I have 3 sibling cats, 2 female 1 male. They are all spayed/neutered, of course. They are 3 years old. I fostered their litter for the SPCA (these 3 weren't adopted, so they stayed) and their mother was feral. They are all a bit crazy- 2 of the 3 are VERY sketchy around people and they all hide when anyone comes over. It took them 2 years to warm up to my (live in!) boyfriend... and they still aren't crazy about him (poor guy, he tried so hard!) They jump and run at the slightest sound and spook very easily. One of the females was the runt and her mom disowned her... wouldn't feed her her and removed her from the bed the moment she was born. Thankfully I noticed and was able to feed her formula by syringe.
Now, 3 years later and the little one has some major behavior problems. She is peeing all over the house a few times a week and has been for the last year. (Medical causes have been ruled out, haven't changed litter brands, have eliminated any previous urine smells) She is not close with her 2 siblings (the male and other female are best friends) and I think she gets bullied/left out by them. They get into cat fights occasionally (never serious). The female runt is very aggressive towards neighbourhood cats (mine are indoor cats, but she goes CRAZY when a cat comes to the window/door) None of my cats are very affectionate, they like to be pet but never really cuddle. They spend a lot of the day hiding.
I'm not sure why they are so reclusive.. they always have an immaculate litter box, I play with them daily, they have great quality food, big cat "trees" and baggressive cat behavior problemseds and can have all the attention they want (just choose not to have). I have 2 big dogs and they love the cats, so that isn't an issue. The dogs were there first anyways.
Anyway, I'm starting to think some of her peeing/behaviour problems are caused by feeling bullied by the other 2. Does that seem possible? I volunteer with an animal rescue and would really love to bring 2 more cats home from there. It might be good for the runt to bond with friendly, easy going cats and have friends of her own. However, she seems to hate other cats and wants to fight them whenever she can see them... she gets so worked up if I come up to the window where the other cat is, she'll attack me.
Is it realistic to think adding some members to the fur family would be a good idea? I don't want to give my crazy cats mental breakdowns or make the peeing situation any worse. The 2 new cats would have a separate bedroom (my bedroom) to sleep in at night.
Also any advice on calming your cat down? Has anyone had their cat on prozac? I already have 2 feliway plug ins and it doesn't do much for her.... sorry about the length of the question and if it seems all over the place, it's late and I'm tired!!! :) Thank you to all who answer.
PS- Please no comments about being a crazy animal lady lol, animals are a huge part of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. I know 5 cats may seem like a lot, but I live in a 3 level house and there is plenty of room for everyone.
Well, in my opinion, it wouldn't be a good idea to add two more cats to your household when your little female runt isnaggressive cat behavior problems't totally thriving. She'll probably end up getting more stressed because of the two new cats, and you already said that she is very aggressive when it comes to neighbourhood cats.
Because she isn't used to being around other cats she doesn't know [being an indoor cat] it's also likely that the inappropriate elimination problems will get worse, she'll probably pee more around the house, and cause further upset and damage.
I would suggest working with an animal behaviourist/veterinarian before you add any new cats to your house; you don't want the situation to go from bad to worse, right? :)
Personally, I've never had to have any of my cats on Prozac, but one of my cats did have behaviour problems and my vet did suggest Prozac to calm my cat down, but I decided not to put her on it.
Keep in mind though, that not all cats bond well with other cats, so there's a chance that you might never be able to add more cats to your house and have everyone bond well/be comfortable. I hope that's not the case with you though! Try to discuss with your veterinarian what could be causing these problems with you female kitty, and see if you can resolve them.
BTW, I didn't think you were a crazy cat lady, I've had 5 cats at one point and they all got along well. If you're rescuing cats from a shelter and giving them a great home, it doesn't matter how many you have ;)
More power to you!
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