We have four cats that were born in our barn. Their mother vanished and we bottle fed them until they were big enough for cat food. They seem to love being inside the barn and don’t often come outside. That’s not a huge problem, but they also like to go to the bathroom inside, too. The barn is fairly nice…with a concrete floor, but it is getting to smell awful. Is there any way that we can train them to start going outside?
Good question. I’ll write an article on that this week. In the meantime, most cats don’t like strong smells or citrus smells so you can spray some perfume, a lemon or orange scent or even leave some orange peel around the area. If you have stock in the barn, leaving some of their droppings around might help. If it’s a machinery barn, try some axle grease or oil. I’d be interested to see if either of those work. If you are working in the barn and notice them eliminating, pick them up immediately, take them outside and stay with them till they’ve finished. Praise them when they do as you want. Patience is the key here. And repetition. When we were farming we weren’t concerned too much about the condition of the floor so some oil on it didn’t worry us. If you prefer to keep your barn floor clean, put the oil/grease in a small open container wherever they have been eliminating.
please help me help my 70 yr old mother!!!!! every cat in the neighberhood is using her front flower bed to pee and poop. (mostly her neighbors 3 cats) it is so bad that you almost puck when you get out of the car, let alone go to weed the flower bed. my mother is so sick of it that she is thinking of catching the cats and taking them to the shelter, if she does this they pay 85.00 dollars to get them out and will put them to sleep if they get taken more than 4 times. my mom does not want to do this but we dont know what to do!!!!!thanks in advance for yoiur help.
I feel for your mother. One method is to place things that cats don’t like smelling in the garden such as mothballs, lavender or citrus. Use a spray or crushed up lavender leaves and flowers or orange/lemon/lime peel in the garden. They will help mask the smell as well. You could also try turning the hose on the cats as they come into the garden. They will get the message fairly quickly. Has she tried talking to her neighbors? Another tip could be to place something sticky in the garden such as sticky paper (sticky side up) as cats hate walking on it.
Is your cat going outdoors a lot? Are there any grasses or pollens around that could be causing the sneezing? Are you using different cleaning products in the house that he could be allergic to? If the answer to all the above is no, check with your local vet.
my cat lucy never hissed before in her life but once we moved to a diffrent location she has been annoyed with her sister meatball wheather she rubbing up against her or just walking past her she hisses and smacks her she is still kind to us though by kissing us and stuff whats going on with my sweet lucy
Ir sounds as though Lucy is unsure of her new home. Have your cats been spayed? It could be that one is on heat and the other one doesn’t like the smells coming from her. If necessary, remove Lucy each time she starts hissing at Meatball. Put her in another room for a while. She may be trying to become the Alpha cat in your new home.
I hope these suggestions help. Please let me know if you need more information.
I have two cats brother and sister. We were planing on getting them fixed but… We didn’t find the time. The boy had been making a move on the girl so often we couldn’t recognize her cycle which we had been able to do with previous cats. The boy wasn’t seeming to do it wright, but this was good for us. Well she was eating a lot and geting very fat and her stomach was hard. We were guessing but it had been a month and there were no other changes besides her being more lazy and not playing. It has been another month since that and she has gone missing. Would she run off to have her kittens because we wernt doing anything? Is there a chance she will come back? How big of a chance? Dose this happen often? Would her kittens come with her? Can she die if she dosent have help giving birth? Where should we look for her?
I’m not sure what’s happening here but I have answered your query twice now yet it keeps disappearing. By now your cat must have had her kittens and brought them in to show you. I suggest getting both ‘fixed’ as soon as possible to stop having the same problem in a few months time.
I have a 5 yr old fixed male cat who keeps nipping at our female kittens (around the shoulders), they had each had a heat cycle around him but are now fixed. How do I stop him from nipping them, or will they work it out in time? They only had one heat cycle, and have only been fixed for a little over one week. He runs at them and nips, it bothers me because I don’t want him to hurt them, not sure if he is just nipping or going to get too rough.
I wouldn’t be too worried about this. I suspect your male is showing dominance and letting the kittens know he is the alpha cat. Keep an eye on it to make sure he doesn’t start taking their food. As the kittens grow they will start to assert their own dominance.
Sorry to bother You, but we have a problem with our cat.
The issue is that she won’t stand visitors. She doesn’t actually attack them but she uses her voice to make the visitors understand they are not wanted and that she is the boss here. Whenever a guest moves (a part of) his/her body, the sizzling and fizzling occurs.
Not all of our guests have pets at home, so the odors of other animals shouldn’t be the problem.
When we are alone with my partner, our cat acts as the most wonderful cat in the world. There is a lot of purring and she never bites hard or uses claws (not even on toys when playing). We can also touch or lift her without a problem even when we have guests.
The cat is 1 year old and doesn’t go out (we live in an apartment), she is also not sterilized, but we are planning to do that next month.
Have You ever seen a cat with such a problem before? What should I do to help my cat to get over this problem?
I have to apologize for my English, because I am not a native user. Still, I hope you can understand what I was saying in my quite long letter.
Regards,
Kairi Kalder
Your English is excellent. Perhaps your cat is jealous of the attention you give your guests? Which means that she is not the center of attention. Try having your guests get down to her level by crouching and offering a hand to be sniffed. Then they could stroke her if she allows it. Also give them some of her toys to tempt her with. I will sometimes swing a toy on a pole for my kitten to play with while I’m talking to friends. It doesn’t take my attention away from my guests and my kitten isn’t aware that she doesn’t have my full attention.
It could take a bit of time but this should work. If she won’t accept guests, try shutting her in her favorite sleeping place with some food and water until they have left.
I have been taking my indoor cat out on the back patio for about 1 year. Recently, he has discovered a scent or some other attraction on the other side of the fence. He actually went through the fence to investigate so I chased him back in and he hissed, When I tried to bring him inside by saying “In”, he hissed all the way at me and stopped and charged me as he passed. This behavior has never been seen prior to this discovery of some attraction on the other side of the fence. What gives with this 7 year old cts new behavior?
Put yourself in your cat’s shoes – you found this wonderful new place that was really interesting and exciting and then you were told to go home and stay away. I’d be wanting to have words with my parents if they did that. Your 7 year old cat is an adult and wants to try new places. So long has he knows the way home, has been neutered and there is no immediate danger like a large dog on the other side of the fence, why not let him explore a little. If he is a pedigree then I can understand you wanting to keep him close.
I have 2 cats – indoor/outdoor. One female who is about 7 years old and a male who is 3 years old. We adopted them both as very little kittens and are bothed spayed/neutered. When we got the male cat they both got along very well when he was a kitten, they played together often. I guess my female has gotten old and really doesn’t want to play anymore and he is still very playful. His playfulness has now turned into dominance and agression towards the female. He doesn’t want her in the house or near anyone. He stalks her and chases her away. He hides around corners waiting for her. Having said this, I don’t feel he uses his claws towards her he mostly bats with claws retracted, almost as if he is playing. She coils and hisses back and then things get nasty. She has gotten to where she avoids coming in the house. I often lock him out so she can come inside and have some peace and eat. Often times, when he is allowed to come back in, he goes and hunts her down and chastises her. Any suggestions on making peace between the two. I feel bad for my older female cat.
It sounds as if your male cat is trying to become the ‘alpha’ cat in the family. Yes he will still want to play, but if your 7yo female is healthy, she should want to join in, at least for some of the time. You are doing the right thing by shutting the male out so the female can have some peace.
To help with him not becoming the alpha cat, make sure you feed your female first and either make him wait, or feed him elsewhere for a few weeks. Chastise him if he gets too rough – a gentle tap on the nose with a firm ‘no’, repeated as often as necessary. You can also try to redirect his attention when he gets too overbearing – shake a can of pebbles or marbles, a quick spray of water from a spray bottle (or water pistol). You can also keep up with what you are doing with removing him but make sure this relates to his bad behavior, not just because you want your female to have some peace. It’s very like young children, you send them to their room when they’re naughty – eventually they get the message.
I hope this helps you, if I can be of any further assistance, please just ask. Let me know how you go with this too.
Hello-Question! I am selling my condo and having to take my two cats out for open houses. Yes, they are stressed. I take them to my office during this time, offer them food and water and a litter box but they won’t take any. Then when we get home it takes many hours before they’ll use the litter box, but they do eat and drink. Any advice to relax them? Do I need to take them to the vet at any point? Love my guys and try to calm them but can only do so much since they refuse to learn English to understand what’s going on. Thank you!
Your cats won’t be the only ones stressed! They’re also stressed that you won’t learn cat!
Their world is being turned upside down daily so I’d talk to your vet or pet shop about something to ease their anxiety. Cats are very finicky about where they do their business and the litter box in the office isn’t ‘right’ in their minds. As they don’t appear to be eating an drinking much while there, not using the litter box immediately shouldn’t be a problem.
Try taking some toys to the office with you or even scrunch up some paper for them to play with. Are there other people at the office who can offer a cuddle or game? You’ll need to give them plenty of reassurance.
I have 2 Siamese cats that just turned a year old. I got them when they were about 8 weeks of age and had them spayed at around 4 months after one went into heat. They both go to the vet in the same carrier at the same time. When they came home one acted crazy for about 4 days hissing every time we came near her or her sister who she always used to sleep with. Over the next few days things went back to normal. As they have grown they seem to fight a little more and sleep together less. The other day they went to vets for annual shots. Came home and same problem only worse. Same one same hissing and now she won’y let us come near her and meows whenever we are in same room. She sees her sister and starts the hissing and runs/slinks away. Then her sister starts hissing. What can we do? Thinking of house call vet next time. Any ideas Kathy?
This is unusual in that both cats are used to the same routine. Siamese cats can be temperamental so it could be that the one who is getting upset and hissing is more highly strung than her sister. Have you spoken to your vet about this? It could be that she needs something to calm her for a few days after being to the vet. Try that and see how she goes. Please let me know.
I have two female cats from the same litter. They are going on 13 years old, and have always been close. The past two weeks, Haley has become very aggressive with Buttercup, seeking her out, hissing and growling then attacking. Buttercup doesn’t back down, and Haley usually ends up under the bed yowling. I should mention that Haley has suddenly become obsessively attached to me. Buttercup doesn’t have to be near me to get attacked though. They both sleep with me, and there have been numerous battles on my bed, with me getting injured along the way. I love these cats dearly and want to make things better. Physically, they are both healthy as can be, there have been no other changes in the house, except my 31 year old son moved back with me. They adore him though. I am thinking that I will have to separate them pemanently, as getting rid of either is out of the question. Thanks in advance for your help.
It could be that Haley is upset at your son coming home to live. At 13 they are definitely middle aged and getting towards senior citizen category and very set in their ways. Haley probably resents that your time is now taken, to some extent, with your son. I’d have her checked by the vet to make sure there are no underlying medical issues. I suggest you also give her a physical exam by running your hands over her body to make sure there are no lumps or places where she is sore. You can disguise this as a massage or all over stroking session. I’m glad that Buttercup is holding her own and not showing fear. This shows that she knows she is loved and cared for and that you won’t let anything bad happen to her.
Has Buttercup been outside or doing something that could make her smell different? Often a strange smell will upset the other cat. Spend extra time with Haley wherever possible to let her know she is loved. It’s probably just a stage she’s going through but have her checked out anyway just to set your mind at ease.
Please let me know how you go and if I can help further.
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Hi Kathy,
We have four cats that were born in our barn. Their mother vanished and we bottle fed them until they were big enough for cat food. They seem to love being inside the barn and don’t often come outside. That’s not a huge problem, but they also like to go to the bathroom inside, too. The barn is fairly nice…with a concrete floor, but it is getting to smell awful. Is there any way that we can train them to start going outside?
thanks,
Terry
Hi Terry,
Good question. I’ll write an article on that this week. In the meantime, most cats don’t like strong smells or citrus smells so you can spray some perfume, a lemon or orange scent or even leave some orange peel around the area. If you have stock in the barn, leaving some of their droppings around might help. If it’s a machinery barn, try some axle grease or oil. I’d be interested to see if either of those work. If you are working in the barn and notice them eliminating, pick them up immediately, take them outside and stay with them till they’ve finished. Praise them when they do as you want. Patience is the key here. And repetition. When we were farming we weren’t concerned too much about the condition of the floor so some oil on it didn’t worry us. If you prefer to keep your barn floor clean, put the oil/grease in a small open container wherever they have been eliminating.
Kathy
please help me help my 70 yr old mother!!!!! every cat in the neighberhood is using her front flower bed to pee and poop. (mostly her neighbors 3 cats) it is so bad that you almost puck when you get out of the car, let alone go to weed the flower bed. my mother is so sick of it that she is thinking of catching the cats and taking them to the shelter, if she does this they pay 85.00 dollars to get them out and will put them to sleep if they get taken more than 4 times. my mom does not want to do this but we dont know what to do!!!!!thanks in advance for yoiur help.
I feel for your mother. One method is to place things that cats don’t like smelling in the garden such as mothballs, lavender or citrus. Use a spray or crushed up lavender leaves and flowers or orange/lemon/lime peel in the garden. They will help mask the smell as well. You could also try turning the hose on the cats as they come into the garden. They will get the message fairly quickly. Has she tried talking to her neighbors? Another tip could be to place something sticky in the garden such as sticky paper (sticky side up) as cats hate walking on it.
My cat is having problems with “allergies”? He is sneezing and coughing alot. This has been ongoing for about 2 months. Any suggestions?
Is your cat going outdoors a lot? Are there any grasses or pollens around that could be causing the sneezing? Are you using different cleaning products in the house that he could be allergic to? If the answer to all the above is no, check with your local vet.
Kathy
my cat lucy never hissed before in her life but once we moved to a diffrent location she has been annoyed with her sister meatball wheather she rubbing up against her or just walking past her she hisses and smacks her she is still kind to us though by kissing us and stuff whats going on with my sweet lucy
Hi Lisa,
Ir sounds as though Lucy is unsure of her new home. Have your cats been spayed? It could be that one is on heat and the other one doesn’t like the smells coming from her. If necessary, remove Lucy each time she starts hissing at Meatball. Put her in another room for a while. She may be trying to become the Alpha cat in your new home.
I hope these suggestions help. Please let me know if you need more information.
Kathy
I have two cats brother and sister. We were planing on getting them fixed but… We didn’t find the time. The boy had been making a move on the girl so often we couldn’t recognize her cycle which we had been able to do with previous cats. The boy wasn’t seeming to do it wright, but this was good for us. Well she was eating a lot and geting very fat and her stomach was hard. We were guessing but it had been a month and there were no other changes besides her being more lazy and not playing. It has been another month since that and she has gone missing. Would she run off to have her kittens because we wernt doing anything? Is there a chance she will come back? How big of a chance? Dose this happen often? Would her kittens come with her? Can she die if she dosent have help giving birth? Where should we look for her?
Hi Jackie,
I’m not sure what’s happening here but I have answered your query twice now yet it keeps disappearing. By now your cat must have had her kittens and brought them in to show you. I suggest getting both ‘fixed’ as soon as possible to stop having the same problem in a few months time.
Kathy
I have a 5 yr old fixed male cat who keeps nipping at our female kittens (around the shoulders), they had each had a heat cycle around him but are now fixed. How do I stop him from nipping them, or will they work it out in time? They only had one heat cycle, and have only been fixed for a little over one week. He runs at them and nips, it bothers me because I don’t want him to hurt them, not sure if he is just nipping or going to get too rough.
Hi Gena,
I wouldn’t be too worried about this. I suspect your male is showing dominance and letting the kittens know he is the alpha cat. Keep an eye on it to make sure he doesn’t start taking their food. As the kittens grow they will start to assert their own dominance.
Kathy
Hi!
Sorry to bother You, but we have a problem with our cat.
The issue is that she won’t stand visitors. She doesn’t actually attack them but she uses her voice to make the visitors understand they are not wanted and that she is the boss here. Whenever a guest moves (a part of) his/her body, the sizzling and fizzling occurs.
Not all of our guests have pets at home, so the odors of other animals shouldn’t be the problem.
When we are alone with my partner, our cat acts as the most wonderful cat in the world. There is a lot of purring and she never bites hard or uses claws (not even on toys when playing). We can also touch or lift her without a problem even when we have guests.
The cat is 1 year old and doesn’t go out (we live in an apartment), she is also not sterilized, but we are planning to do that next month.
Have You ever seen a cat with such a problem before? What should I do to help my cat to get over this problem?
I have to apologize for my English, because I am not a native user. Still, I hope you can understand what I was saying in my quite long letter.
Regards,
Kairi Kalder
Hi Kairi,
Your English is excellent. Perhaps your cat is jealous of the attention you give your guests? Which means that she is not the center of attention. Try having your guests get down to her level by crouching and offering a hand to be sniffed. Then they could stroke her if she allows it. Also give them some of her toys to tempt her with. I will sometimes swing a toy on a pole for my kitten to play with while I’m talking to friends. It doesn’t take my attention away from my guests and my kitten isn’t aware that she doesn’t have my full attention.
It could take a bit of time but this should work. If she won’t accept guests, try shutting her in her favorite sleeping place with some food and water until they have left.
Please let me know how this goes.
Kathy
I have been taking my indoor cat out on the back patio for about 1 year. Recently, he has discovered a scent or some other attraction on the other side of the fence. He actually went through the fence to investigate so I chased him back in and he hissed, When I tried to bring him inside by saying “In”, he hissed all the way at me and stopped and charged me as he passed. This behavior has never been seen prior to this discovery of some attraction on the other side of the fence. What gives with this 7 year old cts new behavior?
Hi Chuck,
Put yourself in your cat’s shoes – you found this wonderful new place that was really interesting and exciting and then you were told to go home and stay away. I’d be wanting to have words with my parents if they did that. Your 7 year old cat is an adult and wants to try new places. So long has he knows the way home, has been neutered and there is no immediate danger like a large dog on the other side of the fence, why not let him explore a little. If he is a pedigree then I can understand you wanting to keep him close.
Kathy
I have 2 cats – indoor/outdoor. One female who is about 7 years old and a male who is 3 years old. We adopted them both as very little kittens and are bothed spayed/neutered. When we got the male cat they both got along very well when he was a kitten, they played together often. I guess my female has gotten old and really doesn’t want to play anymore and he is still very playful. His playfulness has now turned into dominance and agression towards the female. He doesn’t want her in the house or near anyone. He stalks her and chases her away. He hides around corners waiting for her. Having said this, I don’t feel he uses his claws towards her he mostly bats with claws retracted, almost as if he is playing. She coils and hisses back and then things get nasty. She has gotten to where she avoids coming in the house. I often lock him out so she can come inside and have some peace and eat. Often times, when he is allowed to come back in, he goes and hunts her down and chastises her. Any suggestions on making peace between the two. I feel bad for my older female cat.
Hi Sonya,
It sounds as if your male cat is trying to become the ‘alpha’ cat in the family. Yes he will still want to play, but if your 7yo female is healthy, she should want to join in, at least for some of the time. You are doing the right thing by shutting the male out so the female can have some peace.
To help with him not becoming the alpha cat, make sure you feed your female first and either make him wait, or feed him elsewhere for a few weeks. Chastise him if he gets too rough – a gentle tap on the nose with a firm ‘no’, repeated as often as necessary. You can also try to redirect his attention when he gets too overbearing – shake a can of pebbles or marbles, a quick spray of water from a spray bottle (or water pistol). You can also keep up with what you are doing with removing him but make sure this relates to his bad behavior, not just because you want your female to have some peace. It’s very like young children, you send them to their room when they’re naughty – eventually they get the message.
I hope this helps you, if I can be of any further assistance, please just ask. Let me know how you go with this too.
Kathy
Hello-Question! I am selling my condo and having to take my two cats out for open houses. Yes, they are stressed. I take them to my office during this time, offer them food and water and a litter box but they won’t take any. Then when we get home it takes many hours before they’ll use the litter box, but they do eat and drink. Any advice to relax them? Do I need to take them to the vet at any point? Love my guys and try to calm them but can only do so much since they refuse to learn English to understand what’s going on.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
Your cats won’t be the only ones stressed! They’re also stressed that you won’t learn cat!
Their world is being turned upside down daily so I’d talk to your vet or pet shop about something to ease their anxiety. Cats are very finicky about where they do their business and the litter box in the office isn’t ‘right’ in their minds. As they don’t appear to be eating an drinking much while there, not using the litter box immediately shouldn’t be a problem.
Try taking some toys to the office with you or even scrunch up some paper for them to play with. Are there other people at the office who can offer a cuddle or game? You’ll need to give them plenty of reassurance.
Good luck with the shift.
Kathy
I have 2 Siamese cats that just turned a year old. I got them when they were about 8 weeks of age and had them spayed at around 4 months after one went into heat. They both go to the vet in the same carrier at the same time. When they came home one acted crazy for about 4 days hissing every time we came near her or her sister who she always used to sleep with. Over the next few days things went back to normal. As they have grown they seem to fight a little more and sleep together less. The other day they went to vets for annual shots. Came home and same problem only worse. Same one same hissing and now she won’y let us come near her and meows whenever we are in same room. She sees her sister and starts the hissing and runs/slinks away. Then her sister starts hissing. What can we do? Thinking of house call vet next time. Any ideas Kathy?
Hi Ted,
This is unusual in that both cats are used to the same routine. Siamese cats can be temperamental so it could be that the one who is getting upset and hissing is more highly strung than her sister. Have you spoken to your vet about this? It could be that she needs something to calm her for a few days after being to the vet. Try that and see how she goes. Please let me know.
Kathy
I have two female cats from the same litter. They are going on 13 years old, and have always been close. The past two weeks, Haley has become very aggressive with Buttercup, seeking her out, hissing and growling then attacking. Buttercup doesn’t back down, and Haley usually ends up under the bed yowling. I should mention that Haley has suddenly become obsessively attached to me. Buttercup doesn’t have to be near me to get attacked though. They both sleep with me, and there have been numerous battles on my bed, with me getting injured along the way. I love these cats dearly and want to make things better. Physically, they are both healthy as can be, there have been no other changes in the house, except my 31 year old son moved back with me. They adore him though. I am thinking that I will have to separate them pemanently, as getting rid of either is out of the question. Thanks in advance for your help.
Hi Katie,
It could be that Haley is upset at your son coming home to live. At 13 they are definitely middle aged and getting towards senior citizen category and very set in their ways. Haley probably resents that your time is now taken, to some extent, with your son. I’d have her checked by the vet to make sure there are no underlying medical issues. I suggest you also give her a physical exam by running your hands over her body to make sure there are no lumps or places where she is sore. You can disguise this as a massage or all over stroking session. I’m glad that Buttercup is holding her own and not showing fear. This shows that she knows she is loved and cared for and that you won’t let anything bad happen to her.
Has Buttercup been outside or doing something that could make her smell different? Often a strange smell will upset the other cat. Spend extra time with Haley wherever possible to let her know she is loved. It’s probably just a stage she’s going through but have her checked out anyway just to set your mind at ease.
Please let me know how you go and if I can help further.
Kathy