Cat - Strange behaviour

wicklowgal

I'm a bit worried about my cat. He's a he, about 4 & a half years old (we've had him 3 years). He's never given us an ounce of hassle. He's recently started fighting with other cats. He always fought but now it's getting particularly bad and he recently had to have an absess drained due to a bite.

He came in yesterday and he wasn't himself. Limping a bit. I checked him over and his front leg was very tender and it was clearly hurting him.
I left him over night and he was much better this morning, no tenderness or anything. I decided, however, to keep him in to avoid him fighting. He's had me driven mad all day to go out but I've managed to keep him in. He still has a litter box inside as we keep him in at night. He did a poo in his litter box this evening and then went straight upstairs and peed in the bath?!?!

He's never done anything like this, so am worried. Anyone have any ideas?

SillyMangoX

Is he neutered? If not get on that straight away. Cats are really finicky about their litter trays, he probably didnt want to pee the same place there was a poo. Put down another tray if you can, the bathroom he peed in would be a good place as he is obviously comfortable eliminating in there. If you can, try keep.him indoors, or cat proof your garden to keep away other cats, though neutering him will help reduce his drive to fight.

Sigma Force

Is he neutered?

Can you cat proof your garden, to keep him in it but keep other cats out?
If your garden is walled of fences it shouldn't be too hard, bit fiddley but there's a few ways to do it if you google a bit you should fine some pics of various set ups. That way he's safe from other cats, the road, dogs etc. and no more big vet bills.

wicklowgal

He is neutered. I just thought it was really odd as we've had him 3 years and he's never peed anywhere except outside or in his litter tray. We keep him in at night and often he's in and out during the day so he's used to using the litter tray.

Themadhouse

The bath is a popular spot for some cats. Their sense of smell is stronger than ours and to them the pipe from the bath smells like us or our litter tray. Dirty laundry and a bed are other places that they can be drawn to due to our scent.

Pumpkinseeds

It sounds like there might be a new cat in the neighbourhood. I've a cat about the same age as yours and occasionally he'll get into fights if a new male cat comes into the neighbourhood. He's neutered but if he gets the scent of an unneutered male spraying in or around the garden he'll get very stressed and start keeping guard and generally being very unsettled.

I find that the Feliway diffuser works really well. Watch out for the sensitive area of his body, if he's been fighting and got a bite or a claw stuck in him it can close and trap the puss inside, so you wouldn't see the abscess until it bursts, it happened to my chap.