I have two neutered boy cats who are litter mates and have lived together for 13 years. Several years ago they just stopped getting along. One cat was energetic and wanted to play all the time, while the other cat just wanted to be left alone. This left cat #2 with feeling stress all the time and he started spraying around the house near the areas where he would hide to get away from his brother. It was completely territorial spraying.
We now have him living in my home office full time away from his brother, and he's on Prozac. He hasn't sprayed once in months.
This is such a difficult situation .
I will share the things that finally worked for my boy that sounds an awful lot like yours. He was anxious and needed a lot of reassurance. I gave him praise, petting and treats near the litter box.
Gave him extra attention every time I came home. Gave him extra attention when things were stressful or irregular. In fact, it helped me manage my own stress by being more centered for him.
He loved the attention by the litter box so much that he started going in and faking it just to get treats and petting.
On a more practical note, Have you tried Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract kitty litter? If not, it's highly effective and worth a try.
It's clear you really love him so I hope you don't mind me suggesting consulting with a cat behaviorist. Many are available by phone. Often rescues offer this service for free. They don't even have to be local. They all want to reduce the pressure on shelters . Maybe call a few different places. At some point, you may get that one person who says just the exact right one thing. That's what happened with my boy after several years of frustration. He did well the rest of his life and lived to 17.
What medication are you referring to when you say stress medication? I just started my cat on Prozac for this and it literally took only a few days before he stopped and has not done it since. My vet also gave him an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory just to be safe, but he had been doing this off and on for years. He’s always been a high stress/anxious little guy. I wish we had tried Prozac sooner.
I put a bell on my cat baby and the moment she digs the ground I know that she is going to pee or poop so I will place her in the box. This helped me to make sure she does start to use litter box also now she knows what box means 😄
I have two neutered boy cats who are litter mates and have lived together for 13 years. Several years ago they just stopped getting along. One cat was energetic and wanted to play all the time, while the other cat just wanted to be left alone. This left cat #2 with feeling stress all the time and he started spraying around the house near the areas where he would hide to get away from his brother. It was completely territorial spraying. We now have him living in my home office full time away from his brother, and he's on Prozac. He hasn't sprayed once in months.
This is such a difficult situation . I will share the things that finally worked for my boy that sounds an awful lot like yours. He was anxious and needed a lot of reassurance. I gave him praise, petting and treats near the litter box. Gave him extra attention every time I came home. Gave him extra attention when things were stressful or irregular. In fact, it helped me manage my own stress by being more centered for him. He loved the attention by the litter box so much that he started going in and faking it just to get treats and petting. On a more practical note, Have you tried Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract kitty litter? If not, it's highly effective and worth a try. It's clear you really love him so I hope you don't mind me suggesting consulting with a cat behaviorist. Many are available by phone. Often rescues offer this service for free. They don't even have to be local. They all want to reduce the pressure on shelters . Maybe call a few different places. At some point, you may get that one person who says just the exact right one thing. That's what happened with my boy after several years of frustration. He did well the rest of his life and lived to 17.
What medication are you referring to when you say stress medication? I just started my cat on Prozac for this and it literally took only a few days before he stopped and has not done it since. My vet also gave him an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory just to be safe, but he had been doing this off and on for years. He’s always been a high stress/anxious little guy. I wish we had tried Prozac sooner.
[Resource: Litter Box Trouble](https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/Gf3z9OOGpH) An extensive guide written by a cat behaviourist!
I put a bell on my cat baby and the moment she digs the ground I know that she is going to pee or poop so I will place her in the box. This helped me to make sure she does start to use litter box also now she knows what box means 😄