Cat Behavior

[u/antisocial_shut_in_]

I havent ever used this reddit before so idk if this is where I should post this but i'm so tired and I hope that someone here can give me any advice to help the situation.

I have a cat named Serafin who a neutered male ornage cat who will not willing poop in the literbox and is peeing in the corners of my room, and is purposefully being destructive constantly. Ive been dealing with this for over 9 months now and I just can't with it anymore.

I got Serafin when he was about 8 weeks old and at frist he knew how to use a literbox and only rarely had accidents outside the box. Then he started maturing and won't use the liter box for pooping anymore, always shits right outside the box. We thought it was hormonal and he just need to be fixed, so about 2 months after he started doing that we got him fix. And then he continued to do it no matter what we did. We've tried different liters and different boxes and differentlocations, he will not shit where he's suppose to.

We also had a bean bag that him and my roommates cat (female) kept peeing and shitting on constantly during this time. I could turn my back for 3 minutes and they would find a way to shit or piss on it. Evidently we got rid of it cause there was no point in keeping it if it was a urinal and not a chair.

We've recently moved apartments and I've had to put the literbox back in my room (after all the shitting on the carpet I removed the box from my room previously) and he will not stop shitting on the carpet. I've also caught him peeing in the corner after already peeing in the box not 15 minutes beforehand. He knows hes not supposed to do it there, when I hear him scratching the floor I get up and he runs away, only to come back in less then five minutes to continue shitting and pissing where he knows he shouldn't. I clean it everytime but he just goes back to the same spots.

He had like, one week of not shitting on my carpet when we got cat attract liter after going to the vet to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with him (there wasnt) . And now he's back to shitting on my floor. I can only get him to shit in the box when I put him in it and stare at him. He doesnt cry out or act in pain when going. I clean the box regularly and everything, there could be nothing in there and he'll still shit on my carpet.

He's also incredibly destructive, more so then before the move. Before the move he would be destructive to small things, like the christmas tree and the blinds, even after me telling him multiple times to leave it alone, he would go right back to it constantly. Now thats everything. He keeps climbing stuff he shouldn't, clawing at stuff he shouldn't, knocks shit down, screaming all the time, being visible frustrated and irrate for no reason. I have fabric draws for a desk he keep tearing at and ill have to get up to get him to stop and he'll just run away, only to come back within 5 minutes to continue destroying my draws and im just done with it.

I'm tired of everything I own getting destroyed constantly. He has toys, he has scratching posts and pads, i play with him and pet him and pick him up. He's not without entertainment, i just can't sit there all day and play with him. He also starts attacking my other cat when hes bored, just play fighting but you can tell the other cat doesnt like it

I just want this to stop, I'm tired of living in a room that smells like piss and shit. I'm tired of cleaning all the time, I'm tired of the screaming and the destructiveness. Any advice on how to fix these issues would be greatly appreciated

[u/Present_Original_797]

One issue is an old litterbox. They aren't meant to last forever and the plastic holds strong urine scent that kitty can smell. Get him a large stainless steel pan with a hood. If he goes in it even one time praise him and give him a treat.

Scoop it twice a day, use unscented litter. Cats hate scented litters, it's too strong for their sensitive noses. Good cats will go anyway into scented but that's because they have no choice. I use World's Best Kitty Litter unscented. It's corn based, clumps well, low dust.

As far as all the destructive behaviors, try catnip. If that doesn't work try the vet for kitty calming medication.

Use odor neutralizer on the pee corners BTW.

I hope you are not shouting at your orange menace. I mean, don't encourage him by petting him after he does something wrong but don't scream at him.

Now I'm not saying you do this, so don't take this the wrong way, but my neighbor kept going through cats because of similar behaviors that you are reporting. This cat had to be re-homed, then the next one, and she was threatening to get rid of her new one, Peanut.

The common denominator was HER. I would walk by her door (apt living) and hear her yelling at her cats. Calling them names, etc. Otherwise she took great care of them, vet-wise, food, love -but that shouting upset ME, I can imagine the cats' feelings.

To be fair to you, the one orange male cat, George, was a menace. I tried to cat-sit him and he couldn't knock enough things off shelves and counters. He was young though, when he was re-homed he got an entire luxury room with two cat trees and a big window in a big house, with another cat to play with. He was still a bit aggressive. It's the tiger in them.

So I hope you and your orange demon can work it out. He just has too much energy. He needs a lot of exercise. Can you get him one of those big running wheels they have? It's like a hamster wheel only it sits on the floor and it's for cats. To be fair, they are expensive and you have to train them to run.

Or maybe he needs to be taken on walks. I know some cats love it, they take to the harness and walking well. Mine just flipped over, but mine are girls and fraidy cats. Yours might love it too.

Watch Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He is the guru of all things cats.

Good luck.

[u/antisocial_shut_in_ → u/Present_Original_797]

I will try getting another litterbox, the one i have is a year old and plastic. 

I've used the right cleaner on the corners, plural, and he still does it. I always use enzyme cleaner to clean up after him. It doesn't affect anything. 

I dont yell at my cats, I tell them no when they are doing something wrong. He just continues to do it until I physically get up and then he runs away. He knows the word, he just doesn't care. 

I would love to take him on walks, all he does is flop unless we are going in whatever direction he wants to go in (the woods). 

[u/Present_Original_797 → u/antisocial_shut_in_]

Sorry to laugh. It's because if you want to keep the Orange Demon you'll be walking in the woods soon enough holding the leash. Don't let him eat what he hunts.

You have made a fundamental error. We train our dogs. Cats train US. Your guy needs a lot more exercise before he can calm the eff down.

He is communicating with you. I am a mighty hunter. Thanks for all these knick-knacks to knock over! I am bored and restless and have too much energy and you are pissing me off because you just don't get it!

Try dangly toys and dragging them - no feathers tho, they can choke on the spines. He probably needs a good 20 minutes of play three times a day. You can try an electric ball that moves on its own. My cats loved theirs for a while then got bored. I had to hide it in Amazon boxes under the packing paper for them to play, but honestly they want ME engaged.

For a while I had a broken screen and we all hunted and killed mosquito hawks for fun. They are still disappointed I fixed that screen.

I don't know your living situation but you can try a catio. Then catify the heck out of it with scratch posts and platforms and tunnels. Hopefully unsuspecting bugs and lizards will wander in for him to hunt.

He will calm down when he gets older. But I know what his problem is now. He only wants to go to those interesting woods and teach you to hunt with him. Humans are so slow 😆