Do cats get sores from stress?

[TheVeryHungryPreggo]

On and off for the last year, one of my three cats has had weeping red raw patches on her head and chest. She's been to the vet several times, had steroid and antibiotic shots, long-lasting treatment for parasites, steroid/AB cream and so on. (They are indoor-only pedigree cats and we live in the middle of a city - they don't go outside). The first time I noticed the raw patches on her was when I was back to work full time, and the worst flare ups happened around my 1st/3rd trimesters of pregnancy and now. We have 3 cats, a baby, a raucous 3 year old who's now at home more because I'm on maternity leave and we are trying to move because this flat ain't big enough for the 7 of us. I'm starting to think they are all getting super stressed out, just as much as I am.

Tonight she's hiding in our bathroom quiet as a mouse, bleeding quietly on one of my towels. She only comes in our room when she's got those raw patches. My other two (male, neutered) cats are fighting WWIII in the kitchen/lounge right now. They are not normally aggressive at all and this behaviour is honestly frightening. I've had to separate them for the night as they keep coming back to have it out again. That's why I'm wondering if it's a stress related thing - it's getting to us all but I don't want my cats to suffer. I'm thinking seriously about re-homing two of them - I don't want to part with any of them but they are unhappy and I can't justify that.

[Micah]

Yep, sounds like territory issues.

Rehoming might be the best for them. You could try pedigree-specific sites.

Fwiw we rehomed two of our three cats into single cat households. They were far, far, happier and all the stress related behaviour disappeared.

Talk to your vet. There are anti-anxiety and anti depressant drugs for cats that might get you through til you move. But unless you're moving somewhere with much, much more space that might not help either.

[TheVeryHungryPreggo]

One of them (the male who is unusually aggressive tonight) has serious inappropriate-peeing issues, but at the moment it seems confined to bathroom sinks. Which is at least something I can manage with enough Flash-with-bleach spray. Beds, bags and shoes, not so much.

I've posted about being at the end of my tether with them before. That was before we decided to move - and our home has now been on the market for 8 months. Feliway has done nothing tbh. Extra litter boxes stopped the peeing on soft furnishings but not the sinks. Today we didn't really leave home as my husband is away at the rugby so toddler has been his loud and boisterous self in their faces (metaphorically speaking) all day. I'm quite sure they hate it.

I would like to rehome them, but it's hard to let them go when you love them and worry that other people won't want to deal with their issues.

[Micah]

No bleach to clean up pee. It actually encourages them. Use bio washing powder/liquid.

Have you asked family about rehoming?

This is why I'd never have more than one cat.

Def go chat to the vet.

[TheVeryHungryPreggo]

DH and I are Irish. We have no family here. So sadly, no one to take a cat off our hands, that we like and trust and might have space.

Definitely territory I think. They were fine with each other for years and then DS came along, but ever since DS turned 1 they've hated living with him.

Ugh. Baby is awake and screaming loudly at intervals as she has a cold. DS will probably wake at 4 with a bad dream. I've had to shut my most reliable cat into our bedroom to separate them and he's sitting tall, facing the door, where the occasional growl has filtered through over the last 90 mins or so, indicating the waiting aggressor on the other side. It's going to be a long night...

[TheVeryHungryPreggo]

And thanks for the tip about the bleach. I'll find something else!

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Stress can be part of it, but in almost all cases it is a complex mix of stress and allergies. It can be solved, but often is expensive to diagnose correctly and then long to treat effectively.

[TheBunnyOfDoom]

Do they have their own spaces? You ideally need four litter trays, one per cat plus an extra, and they need to spaced apart so each cat can go in privacy. Make sure their food is kept separate from their water as well. And beds in a toddler-free zone.

Lots of high spots as well to keep them away from the toddler - do they have places they can hide? Bookshelves, boxes, under beds or those cat trees with a spot for them on the top? It's really important they have somewhere to go when they want quiet and privacy.

If none of this works I would try and re-home one of the males if they're the ones fighting. Toms do fight a lot and they need their own territory, which can't happen if they're both inside.