So I had to give my kitty away. :(

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

My wife and I have three cats. Two were mine before we got married, one was hers. I’ve had my two kitties for 8 years now, and they’ve always been together. Our one cat, Arthur, has always been the dominant cat. The little one, Henry, has always been low man on the totem pole. Well, starting last year, Arthur had been getting more and more aggressive towards Henry (while still being very sweet to people). Very harsh displays of dominance, etc. And starting last October, Henry started spraying. (Yes, both are neutered, as is the third, and have been since I got them)

We took him to the vet, tried medications, tried medicating both him and Arthur, etc. It would stop for a while, then begin again. We’ve added litterboxes to multiple levels (there was a ‘gateway to the litterbox’ standoff for a while). We had to replace our carpet downstairs with hardwood, and it was OK after that for a while. Then he started spraying in the bathroom. Unpleasant, but easily cleanable. Then a few weeks ago, he sprayed in my office. Back to the vet, more stuff, etc…but it’s not even working short term.

So we were down to our final solution (after a year of trying other stuff). We had to split them up. We offered either cat to my ex-girlfriend, who originally got the cats with me in college, but her husband has a cat that does not get along with others. So, my wife’s aunt, who loves Henry to death, decided she wanted Henry. She is a big-time cat lover, and he will be very well taken care of (and we’ll get to visit), but it was so sad letting him go on Sunday. I miss my little kitty. He is such a sweet, innocent little guy (except for the peeing).

When we got back from dropping him off, the other two cats pretty much freaked, since he didn’t come back with us. They are now super-clingy…I think afraid they may be the next to go. I feel bad…he wasn’t there to greet me yesterday. We called to check on Henry last night, and he was curled up on her lap, being very sweet, so I hope that a) he doesn’t spray for her, and b) he enjoys his new home.

Here’s a picture of him.

2

I’m sorry. He is very beautiful. Is he the only cat in his new home? At least you can go visit him. So many others would have put him down.

3

Oh he is a very pretty boy. I’m so glad you were able to find him a home where he’ll be cherished.

4

I wish you hadn’t used the term “the final solution”.

5

Yes, that does sound a bit dark (and unfortunately reminiscent of the holocaust, though I certainly wasn’t thinking of it in that way)…but to us, the ‘final solution’ was finding him a new loving home. Euthanasia and dropping him at the pound were never even in the discussion. They were not options at any point.

No, he will not be the only kitty at the new house. However, the dominant cat in the house is a female (and not aggressively dominant), and the other male is extremely docile towards other cats, so hopefully there shouldn’t be any reaction. (I am almost positive it was in reaction to both the increased aggression from Arthur, as well as the addition of our new baby.

6

He’s gorgeous.

Visit him often, I can almost feel him feeling abandoned. It was the best solution, I’m glad you tried everything you could think of before you came to it.

We had a very similar situation with a dominant female that looks JUST like Henry, except that Scarlett is much larger. In fact her nickname is Evil Fat Scarlett. Or sometimes just Fat Girl. She was absolutely terrorizing the little guy until he got big enough to try and stand his ground, and realized that he had claws and she didn’t. It’s all better now, in fact he owns her.

And hugs to the other kids, they need them.

7

Is is always sad to lose a pet. I’m glad he found a nice home.

8

I’m sorry you had to give up your kitty. We adopted our Emma under very similar circumstances at her previous home, including the litter box wars and her peeing around the house. She’s had only one period where she started peeing on an area rug, we believe because it’s right in front of a french door she likes to look out, and where the neighbors’ loose cats like to come around, and it really upsets her. We started using Feliway, and instant success! So if Henry starts doing the same thing at your aunt’s, you might recommend giving that a try.

I wish everyone the best of luck!