowing. He does try to play with him a couple of times a day and he usually gets up to feed him as I am a very deep sleeper. Never heard him yell at Cosmo and neither of us punish him.

Could you suggest some interactive toys that keep your cat occupied? I think I am his favourite toy! He is not into laser pointers but likes straws, boxes, plastic bags and his Da Bird. What were your experiences with Spirit Essences? I am willing to try it if it is generally effective, but it is quite pricey here (almost £30!) so want to get some feedback first. I don't think we are at the stage for a diaper just yet! He is mainly good and the accidents have lessened somewhat (I dont really count the bath anymore). I guess I am mainly concerned that his behaviour reflects some kind of insufficiency and unhappiness in his current life and am wondering if it would be better for him to have a home where he can go outside and chase bugs or have a friend to keep him company or what else I can do to make him happier.

Hi there

One of my two pees inappropriately when he's stressed. Zylkene works for him though and I'm currently trying to wean him off it, we are down to just one per day but he seems to want me there when he has a wee again so may put him back up to two per day again!

I did change the litter from cats best oko plus as we had also used that for years, just to see if that helped. It definitely did, in fact Hendrix also preferred the new litter and jagger started to be much better using the litter tray again too. He still won't use the one in the conservatory very often, he isn't keen on the one in the living room at all but looks on the one in the hall as 'his'. It has to be totally clean before he uses it though and he makes sure I'm around before he uses it so I can clean it straight away too! Hendrix is not so fussy. In fact sometimes with jagger, even if it is totally clean, he has to see me put an extra fresh scoop of litter in before he'll use it.

The litter we are using now is catsan clay clumping litter. I have to say that even when one of them has a poo, it's odour control is excellent. Sometimes I can't even tell it was a poo even though I know the tray has just been used.

Might be worth a try to change the litter in one of the trays and see if it makes a difference?

Good luck!

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

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The little monsters 3

Tabitha, thanks! I will look into ordering some new litter. Also, you mentioned your cat wants you there to watch him wee. I feel my cat also prefers this and seems to meow and carry on a lot to inform us he is about to do his wee/poo. Do you know why your boy does this?

brianj12, I was not inferring that you meant either of those things. I was addressing Sherry's comment about that maybe one litter box per storey in our flat might not be enough for the size of our flat. As I mentioned, he likes to pee in the bath when downstairs, his litter box is right next to it. Upstairs, his rogue wees tend to concentrate on one carpet, and then we remove that carpet, and then he moves on to another carpet, then we remove that carpet, then he moves to another carpet. So there isn't really a specific geographic location but I have ordered an uncovered litter box for wees to put up there anyway.

They make some great "furniture" that can house a litter box discretely. No guarantee your kitty will use it, but one episode from My Cat From Hell dealt with putting a litter box everywhere the cat peed. They had seven litter boxes. Then, they put a piece of black tape every time the cat used each box. Every week they would remove the box the cat used the least until they were down to two boxes.

What works for one cat may not work for another. There is so much information online, however, YOU know your cat better than anyone else. And ... there is a problem somewhere. Are there neighborhood cats that roam around the outside of your home? Cats can smell other cats -- even from inside your home. However, that usually causes marking rather than inappropriate peeing.

It really depends on how determined you are to finally end the behavior. Bengals demand attention and if yours is not getting it from your boyfriend while he's working at home, then the cat may act out. Bengals are more like a child than a cat. And they need to be treated as such. Since this has been happening for so long, things won't improve overnight. Hopefully a cat behaviorist will have some suggestions for you.

You asked about interactive toys. There are many "track" toys on the market. Just google "interactive cat toys" and you will come up with several. They have some which will require batteries and are probably for the short term. Know, too, that bengals can have short attention spans.

In the meantime, try not to stress yourself out over this because cats can sense when an owner is stressed out. I truly hope you find something that works for you and your baby.

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