How old is your tortie? I currently have three cats who are nine years old (none of whom are torties) two of them are not very active (although I try…), and the other is as spunky as she was when she was a kitten. Torties have a ton of personality, and they aren’t shy about letting it shine through!Ĭats have a range of personality types and energy levels, as you know.
I was lucky enough to have lived with a tortie named Zoe for 14 years, and I miss her every day. Hi Bill! Welcome to a proud group of feline aficionados who have been fortunate enough to have had tortoiseshell kitties dance into our lives! You are no doubt now familiar with what is generally referred to as “ tortitude”, a purrrfectly endearing term for the feisty personality of our tortoiseshell friends. Will my tortoiseshell ever run out of energy? I’ve had six cats who together couldn’t keep up with her. I hope this helps! Will my tortie ever run out of energy? You can also try to change the perceived use of those sprayed areas, by placing food bowls in the vicinity (after everything has been cleaned, of course), or by having “hunting” (i.e., play) sessions there.
You can put scratchers, cheek groomers, and bedding in areas that have been sprayed each of these things will then contain your older cat’s scent, which may be enough for him to say, “ok, this area is mine – no need to spray here!”. It sounds like in your home, food may be part of the issue, so I would perhaps try feeding your younger cat upstairs while keeping your older cat’s food in the basement.Īnother thing you can do to remedy the spraying is provide your older cat with alternative ways to mark so that he doesn’t have to use urine to reinforce his claim to the territory. If any of those resources are contained in the overlapping part of territories, make sure there are multiples of those resources so that competition doesn’t cause more stress. Parts of their territory will overlap, which is fine, but you’ll want to make sure that primary resources like food, water, and litter boxes can be found in each of the cats’ own part of their territory. I recommend that you take a look at where each cat spends their time and “map out” areas of the home that you believe comprise the territory of each cat – this includes where they eat and drink, use the litter box, scratch, sleep, nap, and play. So, even though you are feeding your cats eight feet apart, this may not be far enough for your older cat to feel like his territory is protected and intact. Most cats’ territories don’t completely overlap, which is why (for example) some cats prefer to use specific litter boxes within their territory, and avoid using litter boxes that are in another cat’s territory. In your case, I would make sure that each cat has all their own resources in their core territories in the home. As a result, the urine spraying may indicate that there is some territorial insecurity to remedy, especially around the basement. Inter-cat relationships are a big cause of stress in kitties, and can result in behavior issues. So, while your kitties may have learned to coexist at some point, your older cat may have come to a point where “enough is enough”. To begin with, as cats age, their tolerance for stress decreases. Hi Beth – I’m so sorry that you’re having this issue in your home – cat urine is always a challenge to deal with, in terms of both cleaning it up completely, and figuring out why it’s happening in the first place. We sealed the basement floor in an attempt to get rid of any lingering smells (we clean up after each incident with Skout’s Honor Cat Urine product) but he is still spraying. We are at a loss as to what is causing the 12 year old to spray. The cats are fed in the basement, but in different locations, about 8 feet apart. We have 4 large cat trees and 1 small cat perch in various window locations throughout the house. We have 3 litter boxes throughout the house that get cleaned twice daily. Over time they have learned to live together, but are not at all bonded. This was 8 months after adopting the older cat. The other cat is a 4 year old and does not spray. He has sprayed the wall, the deep freezer, the washing machine, and many of my husband’s tool boxes. The 12 year old (who we adopted just before he turned 8) began spraying vertical surfaces in the basement a year ago. 12-year-old cat has been spraying for a year
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