To have 2 cats in a flat?

[catsbabyandchaos]

I think I might be but my circumstances are pretty dire.

Had a baby in June. I'm alone and have no family. But complex circumstances mean I'm in a small flat with my 2 cats who I had before I moved I to the flat. It's awful! They keep peeing everywhere and they obviously have litter trays but don't use them. I'm paranoid it's smelly and I can't afford to replace carpets yet (I will do as soon as I can.)

I guess I am bu but does anybody have any advice please? :-(

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

I take it they are used to being outside? I can understand your dilemma. Could you post in the Litter Tray? Lots of very knowledgable posters there.

[catsbabyandchaos]

Yeah they are used to being outside and they do spend a lot of time at the window

I don't want to rehome them . And I don't think anyone would want my mangy moggies anyway but I'm SO sick of the wee

[trufflesnout]

Are you in the flat for good? If they're not taking to indoor cat life and there's no possibility of them being able to explore outside then I would consider rehoming.

[BonaDea]

You are being entirely unreasonable and you know it. I'm sorry but you have to rehome them. You can expect outside cats just to suck up being locked inside. Stressful and unfair.

Sorry you're in a tight spot and hope things improve... But you need to find them (or you!) an alternative home.

[trufflesnout]

There are things you can do about the wee BTW. First thing I would do is get a Feliway plugin on the go

[catsbabyandchaos]

It's easy to say rehome them but honestly I doubt anyone would want them. One in particular is ridiculously timid - he goes mad when anyone but me goes near him. Hides away and then if they try to stroke him (if he's cornered!) you can feel his heart pounding. He's always been like that - was a rescue kitten - don't think it's anything I've done. His sister is quite sociable but she'd still be very frightened to leave me. They aren't young cats and they are black which I've heard are hard to rehome anyway. So they might be PTS which I couldn't bear. Plus I really do love them :(

[TamzinGrey]

They're peeing everywhere because they're stressed and probably panicking about not being able to get outside. Please find them a good home with a garden. I'm sorry about your situation but hanging on to these poor cats is just not fair.

[MrsWinnibago]

Our local cat rescue centre rehomed one of my male cats (who I'd got as a pair from a different cat rescue) one was peeing and nothing worked...not Feliway or anything.

They said it was territorial and two males did not belong together. Once the pee cat had gone, things were fine. I was very sad but he was not relaxed here...he got a good home afterwards too.

[MrsWinnibago]

Your local cats protection league will help. If you tell me your town I will find them and other helpful people.

[trufflesnout]

If you placed them in a reputable shelter they would not be PTS. The right home for every cat is out there, they just have to find it. You never know what owner with what experience might be trawling the shelters for a new pet. They sound unhappy and stressed, so I would consider it unless getting out of the flat is a possibility. Sorry.

[TamzinGrey]

Sorry X post. Could you at least give your local cat's protection place a call and talk to them about the situation? It must be horrible for you as well as the poor kitties.

[catsbabyandchaos]

I don't think they'd get another home honestly.

If I thought they'd immediately be snatched up into a loving family with a big garden it would be different but one just despises everybody who isn't me. They might be able to rehome his sister as she's friendly enough but she would be frightened at leaving me and her brother.

I really can't take them elsewhere , I'm sorry but I do think they'd be PTS.

They've both always had a tendency to pee in inconvenient places despite litter tray access and so on but it wasn't a big deal in my old house as it was wooden floor and besides they were outside more.

[trufflesnout]

Ok, so you don't want to rehome.

What do you want? A cure to the weeing? And I take it there's no chance you're moving to a place more suited to outdoor cats anytime soon?

[AlpacaYourThings]

Is there anyone you could give them to? Friends, family? They might be willing to look after them until you get back on your feet.

I really feel for you, I can imagine how hard it would be to give up a pet.

[catsbabyandchaos]

Other than the peeing they seem happy enough. They spent 2 months in a cattery because I was waiting to move and they just seem pleased to be back with me (they think I'm great for some reason!) they snooze in the sun by the window seat and like sleeping with/on me.

It's the pee!

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

For me, the key thing would be to consider what is best for my baby, then the cats.

I would not want my DC living in a flat with stressed cats pissing everywhere. That would not be in their best interests. Therefore the cats would have to go. Sad but there you are

[catsbabyandchaos]

Truffles I really hope this is temporary but (loong story!) I think will be here for 6-12 months.

I can't think if anyone who would have them and plus boy cat would hate them and be frightened so like rehoming from their perspective.

I just can't bear to send them away , they are all I've got and I think I'm all they have. I have to admit , if I was looking for a cat now I wouldn't choose these two!

[catsbabyandchaos]

Well yes but they aren't actually peeing ON my baby!

It's less than pleasant to walk back into though.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

They are not all you have got, you've got a babyFGS

[hoobypickypicky]

I rescue cats. I wouldn't place a cat into a flat if he'd previously had access to a garden but this is different and I sympathise with your dilemma.

Rehoming would be a last resort for me, especially if you're planning on moving to somewhere with a garden in the foreseeable future.

Before considering that option there are things you can try. Litter trays need cleaning very frequently - some cats won't use a tray again even after just a small wee. Some won't use a tray which others have used.

Most cats won't use a tray which is near their food or water. If yours are, I'd suggest that you move them. You might need another one or 2 trays to give the cats options of a clean one at all times and in different rooms (one in the hall, one in the bathroom with the door kept open?).

Try a covered tray. Some cats prefer them. If yours don't seem to get to grips with the swing door of a covered tray take it off until they've got used to using it and then replace it later. Many a time I've had to shove a cat through a covered tray's door to teach him how to get in and out! Once they catch on to how to get out they generally sus that getting in is pretty similar.

Regarding the peed on carpets, wash them several times, thoroughly, with either washing powder solution or with a pet shop bought cleaner made for the purpose. They'll return to the place which smells of pee time and again if you don't (and don't use bleach products because the smell is like their pee to them and encourages rather than deters re-use).

The peeing may not be directly or wholly related to being without a garden - it may be stress related due to the move or to the new baby (congratulations, by the way!).

You can get stress relieving products from your vet or from a pet shop to help address this. here's one example

Your vet can advise too. A phone call should do it, without cost.

If everything fails then rehoming might be your only kind to the cats and keep-you-sane solution but there's a long way to go before you need to get to that stage.

If you do need to please don't hesitate to drop me a pm for pointers on how to find a good rescue. Good luck.

[trufflesnout]

Don't clean with bleach or anything containing ammonia. Get rid of carpets if poss. You need to remove all trace of wee asap after it happens to get rid of smell and therefore the identity of the floor being the toilet (bleach contains ammonia as does their urine so if you clean with that it just screams, this is your toilet, pee here).

Pick out the dirty bits of the litter box as they use it but don't clean it completely until they've learned that that is their toilet.

Buy a Feliway diffuser.

Don't know how many trays you have but try having another around too.

Try changing the type of little you're using. Lots of cats like compressed woodchip things rather than the grey clumpy stuff.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

They are pissing in your child's close environment. Soon your child will be mobile and will be sitting/crawling and walking on a cat piss soaked carpet. Do you think that is the best environment for the baby?

Anyway. You seem quite sure that the cats are happy and that seems to be all that matters.

[Karsyn]

definitely try feliway also if you have covered litter trays take the covers off and see if they start using, some cats hate covered trays.

also put trays wherever they have peed to see if that encourages them to use them instead

and try different types of litter some cats are sensitive to scented litter

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

In a perfect world you wouldn't have 2 outside cats in a flat. But, seeing as this world is far from perfect, you do - do please stop beating yourself up about it.

Give feliway a go, if worked for mine. If you PM me your address I'll send you the plug so you only have to buy the refills.

Also, can you afford to rent a rug doctor to clean your carpets? I think it's about £40 per day plus shampoo. I find once mine have claimed a foot, they tend to go on peeing in it, so it's best to try to keep areas wee free. If not, get some carpet shampoo and a big sponge from the pound shop and mix in a tiny bit of bleach.

Circumstances meant I had to move my 2 rescue cats into a flat for a few years. They were quite stressed towards the end. But then I managed to move back into a house with a lovely big garden, so there's always hope?

[RiverTam]

the Celia Hammond Animal Trust are very good at rehoming tricky cats, maybe get in touch with them, for advice if nothing else.

Our cats are very difficult, semi-feral to feral at best! But if DD had proved to be allergic they would have gone.