Change in behaviours

Natp263 · 02-03-2014, 07:58 PM

Hi

We have had out cat for just over a month now. She's a 9 month old tabby that we got from the RSPCA. She's always been quite timid since having her but we thought we were getting somewhere with her. In the last week I feel like we are back to square one. She won't come out of her bed to feed other than when we are out or in bed. More recently she has been pooing in really random places. Today she walked past 2 litter trays to poo in various places around the house. We are keeping the litter clear and it's no where near her good. Needless to say we are starting to get a little frustrated as we are trying everything to make her relax but in the same respect we can't let her continue getting away with it 😞

Shelley123 · 02-03-2014, 08:18 PM

Hi, welcome to catsey.
Sorry to hear you are having problems with your new cat, whats her name.
It is very frustrating but it is still early days, do you know anything about her background ? Perhaps she has had a bad experience. I know its easy for me to say but you have to remember that she's not being dirty in the house to be nasty to you, cats are usualy very clean animals. For some reason she is frightened, could you ask at the RSPCA about her toileting habits ?
Re the only coming out at night or when you are out, i'd just bear with it, with time and lots of tlc she should get there. I once had a cat from a shelter whose mum had been feral, Jade used to run and hide from us, she did become more confident with time but would still occasionaly hide if we moved too fast.
I wonder if she doesnt like the cat litter or the tray, or the position of them, again i would seek advice from where she came from.

Natp263 · 02-03-2014, 08:57 PM

Hi
Her name is Beth and she's lovely normally. We called the RSPCA and they weren't very helpful. As she's only 9 months old we are left to assume that she's been with them since birth. When we collected her she was in a pen with two older cats and we are wondering if that's having an adverse effect? If things were improving I think we could cope but things are in fact getting worse.

Thank you for your response

angieh · 02-03-2014, 09:26 PM

Hi, so sorry you are having trouble with Beth. It sounds as if she is taking time to settle and I do understand your point about the problem getting worse.

Does she have the run of your home? I wonder if she has been caged since she was a kitten she might be just finding all the space very scary. I would try restricting her to say one room with her bed and food and perhaps a couple of litter trays and see if that makes any difference. I am no expert but I think this could be a trial and error thing.

Natp263 · 02-03-2014, 09:29 PM

Hi

Unfortunately there isn't a room we can restrict her to as our house is quite open plan and our spare room at the moment isn't a safe place for her to be kept. We have tried to make it so that she's got the downstairs. We have put another litter tray and some dry food upstairs as well just in case :/ I'm hoping that with the house being quite quiet this week she will settle in a bit better

angieh · 02-03-2014, 10:35 PM

Good luck - I do hope things start to improve. You could try providing her with a large crate ......?

Elaine · 02-03-2014, 10:54 PM

Hi
Is she eating well? Is she drinking? Are her stools soft at all? What kind of cat litter do you use? Have you changed the brand of cat litter recently? Is she urinating in the litter tray ok or is there any sign that she may be struggling to pee?

If her stools are soft and or she is struggling to pee, it may be a medical problem due to feeling stressed such as cystitis that has caused this. If it is then she will associate the litter box with the pain and discomfort she is feeling and as a result will refuse to use it. You would need to take her to the vet.

If you have changed the cat litter brand, it may be the smell that is putting her off or maybe its too hard and painful on her feet. Perhaps try something like catsan fine granuals.

If none of the above, perhaps its the location of the litter tray, perhaps not private enough or maybe too confined.
Some cats require two litter trays as they wont pee and poop in the same place.

Sometimes you need to do a process of elimination to discover exactly what is causing her to ignore using the tray.

Elaine · 02-03-2014, 10:56 PM

You might also want to get a few feliway diffusers around the house to help her feel a little more relaxed.

fecto's mum · 03-03-2014, 11:03 PM

Hi, sounds like Beth is stressed. Maybe there is too much going on around her or too many people. Does she have a place that she can get away from everything where she feels safe? I'm not a fan of the RSPCA so I won't go there.

I agree with Angie, maybe the big space is too scary. If she has been in a pen since birth and always had other cats round her everything is going to be scary. She won't have seen furniture, carpets, windows, lots of people. No wonder she is stressed. When we take on a new cat we always keep them in the spare room for a few days for them to get used to us and so that they are not overexposed to new things.

Natp263 · 04-03-2014, 09:50 AM

Hi Guys,
Thank you for all your replies, they have been a massive help!! When my partner got home last night we noticed that Beth had hurt herself at some point

we took her down to the vets and they've given her some pain killers and she seems much more settled

hopefully this is what's been bothering her and she will be on the mend soon

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