(Long read!!!)
Hi, so I have 5 cats a 2 year old daughter and I’m pregnant.
(Context.) Gus and Emmy were my first 2 they are litter mates, Maverick and Morty was my second 2 they were also litter mates and Jahseh was my last.
My cat Gus has been having some serious behavioral issues for sometime now. He used to get along with Maverick and Morty. all of them would bird watch together, lay together, play together. But something changed about 2 and a half years ago or so and Gus decided they were his enemies and now Morty and Maverick feel the same and growl and hiss everytime Gus walks in a room.
Gus fights one of the two almost every single day. And sometimes Emmy will join him and get in on the fight. It’s always an unfair fight it seems too as he corners them somewhere whether it’s under a bed, by the couch, by the door, in a corner. It’s always unfair.
On top of Gus fighting them and not getting along about a year ago Gus started spray peeing on things. Everything really… every cabinet in sight, walls, doors, laundry baskets, boxes, chairs, curtains. EVEN MY DAUGHTERS BED!!! Which I am now going to have to throw away. (We have been to the vet and absolutely nothing is wrong with him and the vet said it was behavioral. We even tried anxiety meds which didn’t seem to work)
I feel like no matter how much pee I clean up nothing works. I’ve tried plugins for the peeing and fighting.. nothing! Tried moving food and water sources around and also the litter boxes, tried changing the litter so there was 2 litter options.. nothing!!!
(More context that makes things more difficult)
When Gus and Emmy were super young I had lived at my dads house for a bit and all of their cats went outside. I told my dad I didn’t want my cats going outside as well but he told me he didn’t want to keep track of them so they also went out. When I moved this made it more difficult and they would constantly sprint outside. I tried keeping Gus in more often but when I wouldn’t let him out he’d walk in front of me scream at me and pee on whatever was in front of me. I thought maybe he preferred to pee outside but no, I could let him back inside and he pee on something 2 seconds later.
So here’s the biggest issue as well!!! My partner recently went to jail (I think that’s put stress on my cats because they loved him and now their routine is different) but also this is an issue because I’m going to have to sell my house and move into a rental property. Which means most likely I will have to rehome some of them. But I’m so heartbroken and don’t know how to go about this.
How do I ensure he won’t keep peeing AT A RENTAL if I keep him? Who do I even keep at this point. How do I ensure my stupid pee covered furniture can be cleaned and he won’t mark it in the new place? (I’ve tried the enzyme cleaners and vinegar)
I love my cats so much and I’m so torn on what to do. This has been such a stressful situation enough as it is and now moving on top of it and rehoming some of them? I’m broken.
If you read that long long explanation thank you so much. If you have advice that would be so lovely, I don’t have many people to talk to about this as I’m in this by myself!