adopted stray cat behaviour

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

sorry Lesley I'm not sure at the time between jabs ... the vet will be able to advise.

If Bertie is an outside boy he may only like soft litter or ultrafine granules.

Hope it's all going OK.

[Lesley Frankie]

Thank you Sam, your reply is very helpful. I'm relieved that Bertie was not marking his territory. Ironically, he was right outside the room where the litter box is located but admittedly I have not yet 'catered' to him by putting another box in there largely because I'm not really sure how to go about teaching him what's what and, he has been 100% outside for his whole life.   He had just come inside so I was surprised that he needed to pee! I don't even know if he has ever gone in to the room.  At the moment, he's being kept as an outdoor cat with the hope of eventually giving him the option of coming indoors. My main concern is how my other cat Ben would react to him being indoors. Bertie is really trying to be friends with Ben which drives Ben crazy  .
I've had cats before but they all just seemed to know what to do so maybe I'm the one who needs education.

Another issue is that I managed to get him vaccinated about a month ago but he needs a booster. Because he's quite 'spicy' I have not been able to safely get him into the carry box again. Is there a time limit between the first jab and the booster, it's already been a month.

I will get another litter box and show Bertie where it is . Thanks again for your help.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Hi Lesely,

Welcome to the forum ... as you can see it is very very quiet on here these days but there are still a few of us that pop on from time to time
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Congratulations on giving Bertie a home and also getting him neutered 

I would suspect that the peeing on the rug is probably a result of a combination of  things.  (just my guess)

1.  He is new to the house and may not know where the litter tray is
2.  He may not like the litter tray where it currently is
3.  If he does know where it is he may not like the litter in it (some cats can be precious).
3.  I don't think he is marking his territory as this is usually a stand up spray against something to let everyone know how big and strong he is lol.   Peeing on the rug is just that .... peeing.

I would definately suggest getting a new litter tray and away from the current one if possible. 

This link is very good and contains lots of information ... https://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php?topic=26577.msg466005#msg466005

Hope it all goes well please let us know.

Sam 

[Lesley Frankie]

Hello, for the past year I have been feeding a stray cat who now has taken up residence on our terrace. We have named him Bertie. We also have a 16 year old cat called Ben. Bertie was neutered several months ago and the vet estimated his age to be 3 years. Other than getting fat, he seems to be at his full size.  He is fed outside on the terrace and as yet I have not let him stay indoors although he is allowed to sneak inside to pinch Ben's kibble. He loves Ben and tried his best to be his BFF but Ben tries to avoid him. Bertie is quite boisterous which probably annoys Ben. The issue is that last night, Bertie came inside and I heard him scratching on the carpet in the hall for ages so I went to investigate and found that he had peed on the rug.  It has been my hope that Bertie could be taught some manners especially using the litter box so that I could let him come indoors properly if he wants.  I have not had any experience of teaching a cat what to do. My past cats seemed to have just known what to do.  Bertie is still very leery of  people. I can pet him if I am careful but I had to trap him to get him to the vet for his castration so I have avoided even trying to pick him up.

I assumed that last night's peeing was an attempt to mark his territory? Obviously I need to either get him trained or he will have to stay an outdoor cat. We live in southern France so the weather isn't terrible even in winter and if necessary we could get a shelter for him. He seems comfortable outdoors but I suspect he wouldn't say no to being allowed indoors.
Does anyone have any advice for me please?  Thank you.