|
Originally Posted by Taco John
A couple of things...
1. Some cat owners may not be aware of the fact that misbehaviour is often caused by illness. A cat that is not using the litter box may be sick and should see a vet, if only to rule out a medical problem. For example, it is common for male cats to develop feline urinary syndrome, which involves inflammation of the bladder and urethra and the formation of urinary stones and plugs, causing painful obstruction of the urethra. Signs of this condition are frequent attempts to urinate and straining to do so, and possibly traces of blood in the urine. A cat suffering from this will continually try to urinate outside of the box out of comfort. Litter box problems can also be a sign of various other illnesses... It might be worth a visit to the vet... They might even help figure out the problem...
Cat misbehaviour is almost always due to environmental concerns...
It also can be an emotional/anxiety/stress problem... A sudden change in the family routine that stresses the cat out... A death in the family, divorce, a kid leaving home, a kid returning home, mistreatment by a family member, etc. This type of problem can be solved with some extra attention to the cat.
The other issue, and this one sounds like it *could* be it, is senseing one or more strange cats close by. Occassionally a house cat will see another cat from the window roaming into his territory. This is very upsetting to some cats, but will usually cause them to soil areas close to the door.
The other issue is that your previous cat might have sprayed certain areas of your house without your knowledge, and the cat is smelling it and asserting itself against the offending cat. It's always a good idea to steam your carpets in between owning animals, and maybe even washing the walls.
Another thing is it might help to change to another brand of kitty litter. I preferred the crystals when my cat was using the litter box. Kitty seemed to like them as well...
If you catch your cat in the action, raising a ruckus and yelling "NO" and only "NO" (no other words... He needs to learn NO and associate it with bad behaviour). Some will say not to spank... Personally, I think that's bunk. Animals understand phycicality if they understand anything, and I've had much success with a good spanking while blurting a firm NO. I love my animals, but I'm not against giving them "living with me" lessons. I've had to spank my cat twice for peeing. He got the message loud and clear and he's never done it since. Only do this if you catch them though. Otherwise they won't associate their actions, and all you are doing is making them hate you. And always... an hour after a spanking, cuddle them and let them know you're alright. Coo them and they'll learn that you're not just the disciplinarian, but a loving member of the family that they can trust. They'll slowly let go of the association of you as the bad guy and associate the spanking with their misbehaviour. Like I say, most people will find the idea of spanking a cat abhorrent... All I can say is my cat uses the toilet, and cuddles in my lap every single day to get his daily affection. I love the animal and would do anything to keep him around for as long as possible... provided he keeps his end of the bargain and obeys the rules he KNOWS exist. And believe me, you... he knows.
Good luck.
|