Dirty protests

[WorkSmarter]

Omg I am at my wits end!

My 13 month old cat is so annoying.

If we go away for the night and feed her before we go and arrange for a friend to feed her the next day, she will do a dirty protest on my bed and push the door down if its closed to get in!

This is definitely not going to fit into our lifestyle. We like to go out a lot.

If we are late coming home she will do the same and her litter tray is next to the bedroom that stinks too!

I've tried training her for 9 months but she is not getting any better.

I've tried ringing around to rehome her but they are all full, I can't give her away to friends, family or give her away what should I do?

She's disgusting.

Please help x

It's not a dirty protest.

Your cat has bonded to you and finds it distressing to be at home alone overnight without you. She doesn't understand what has happened and why you aren't there so she goes to a place that smells of you to feel safe and comforted.

This is really common cat behaviour and why cat sitters, or a friend popping in to feed them just absolutely does not work for some cats.

What you could do is appreciate that you have a cat which is a serious commitment and actually put the effort in, instead of just expecting a living sentient being to slot in to your lifestyle whether or not that is causing it trauma.

She's disgusting

No she isn't digusting , she is either stressed or unwell .

Have you tried the Feliway plug ins ?
Bolt on the door so she cannot open it .

Our female weed on the carpet , we fathomed it out to DH painting the downstairs loo. Ours don't like change .
My female cat is not disgusting either .

This is true, but what do you propose OP does? Not go away again overnight for the next 15 years?

A start would be not moaning that her cat is disgusting when the cat is behaving like a normal cat in distress.

She could also consider that she chose to have a cat and so now has to be a responsible owner, rather than just having a 'lifestyle'.

Cat ownership doesn't mean never going away but it does mean considering the needs of your cat and planning the least stressful solution for them - yes some cats don't mind but many do. And so you have Feliway, cattery, house sitter, whatever works best.

Cats are not a home accessory, they need appropriate care.

When you say dirty protest, do you mean pee or poo? My cat is a similar age and she gets cystitis when she is stressed and pees where she shouldn't. We give her feliway cystease before anything we think might be a trigger, eg she hates when we do work to the house.

Also, is she an indoor cat or is she allowed outdoors? Some cats just do not cope with being kept indoors.

Hi
Thanks for your non-judgemental answer. I'm trying to find a solution to a distressing situation for the whole family.

She is allowed indoor and outdoor and we've provided litter trays on both floors so she doesn't have accidents.

Honestly at the end of my tether, out other cat we had for 15 years and adopted off the street just went outside with no issues?!

I feel like I have brought a latent poo bomb into the house and there is lots of agitated energy from the cat 🐯

Thank you for your comments.
You would moan if you smelled the house. She has done it between 18 and 20 times if we go out (over the past year). It's a health hazard and I've worked very hard to get a nice home that isn't shat on. 🙈

Thanks @jhu @jj I need to rehome her as soon as possible. The cat sanctuaries are all full and the whole family has had enough and we can't relax in our own home - never mind the dread when we come back in ?! Argh x

Could you confide her to kitchen with litter tray whilst you go out? I love cats and have three of my own but couldn't accept constant shitting on beds!

Sorry no advice but my 3 year old boy does this if I go away overnight. Luckily in the hall rather than the bed. He's not actually left on his own as my daughter lives here also, he'd just very bonded to me and normally sleeps against my legs, so he must be stressed on his own.

I actually feel very guilty that he must be stressed and unhappy to do that, and if I'm honest I'd like to stop the moaning phone calls from DD !

Do the fellway plugs work for this kind of stress? Does it matter where I plug it (no plug in hallway). Any other advice people could offer?

Worth trying Feliway. You could always get one of the sprays and spray it all round the hallway just before you go.

If it's always in the same place you can try leaving a litter bin there - obviously doesn't work if it's actually in your bed.

And it shouldn't smell once you have cleaned up. Needs a pet enzyme cleaner - if you use an ordinary household cleaner it makes the smell worse and basically signals to the cat 'here is a cat toilet' so they keep going over and over.

Zylkene and feliway work synergistically to calm distressed cats.

You can foster her while the rescues advertise her, your lifestyles don’t match her needs. She’d be better in a home where people are around all day.

😚

Thank you for your replies, well the positive ones (lol) 😜
We have found a cat home for her and are donating cash, food, cat tower, litter and bowls.
We are all already less stressed and smelling sweeter.
Apparently girl cats are more skittish and stressy than boy cats. Not sure how true this is but may be useful for other potential cat owners.
Over and out 🙀

Glad you have something sorted for her, it sounds like the best solution for everyone. I adore my cats but I couldn't cope with poo on beds!

I'm glad she's found a new home and you are feeling happy.

Please don't get another pet though in the future as it doesn't sound as though you are cut out for pet ownership.

That's not true, I've always had adopted cats or dogs before this one 😺🐶

Thanks for posting 🤗 it was really disgusting and over 12 months!!
I love God's creatures and couldn't even harm a fly and regularly spend time on them to help them escape the house 🏠 despite them ways going the opposite direction from the one they need to escape!! 🤣🤣