Cat is being picked on

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that poor Inga is having such a hard time.

It sounds like you are doing all of the right things. I'll see if I can help out any more.

Is it possible at all to add one or two more litter boxes? Even though you are keeping them clean, studies show that having more litter boxes than you do cats actually helps cats to feel better and poop in the box.

If Inga won't poop in the box, then another option that may help is to put a pee-pad down on the floor where she is pooping. Most cats will poop on these quite willingly. Then, you may be able to move the pad a little bit each day so that it is getting closer and closer to the litter box. Eventually you can put the pad into a litter box and this may train her to go in the right spot.

Regarding the inter-cat aggression, this is a tough one. Feliway is one thing that often does help, but not always.

Is Inga smaller than the other cats? If so, you could try to create a little refuge for her like a room where there is a hole cut out of the door that is only big enough for her to enter. This may help give her a safe place to go.

Another possibility is to ask your vet about trying some behavior modifying medication. Two that I will use are Clomicalm and Amitriptyline. I will sometimes treat the scared cat, and sometimes I will treat the aggressive cat(s) and sometimes I put all of the cats on it. This medication helps to calm cats down and relieves stress. If they are doing well on it then we can usually after a few months wean them off of medication.

You mentioned that it would be difficult to separate Inga from the other cats. Would it be possible to put the other cats in a room occasionally and let Inga roam free in the house? This could give her some time to have your attention to herself without fear of attack.

Situations like this are tough. Any time we put multiple cats in a house there is a tendency for cats to get anxious and behave improperly.

I hope things are better soon!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

I think these are great ideas.

If you are able to put the new boxes in the rooms she is pooping in then this would be best.

Here's another thought...if she likes to poop on the carpet, what about getting a cheap rug to use in place of the pee pads. You could see if she would poop on that and then gradually move that closer to the appropriate areas.

But, I'd try the new litter boxes first and see how that goes.

Hope all is well!

Dr. Marie.