u/Acrobatic_Lake_5458

TLDR; Cat missing for two years and assumed dead has been reanimated, only to find out he has a new little brother and won’t stop peeing everywhere. Help

Prepare for a novel, sorry.

Image one is Pesto. Image two is Cosmo. Two years ago, Pesto went missing. This is my soul cat, my absolute best friend and a huge part of our family. Best buds with our dog, the coolest kitty ever, I could go on. I searched high and low for him, we all did. Went to every neighbors house, posted fliers, walked nearby areas, listed him online, I spent a day every week at the shelter and he was just missing. Our dog stopped eating and I couldn’t stop crying, my husband even got me a pet portrait of him for Christmas and I absolutely blubbered in front of the whole family. It was my first time grieving a pet like that.

Our dog, Stella, wouldn’t eat anymore and was constantly going outside and just smelling the air and looking around and it made me so sad for her. These two were companions and she lost hers. So, I saw someone giving away free kittens online a few months after he’d been missing and thought maybe we could use a new buddy in the house. Insert Cosmo here. We would crack jokes and call him the Anti-Pesto because this dude was the opposite of Pesto in every way. Pesto was slow, calm, gentle and such a big lover. Cosmo was wild, naughty and lightening fast.

Anyway, time went on and Cosmo was part of the family and growing HUGE. Pesto was always a small cat. I still thought about and talked about my Pester everyday and told Cosmo all about his predecessor. Cosmo would slip out the door under our feet so quickly when we would let Stella outside and we were always having to chase him down. One night, he did it again and I’m putting my kid to bed and I got a call. The text thing said “hi, I have your cat” so I answered thinking a neighbor got him and asked, “Cosmo?” They were all, “um, no, the collar says Pesto?” I about shit my pants. TWO YEARS AND HE STILL HAD HIS COLLAR ON?! I immediately went to go get him, I was shaking and tearing up. I’d gone through the wringer trying to find him and I was finally done with my grief for the most part and now he was still alive?

2 miles away, farther out in the country and matted to high hell and skinny, there he was. He made his way under this girl’s porch for the last few days and she finally coaxed him out and was able to call me. I’m pretty sure someone picked him up and dumped him in the country and I’m pretty sure I know who.

Moral of the story, my dead cat, now endearingly nicknamed Church (IYKYK) is home. But we have another male cat, both fixed and they have grown on each other a little but still Cosmo plays too rough sometimes and it turns into a real fight. Cosmo also has an eating disorder or something and has to be limited, he eats everything and I’ve started ensuring pesto is in a closed room when it’s dinner time so Cosmo can’t come steal his after he scarfs his own down. That’s improved their relationship a lot on its own. I also have two boxes in the house, they’ve done some weird things with switching who uses which one and stuff but they are both accessible and kept clean.

But now Pesto keeps peeing on things and it’s driving me insane! He has access to the box. He has his own space, I don’t know how to fix it and it’s making me resentful. I can’t get rid of Cosmo, he’s done nothing wrong. I can’t get rid of pesto, he’s my soul cat. There’s such a disconnect now because I’m so stressed about new pee spots. He pissed ON MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF while we were sleeping. I thought he couldn’t hold it and we accidentally left him in bed with us with the door closed. He did do that once before as a kitten because his bladder was small. But then he peed all over our son’s bedroom rug and some blankets, he peed in my husbands and my closets, the carpet in our game room next to my computer smells like pee.

Please help. I don’t know what to do anymore. We are all starting to resent him and my husband and daughter are definitely feeling like I’m responsible somehow because I’d gotten Cosmo while we thought pesto was dead. Two years is a long time. I am in shock. I’m also not built for having two cats and just don’t know what to do. Does anyone with more experience by chance know why he could be peeing everywhere now?

A little more info is that he’s been back home since late March and I did give it a few days for a slow introduction between the two cats. It took pesto a long time to warm up to their lukewarm relationship as it is now. He’s definitely a little different now, but he’s been through a lot. I am an adult, posting from the US, the vet is accessible. Pesto is 4 and Cosmo is 1.5 I can afford a vet if needed

UPDATE: I called the vet after the first couple of recommendations and explained what’s been going on in as much detail as possible. They explained to me that it does not sound like a UTI because that would mean he is peeing very often in small amounts or trying and not peeing at all. That specifically peeing on us is a strong signal that it is behavioral and that with all of the changes, (moving, our children are older, he’s home after his two year tour to the countryside, he has a new cat in his home and possibly so much more) he is angry about it all and this is his reaction. They recommended three things, feliway, comfort zone and cat fairies. I then pressed to still schedule his evaluation just to be sure and they said I could not because right now that would stress him further and if he’s still not chill after two weeks then to proceed with further evaluation because with male cats, this stress could lead to bladder thickening, which would then lead to a blockage and be dangerous.

As for a third box, I literally do not have another space for a box in my home unless I am putting it in my kitchen or one of our bedrooms. I understand that the third box is necessary. We are moving across the country on Monday and while the timing is kinda bad for his stress, I’m also super thankful he’s home in time to come with us. When we move, our new home is bigger and I will get a third box and a new vet. I am going to try isolating him with the pheromones and a private space until the move occurs because the change is only ramping up this week and we are going to have a lot of people around over the weekend helping us pack and saying goodbye. It’s the best I can do in the situation I’m in. Thank you all a lot for the advice, I didn’t realize it should’ve been a vet call again, I thought I was missing something I could fix at home. Turns out that’s where we are, but at least now I have the professional advice backing it.

I just found this sub and have so many neat things I’m excited to share!