The cats seem to me like victims of a regular diet-13 isn't old for a cat, we have a 18 year old with none of the urinary issues you are describing.. cats are Carnivores and need an all meat diet- I subjest you try innova EVO, Instincts,Ziwi peak or Orijen. Or better yet a raw meat, bones and organs diet- this diet needs to be researched however.

Are any De clawed? behavior issues can stem from this... Unless cats know each other well from kitten hood/years of being together. I would not keep clawed and de clawed together as the de clawed have lost 75% of their defenses plus many have muscle degeneration from lack of use/ front claws are connected to the muscles in shoulders and front legs.

I'm glad you will have Gizmo checked for cystitis today. By now, you may already have done so. Hope she checked out OK.
When we introduced our 2 new Tuxedo cats to our 12-year old calico, she was very upset (to say the least), and, about 2 months into it, she started missing the box (sitting too close to the edge... never on a bed or sofa, though!!). We put it on stress, and we tried Rescue Remedy (for Cats), and within a week, that behavior stopped. We also have the plug-in Feliway, so maybe that was what did it (I doubt it, as we had had it for several weeks already). Worth trying. Just a few drops on a treat (chicken broth, olive oil.. our Calico LOVES olive oil). Most health foods carry it. About $12 for a small bottle.

Also, you may want to keep Kola somewhat separated until peace returns among your feline friends. Never easy to introduce new cats!! A lot of TLC and patience...

Best of luck,
Anne-Marie

De-clawing is illegal over most of Europe. Its considered a cruel act and equivalent to amputating a person's fingers at the first joint.

If however you mean are their claws clipped when they sound as if they are tap-dancing across the wooden floor, then yes, they do have them clipped just like you would cut your fingernails.

A still growly Gizmo reacted to Kola Thursday morning, by deliberately peeing from a high shelf. Husband sprang into action and growled loudly at Gizmo then, speaking through his teeth, demanded that she stop doing that NOW!!!.

This morning, Gizmo started to loudly growl and hiss at Kola who she glimpsed through the door in the other room. Husband leapt over to say Stop it. Gizmo ran away to far corner of our wide and deep windowsill and hissed loudly. Husband leaned over face in front of hers and hissed far more loudly. (Brave soul!!)

No more mishaps since his original loud "Stop!" and no more hissing since his retaliatory hiss. We had the answer all along - Just didn't know we had a cat 'whisperer' in the home.

PS can I just add that when we have been out for an afternoon, we come home to apparently no mishaps. We do not smoke or use those chemical air fresheners, so our sense of smell is acute. So far so good.

Resolve the medical issue and keep the new cat separate. The longer it takes to introduce a new cat into the household, the more successful the introduction.

Gizmo free of any medical problems. Keeping the wee guy in a different room for now.

All our downstairs rooms run from one to another - glass panelled doors between them. Trying to ensure Kola gets settled where the other cat cannot eyeball through the glass. She growls and glares and he comes back with a look that clearly says "Gonnae no' dae that!"

Solution so far as sleeping is concerned, is encouraging him to sleep on a deep cushion on my pedestal chair that curves around you. Its in the corner of the kitchen. He can still see us in the other room if he lifts his head but its kind of around the corner so Gizmo can't see him from where she sleeps. I've lost my kitchen chair but Kola looks so comfy.

We were out tonight with friends for a few hours and came back to find nothing untoward and all sleeping. Maybe Gizmo just puts on a show for our benefit. Thanks all who've commented so far. Good to know I'm not alone.

Hope everything goes okay.

After a wheen of happy weeks with the wee guy, we regretfully had to hand the foster kitty back to his owner.

Our oldest cat had retired to a corner of our conservatory and refused to move. Unfair as 1. her limp became more painful due to not moving all day. And 2. Gizmo had stopped her daily shedding - good for our darker clothes but probably bad for Gizmo's health.

Fortunately, owner really adores his wee cat and, having recently taken back his other cat from the other 'foster-mum', so delighted to have both cats together again.

It took a week or so before our oldest cat ventured through and another week or two before she came up the stairs to lie on our bed again. We find since wee Kola went back, both our cats prefer to sit downstairs with us rather than anywhere else.

PS Gizmo is back shedding her white fur big style and my one & only black 'cost-a-lot-of-pennies' cashmere jersey has a covering of fur. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

PPS It was delightful having a kitten again but equally good to go back to just having two older cats. If nothing else, they don't jump up on the work-surface to steal a cookie. ;)

Cats are genally very terrottoral animals that can exist together only if fixed and socailzed at an early age.

Runswalken, again you are wrong. I hope no one takes the things you say to heart.

Mofe,

Thanks for trying with that cat!

Unless you socalize from an early age/go out of your way to see that interactions and private rooms( for the new cat are set up to get away to) and fix then yes I am right, we've waited three months between the doors with interducing our new cat- from moms marrage, and six months later after interducing them they Bindi,and Monty still fight, (Monty has had an embeded claw in the neck, absesses) cats are very terrotoral animals that hate change and fight first ask questions later. A cat isn't even mature socially until up to age 3 or 4 , and if you get a kitten thats under 12 weeks you could have issues in the temperment department, under 8 weeks and its even worse because when kittens play they learn bite control, if they never learn with other kittens they can bite as adults without knowing how hard or how serious it is..

The only reason multi cat households can exist at all is because the animals in them are fixed and there is too much food for them to be bothering with fighting, and thats only if you pay attention to the cats pecking order and temperments .. sometimes 3 is the limit sometimes 13, but with each new cat the risk goes up.

I hope you have luck but it may not work out the way you want them to