The Cat Bible Q&A
Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)
Peeing Free-for-All
I got The Cat Bible for my husband and myself as a Christmas present. It is an excellent book but our problem is above and beyond your written words.
We have 5 four year old cats who were a litter apart. They share the same mother. We are having a HUGE peeing issue and we are at our wits end. Yes, I have Feliway spray as well as the diffuser but they aren't helping.
Do you contact pet owners personally or if you don't, do you know someone that can help us? We are talking about finding homes for one or all of them and that would break our hearts.
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Bobbi
Dear Bobbi,
Thank goodness you wrote to me before quitting on those kitties.
Of course you need guidance and support when a situation has gotten out of hand. You may not know that I have a weekly live radio show on the Martha Stewart channel on Satellite radio called CAT CHAT®
Dear Sally, as I call her, is the Official Behavior Consultant on the show and often helps me figure out complicated situations such as yours. She also has a consulting business where she helps people like yourself. Please get right in touch with her - don't abandon ship before you find solutions! Her name is Sally Bahner and I am copying her on this request for help -- she will get in touch with you immediately.
Feel free to contact me again at any time.
Best,
Tracie
And this was Sally’s response to Bobbi – as is often the case, Dear Sally often gets to the bottom of a case by asking many questions, which is where the solutions may lie.
Bobbi,
There are so many questions I need to ask and information I need before I make any recommendations. At a quick glance, it seems there are territory issues since the cats are so close in age. But just a few questions are...
How long has the problem been going on? (The longer the problem has been going on, the harder it is to solve.)
Where are they peeing -- same spot each time?
How do all the cats get along? Is there any aggression?
How many litter boxes do you have, what kind and where are they located? How often are they cleaned? Are they being used at all? (I have 5 cats and 5 boxes and I scoop at least once a day, often twice.)
How much room do you have?
Do you know who is doing the peeing?
What are you using for cleanup?
Does anyone have urinary tract infections, now or previously?
Is the mom cat still around? -- often mom cats don't like their "kittens" after they've grown up.
My e-mail address is sebahner@snet.net. I hope I can be of help to you.
Sally Bahner
The information contained in the answers posted on this board comes from THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You To Know, and from CAT CHAT™ The Radio Show, broadcasting live on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Channel 112 on Sirius Satellite Radio, every Wednesday from 8-9 p.m. EST.
Note: Some of the answers to the questions below are explained in greater detail in PDF files. Go here to get the free Adobe Acrobat reader.
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the advice I give on the air or in emails – or those you see posted here – are not intended to take the place of a veterinarian's advice or expertise. I say this to protect myself from being misunderstood or from your over-reliance on my advice in situations where your pet may be seriously ill and you would mistakenly delay seeking medical intervention. While I am confident in the research-based facts and common-sense advice I can offer, it is never meant to be used at the exclusion of trained, accredited and board certified professionals. But I also have this disclaimer to protect your dog – because what you learn from me is not intended to take the place of medical care or professional evaluation – on the contrary, my desire is to equip you with information that will allow you to enjoy your pets to the fullest, and also to encourage you to seek professional medical attention whenever there are physical symptoms or an overall change in your pet's attitude.
Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)
