Serious cat dilemma

We can’t have that BlueBelle. We will be accused of being a clique! 😁

But Katie poster says cat 1 is devoted to her daughter cat 2 seems a ‘happy to know you’ type so would probably be better able to settle with someone new
Once again I agree with GSM s post (which is getting worrying 😂)

I have 5 rescued cats. All came at different times. In this case she can train them to get along and to eliminate the cat urine problem. #1 Cats spray because they either have a urinary issue in which case need to be seen and treated by a veterinarian. Or they are stressed and marking territory. Did he pee all over before the new cat came? If not then it is time to train Cat 1 and 2 to get along. I did this with spending 15 minutes twice a day with both cats playing with them both at the same time so that they were actually thinking they were playing with each other. I would take a cat toy fishing type toy and stream it back and forth for them both to play alternately, and other toys similar. I would also take a wash rag and pet one cat and then take that wash rag and pet the other cat so that they both had each other's smell. I got Calming Collars for them both. There are numerous calming products that work well for cats. When you adopt a second or third etc. cat, the cat owner needs to take responsibility to acclimate them together. Even though it has been 2 years it can be done. Also making sure there are adequate cat boxes that are cleaned regularly. Cats do not like dirty boxes. I agree it is not fair to euthanize a pet when it is not their fault they are in this predicament, but to find solutions that can and will work.

Why the resistance to try felineway?
Posters are giving lots of good suggestions and you are stuck on poor me mode

What a nasty comment. Aveline has responded to all the advice on here.

I won’t be popular but I don’t think it’s a given that Cat 1 should be the one who stays. He is clearly desperately stressed and might be only too happy to leave and be an only cat in a household that loves him. I had the exact same situation on two occasions after adopting older cats over the years (albeit the same breed) and each settled as an only cat in another home very happily and never sprayed again.

Aveline

We really can't take poor cat 1 in. As previously stated we live in a fourth floor flat and he's an out door cat. He's a fraction of the size of our boys. My fear would be that they would all start peeing.
I've passed on the contact details of Ragdoll rescue and local Cat protection league to DD and will suggest a bladder scan for him.
Everyone - I know it's not fair and not right but that's the situation in real life.

How about taking cat 2 in just for a short while to allow for deep cleaning and then see if poor old cat 1 stops peeing everywhere?

This is not that uncommon

OP

Why the resistance to try felineway?
Posters are giving lots of good suggestions and you are stuck on poor me mode

We really can't take poor cat 1 in. As previously stated we live in a fourth floor flat and he's an out door cat. He's a fraction of the size of our boys. My fear would be that they would all start peeing.
I've passed on the contact details of Ragdoll rescue and local Cat protection league to DD and will suggest a bladder scan for him.
Everyone - I know it's not fair and not right but that's the situation in real life.

As Toddleo said

Aveline - I won't be popular but it looks as though you and your daughter have opted for pedigree cats that are all in-bred at the end of the day and come with temperament issues so it's hardly surprising that the male cat feels ousted. To consider euthanising the cat for what is after all perfectly normal behaviour in a distressed animal is really quite brutal and doesn't quite fit with the claim of loving him. The lovely uncomplicated cat should be the one to be re-homed at least for a while to see whether the male cat can revert to more stable behaviour. The other thing to consider is whether he has he been checked for a bladder infection? Lots of cats get such infections and pee all over the place until the infection is cleared up.

As a proud ragdoll owner myself, I would suggest perhaps Ragdoll-Rescue.co.uk They may be able to offer advice or gneral assistance particularly if rehoming does come into play

Have you tried catnip?

Cat 1 was there first. It is it's home. He will see cat 2 as an interloper. If any of the cats are rehomed it should be cat 2. Could you take cat 2 for a few weeks to see if cat 1 settles down. Full deep clean needed included all carpets with a pet cleaner that destroys the enzymes in cat urine. If cat 1 settles and cat 2 is accepted by your 2 Maine Coons then perhaps she could live with you permanently. Your DD could see the cat when she visited. It would be very cruel to try to re-home a cat that is very loyal towards your DD. It's not his fault another cat was put in his territory. No vat should be murdered.

A friend wanted to rehome a beautiful Persian which was peeing everywhere in the house. Her first attempt failed - the cat was brought back the next morning even though my friend had explained the problem. The second succeeded because the cat was rehomed with someone who had a number of cats which lived in outside accommodation and who was delighted to give this one a new home.

I've had that same problem and animal-lover that I am I did consider euthanasia, when my baby came along and the home was unsanitary. The cat belonged to my husband before we got together, he had three in all, but only one sprayed - furniture, floor, bed, fireplace, baby's soft toys - nowhere was safe and it was HORRIBLE, and extremely smelly. We talked to the Cat Protection League, but no-one had an answer that worked. We did not try getting rid of the other cats because my husband loved them all, and there was no guarantee that would work anyway. I was constantly on the alert, putting things out of his way, closing doors and crying. It actually gave me nightmares, in my hormonal state. We tried everything and nothing worked. We did try Feliway, sometimes you would think something had worked only to smell the stench once more, track down and try to disinfect. The thing is, animals are supposed to be our pets and enhance our lives, not bedevil them. In the end all we could do was have a cat shed outside, that we kept clean and dry and if I remember rightly we put a little garden heater in it. I do feel for you, there is no easy answer and in cold blood I could not take a healthy cat down to the vets to be put down, however much I felt like wringing his neck when he offended! It's a very sad situation. Now I've got dogs and they are much easier to train and communicate with! Good luck!

That is unbelievably cruel. Another cat is brought into the home and he is showing how unhappy he is about that. The new cat is ‘really loved’ by everyone and they are ‘fed up with’ the old one. Poor old boy. If the second cat hadn’t been acquired this wouldn’t have happened.

This sounds very familiar! My daughter also had a gorgeous ragdoll cat. She started peeing everywhere, and the vet thought it was because my daughter had a little boy of two who was very noisy and the cat is very timid. It was becoming very stressful for my daughter and her vet suggested that the cat was stressed too. So the cat came to us for a 'holiday' and two years later she is still here BUT when I took her to my vet, she did an ultrasound and found stones in her bladder. She had them removed and has been perfectly fine since. And yes, she is till with us, as she is still very wary of the little one.
Am not sure why my daughter's vet hadn't picked this up...I think the stones were very small...but it might be wortth checking out. Good luck!

Quote Fluerpepper:
Do you know anyone without a cat or other animal, or young children- who could foster him for a while to see how he is when on his own.

I think that's a very good idea.
RSPCA have cat fosterers. We bought one of our cats from a fosterer from of theirs.
There were cats and kittens everywhere I don't knowhow she coped.
Cat number 2 though and see if number 1 improves.
There are cat boarders to consider too but obviously charge.

As previously stated they don't use litter trays. Separate feeding areas too.
It's the emotional aspect that's worrying me. Fair or not the newer cat is really loved by everyone. SiL and boys are now really fed up with poor old cat 1. Even DD is at her wits end. This is a very sad situation. Currently she's coping by cleaning up a lot and rewashing clothes and bedding etc but I don't know how long this can last till some sort of last straw. I'd love to think the situation is fixable but really can't see it. I suspect that his bag will be packed by autumn. 😿

Feliway Friends (not the ordinary Feliway) in several rooms in the house, as well as an equivalent but different diffuser called Pet Remedy.
At least 2 litter trays, one per cat and one extra one as well if your DD can manage that. I'm assuming that the cats are both neutered - if not, get them both neutered.
Make sure that ALL traces of cat pee have been eradicated from wherever Cat1 is peeing - if even a tiny trace is left (and the cat WILL be able to sniff it out even if a hunan nose cannot) it will continue to pee there to "top up" the scent and claim the space as its own. An enzymatic washing powder on anything that can be washed, and something like "UrineOff" or similar for carpets and soft furnishings.
Keep them separated, but don't punish Cat1 by shutting him away from "his" human.
Cat 1 is obviously very unhappy, and really, one can understand it. Its home has been invaded by an interloper.
An animal behaviourist can be very helpful. I used Vicky Halls when I was introducing a new female to my very bonded brothers. She was being very aggressive and attacking them both. A consultation helped me to sort out the issue.
~When the weather gets cold, leave the house and turn off the heating....I found that my cats preferred to be warm, and learned to snuggle up together for warmth...not sur=te if that would work with a Ragdoll, though, as they have long coats.
Good luck.

One more thing, every cat should two cat trays for their very own personal use. So, in a two-cat family, there should be FOUR trays. Yeah, I know. But that's cats for you .... they are incredibly clean creatures. Also, their trays should not be near their food or their drinking water. Also, each cat should have their own plate of food and not be expected to share with another cat.

I'm sure the dog people will be rolling their eyes ... but then again, cats don't have to be taken for walks in the middle of winter!

*blind

Just re read. Didn’t realise they weren’t house cats. I always assumed that Rag Dolls had to be house cats…so the problem is the older cat has an outside territory problem and is going inside because the younger cat has taken over his outside toilet areas?

My DD had a vet who had given them a 'thorough check over' but missed totally the cat had stomach problems and needed a completely different diet, and missed the fact that her newish puppy was in fact going blnd- So NO i would not rule out a completely thorough different check, and new tests, by a whole new vet, in a different vets practise.Animal trusts vets are very good and especially if your DD is keen to keep down the cost of several more tests/checks?Look them up to see if theres one near her.Or an RSPCA or PDSA vet clinic if she is lucky enough to have one near by, they would look into the older cats problem in case theres an error of doubt that its a actual physical/medical problem he has.? Please let us know how he gets on poor boy.😿😾

Ragdolls are notorious for spraying when they are upset ... it's not their fault, it's just how they are made. They are anxiety prone, like many of us! So, I would say - as a Mad Cat Woman who has taken care of cats for 40 years - cat 1 is distressed because (a) of the presence of cat 2 and (b) because cat 1 thinks their place at the top of the tree has been taken and 'Mummy doesn't love them any more!'

Without even meeting cat 1, I can tell you now, if you put them in the laundry room they will be so out of their minds with grief and anxiety, you'll never have clean laundry again. Please don't do it - for any cat, let alone a ragdoll, it would be cruel as, by now, they are used to being in the house and part of the family, with everything that comes with that.

Please, do not consider euthanasia. Many homes would welcome a ragdoll.

So, what to do? Try Feliway, but best of luck with that. Try a cat psychologist, but best of luck with that, the situation is probably too far gone.

For what it's worth, I think cat 1 should stay and cat 2 should be passed on to a super-duper, warm and cosy, extra-loving home. And cat 1 should be allowed to life out their little life as the only cat in the family. Betcha, soon as they are top cat again, all spraying and peeing will cease and there be a happy family once more.