Hi
I'm new to the forum. My two cats and I have moved in with my partner, his two boys and dog, Kita. We have been there for about 6 months now. The cats seemed to have settled in remarkably well. They have a cat flap, which they use and we moved the litter tray after a couple of months when they started going outside. There was a spell where one of the cats (Tigger) urinated inside where the cat litter had been initially. Following advice I cleaned the are with biological powder and then surgical spirit. Then we put the cats food in that area, and kept the cat flap propped open for ease of access. Things have been fine for about 3 months, then I found a wet patch on one of the boys beds, and then a couple of poos and wet patches on the bed a couple of days later. We thought maybe one of them had been shut in there. We kept the door to his room closed to prevent the cats going in for a week, but this morning I looked in and there was another poo, fairly dry, on the duvet again. Any idea why this should be happening and how to prevent it? Thanks!

It's usually worth a check over from a vet, jut to make sure there's nothing wrong physically.

I'm no expert, and I'm only parroting what I have read.

There is a good chance this is caused by stress. When you moved in, and everything seemed to settle down, there is a chance that the cat was unhappy right from the start, and that this soiling is only happening now as Tigger gets to the end of (his/her?) tether.

Cas don't exhibit stress in easily recognisable ways until tis kind of thing happens. This may be caused by a subtle change the relationships between the cats that was brought on by the move, or it might be caused because of the presence of new housemates in general, and the fact that the cat has been moved.

If it persists, then it might be worth asking for a referral to a behaviourist. At the very least, I'd suggest reading Cat Confidential or Cat Detective by Vicky Halls: very cheap on amazon, and probably also available at the library.

There is always a reason when cats exhibit this sort of behaviour but of course it is trying to narrow it down.

As already mentioned I would firstly take the cats for a check up. If all is fine physically then you need to look at other triggers. How old are your partners' boys - are they good with the cats or do they hassle them or is the dog getting too close to the cats? Have you a tall cat climber where perhaps the cats can get up out of the way of the kids and dog?

I would definitely reinstate a litter tray - perhaps a covered one, after all you seem to have a busy household now. I would invest in a couple of Feliway plug in diffusers too and perhaps put some Bachs Rescue Remedy in their water.

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Kaz

For kittens, joy is for the asking and smiles are for the giving

Hi. Tigger is female.She is along haired tortoiseshell.The other cat, Smudge, is also female. Of the two, I expected Tigger to be the one who would be a problem regarding getting on with the dog, as she has a tendency to bounce about (like her namesake!), but she actually seems totally unphased by him. The boys are 16 and 14, and only with us half the week and alternate weekends. They are fine with the cats. My partner works from home, so they are not left alone all day.
The cat flap is in the kitchen, where the dog's bed is, both cats use it. Kita IS a big dog and can lie across doorways etc. which could be a deterrent to them going out, but Tigger will walk right under the dog's nose without semming to be bothered. We did have a Felliway diffuser when they first moved in, but as they seemed so settled, dispensed with it.
I will take Tigger to the vet, but she has only been checked over a couple of weeks ago when she had her vaccinations. She does drink quite a lot of water, but that has always been the case. The room she has soiled in, is a favourite retreat of the other cat, Smudge, who likes to spend time with the son, Alex, when he is there, could this be relevant? The two cats just tolerate each other, they are not busom buddies! Of the two, I would say Tigger is probably the boss!

Are they both spayed? It almost sounds like territorial marking.

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Yes, both spayed!

Did you manage to get Tigger to the vet?

Hope everything is ok if you did...

I would definitely reinstate the litter tray (the weather isn't that nice, I expect Tigger prefers the comfort of indoors :/) and carry on using the biological washing powder, perhaps double strength, on the soiled sheets. I think most people on here say "ignore messes inside" but personally although opposed to the old "rubbing noses in it" I would usually show the animal the mess they've made, register disapproval (no) then taking the naughty party, I pick the mess up and put it temporarily where I would prefer it to be (ie litter tray, flower bed) to show them.
Never tried it myself but some say try two litter trays (if you are already using one and it's not working)
Hope you can sort it out, it's not very nice! My friends dog used to prefer my bed back when I lived in a communal house. I used to shut the door... so of course she just sought out other people's beds! In the end, it was the taking it outside that sorted it for her... the smell of their own poo is like a little sign to them saying "toilet here!" That's why we use the bio powder to clean as well... it actually kills the enzyme in the poo so that the smell is totally eradicated.