how to go about parting with two adult cats?

[boxus]

Cats will use the litter box. You can bring a ten year old feral off the streets and he will use the litter box.

The only reason they do not is if they have a physical or mental issue, which require some sort of action by the pet owner.

[petsandgardens]

Do they have enough private space? Wondering if they are finding places they can sort of hide away and nap (they need lots of naps) in peace and perfect safety from the humans.

[Jon Iverson]

Thanks all. I have forwarded all suggestions to her. I think she has decided to retain the cats for now rather than giving them back to the rescue.

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by Jon Iverson

Thanks all. I have forwarded all suggestions to her. I think she has decided to retain the cats for now rather than giving them back to the rescue.

I do understand your friend's dilemma. When lives are busy it is hard to deal with peeing cats when the cause isn't obvious meaning a remedy isn't quick to find. Over the years various cats (male and female) in my household have urinated or marked (two different things) in inappropriate places for different reasons. I won't pretend to have always remained calm-cool-collected. I can't say the peeing was always in the same places, but a few locations were favorites. In these places I put down lengths of plastic rug runners not to be deterrents, but to make the pee easier to clean up. Or taped plastic tablecloth pieces to vertical locations if that's where the spray was going. Doing so did help replace insanity with patience, and although the tablecloths and rug runners were unsightly, I made a choice to wear blinders and not see them.

Over time I learned that one of my middle-aged males was spraying because of an outdoor cat. Once the outdoor cat stopped coming around, the peeing/spraying stopped. One of my middle-aged females I learned had become very territorial because of the presence of other cats in the house. (Not sure why the behavior change, but was psychological and not medical.) She was spraying everywhere and anywhere even though there was never any major physical aggressive interactions between cats. She now has a room of her own where she prefers to live - and yes I say she chooses to prefer it because she never tries to door dart when the door is open.

Anyway, along with the great suggestions and advice from others, just offering up some temporary coping ideas, the plastic rug runners and/or separating the cats if possible.

I seriously applaud your friend for having a good and caring heart and thinking about the cats' welfare.