Cat territorial behavior?

[Okami]

I've been having a male calico visit my house every day for the past 3 months. I give him food and spend a bit of time with him everytime he vists. Now Kai who is also male really doesn't like this visitor =(. He's started peeing around the house alot more ever since this other cat has been coming around. Now kai has been peeing in the house from time to time, but now it just seems.... excesive. Is this some kind of territorial thing? Can I do anything to stop it =( I don't want my whole house smelling like cat pee. He's got 3 litter boxes 1 on each floor always cleaned each day. I've tried lemon and citrus sprays on areas he's pee'd before but then he just moves to a different spot in the house! =( what can I do?

[phoozles]

The 'male' that's visiting you is probably not a calico - calicos are genetically females so it would be odd if 'he' was a male.

Regardless, I would be concerned about your guy and his spraying. Is he fixed? If not, he's marking his territory, and I would seriously consider getting him fixed for the sake of his health and you! That could get rid of the problem right there.

If he is, and you say he's been doing this for a while, you might want to consider getting him checked out to make sure he doesn't have a physical problem first - cats have a weird way of showing that they are sick.

Otherwise, consider Rescue Remedy drops you can put in his water (avail at health food stores), or phermones - maybe he just needs to calm down. You do need to make sure that the spots he's peeing in no longer smell like urine, but it sounds like you are on that.

Good luck!

[ancientgirl]

Great advice there. I have to reiterate taking your cat to the vet though. If you say he's been doing this for a while, albeit not to the excessiveness he's doing it now, that might be signs of a bladder infection.

[danaekitty]

Wow - Does he do it several times a day? Is he generally an indoor cat with supervised outdoor priveleges?

[Okami]

=P well Kai is neutered ( I think that's the term for males?). He doesn't do it each day but I figure he does it every like week or 2 weeks. He'll find a place with lots of junk (a pile of magazines, a pile of clothing, one of the many cat houses he has) and he'll just pee in it =(. I don't suppose he's sick though I just took him for a pet visit about 2 weeks ago, and they said he was and extremely healthy cat =D. I wouldn't mind taking him for another vists =( but I'm not so sure he's got any kind of problems. He doesn't just pee outside his litter box, he likes to leave us little....chocolates to find near our plants now too (he used to go in plant pots but we put up a barracade).
He is strictly an indoor cat.
He's extremely hostile to the other cat, hissing and clawing at the door whenever the guy walks by.
=P I do wonder what kind of cat it is that visit me! I know it's a guy for sure =P he likes to lie in the sun on our deck belly up, showing off his goods . He's got white socks and a dash of white on his nose and chin, the rest looks like a halloween orange mixed with a black color. I'll see if I can grab a good pic of him!

[phoozles]

Has he been doing this all his life - where he will go outside of the box every couple of weeks? If he's healthy, and it's behavioural - I'm wondering if you changed something in the house - changed a routine or something? Have you changed the litter recently?

My cat also hates the outdoor cats he sees by the house (i.e. the black cat I call his "one eyebrowed baby") - he'll growl and scratch at the window, but that's about as far as it goes.

You can try to praise him (and maybe give him a healthy treat) everytime you catch him successfully using the litter box. Dutifully cleaning up the spots he uses outside the box will help. Here's some more tips for you: http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

Good luck - sounds like you've got a challenge on your hands!

[Okami]

We change the litter every day or 2nd day. We havn't changed anything around the house. However ever since the outdoor cat has started coming by, we let him into the sunroom whenever he visits.
I guess another thing that has changed is that my brother and I have started going to school in a different country, so it's just my cat with my parents now.

[chico2]

Okami,I have a neutered male who was spraying(not peeing)every day,even now,ever now and then,especially if he sees another cat outside.
It sounds to me like your kitty is healthy,but reacting to an unaltered make cat,the only way he knows how.
I bought Feli-Way plug-in diffusers and the spraying has stopped 99,9%.
As for pooping outside the box,that is another matter,maybe there is just something about the litter he does not like,maybe try changing litter
Also I am glad you are feeding a stray cat,but maybe you could do it so your cat does not see him,I know my Rocky would go bonkers,watching another cat,on HIS deck.
Or maybe put your cat in another room,while you are feeding the stray.

[Okami]

=) thanks so much Chico! I will definitely try Feli way!
As for the visiting cat I'll lock Kai in a room before I feed him.
Although I'd like my cat and the other male cat to get along =(. We've had a close encounter before where the other male cat rushed into my house when someone opened the door, and before we could catch him, he ran into the same room as Kai. Luckily someone was able to pick up Kai after his first swipe =(. Odd thing is the other cat didn't seem to react at all to Kai's hostility.

Is it a bad idea to try to make Kai less hostile? Is there a way

=D and I will try experimenting with different litters to see if it changes anything.

[chico2]

Okami,if you are thinking of really introducing Kai to this stray,I am sure you know already,before you do so,to take him to a vet.
He has to be neutered and checked over,for fleas parasites etc..you don't want Kai catching anything from him.
It is possible for them to one day become friends,or at least accept each other,but it will take a lot of patience,a few catfights,but several people here have done it with success.
I never introduced a grown cat to my Rocky,Chico and Vinnie were both babies and it worked out fine.
Good Luck

[Okami]

=D we've taken this cat to a vet earlier this year, he's had his shots, and he's been neutered as well! Is it normal to just let the cats fight it out? Will they get hurt? The other cats claws are pretty sharp and long! I can't get near to clip them. Last time I stuck the stray in a crate using leather gloves, I still ended up with very bloody hands, and a few scraps of leather lol.

[sugarcatmom]

Honestly, I wouldn't "let them fight it out". Sometimes that may work, but what could also happen is you set the scene for a lifetime of angst between the kitties. They could also do some serious damage to each other. There are ways to do very gradual, controlled introductions that are more conducive to building a harmonious relationship. Here's a site with good info on how to do that: http://www.catsinternational.org/art...roduction.html

Give special attention to the resident cat as it is this cat's territory that is being invaded and it is this old friend who is likely to need the most reassurance. Until they become friends, give the new cat loving attention only when the resident cat is not around.

If at any time the cats become fearful or hostile, return the newcomer to its room and close the door. A minor setback will not ruin the budding friendship, but a fiercely aggressive encounter will be remembered for a long time and should be avoided at all costs.