Update again 4/9 with blood work results- kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

I guess I will start by saying I have a 10 year old cockapoo who used to have a lot of aggression issues. We have worked really hard to get him to be the better dog that he is today. He actually loves my kids and we never thought that would happen.

A few years ago we adopted a golden retriever. Unfortunately the dog was really sick when I got him, he had a severe infection, parasites and severe allergies. The rescue agreed to pay his medical bills but it just became to expensive. His vet bills were about $600 every 6 - 8 weeks. The rescue couldn't afford it and neither could we. So he was rehomed and we were devastated.

This past October I found a 2lb kitten with its leg trapped in the shocks of my car. She was okay and we decided to keep her. That was 7 months ago. Now - my 15 year old cat is showing signs of stress. The kitten tries to play with her , jumps on her, etc. And now my older cat is going to the bahtroom all over the house. I took her to the vet and there are no medical issues. I know it's the kitten causing her stress b/c I have been keeping the kitten locked in my room and since then, Bella has been going back in the litter box. But - I can't keep her locked in my room forever. I have a toddler so I have to constantly pick up and put down the food and litter. Plus, Zoey (kitten) is literally waiting for you to open the door, then darts out and runs all over the place. I have a very small house, no basement so there is no seperate area for me to keep her. I just keep hoping Zoey will just eventually leave Bella alone, but she's a kitten, it could take years. I try to keep an eye on Zoey and if I see her starting to chase Bella I will intervene.

I just feel like a failure. I always have these difficult situations with animals. Everyone told me not to keep the kitten, that it would be too much. It wouldn't be fair to my older cat (although healthy, doesnt move around much) And now here I am , having problems. I constantly preach to people about rescuing but then they see the problems I have had.

If you made it this far - thanks for reading

UPDATE - not much of an update really, but I really appreciated the advice and wanted to update.

I bought the calming spray and have been spraying in the litter box and where Bella mostly lays. It hasn't made a difference really. Every few days she is still pooping outside the litter box, same spot , on my kitchen floor . I have tried sitting with her every night by the litter box and petting her when she comes out of it. She mostly does it while we are sleeping, b/c we arent there to interrupt her. I don't want to lock her in a seperate room at night, I just think that will upset her even more.

Some people have said maybe it's just her old age , but she is only 14. To me, thats not ancient in cat years. However, this past year she has lost a ton of weight.

I just think it's the stress of the kitten and I don't know what to do about it.

UPDATE 4/9- Bella's bloodwork came back. She has an overactive thyroid, which is why she has lost so much weight. Her is off the charts. The range should be between 1 and 4 and her # was a 20. An underactive thyroid can make her irritable and cranky which may be why she really isn't tolerating the kitten at all and is pissed off enough to not use the litter. So we are starting her on meds to see if that helps.

Message edited 4/9/2013 10:24:02 PM.

Re: Upset - could use advice and what not

I had issues with my older cat going all over the house a few months after I got another cat. I took her to the vet to rule out sickness. I had 2 litter boxes one for each. The Vet recommended that I get 3 total and spread them far away from eachother (they are in my basement). The rule is 1.5 boxes per cat. He also had me buy a kitty calming spray and I spray each box with it after I change the litter. I also spray it around the food bowl. I have seen a dramatic change in my older cat!

Message edited 3/28/2013 1:39:33 PM.

Upset - could use advice and what not

Hugs. I know it's an adjustment. I still have kitty wars in my house and my youngest is now 6. As pp said the separate litter boxes is a good thing and what I do when my oldest gets stressed is I put her in my bdrm with litter and food and when I get home I let her interact with the others. It may help. My oldest likes to be by herself and yours may too

Re: Upset - could use advice and what not

My oldest definitely does like to be by herself. I read about the calming spray and I may try to spray it in the litter box. I am hesitant to spray it anywhere else b/c I don't like the unecessary chemicals around the house. We only have room for 1 litter box. I seriously live in the smallest freaking house! When I was pregnant with our 2nd and we needed the bedroom the litter was in , we literally customized the hall closet to fit the litter box, its a really small closet. So our only option is 1.

Thanks for the replies. I am definitely going to try the calming spray.

Upset - could use advice and what not

We used the feliway plug ins because we didn't want to spray stuff.

We had to rehome a cat because things didn't work out with her. She was gorgeous and a great cat, but she got tormented by the other two.

just like sometimes people don't like certain people, I firmly believe animals are the same way.

Re: Update - kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

update

Re: Update - kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

I know exactly how you feel. DH and I LOVE animals and we always seem to have an issue with the animals we have. Casey is 9 years old, she is fine but she still has not learned to stop jumping..I can deal with that. We had 2 cats we had to re-home because when I was pg with my oldest son they became destructive. Then we adopted an adorable yorkie poo who loved us but attacked and bit anyone who came near us. We had to rehome him too. We will not get any more animals for a long time...after Casey goes to the Rainbow Bridge we will think about it.

Re: Update - kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

What if you kept your older cat in your bedroom and gave the kitten free roam? This was the solution for us. Honesly, Sushi is much more happier this way. If she wants to leave the bedroom, she just meowes and we let her out. Mostly though she prefers to hang out on the window sill and stare at the birds. Except for the 2am witching hour when the two cats who hate each other decide to play "footsie" under the door

Re: Update again 4/9 with blood work results- kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

update

Re: Update again 4/9 with blood work results- kinda - Upset - could use advice and what not

I am glad you found a possible reason for your cats behavior! Hope with meds things turn around.