pretty much the only times i've experienced cats regularly going outside of their boxes were when i had multiple cats not getting along. can you try giving her one room to herself for a while? there's a lot of good information online about helping to socialize new cats to one another -- have you looked around, or asked advice from your vet or shelter?
also, if you don't have it already, check out nature's miracle -- it's always worked pretty well for me for getting out cat pee (and whatever else they occasionally produce).
I live in a small one-bedroom apartment, so the only rooms with doors that close are the bedroom -- in which I'd have to rearrange a lot of furniture in order for the door to be able to close, and which is where the damage is being done anyway -- and the bathroom, which has drafty windows and no heat, so she'd freeze if I kept her in there with the door closed.
The thing is, she more or less does have the bedroom to herself -- my other cat has barely ventured in there since the new one arrived, so she's pretty much staked out the bedroom as her territory.
I thought I did know how to socialize new cats, having done it a number of times before, but this is something I've never really encountered before. I guess maybe every new cat is different...
Haven't talked to my vet yet, but if this keeps up I guess that should be my next step.
Not exactly - it has a weird length of exposed pipe with a bunch of misshapen metal bits stuck to it, which I initially thought was possibly supposed to be some kind of attempt at a heater, but it really doesn't look like any sort of heater I've ever encountered - more like some strange little industrial accident or something. And it doesn't appear to actually do anything.
You might want to try giving her her own litter box. Some cats are weird about sharing boxes.
Another tactic is to be in the bedroom with her and spend a lot of time on the bed, petting her and making her feel comfortable. She may come to view that as her "safe place" (my cats come to my room when they're not feeling well because they get a lot of attention from me in there).
I had a kitten once who was just psycho. Sometimes a cat just isn't right for you. That said, there are complex issues involved with cats and their habits that I'll never fully understand. Maybe this is how she says "the other is a bitch." Speaking of the other cat, can anything be done to make her more friendly, like extra touching time to show she's not being replaced? I mean, this new cat was supposed to be for her, right?
you should get a waterproof mattress cover and an extra set of sheets, which would help mitigate the laundry frustration. these are things you should probably have anyway, what with having a toddler visiting a couple of times a week
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I'd been trying to avoid buying extra stuff for this bed until I could get a new mattress, since the one I'm using right now (Nikos's sofa bed mattress) is not actually the right size for the bed frame I've got, so anything I get for it won't fit any new mattress I eventually get in the correct size
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also, if you don't have it already, check out nature's miracle -- it's always worked pretty well for me for getting out cat pee (and whatever else they occasionally produce).
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The thing is, she more or less does have the bedroom to herself -- my other cat has barely ventured in there since the new one arrived, so she's pretty much staked out the bedroom as her territory.
I thought I did know how to socialize new cats, having done it a number of times before, but this is something I've never really encountered before. I guess maybe every new cat is different...
Haven't talked to my vet yet, but if this keeps up I guess that should be my next step.
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Another tactic is to be in the bedroom with her and spend a lot of time on the bed, petting her and making her feel comfortable. She may come to view that as her "safe place" (my cats come to my room when they're not feeling well because they get a lot of attention from me in there).
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