Annztoo has some great ideas. As far as being an only cat is concerned, do you know anyone without other animals who might agree to take her for a short trial period? You would learn in fairly short order whether this issue is simply due to her dislike of other animals.

Hi annztoo, that is definitely some great advice! We do have a fenced in backyard, and I know she wouldn't venture off too far. I'm just always nervous thinking of my babies outside :) I'm in southern New England so weather is pretty decent. She wouldn't be locked outside permanently, we would of course let her in and out as she wants. I was just thinking that maybe having the option to go outside and away from the stress would make her a bit calmer - having more "space" so to speak. Our house is just way too tiny for her to have a spot all to her own. I feel really bad having taken her in - I really thought I was doing the right thing at the time. But now I feel awful that she is stuck with us and I'm more worried about her quality of life, since she just seems to stressed and miserable all the time. I took on the responsibility of giving her a good life, and I feel like I am failing.

Or being outside could make her worse. Who knows. I'm thinking of taking her outside for a little bit each day on a leash to get her comfortable with it. We could also set up some sort of outdoor cat area, and do have a shed too. But she has honestly never been outside a day in her life, so that's my main worry. But I know cats are much smarter than we give them credit for and she'd be able to slowly adapt. She's so skiddish of other people/animals that I doubt she'd ever go near anyone.

It's weird but the other cats are so well behaved. I'm sure as you said that they have picked up on it, one of the other ones will scratch in areas she's sprayed. But I've never seen any of the others doing it. I know that doesn't really mean anything as they are all sneaky little buggers, but not once have I ever caught any of the other cats peeing outside the litter box.

biondanonima, I've tried finding people to take her, but a lot of them are nervous to even try taking her. But I may be able to get someone to do it as a trial just to see - that is a great idea. That way if I know 100% that's all she needs, it would be much easier rehoming her. But the shelters are the ones that don't want to take her because they just think "oh she pees, she'll never find a home, we don't want her."

Thank you both so much for your advice. It makes me feel better that we will be able to try a few more options with our bitty before having to give her up for good.

"Getting rid of her" - wow that's harsh. of course i understnd where that emotion is coming from but can you rephrase it in your mind to "finding her a better home." You are right - she is stressed. 5 cats in a house is a lot, frankly. Cat aggression can be very subtle - involving blocking access to resources and passageways. ... even your attention is a "resource" that they may be competing for. I would put money on the probability that someone is blocking her access to the litter boxes... how many do you have? Should be 1 for each cat plus one. Yeah, I know. 6 litter boxes is too many - but, just sayin!

Get the word out everywhere you canword of mouth, social media, posted ads, etc. But at the same time make it clear that you are looking for just the right home for her, without any other cats (how does she do with dogs) and that its not first come first served. Some people might get huffy if you make it known you are screening them, but if they do - you dont want them. Ive found that a lot of people LIKE that you are caring about the fate of this cat and trying to get her in a better situation. If you show liking and caring for her then other people will follow your lead. Dont present it as this horrible cat peeing around the house - no its a good cat (she does have good qualities right?) that just needs to get a break in life.

Ive found homes for quite a few cats/kittens over the years - people like it when a cat is a known quantity - you know the cat, her history, and you are honest about what's going on - and yeah, the offer to take her back if it doesnt work out is good. (But be sure they follow a protocol for keeping her confined in a room at first till they have a good bond with her and know she can be relied upon to use the box (be sure to keep it clearn).

LOVE Anztoo's great thinking on relocating her to outdoor space..

I built my cats an outdoor enclosure primarily because of some intercat aggression I was having - and it has helped a lot (one goes outsode while the other is in ). But I only have two and that's a handful!

Well you obviously care or you wouldnt be posting here at your wits end trying to find a solution. All the best to you and your kitties!.

Just want to add this link which shows how to keep your cat(s) from going over the fence you have. The fact you have a fence is a good first step and if she enjoys being outside you can make it even more cat-proof with the conversion system. You could also add a screen door to the shed to make it feel more open and a cat door for her to exit/enter.

You may not have to make any changes to the vaccination routine if you think there are no other cats that come thru your yard. Talk to your Vet about it since even a fight with another cat thru a fence opening is exposure to viruses, etc. But, if nothing else, I would suggest she get a Rabies vaccination if she goes outdoors because of possible bat bites.

She may take to the outdoors right away but your approach to take her out on leash for short periods of time is a good start. Sit with her, stay calm, and when she's ready to go in, let her. It'll take time for her to adjust to the smells and sounds and it may take awhile for her to relax. But who knows, you may have trouble getting her back in. : )

Please keep us posted......

Is it possible to put a cat door in the shed door ? Gradually introduce her to eating outside in a sheltered area. I have indoor and outdoor cats that mingle daily and have no problem with illness. They are vaccinated.

Have you tried another vet - for a second opinion, ideally a feline specialty vet?

https://catfriendly.com/find-a-veterinarian/

There are other meds that can be used.

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cat-behavior-problem-medications

A benefit of the PurrFect Fence system would be free venison.

I suspect deer are going to run into that system if erected as stand-alone.

I assure you, Salti, I have had zero, zilch deer fatalities since erecting my fence... probably cos theres no deer within20-30 miles. Maybe some drunk homeless person wandered up from the railroad tracks behind my house and collided with it, I dunno.... havent seen any human bodies either.

People typically use deerfence (which is essentially what Purrfect Fence is) in deer country to keep out deer, not to ensnare or kill them. You attach little flags to the top rail if its a worry.

OP, how are you doing today? I somehow missed your post (looks like yours went up as I was writing mine). Ihope I didnt sound too harsh but just wanting to present some other ways of rethinking it... that there can be other factors in play besides this kitty's nervous personality.

I mean I certainly can empathize - I've had cats all my life and its only been this one super-aggressive former unneutered street cat that's given me problems and I can so relate to your feelings of despair and frustration.

Cats love routine, and now a year later - things with my 2 are .... knock on wood.... pretty good. The routine is the aggressor gets put in his room overnight (righta fter their big main meal of the day so he just goes right to sleep) while the more easy going one gets the bedroom and run of the rest of the house house. Then in the a.m. the aggressor gets the run of the house while the mellow picked-on one goes out in the cat yard. When I get home from work the aggressor goes out in the cat yard and the 2 actually have been pretty good together for a few hrs each evening.

Obviously your situation is a little more complex, and it may be that you would just keep them separate, period. I would just be sure that the outdoor one gets love and attention daily, several times per day- is there a way her room or garage space can be used regularly for some other purpose that brings you or family members there?

What kind of fence do you now have - there are various ways of retrofitting existing fences to make them cat proof - some that dont cost a lot of $$.

There are some really good books on cat behavior and managing cat aggression nowadays - Pam Johnson has several re: intercat relations and Cat Sense by John Bradshaw is good.

Oh, one more thing= , the above poster had a good suggestion re: trying temporary and/or trial basis home without other cats If you could establish that she is good with a litter box and comes out of her shell/defensiveness.... that would be a game changer. You could then work on finding the right permanent home for her, with more confidence that it would work out. Thats generally how shelters work with the cats that are surrendered due to litter box problems.

PS - have you tried Feliway plug in? It doesnt always work but when it does, it really does.

Best wishes to you and kitties

I haven't read all the responses but if you choose to put the kitty outside or any of your oets for that matter even if its just to potty they need to be up to date on their vaccines....Parvo just to name one is deadly and can be prevented. I wish you good luck.

Current Resident: Thanks for your follow up! I definitely understood what you meant, and it was not "harsh" at all :) I didn't mean for my post to sound as if she's just something to toss aside. I love her dearly and want her to be comfortable, but I also want my house to not be destroyed assuming she has a long healthy life (she's only 4). We have tried the diffuser/spray/treats. She's unphased by them, which is why our vet finally suggested the prozac. We have 6 litter boxes (woohoo), 2 on each floor of the house. She has good days and bad days. I'd say she even goes through phases. 2 weeks of being fine, purry, lovey, wants attention, then 2 weeks of being skiddish, anxious, spraying everywhere (timeline is example only).

We have one of those full coverage privacy fences. 6 ft of full panel wood. The only way she'd get out is if she climbed it or somehow dug a hole under - both things I've seen other cats do. But she's so skiddish and "scared" that I honestly don't think she'd do much other than just sit out there all day. We could definitely put a door on our shed. It's not a fancy shed, but it's enough to keep her safe against the elements.

Deer are definitely not an issue in my area. The "biggest" animals to worry about are raccoons and opposum. We aren't in a city so to speak, but it's definitely a dense residential area.

We are still working on options to get her to go outside. Will be buying a harness this weekend to attempt to get her outside. Last time I tried bringing her outside she just ran under the porch. It took us all day to get her to come out. We couldn't reach her so we had to wait and wait and wait for her to finally come out.

Am also working on updating all of their vaccines. Since they've been indoor cats forever, we've mainly just been doing rabies vax. Don't want to take my chances. There's a "shot" clinic later this month I am going to try to bring them to.

Oh dear, the fact she was so scared about outdoors makes me want to hit "pause" . It should be fun for her and NOT punishment (or perceived as punishment) or fear inducing....

Why not take her out in the yard where she would be, first in a secure carrier or dog crate or something with a cover over it so she can feel safe.... sit with her for increasing periods of time each day.... until you have the sense that she's relaxed and curious about exploring further. Get the shed set up for her and think about how you or some others in family can use the space and spend some time out there.

Not sure about the harness/leash esp since walking on a leash is not your ultimate goal (I dont think?) Even getting it on may be problematic - generally leash training involves first getting them used to wearing a harness and is best done when they are kittens. Or so Ive heard - I have to say, I have had not have had luck training adult cats to tolerate a leash and one of them wriggled out of the harness and ran off about 3 minutes after I took him outside.

Have you been looking for a friend or someone who can work with her on a temporary basis - start with keeping her in a single room till she's relaxed and using box faithfully. Asking a friend for help or someone who would consider a temporary home may get you a different outcome than if its "here, take this cat who may or may not pee all over your house."

Re your wood privacy fence - I would err on side of caution at first - can be a simple matter of just stapling some chickenwire on the top and angle it over... several co's sell brackets/netting for the top, or there are these clever diy methods of making a roller bar for the top of the fence out of pvc pipe - cat climbs fence but encounters the roller and cant get a grip to get over. This one made from plastic mesh attached to flag holders looks kinda nice + economical:

Be sure all gaps are closed up (cats can fit in the most ridiculously small places) and that there isnt anything near fence cat can use to climb or jump over.

OK I've said enough - I hope you find the right situation for her and get some peace in your lives (yours and your kitties).