I got this multiple problem email from a nice lady in Canada whose basement has become one big litter box – Dear Sally helped me by posing a lot of questions. Stay tuned for the answers soon.
I’m having problems with my cat. He is 2 years old. My mother found him when he was just weeks old, he had fallen into her small pond in front of her house. Her dog took over the mothering, so he is fine with other dogs (he may think he is a dog). He does not like to be friendly to people. he bites when you pet him and will swat tat your heals as you walk up the stairs. He is fixed and De-clawed. Will he ever grow out of this?
Secondly – will he remember that he was outdoors, and always want to escape? I don’t like running around in the neighbours yards at 5 AM.(hahaha)
And last, my BIG problem…now we have a 7 month old puppy (Golden Retriever) and they love to play together. I make the dog stop when i think that the cat has had enough. but now he has made a habit of doing his business everywhere in the basement, and leaving a clean litter box behind. I have used a hot water vacuum cleaner on the sofa and chairs, and he will just go back and do it again. The basement is the only place that the dog will not go. Is he doing this because of the dog? What can i use to get out the stains and the smell.
Thank you sooo much for your help,
Stephanie
Ontario, Canada
As I see it, there are so many things that Stephanie needs to know that THE CAT BIBLE can explain and then resolve. De-clawing creates more physical and emotional problems than the original scratching issue – all cats who want to go outside need a cat-safe enclosure like Purr-fect Fence (linked on my website). Basements are never good places for litter boxes. How much physical stimulation a cat can ‘stand†is quite individual and she needs to learn the signs that ‘enough is enough.†As for clean up, that’s an entire section of the book! So a lot more information would go a long way to helping resolve these issues.
Here’s what Sally Bahner, the Official cat Behaviorist of CAT CHAT® had to say about this messy situation. As usual, she cannot give answers without asking a lot of questions. [I recommended that Stephanie have a professional consultation with Sally because her issues are pretty complex and have been going on a long time.]
I really can’t figure out what’s going on here – is the cat declawed and going outside? Is the cat still living with the “mothering” dog and the puppy was added? What’s the extent of the cat “not liking people?” Do they know the signs of over-stimulation? Use fishing pole toys for play. Biting *may* be a reaction to declawing, but that’s water over the dam. When did the soiling start? Is the cat confined to the basement and the dog not allowed down there? Maybe the cat is reacting to be separated from his dog-friend? For cleaning, I’ve been using Simple Solution lately, which can be used in carpet cleaners. Good stuff. (That was the easiest part of the answer.)
