Keep them in your room & put a litter box in there.

That solution may work temporarily, but I can't keep 2 cats in my room forever, especially since they are prone to peeing on my bed if they are upset.

I need to find a way for them to get along, not keep them seperate.

Your cats just moved into foreign territory (Lee's territory no less) and they could use a secure place to call their own. Cat's can be very territorial. I would give them their own room with little box and food source as sylvia suggested. They will feel more confident and with time perhaps can stand up to Lee's domineering.

I don't really have any other advice, but give them time, space and lots of love during the transition. Cats are not big on change. Even in a small house, one room to call their own can make a world of difference. Our kitty still claims the guest bedroom as his own -his 'safe zone' from the dog, though the two of them are buddies now.

I'd like to say that 'they'll work it out'. Often it does, but sometimes it doesn't. When my brother and his wife bought their home, the movers left a box with two kittens within :( Not exactly the kind of house warming gift they wanted. Their existing cat a large female tabby never accepted the new additions. Particularly the female kitten, who spent the first 5 years living almost entirely in the upstairs with her own litter box and food/water. This went on until the tabby passed away. :(

The cats did get to a point of 'tolerance' with each other (grumbling, glaring and avoiding one and other, but not fighting). Like people I suspect there are just some personality types that don't mesh. I hope your kitties find a balance with time.

They have to be secure and getting beat up isn't good for them. With one litter place your cats won't be able to use the box and will become very creative in bathrooming. It can take you some time to find "the place". With cats they have to be apart before they can be together. She is be using your bed because Lee won't let her use the litter box

I would suggest to put Rescue Remedy , a few drops, on their food and into their water, it really will make them more relaxed without doping them and it may just do the trick

You have to keep cats separate before they are introduced and get used to each other. Your choices are separating your cats for awhile, and gradually reintroducing them, or a household as you describe.

What Elly said..keep them separated for a period of time. Your cats are the interlopers but if it's a gradual process in introcducing them and having them get used to each other, all might work out. Cats despise change.

I'm wondering if Zoe's inappropriate elimination is because she's afraid to go to the litter box. My two cats tolerate each other. When one of them decided her new favorite place to hang out was just outside the door of the room where the litter box was, the other cat wouldn't use the litter box.

A second litter box on the other side of the house solved that problem. Could you put a litter box in your room, at least for a while, to see if this helps? Not an ideal situation, I know, but I've done it in a small apartment with a new cat.

Could a litter box be put upstairs for Lee, so that she doesn't have to come downstairs? I've taken my cat housesitting and my cat and the resident cat eventually worked out an arrangement where my cat had the second floor and the resident cat had the first floor and they pretty much left each other alone. (There were a few fights at first, though.)

Could you put your cats in your room for a couple of weeks and let everyone cool off? Then very slowly reintroduce the cats? That might give everyone a second chance.

Lee needs a litterbox upstairs of her own. In fact, 4 cats sharing one litterbox is almost certainly a recipe for disaster. Any animal behaviorist will recommend 5 litterboxes for 4 cats; # of cats +1 litterbox is the rule. Most cats don't like sharing litterboxes, and to do so will stress out the less dominant ones, forcing them to find other inappropriate places to pee and poop. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner.

You don't necessarily have to lock your cats in your bedroom if all the cats are happy with their own boxes. Lee will have little reason to venture downstairs if she has her own box upstairs.

Wow, thanks everyone! We haven't had any other problems with Zoe since last week and I'm hoping for no more.

I bought this plug-in thing, I forget what it's called but it puts pheremons into the air that are supposed to decrease cat's anxiety, reduce improper elimination and supposed to decrease cat's fighting. We'll see how that works (it's only been 1 day!)

I definetly agree that we need another litter box, but as I mentioned it's kinda difficult. Upstairs there is really nowhere to put one (there is the bedroom, the bathroom and maybe 3 feet of hallway). We can easily put another litter box in the basement but my cats are too afraid to go down there!! I've tried locking them downstairs with me to try and get them used to the basement, but they are such wimps!!

I am trying my best to keep my bedroom as a "safe spot" for Boo & Zoe but the other cats constantly try to come in my room. I'm always kicking them out, but my girls usually hide under the bed when the male cat is in my room (where he constantly sleeps on my bed!).

There should be at least one litterbox on each floor of the house. Lee should have one upstairs either in the bedroom or bathroom, your girls should have one in your bedroom, and there should be at least a couple more boxes in the basement. If you continue to try to force your girls to run the gauntlet and risk attack on their ways to the basement litterboxes, they'll almost certainly start eliminating on your bed or elsewhere in your bedroom.

You are doing your cats a great disservice by allowing the other household cats to come into your bedroom. Your girls have NO safe place to be and NO territory of their own. They are living under constant stress of knowing that they are unwelcome invaders in other cats' territory. Chronically stressed animals can become ill, and I'm sure you don't want to cause your cats to ail.

Keep your cats in your bedroom and shut the door so that they can feel safe and protected in their own space. Give them their own litterbox, food, and water in your bedroom. Give them an opportunity to establish their own safe territory so that they don't have to cower under your bed all of the time, waiting for the next attack.

Either that, or move to a new location where there are no other animals to make your girls' lives miserable. Right now, they're having to sacrifice too much to make your life easier.

Laurie

I try SO hard to keep the other cats out of my room! It is primarily the male who loves being in there. He has never been allowed in that room (even when my other roommate lived there) so it holds some sort of allure to him I guess? If I am present in the house neither of the other cats are allowed in my room, but when I'm not home it's an entirely different story. I am trying my hardest though!

I will definetly look into putting another litter box either upstairs or in the basement.

At this point it seems pointless to seperate them and re-introduce. The fighting seems to happen the most when no one is home and I don't want to have my cats locked up for 10-12 hours a day when I'm away at work, and then another 8 hours when I'm at home sleeping!! As I mentioned, 3 of 4 are very tolerant of each other, it's the 4th that is a problem...

Another problem is my roommate (Lee's owner) isn't really interested in any solutions that either a) cost her money or b) inconvenience her cat. As it's her cat being domineering, the problem doesn't really affect her, only me!!! (which is why I don't think the litter upstairs will fly, as she won't want the smell near her room...)

You are apparently thinking that your cats are having a great time wandering all around the house while you're gone, when it's actually very unlikely they're leaving your room at all. If they leave your room, they know they are invading the territory of an aggressive resident cat. Under those circumstances, a timid cat like Zoe (and probably Boo, too) isn't going to set herself up as a target. She probably spends her days under your bed or in a closet, trying to stay out of Lee's line of attack. If she leaves your bedroom at all, she's probably being chased out of it.

The kindest thing you can do is keep your girls in your bedroom safely behind a closed door where they can finally come out of hiding and relax instead of being on constant guard with no one to protect them when you are gone. They'll be MUCH happier being able to sleep safely on your bed rather than cowering under it all day. I wish I could make you believe that.

I live with a house full of cats, and I don't even go outside for more than a few minutes without separating the bullies from the victims. If I leave everyone loose when I go outside, it's usually not long before I hear a cat fight break out inside. The bullies know when I'm not inside to supervise, and they are quick to take advantage of any opportunity to make trouble. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if Lee goes on the attack almost as soon as your house is empty of human beings. Why would you want to make your girls live that way when it's so easy just to shut a door to keep them safe and happy?

Laurie

Laurie is soooo right! I was trying to find a way to say all she said in a convincing way, but I am not very good with words.
Please, as everyone said, give your girls a safe place to adapt to their new home: that is their own box, their own food and water behind CLOSED doors. After a while, let them out but.. only under supervision!

Anne-Marie

My sister has a cat who lives in her laundryroom. This room is about 10 x 16 and the door is open all the time but the cat just prefers staying in that one room with her bed, litter, food and water. I have a cat who prefers to stay in my son's room. Again, the door is open and he leaves to check out the house, eat and use the litter in the laundry room but I would say 95% of his life is spent in that one room. Your cats would be so much happier in a confined room rather than being exposed to attack on a constant basis.

Remember, when you have a pet, it's not always convenient or easy to do right by them. So if that means you have to have a litter box (that does not have to be stinky) right next to your bed or dresser then that's what you have to do.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I will try out your suggestions this week. I have no problem keeping a litter box in my room or locking the girls in my room for that matter either. If it will help then I am definetly open to trying anything. I feel bad locking them up, but you do have a point about that being a good thing for them and not necessarily a bad thing!

Okay so the girls are locked in my room today with a litter box! Hopefully I will come home to some happy cats today. :)

That's a smart move, but don't be surprised if it takes a few days for your girls to relax and start to enjoy their safe haven. They've been terrorized by the other cats for four months already. It may take a little time for them to trust that they are safe again.

Laurie