please help!! we have a sweet but disgusting cat!

[luvmycat]

Just wanted to pop on here and say I think you're wonderful for adopting her and for not giving up on her...it can be a lengthy process to un-do the damage of years in quarantine, but your love and patience will make it easier. About the smell...have you tried giving her a bath? It's not an easy thing, but I have had to do it on occasion, and I use a gentle honey/oatmeal shampoo without chemicals when I have to. GOE is right about the smell having a lot to do with why your other kitty is being mean to her, so maybe it'll help. Also, in case she has something inside her that's causing the smell, try putting some chamomile tea in her food, it expels parasites and also aids in digestion/helps anxiety. Good luck, and thanks again for being a great cat mommy who cares enough to work through all this instead of giving up, as so many pet owners do!!!

[PamelaD]

You did a wonderful thing adopting an adult cat. So many are overlooked because most people want kittens.

There are some feline behaviorist out there who think that when a cat doesn't cover his poo, it is a form a "territorial marking" to assert dominance. Whether from a cat he/she lives with or a cat he/she can smell nearby.

I would definitely get another litter box.

You can also clip your kitties nails. Keep them blunt, when she puts her claws on you, it wont be painful at all.

As far as food, you will find that with the higher quality food, their nutritional needs are being met with a smaller amount of food. You will be able to feed less of the higher quality, plus it will be better for your kitties.
You can also supplement with salmon oil.

For cleanliness, you will probably have to help her. You can get organic apple cider vinegar and mix 1 cup of warm water to 1 tsp of vinegar and clean her bottom area with a warm wash cloth. It has antiseptic properties and is safe for your kitty.

She sounds like a very loving kitty. Maybe you can set aside some one on one time with her, playing with a wand/string toy, she may think her love cup is filled more.

She sounds like a lucky kitty to have found a home with you, in many ways.

[sheena12]

luvmycat you are welcome! And thank you ALL for your help and support!
Having Destiny as a member of our family is a blessing. WE are the lucky ones because she is sucj a special little girl!

We are not wildly experienced cat owners. We are more experienced with dogs but we love them both equally and as individuals.

The not covering is not so much of an issue, but combined with the other idiosyncrasies, I was wondering if it was some sort of syndrome or feline disorder - IDK ...

As far as using Kitty wipes on her I tried yesterday. She hated this and I noticed no difference - although she got away in less than a minute!

We do have 2 litter boxes. But they both use the same one and ignore the other.
Whats up with THAT?
Our house is rather large so we have two in case one needs to use the potty and is not near a box. I guess as one woiuld install bathrooms in a larger home.
But they ignore one.
YES we use the same litter in both boxes A petstore brand called Everclear.

Any advice about diet c\changes?

They seem to love Friskies County Dinner,
Oreo the fist cat came with a can from the no-kill shelter where we adopted her 4 years ago.
It was her favorite they said.

BTW neither cat likes fish that much - even canned tuna in oil - which was a treat for my cat growing up. They seem to like meaty smelling things - which is odd because we are vegetarians.

Oh my this is all so confusing...

I also just keep the Deli-Cat around because I have teens and tweens and it makes it easy for them to feed when I am not around. -They like it too.

[sheena12]

I am now thinking that Friskies Country Dinner is quite possibly the Big Mac of the cat world.

But again Oreo the first cat never had any of these issues.

[Garden of Eden]

Oh, yes, being a beginner on the how to and the understanding of felines can be so overwhelming. You are doing a great job, so take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back! You are addressing many overlapping issues, and to be a novice at CatCare 101 is way NOT easy. It took me years to learn what I did, and I am still learning. I admit, I don't think I will ever know everything, nor will I ever figure out these elusive, mystical beings called felines. You think you finally have something down pat, then POOF, out the window it goes and you find yourself back at the drawing board scratching your head! LOL

My suggestions as to diet! OK!
Cats are obligatory carnivores, which is a fancy way of saying they eat ONLY meat. I use a combination of raw diet, that I make myself (groan....just the thought of 50 pounds of chicken de-skinning of, breaking and cutting bone to make small enough pieces for the grinder.....YIVEY!.....and I do this every 2 weeks.....OMG I must be out of my mind!)
but anyways.....
Ah, yes, what was I saying?? Yes, raw diet combined with quality canned foods with brands such as:
Wellness, Newman's Own, Blue Buffalo, and even PetGuard.