Here’s the background: We have seven cats: two Singapura boys who’ve been with us since 2000 and 2002, respectively; a tabby girl and two Russian Blue girls who’ve been with us since 2005 (all three of them arrived within a week of each other, all kittens the same age); and two tabby siblings (boy and girl) who joined us early last year. Our house is 2 stories, about 1600 square feet. The cats are allowed pretty much everywhere except two bedrooms that we use as offices and one bathroom. They have plenty of toys, cat trees, food, and litterboxes (on both levels).
Okay, so everybody was getting along fine for a long time. Before the two tabby kittens arrived we had full harmony. When the kittens arrived one of the Singapuras took an instant dislike to them, but he’s over that now and they all snuggle up together. But…
First problem
…the last couple of months, the middle tabby girl (Clarice, the one we got with the two Russians), seems to have become a bit neurotic. She stays in the same small area of the house and barely ventures away from it anymore (she sleeps in a computer chair, and hangs out near that part of the room downstairs). The two Russians, who were formerly good friends with her, seem to be intimidating her now. And worse, she 's taken to peeing and pooping in a specific area of that same room. Not often, but certainly often enough that it’s got to stop. We’ve tried putting a food and water dish downstairs (there wasn’t one before) and she eats and drinks down there now, but when she gets nervous she eliminates in her little corner. I notice that she carefully tries to cover it with something (cat toys, a washcloth, whatever’s handy) so I don’t think it’s a dominance thing. She’s scared. She’s still completely friendly and cheerful with the humans, she loves the kittens and the two Singapura boys, and she’s eating and drinking fine. But I don’t know what to do to help her with the other cats. Any ideas? We’re planning to take her to the vet for a checkup, but I don’t think she’s sick.
Second problem
Nabby, the boy kitten (who, I might add, is a moose–he’s easily our biggest cat now and he’s not even a year old) likes to chew on things. More specifically, he likes to “pick” at things. LIke he’ll get a tiny little bit of fabric clamped in his jaw and worry at it until he pulls a little hole in the thing. Then he’ll do it again. Needless to say this is really irritating. So far he hasn’t done it with any clothes, but he tries to do it to chairs, our bedcovers, pillows…it’s a habit that needs to stop but I don’t know how to do it. I’m hoping he’ll grow out of it.
So those are my current cat-related issues. Any suggestions (other than getting rid of any of the cats–we love them all, and while in retrospect I might have reconsidered taking the two tabbies to maintain a bit more harmony, they’re here now and they’re part of the family, so they’re staying)? Thanks in advance!