Hi All
I'm new to this, and short of calling the vet again, thought this might be a useful place to get some help with my new furry friend:
He is called Pelos and is a 12 weeks old, male, long haired tabby. He didnt leave litter/mother until 11 weeks, so fully trained, weaned etc
In the first five days that I had him at home he behaved well and made huge progress (eg would not eat dry food alone or out of stainless steel bowl, but no problem by day 3!). He has been using litter tray continuosly, pooing regularly morning/night and sleeping 6-7 hours a night with me.
On day 5 a friend came to stay (from the US) and he seemed fine with this. On the second night of her stay we were in bed reading and he was jumping on the duvet (as you do) then suddenly POOPED ON US!!!!!!!
After stripping bed I discovered a dry stain which I suspect was urine (maybe from the first night she arrived?).
Last night I put the clean duvet back on the bed and he sniffed about, then proceeded to pee all over it.............. I think he was spraying because he was stepping as he did it, however, it wasnt just a squirt, it was quite a lot of urine.
So, last night my friend slept in the lounge with the door closed, I put a new duvet on the bed and he was absolutely fine - he even slept in bed with me, which he didnt do the 2 nights my friend was in the bed.
I spoke to the vet and they said he feels threatened and is anxious and told me to use a Feliway diffuser, which I plugged in 24 hours ago.
In the meantime, he is still using his litter box without any problems, eating well, playing etc
I just wanted to know if anyone thinks this is a temporary thing because he is still settling in or will he react like this every time someone visits?
Should I just close bedroom door when I have a visitor?
I dont want a kitten to rule my life, but I also want him to feel he can sleep with me at night.
By the way, during the day he is not allowed in the bedroom, and at night he is not allowed in the lounge. I'm kinda trying to make him understand the difference between day time and night time!
All help much appreciated!!!!
Thanks
Nina & Pelos
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat
12 wk old male kitten being territorial already?
(5 posts)-
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Welcome to TDK, Nina and Pelos!
I have not had this problem myself, but I suspect the vet is right on - it may be that the visitor coming so quickly after Pelos' own arrival may have been just a little too much for him to handle. I have used the diffuser for other issues and it seems to help. Is Pelos neutered yet? That may also be part of the issue - may want to check with vet on the timing of that little matter as well.
I am sure others will be chiming in soon. Good luck, and enjoy being owned by Pelos!
Posted 2 years ago by nawlins catmom #
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Well, here are my thoughts:
12 weeks is not too young for males to display territorial behavior. NC is right on about the neutering thing - when the vet says he's big enough, get this done. It will cut waaaay back on territorial behavior.
I think you're dealing with a combination of: a new place and the resultant anxiety; some fear about the visitor in his home so soon after his adoption; and the fact that he's not always allowed access to your bedroom.
A new place means new territory to claim! Also, if he can smell other animals on the duvet, he's going to want to make it clear that the bed is not up for grabs.
The visitor is fine, but maybe Pelos feels like she is threatening his claim on you. Since you are Pelos's only social contact, and since he's going to start thinking of you as Mom pretty soon, he may be trying to mark YOU, not the bed. Since the bed smells the strongest of your scent, he wants your friend to get the idea that you are absolutely his mom, and that you don't belong to your friend. He may be afraid that just like you brought him home, you're now bringing another family member home and he wants to assert his dominance.
I totally get the deal with trying to show him night vs. day. However, he won't get this idea from what you're trying to do, because he just is too young to make the association. If you are trying to get him to sleep through the night, keep him awake all day. Hard to do if you're working, but after you do it for a week or so, he'll get the idea. Keep him playing and running and awake, and then at night he'll be so exhausted he'll crash. I'm afraid that if you let him into your room sometimes, he'll want to claim this room as his area. If you allow him free access (or never allow him in to your room) then he may not need to do this.
Also, now that he's marked the duvet, he will be able to smell that forever. Try an enzymatic cleaner, but he may feel like it's okay to pee there since he's done it in the past and can still smell it.
I don't think this will be a problem with future visitors, though. Once he feels that his place in the house is secure, things will go better with him. Try providing him a litter box in the bedroom, if you don't already.
Good luck!
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FM has nailed it---an un-neutered male, even at that young age, can be territorial, which should lessen when he's been neutered. You did right by asking the vet---normally if he does this INSTEAD of the litter box it means urinary problems, but this doesn't seem to be the case. He is marking YOU as his own. The duvet needs to soak in something like "Nature's Miracle" until the smell is neutralized, then wash it. As long as the urine smell is there he will continue to pee on it. Good luck, we are all here for you!
Posted 2 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #
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thanks all!!!!
i am planning on having him neutered, but that wont be until he is 5 or 6 months old, so another 2-3 months....
having since put a new duvet on the bed, he seems fine...however i'm not clear about the comments regarding access to the bedroom?
I DO want him to sleep in my bed at night (if he wants to), I just didnt want him roaming round my room when i'm not home in case he destroys some clothes/shoes/handbags :)
I am not working at the moment, so am home with him for the next two weeks to be sure he settles in well - i do go out for a few hours at a time (so he gets used to it) and he seems ok when I get back, probably because he has been sleeping! when i'm home i play with him as much as possible (throwing a ball up and down the hall to tire him out) which seems to work, as he sleeps pretty much all night.
Anyhow, we will see if the feliway plug in works its magic soon.....
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