Why is my senior cat pacing and spraying on one specific item?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend having Scott's urine tested to make sure this is not a UTI. Whike I doubt that it is, as this sounds more behavioral, it would be best to at least rule out a UTI. This may just be behavioral so I would recommend adding an additional litter box, use Feliway products (which can be found easily online) and NaturVet calming chews. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

It sounds like you have a tough situation on your hands! When a cat who was previously litter trained starts going to the bathroom in the house, it can be a sign of a medical illness. Given that Furble is a senior cat, I would have her seen by a vet for a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. These test will help identify if there is a medical problem behind this behavior, and can treat her for it. If a medical cause is ruled out, then I would discuss with the vet about using anti-anxiety drugs on Furble. It could be that she is getting very stressed out about the interactions with the new cat and dog, and that's leading her to go to the bathroom everywhere. The vet can prescribe medications for her, and there are a few things you can do at home. You can get Feliway, which is a plug in diffuser that releases pheromones into the home. These pheromones help cats with anxiety. You can can also get her a Sentry calming collar. This collar release pheromones as well when in contact with her skin.

That is quite strange behavior. I would first make sure there is nothing medically wrong with him. Your vet can check a fecal for parasites including giardia to ensure everything is normal. I would also think about whether anything else has changed in the house that coudl be causing him to be stressed like new people, changing in work or at home schedules, construction, new pets, children starting to crawl/walk, etc. If you aren't sure, it never hurts to add in some feliway diffusers throughout the house. Feliway is a cat pheromone to help calm them and help with anxiety. If this doesn't work, I would talk to your vet about starting him on an anti-anxiety medicine like amitryptilline. I hope this helps!

These types of behaviors can be very frustrating and can be difficult to resolve. The easiest thing to do is to add an additional litter box in that area to see if this helps. A good rule for cats is one litter box per cat plus an additional one. Another option would be trying feliway which is available as a spray or a diffuser to see if this helps with some stress your pet may be experiencing when you leave. Other types of medications for behavior modification would be prescription based so I would recommend reaching out to your family veterinarian regarding those options if necessary. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, you are correct that this behavior is likely related to the stress of having guests in the house. There are a few things you can do to get Myloe to stop this behavior. You can get Feliway, which is a pheromone diffuser that helps cats with anxiety. There are calming collars you can have him wear that will also help with anxiety via pheromones. Finally, you can take Myloe into the vet. The vet may prescribe him anti-anxiety medication you can give him before guests come over to calm him down and prevent the spraying.

Usually a behavior change like this is related to stress. Any changes or stressors in the house lately? Guests for the holidays? You traveled and left her while you were out of town? You just moved? New pets? Stray cats hanging out around outside the house? Regardless, I would try to use a product to decrease stress and do some environmental enrichment for her. This is the best product to decrease stress and calm cats - Feliway. https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-feliway-for-cats Here is an article on environmental enrichment for cats: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/what-is-environmental-enrichment-and-why-does-your-cat-need-it/ Hope this helps. Best wishes.